Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/199

 CHAPTER X TRANSFER TO THE UNITED STATES Feeling op the French Settlers — Settlements Founded Under the Rule of France — • Emigration from the Western States — Why Spain Fostered the Movement op Ameri- cans Across the River — Question Over the Navigation op the Mississippi — Restric- tions ON Commerce — Treaty of Ildefonso — Negotiations for Purchase op New Or- leans — Offer op all Louisiana — Motives op Napoleon in Selling Louisiana — Cere- monies Attending the Actual Transfer — Captain Amos Stoddard and His Authority — Significance op the Transfer. AVe have thus seen that Spain neglected Louisiana territory, giving to it practically no consideration after the time of De Soto. France seized the oi^portunity which was hers and took possession of the country, but in 1759 France lost Canada to England, and having lost Canada she lost the key to Lou- isiana, lu 1762, by the secret treaty of Fon- tainbleau, she ceded to Spain all her posses- sions in America ; Spain, however, did not take full possession of the territory until in 1768. This delay was caused by the opposi- tion of the French settlers of Louisiana. These settlers were unwilling to believe for a long time that France had sold them. The Spanish officers who came to take over the government at St. Louis met with resistance and returned to New Orleans without having received the countiy from France. Finally, however, Spain sent a governor in the person of Count O'Reilly, who came equipped with sufficient power to compel the acknowledg- ment of the authority of Spain. It will be .seen that French settlements in Upper Louisiana were confined to Ste. Gene- vieve and a few small settlements around the lead mines. St. Louis was founded by the French, it is true, but this was not until the year 1764, two years after the signing of the treaty that transferred the country to Spain. Cape Girardeau, New Madrid, St. ilicliaels. Cook's Settlement, Murphy's Settlement at Farraington, and Herculaneum, were all set- tled during the rule of Spain, some of them by the French, however, and .some by Americans. The town of New IMadrid was laid out by Colonel Morgan, an American in the service of the Spanish government. He bi-ought to his new town a number of Frencli settlers. These French who came to Louisiana after the transfer to Spain came for the most part from east of the Mississippi river. They did not wish to live under the power of Great Britain or of the United States; they pre- ferred to emigrate to Louisiana wjiich had once been a possession of France, though now belonging to Spain. One of the motives, as we have seen, was to escape the Northwest ordinance of 1787. Many people who lived in the Northwest 139