HISTORY OF EUROPE. . 243 
¥icans were committing injuries on 
the Spaniards. If Spanish cruizers 
hadjillegally captured the vessels of 
Americans, the Americans had en- 
croached on the territories of Spain, 
and, this encroachment had not been 
the unauthorised act of a private in- 
dividual, but the effect of asolemn 
enactment of the legislature. The 
reality of this injury, itis true, was 
denied by the Americans, who con- 
tended that the territory ciaimed by 
the jipaniards was part of Louis. 
jana; but till the limits of that pro- 
vince were settled, the Spaniards, 
who were in possession of the de. 
batable ground, were entitled to re- 
tain it, and to resent any attempt of 
the American government to dis- 
possess them. It was clear from 
the language and concuct of the 
Americans, that the acquisition of 
one or of both the Floridas was an 
object on which they were bent; 
and having succeeded so well in 
getting Louisiana from France, in 
exchangefer a sum of money and 
an old debt of the national conven- 
tion, there was but too much rea- 
son to suspect, that they had formed 
a similar project with respect to the 
Floridas ; that aware of the pecu- 
niary embarrassments of the court 
of Madrid, they pressed forward 
their commercial claims, not for the 
purpose of procuring itidemnifica- 
tion to the individuals who had 
been injured, but with a view of 
terrifying by the magnitude of their 
demands, and possibly of bribing by 
the offer of an immediate supply of 
money, that needy and profligate 
court into a surrender of one or 
both of those valuable provinces. 
It was quite consistent with such 
an indirect course of proceeding 
in the American government, that 
it raised pretensions to a consideya- 
ble district in Florida ; for, though 
its claim might not bear examina. 
tion, it would facilitate a negotia- 
tion for the cession or purchase of 
the province, and keep out of 
sight the true nature of the transac 
tion, 
Such being the views of the Ame- 
ricans, it does credit to the penctrae 
tion and address of Cevallos, the 
Spanish minister, that he detected 
and defeated their design, by refu- 
sing, to proceed in the question of 
pecuniary compensation, till the 
territorial limits were first adjusted. 
In this state have the Spaniards and 
Americans continued since 1804, 
the Spaniards keeping possession of 
the river Mobile and other parts of 
West Florida claimed by the United 
States, and refusing to execute the 
convention of 1§02, till the Ameri- 
can government renounces its un- 
justipretensions upon Florida; while 
the president,in his annual reports 
to congress, contents himself with 
turning phrases about his own mo- 
deration, and contrasting it with the 
violence and obstinacy of Spain. 
At one time, indeed, ia the course 
of the present year, it seemed as if 
the disputes between the two coun- 
tries were proceeding to extremities. 
A body of Spaniards entered Louis- 
iana from the side of Mexico, and 
took a position in an old French 
settlement on the Red river, which 
clearly belonged to the United States, 
But in consequence of the remon-~ 
Strances of the Americans against 
this aggression, accompanied b 
threats of more active hostility, the 
Spanish commander was induced to 
fall back tothe Sabine river; and 
this river was afterwards fixed upon 
by mutual consent as the line of se- 
paration between the troops of the 
two nations, till the boundaries of 
R 2 the 
