sregard trifling
considerations in great matters. Then opening Michell's large Map of
North America, he asked me what were our boundaries; I told him that
the boundary between us and the Spanish dominions was a line drawn
from the head of Mississippi, down the middle thereof to the
thirtyfirst degree of north latitude, and from thence by the line
between Florida and Georgia.

He entered into a long discussion of our right to such an extent, and
insisted principally on two objections to it. 1st. That the western
country had never belonged to, or been claimed as belonging to the
ancient Colonies. That previous to the last war it had belonged to
France, and after its cession to Britain remained a distinct part of
her dominions, until by the conquest of West Florida and certain posts
on the Mississippi and Illinois, it became vested in Spain. 2dly. That
supposing the Spanish right of conquest did not extend over _all_ that
country, still that it was possessed by free and independent nations
of Indians, whose lands we could not with any propriety consider as
belonging to us. He therefore proposed to run a longitudinal line on
the east side of the river, for our western boundary; and said, that
he did not mean to dispute about a few acres or miles, but wished to
run it in a manner that would be convenient to us; for though he could
never admit the extent we claimed, yet he did not desire to crowd us
up to our exact limits.

As it did not appear to me expedient to enter fully into the
discussion of these objections, until after he had marked the line he
proposed, I told him I would forbear troubling him with any remarks on
the subject until the points in controversy should be reduced to a
certainty; and, therefore, I desired him to mark on the map the line
he proposed, and to place it as far to the west as his instructions
would possibly admit of. He promised to do it, and to send me the map
with his proposed line marked on it in a day or two.

I then gave him a copy of my commission, and showed him the original.
He returned it to me with expressions of satisfaction, and then
changed the subject, by desiring me, if after receiving his map and
examining his lines, I should find it in any respect inconvenient,
that I would mark such other line on it as would, in my opinion, be
more agreeable to America; assuring me, that he had nothing more at
heart, than to fix such a boundary between us as might be satisfactory
to both par