USA > Louisiana > Louisiana; comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and persons, Volume II > Part 11
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1763-By the treaty of Paris Louis XV of France ceded to Great Britain all that portion of Louisiana on the left side of the
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Mississippi, "except the town of New Orleans and the island upon which it is situated."
1766-Antonio de U'lloa, the first Spanish governor, arrived in New Orleans to establish the authority of Spain over the colony.
1768-The inhabitants, by a revolution, expelled Ulloa from the province.
1769-Alexander O'Reilly, the second Spanish governor, arrived at New Orleans in August, and, by putting to death some of the leaders of the insurrection of the preceding year and imprisoning others, placed Louisiana under the dominion of Spain.
1779-81-Spanish conquest of West Florida.
1794-The first newspaper established in Louisiana-"La Moni- teur de la Louisiane."
1795-The first sugar was manufactured by Jean Etienne de Boré.
1798-The Duke of Orleans visited Louisiana.
1800-Louisiana restored to France by the treaty of St. Ilde- fonso.
1803-This was an eventful year in the history of Louisiana. On April 30 was concluded the treaty of Paris, by which the province was ceded by the French government to the United States; on Nov. 30 the territory was transferred from Spain to France ; and on Dec. 20 the French commissioner, Pierre Clément de Laussat, turned it over to the American commissioners, W. C. C. Claiborne and Gen. James Wilkinson.
1804-Louisiana was divided by act of Congress, and all that portion south of the line of 33º north latitude was erected into the Territory of Orleans.
1805-Aaron Burr visited New Orleans in June, and during the remainder of this year and all of 1806 there was considerable ex- citement over the so-called "Burr Conspiracy."
1810-By proclamation of President Madison part of West Florida was added to the Territory of Orleans.
1812-The Territory of Orleans was admitted into the Union, April 30, under the name of "Louisiana."
1815-Battle of New Orleans, Jan. 8.
1819-The western boundary of Louisiana was fixed at the Sabine river by the treaty between the United States and Spain.
1821-First Congressional districts created.
1825-The Marquis de La Fayette visited New Orleans in April and remained in the city for several days.
1831-First railroad in the state, connecting New Orleans with Lake Pontchartrain, was opened in April. (The state now has nearly 5,000 miles of railroad ).
1845-A new constitution was adopted.
1845-47-Louisiana takes an active part in the War with Mexico.
1852-The third constitution was adopted.
1861-Secession ordinance passed by the state convention, Jan. 26.
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1861-65-The war between the states, in which Louisiana fur- 'nished over 55,000 men.
1865-76-The reconstruction period.
1877-Federal troops withdrawn and civil government reestab- lished with Francis T. Nicholls as governor.
1879-First jetties at the mouth of the Mississippi completed ; constitutional convention called to revise the organic law adopted during the reconstruction era.
1884-World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition at New Orleans.
1891-Eleven members of the Italian Mafia lynched in New Orleans, March 14, for the murder of David C. Hennessey, chief of police.
1892-Lotteries in Louisiana prohibited by law after a spirited contest.
1898-War with Spain ; present constitution adopted.
1900-Population, according to the United States census, 1,381,- 625.
1901-President Mckinley visited New Orleans, May 2.
1903-Centennial celebration of the transfer of Louisiana under the auspices of the Louisiana Historical Society.
1904-Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis, Mo., at which the Louisiana building was a replica of the historic Cabildo --- the building in New Orleans in which the transfer of Louisiana was made in 1803.
Louisiana Purchase .- As stated in the article on Treaties, the province of Louisiana was secretly ceded to France by the treaty of St. Ildefonso, Oct. 1. 1800. The peace of Amiens was not satis- factory to either France or Great Britain, and by the autumn of 1802 all signs indicated that the two nations were on the eve of war. At that time France had not yet taken formal possession of Louisiana, but by the terms of the treaty would soon be compelled to do so, and if she became involved in a war with Great Britain the defense of a colony in America would prove a serious prob- lem, as the recent loss of the American colonies by England made that nation desirous of regaining a foothold on the western con- tinent. Nevertheless, Napoleon Bonaparte, then first consul of France, began his preparations for sending an army to Louisiana to establish his authority, not in any spirit of ill will toward the United States, but with the ulterior design of setting up a for- midable opposition to the British interests in North America. This army, under command of Gen. Victor, was fitted out in Holland, but the English were on guard and it was not permitted to sail.
