Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 1.djvu/194

162 the opinion that the failure of negotiations would leave the United States the natural enemy of France, and the natural ally of Great Britain, the British statesmen used expressions of politeness and encouragement to the American negotiators, but prepared to execute secret purposes of their own. A British fleet was sent to the neighborhood, and was ready to seize New Orleans as soon as be impending war with France should justify the attack. Great Britain was astonished and disconcerted by the news that, at the critical moment, Napoleon had ceded the whole territory to a friendly power, whose negotiations had been submitted to her approval and had received her sanction. Outwitted and overreached, she could not pursue a hostile policy without perfidy, and without forcing a war with the United States while she was on the eve of a dangerous war with France. The British lion, in the act of couching for the spring, saw the prey escape, and for the moment was too much surprised to growl. But it was not long before the roar was beard across the Atlantic.

Such were the conditions of Europe in the latter part of 1803, when negotiations for the acquisition of Florida were begun. Passing briefly over the diplomatic events previous to 1805, it may be sufficient to note that they were unsuccessful, and that the United States was repulsed at every court. These negotiations were addressed to asserting the claim that West Florida was included in the cession of Louisiana This claim was dispated Prance and Spain united in resisting it. A though Congress had authorized the occupation of West Florida, President Jefferson refrained from taking hostile possession The negotiations, however, became acrimonious. Mr. Pinckney, the minister at Madrid, gave --