216 The Winning of the' West 



at once to abandon his expedition. 11 Clark found 

 himself out of pocket as the result of what he had 

 done ; and as there was no hope of reimbursing him- 

 self by Spanish plunder, he sought to obtain from 

 the French Government reimbursement for the ex- 

 penses, forwarding to the French Assembly, through 

 an agent in France, his bill for the "Expenses of 

 Expedition ordered by Citizen Genet." The agent 

 answered that he would try to secure the payment ; 

 and after he got to Paris he first announced himself 

 as hopeful; but later he wrote that he had discov- 

 ered that the French agents were really engaged in 

 a dangerous conspiracy against the Western coun- 

 try, and he finally had to admit that the claim was 

 disallowed. 12 With this squabble between the French 

 and Americans the history of the abortive expedition 

 ends. 



The attempt, of course, excited and alarmed the 

 Spaniards, and gave a new turn to their tortuous 

 diplomacy. In reading the correspondence of the 

 Spanish Governor, Baron Carondelet, both with his 

 subordinates and with his superiors, it is almost 

 amusing to note the frankness with which he avows 

 his treachery. It evidently did not occur to him that 

 there was such a thing as national good faith, or 

 that there was the slightest impropriety in any form 

 of mendacity when exercised in dealing with the 

 ministers or inhabitants of a foreign State. In this 



11 Blount MSS., Blount to Smith, April 3, 1794. 



12 Draper MSS., Clark's accounts, Aug. 23, 1794; Fulton to 

 Clark, Nantes, Nov. 16, 1794; Do., Paris, April 9 and 12, 1795. 



