Beschreibung:

MADISON, JAMES, President . Letter signed ("James Madison") as Secretary of State, to William Jarvis, U.S. Consul at Lisbon, Portugal; Department of State, Washington, D.C., 14 January 1803. 1 1/2 pages, 4to, extremely light dampstain along one edge, short tear along fold in blank portion [ with ] SNOW, SAMUEL, U.S. Consul at Canton . Transcript of a letter to James Madison, Washington, D.C., 1 January 1803, 2 pages, 4to, marked "Copy." MADISON ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT WHICH RESULTED IN THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE The Secretary of State forwards a copy of a letter from the U.S. Consul at Canton (concerning permission for the U.S. Consul to reside temporarily at the Portuguese treaty port of Macao) and relays important news of the appointment of James Monroe as Special Envoy to negotiate with France regarding the navigation of the Mississippi. Monroe's negotiations, following the cession of Spain's North American territories (other than Florida) to France, culminated on 30 April in the Louisiana Purchase: "...The obstruction of our right of deposit at New Orleans still remained on the 25th of Novr. the date of our last advice from thence, but the hope that the Intendant will recede is further strengthened by the contents of a letter from the Governor General of Louisiana to Governor Claiborne, stating the prohibition was imposed against his opinion and without orders from the King of Spain. By the arrangement of the Colonial system of that Country, it seems that the Intendant, whose department is that of finance and commerce, is under no official subordination to the Governor. The President [Thomas Jefferson] has, within a few days, nominated James Monroe Esq. as Envoy Extraordinary to Paris and Madrid with a view to obtain such arrangements on the Mississippi, as will further secure the right and enlarge the advantage of navigating the River. "The enclosed copy of a letter from Mr. Snow, our Counsul for Canton, who is now in the United States...contains a subject for you to present to the Portuguese Government. There will probably be no hseitation in according to us the same favor that is enjoyed by others...." By the treaty of San Lorenzo in 1795, Spain had granted the United States the right to deposit goods and merchandise at New Orleans for transhipment. Spain had since ceded the territory to France by the Treaty of San Idefonso (1800) and the Convention of Aranjuez (1801) The acting intendant of Louisiana, Juan Ventura Morales, closed the port to American vessels and revoked the U.S. right of deposit on 16 October 1802, failing to provide an alternative site for deposit, as required by the terms of the previous treaty. The Intendant's act, publicly disavowed by both France and Spain, had immediate and serious repercussions. Jefferson, responding to Congressional resolutions sponsored by the western states, appointed Monroe Special Envoy and dispatched him to France to assist Robert R. Livingston, Minister at Paris, in negotiations with the French government. Monroe's nomination had been confirmed by the Senate on 11 January, three days prior to Madison's present letter. He had authorization to offer $10,000,000 for the Isle of Orleans, on which the city stood, but even before his arrival, the French had made the unexpected offer to sell not just the port but the entire territory. (2)