Thomas Jefferson, who was inaugurated president in 1801, grew alarmed at the prospect of having the lower Mississippi pass from the control of a weak nation like Spain into the hands of so ag- gressive a power as Napoleonic France. Another cause for anxiety on the part of the president was that the cession of Louisiana to France gave Great Britain a pretext for invading that province, either from Canada or by way of the Gulf of Mexico, and if she
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should unite Louisiana and West Florida to her other American possessions she would be practically mistress of North America. Under these circumstances, notwithstanding his views regarding the limited powers of the United States government under the constitution were such as to preclude the executive purchase or acquisition of new territory, Jefferson instructed Robert R. Liv- ingston, the American minister to France, to open negotiations with Napoleon for the purchase of the island of Orleans and the Flo- ridas, supposing the latter to have been included in the treaty of St. Ildefonso. The proposal to buy this territory was seconded by a rather broad intimation that "on the day France takes pos- session of New Orleans the United States will go into an alliance with Great Britain." Napoleon foresaw that he would be unable to hold Louisiana in the face of such an alliance, and he deter- mined to sell the whole province to the United States. In the Memoirs of Lucien Bonaparte it is stated that Napoleon reached this conclusion as early as April 6, 1803, when he communicated his intention to his brother Joseph, who offered a vigorous oppo- sition to such a course.
On the 10th, which was Easter Sunday, Napoleon called in two of his ministers-Barbe Marbois and Alexander Berthier-for a private consultation regarding the sale of Louisiana. Before they stated their views on the subject the first consul said: "I know the full value of Louisiana, and I have been desirous of repairing the fault of the French negotiator who abandoned it in 1763. A few lines of a treaty have restored it to me, and I have scarcely received it when I must expect to lose it. But if it escapes from me, it shall one day cost dearer to those who oblige me to strip myself of it than to those to whom I wish to deliver it. The Eng- lish have successively taken from France Canada, Cape Breton, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and the richest portions of Asia. They are engaged in exciting troubles in St. Domingo. They shall not have the Mississippi, which they covet. Louisiana is nothing in comparison with their conquests in other parts of the globe, and yet the jealousy they feel at the restoration of this colony to the sovereignty of France, acquaints me with their wish to take possession of it, and it is thus that they will begin the war. They have twenty ships of war in the Gulf of Mexico; they sail over those seas as sovereigns, whilst our affairs in St. Domingo have been growing worse every day since the death of Leclerc. The conquest of Louisiana would be easy, if they only took the trouble to make their descent there. I have not a moment to lose in putting it out of their reach. I know not whether they are not already there. It is their usual course, and if I had been in their place I would not have waited. I wish, if there is still time, to take from them any idea that they may have of ever possessing that colony. I think of ceding it to the United States. I can scarcely say I cede it to them, for it is not yet in our possession. If, however. I leave time to our enemies, I shall transmit only an empty title to those republicans, whose friendship I seek. They
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only ask of me one town in Louisiana, but I already consider the colony as entirely lost, and it appears to me that in the hands of this growing power, it will be more useful to the policy and even to the commerce of France, than if I should attempt to keep it."
The consultation lasted for some time, Marbois favoring the sale of Louisiana and Berthier opposing it. No definite conclusion was reached that day, but early the next morning Napoleon sent for Marbois and asked him to read certain despatches that had just been received from London, showing that all over England "mili- tary and naval preparations of every description were being pushed with great rapidity." After reviewing the information contained in the despatches and the warlike attitude of Great Britain. Napoleon said: "Irresolution and deliberation are no longer in season. I renounce Louisiana. It is not only New Orleans that I will cede; it is the whole colony, without reservation. I know the price of what I abandon, and I have sufficiently proved the im- portance that I attach to this province, since my first diplomatic act with Spain had for its object the recovery of it. I renounce it with the greatest regret. To attempt obstinately to retain it would be folly. I dircet you to negotiate this affair with the envoys of the United States."
