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Subject Area: Economics
Subject Area: Political Theory

GALLATIN TO J. Q. ADAMS. - Albert Gallatin, The Writings of Albert Gallatin, vol. 2 [1879]

Edition used:

The Writings of Albert Gallatin, ed. Henry Adams (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1879). 3 vols.

Part of: The Writings of Albert Gallatin, 3 vols.

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GALLATIN TO J. Q. ADAMS.

No. 131.

Paris, December 9, 1819.

Sir,—

The change of Ministers has thrown new delays in the discussion of the commercial propositions which I had made to this government. Mr. Pasquier has promised to take them immediately into consideration, and seems to understand both the reasonableness of what we ask and the difficulty of acceding to it without giving great displeasure to the shipping interest of France. The council of commerce (consisting of eminent merchants), to whom the proposals in the first instance had been referred, have reported that a nominal equality would give a decided superiority to our navigation, that the French discriminating duties were, however, too high, and that they should be reduced to two-thirds of their present amount. I have explicitly declared that if, instead of abolishing all those duties on both sides, an equalization was attempted, the reduction proposed by the council of commerce was altogether insufficient, and I could not accede to it.

I have the honor, &c.

GALLATIN TO J. Q. ADAMS.

No. 133.

Paris, 13th January, 1820.

Sir,—

The President’s message at the opening of Congress was received here, by the way of England, on the 10th instant.

I observed to Mr. Pasquier that the President, on being informed of the intention of Spain to send a minister to the United States with new explanations, had determined to wait for his arrival, provided it took place during the present session of Congress, before he should proceed to occupy Florida; that this delay, after all that had passed, was a most undeniable proof of the earnest desire of the United States to arrange in an amicable way their differences with Spain; but that it was the last act of condescension which could be expected, and that this government might be assured that if the Spanish minister did not arrive in time, and with satisfactory instructions, Florida would be forthwith occupied, for the reasons which I had already been instructed to communicate, and which were explained more at large in the President’s message.

Mr. Pasquier assured me that he had repeatedly written, and had again since the receipt of the President’s message renewed his instructions to the French legation at Madrid, to impress on the Spanish government the necessity of sending the new minister without delay. He added that he regretted that he had not departed before the receipt of the President’s message, some parts of which would, he feared, have an unfavorable effect in Spain. I understood him to allude to the paragraphs respecting the Spanish colonies; and the Spanish ambassador, who has always been friendly to the ratification of the treaty, was explicit on the subject. I reminded Mr. Pasquier of the well-known efforts of our government to prevent a premature recognition of the independence of the colonies, and said that the conduct of Spain towards us had been every way calculated to hasten that event. She must, however, well consider the unavoidable result of the ultimate steps she was going to take. If the treaty was not ratified, Florida would most certainly be occupied; and then Spain must either submit to it, however painful to her pride, or by a rupture with the United States lose the last hope of recovering the insurgent colonies and of retaining even those on the continent which she still possessed.

With the exception of those observations and of some offensive and unfair comments in an ultra newspaper, the President’s message has met here with very general approbation. The Russian minister expressed himself quite satisfied with it, and was of opinion that it would be well received by his government. Indeed, since Russia has lost her influence at Madrid, I would not be surprised to see her much more explicit on our side.

General Vives, the new Spanish minister to the United States, if I do not mistake his name, is expected at Paris, and has orders to confer freely with this government. This would be favorable to a pacific result if there was time; but, considering the season of the year and the usual slowness of Spanish movements, I think it hardly possible that that gentleman will reach Washington before the adjournment of Congress.

I have the honor, &c.