24 VIEWS OP LOUISIANA. 
France, was therefore confined to the limits tacitly stipulated of 
agreed on, before the war, or at least to the part, of which she 
actually enjoyed possession: it does not appear that this was 
ever altered until the country was transf erred by France to Spain. 
What those limits were, between what retained the name of Flo¬ 
rida, and the French possessions to the east of the Mississippi, 
is tolerably well defined by several writers; the French were un¬ 
doubtedly in possession on the Mobile, and La Harpe expressly 
declares the Rio Perdido to be the boundary. 
But the boundaries of this province like those of many other 
of the American colonies, were very vague, and given by writers 
who were influenced by national vanity, or guided by the politi¬ 
cal views of government. It is certain that Louisiana in the hands 
of France, did extend a very considerable distance east of the 
Mississippi; this is acknowledged by early writers most dispos¬ 
ed to dispute her title. Dr. Postlethwayte in his Dictionary of 
Commerce, after speaking of the difficulties of ascertaining the 
boundaries of Louisiana, observes, “ that certain it is, that Lou¬ 
isiana contains the greater part of those new discovered lands 
east and west of the Mississippi, which at first had the name of 
Florida/* 
I. A question has arisen whether Louisiana by virtue of the 
cession to us, is held in the same extent as it was holden by 
France previous to the Sd of November 1762 ; that is, to the 
Perdido on the east side of the Mississippi; for it can scarcely 
be doubted that previous to the period just mentioned, it did ex¬ 
tend to that river. To render the subject more clear it will be 
necessary to ascend to first causes, and to take a view of those 
which induced the different transfers. As soon as the settle¬ 
ments on the Mississippi and in the Illinois, had taken a firm foot¬ 
ing, the design was formed of uniting them with Canada, under 
the name of New France ; a young scion that in time would have 
rivalled and perhaps surpassed New-England. M. D’Anville 
under the patronage of the Duke of Orleans, executed a map of 
New France which included the whole extent of country west 
ef the Allegany mountains. To the whole of the Valley of the 
Mississippi, France had probably the most just claim, as the dis¬ 
coverer of the American Nile, and as the first to form establish- 