In the meantime James Monroe, whose term as governor of Vir- ginia had just expired, was appointed an envoy extraordinary to assist Mr. Livingston in the negotiations and ordered to Paris. Monroe had been minister to France in 1794, but had been recalled by Washington because of his expressions of sympathy for the French republicans. The French people looked upon him as a friend, and this fact doubtless had something to do with his ap- pointment as envoy extraordinary, in the hope that his influence might secure some advantages for the United States. He had not arrived in Paris at the time Napoleon on the 11th appointed Marbois to conduct the negotiations, and the latter was instructed not to "await the arrival of Mr. Monroe: have an interview this very day with Mr. Livingston." On that same day M. Talleyrand asked Mr. Livingston whether the United States wanted the whole of Louisiana. Livingston replied in the negative, stating that the desires of his government extended only to New Orleans and the Floridas. Talleyrand said if France parted with New Orleans the rest of the colony would be of little value, and requested Living- ston to make an offer for the whole. Livingston suggested 20 .- 000,000 livres, which Talleyrand thought was too low, and the former declined to discuss the subject any further until the arrival of Monroe, who was expected within a few days.
On the 12th Marbois received his full powers, Monroe arrived on the 13th, with a draft of a treaty for the cession of New Orleans and the Floridas, but the whole aspect was changed by Napoleon's decision to cede all of Louisiana. Three points were to be con- sidered: 1-The cession of the entire province: 2-The price to be paid for it : 3-The amount of the indemnity claimed for cargoes and prizes (the French spoilation claims). With regard to the
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first point it soon developed that the American envoys were not clothed with the authority to treat for the whole province, as such a contingency had not been thought of by the United States government. The time was too short, however, to communicate with the president and wait for definite instructions. Livingston and Monroe therefore decided to assume the responsibility and trust to the chances of their acts being ratified by Congress and approved by the president. Concerning the price, Napoleon, in his interview with Marbois on the 11th, said: "I require a great deal of money for this war, and I would not like to commence it with new contributions. * ** * If I should regulate my terins according to the value of these vast regions to the United States, the indemnity would have no limits. I will be moderate in con- sideration of the necessity in which I am making the sale. But keep this to yourself. I want fifty millions (livres), and for less than that sum I will not treat. I would rather make a desperate attempt to keep these fine countries. % * * Mr. Monroe is on the point of arriving. To this minister, going two thousand leagues from his constituents, the president must have given, after defining the object of his mission, secret instructions more extensive than the ostensible authorization of Congress, for the stipulation of the payments to be made. Neither this minister nor his colleague is prepared for a decision which goes infinitely beyond anything they are about to ask of us. Begin by making them the overture with- out any subterfuge. You will acquaint me, day by day, hour by
hour, of your progress. * Observe the greatest secrecy and recommend it to the American ministers; they have not a less interest than yourself in conforming to this counsel."
Marbois followed these instructions and early in the negotiations advanced the proposition to sell the entire province of Louisiana to the United States for the sum of 100.000,000 livres. The Ameri- cans promptly rejected this proposal on the ground that the price was prohibitory, whereupon Marbois dropped to 80,000,000. This figure was accepted by Livingston and Monroe, with the under- standing that 20,000,000 of it should be used for the liquidation of the spoilation claims, which disposed also of the third point under consideration. The outlines of a treaty as brought by Monroe were useless as a basis for the final settlement of the negotiations, and in their place was used a draft prepared by Napoleon himself. It was agreed that original copies of the treaty should be drawn in the French language, after which they could be translated into English .. The treaty as ultimately adopted was as follows:
"The President of the United States of America, and the First Consul of the French Republic, in the name of the French people, desiring to remove all source of misunderstanding relative to objects of discussion mentioned in the second and fifth articles of the convention of the 8th Vendimaire, an 9 (Sept. 30, 1800), rel- ative to the rights claimed by the United States, in virtue of the treaty concluded at Madrid, the 27th of October, 1795, between his Catholic Majesty and the said United States, and willing to
WWBER
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strenghten the union and friendship which at the time of the said convention was happily reestablished between the two nations, have respectively named their plenipotentiaries, to wit: the Pres- ident of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the senate of the said States, Robert R. Livingston, minister pleni- potentiary of the United States, and James Monroe, minister plenipotentiary and envoy extraordinary of the said States, near the government of the French Republic; and the First Consul, in the name of the French people, Citizen Francois Barbe Marbois, minister of the public treasury; who, after having respectively exchanged their full powers, have agreed to the following articles : "Article I. Whereas by the third article of the treaty con- cluded at St. Ildefonso, the 9th Vendimaire, an 9 (Oct. 1, 1800), between the First Consul of the French Republic and his Catholic Majesty, it was agreed as follows: 'His Catholic Majesty promises . and engages on his part, to cede to the French Republic, six months after the full and entire execution of the conditions and stipulations herein relative to His Royal Highness, the Duke of Parma, the colony or province of Louisiana, with the same extent that it now has in the hands of Spain, and that it had when France pos- sessed it, and such as it should be after the treaties subsequently entered into between Spain and other states.' And whereas, in pursuance of the treaty, and particularly of the third article, the French Republic has an incontestible title to the domain and to the possession of the said territory ; the First Consul of the French Republic, desiring to give to the United States a strong proof of his friendship, doth hereby cede to the said United States, in the name of the French Republic, forever and in full sovereignty, the said territory, with all its rights and appurtenances, as fully and in the same manner as they have been acquired by the French Re- public, in virtue of the above mentioned treaty, concluded with his Catholic Majesty.
"Article II. In the cession made by the preceding article are included the adjacent islands belonging to Louisiana, all public lots and squares, vacant lands, and all public buildings, fortifica- tions, barracks and other edifices which are not private property. The archives, papers and documents, relative to the domain and sovereignty of Louisiana and its dependencies, will be left in the possession of the commissaries of the United States, and copies will be afterwards given in due form to the magistrates and municipal officers of such of the said papers and documents as may be necessary to them.
"Article III. The inhabitants of the ceded territory shall be. incorporated into the Union of the United States, and admitted as soon as possible, according to the principles of the Federal consti- tution. to the enjoyment of all the rights, advantages and immuni- ties of citizens of the United States; and in the meantime they shall be maintained and protected in the free enjoyment of their liberty, property and the religion which they profess.
"Article IV. There shall be sent by the government of France
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a commissary to Louisiana, to the end that he do every act neces- sary, as well to receive from the officers of his Catholic Majesty the said country and its dependencies, in the name of the French Republic, if it has not been already done, as to transmit it in the name of the French Republic to the commissary or agent of the United States.
"Article V. Immediately after the ratification of the present treaty by the president of the United States, and in case that of of the First Consul shall have been previously obtained, the com- missary of the French Republic shall remit all military posts of New Orleans, and other parts of the ceded territory, to the com- missary or commissaries named by the president to take posses- sion ; the troops, whether of France or Spain, who may be there, shall cease to occupy any military post from the time of taking possession, and shall be embarked as soon as possible, in the course of three months, after the ratification of this treaty.
"Article VI. The United States promise to execute such treaties and articles as may have been agreed between Spain and the tribes and nations of Indians, until, by mutual consent of the United States and the said tribes or nations, other suitable articles shall have been agreed upon.
"Article VII. As it is reciprocally advantageous to the com- merce of France and the United States to encourage the communi- cation of both nations for a limited time in the country ceded by the present treaty, until general arrangements relative to the com- merce of both nations may be agreed on, it has been agreed between the contracting parties that the French ships coming directly from France or any of her colonies, loaded only with the produce and manufactures of France or her said colonies; and the ships of Spain coming directly from Spain or any of her colonies, loaded only with the produce of manufactures of Spain or her colonies, shall be admitted during the space of twelve years in the port of New Orleans, and in all other legal ports of entry within the ceded territory, in the same manner as the ships of the United States coming directly from France or Spain, or any of their colonies, without being subject to any other or greater duty on merchandise, or other or greater tonnage than that paid by the citizens of the United States.
"During the space of time above mentioned, no other nation shall have a right to the same privileges in the ports of the ceded territory ; the twelve years shall commence three months after it shall have been notified at Paris to the French government, if it shall take place in the United States; it is, however, well under- stood that the object of the above article is to favor the mant- factures, commerce, freight and navigation of France and of Spain, so far as relates to the importations that the French and Spanish shall make into the said ports of the United States, without in any sort affecting the regulations that the United States may make concerning the exportation of the produce and merchandise
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of the United States, or any right they may have to make such regulations.
"Article VIII. In the future and forever after the expiration of the' twelve years, the ships of France shall be treated upon the footing of the most favoured nations in the ports above mentioned.
"Article IX. The particular convention signed this day by the respective ministers, having for its object to provide for the pay- ment of debts due to the citizens of the United States by the French Republic prior to the 30th Septr., 1800 (8th Vendimaire, an 9), is approved, and to have its execution in the same manner as if it had been inserted in the present treaty; and it shall be ratified in the same form and in the same time, so that the one shall not be ratified distinct from the other.
"Another particular convention signed at the same date as the present treaty relative to a definitive rule between the contracting parties is in like manner approved, and will he ratified in the same form, and in the same time, and jointly.
"Article X. The present treaty shall be ratified in good and due form and the ratifications shall be exchanged in the space of six months after the date of the signature of the ministers pleni- potentiary, or sooner if possible.
"In faith whereof, the respective plenipotentiaries have signed these articles in the French and English languages, declaring nevertheless that the present treaty was originally agreed to in the French language, and have hereunto affixed their seals.
"Done at Paris, the 10th day of Floreal, in the 11th year of the French Republic, and the 30th of April, 1803.
ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON. (Seal)
JAMES MONROE. (Seal)
BARBE MARBOIS. (Seal)
The convention referred to in Article IX of the treaty related to the purchase price of the province, for the payment of which it was agreed that "The United States shall create a stock of $11,250,000, bearing an interest of 6 per cent. per annum, payable half yearly in London, Amsterdam or Paris, amounting by the half year to $337,500, according to the proportions which shall be determined by the French government to be paid at either place ; the principal of the said stock to be reimbursed at the treasury of the United States in annual payments of not less than $3,000,000 each, of which the first payment shall commence fifteen years after the date of the exchange of ratifications: this stock shall be trans- ferred to the government of France, or to such person or persons as shall be authorized to receive it, in three months at most after the exchange of the ratifications of this treaty, and after Louisiana shall be taken possession of in the name of the government of the United States."
In addition to this stock the United States assumed the spoila- tion claims of American citizens against the French government for damages to American commerce and shipping during the Euro- pean wars between 1793 and 1800, especially during the troubles
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between France and the United States in 1798-99, when French privateers made prizes of American vessels. These claims at the time Louisiana was purchased amounted to about $3,750,000, mak- ing the total purchase price about $15,000.000. The United States government was slow in paying these claims, and it was not until 1885 that they were finally adjudicated by the court of claims and something like $4,800,000 awarded to the claimants.
Although the treaty and convention regarding the payment of the purchase price bear date of April 30, 1803, they were not signed by the plenipotentiaries in their official capacity until May 3, as they had to be translated and copied. Immediately after attaching their signatures all three arose and shook hands with each other with intense feeling. Marbois, speaking afterward of the harmony that prevailed during the deliberations, said: "A sentiment superior even to glory seemed to animate the three ministers, and never perhaps did negotiators taste a purer joy." Mr. Livingston, who had labored long and earnestly to advance the interests of his country, said: "We have lived long, but this is the noblest work of our whole lives. The treaty which we have just signed has not been obtained by art nor dictated by force ; equally advantageous to the two contracting parties, it will change vast solitudes into flourishing districts. From this day the United States take their place among the powers of first rank; the English lose all exclusive influence in the affairs of America. In ratifying the treaty Napoleon said: "This accession of territory strengthens forever the power of the United States; I have given to England a maritime rival that will sooner or later humble her pride."
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