1829 1ST ED VIEW OF THE CLAIMS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS LOUISIANA PURCHASE CAUSTEN

Description

"It will be sufficient caution to the reader to state, in order that the motives and fairness of the writer be well understood, that the details of this matter cannot be stated without involving the soundness, perhaps the purity, of some of the actors in the extraordinary scenes which will be unfolded- his object, however, is solely to remove the veil from the truth, without favor or prejudice."  [LOUISIANA PURCHASE; AMERICAN CLAIMS VS. FRANCE]
VIEW
OF THE
CLAIMS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS,
WHICH WERE (RESERVED AGAINST THE FRENCH REPUBLIC, BY THE CONVENTION OF THE 30TH OF SEPTEMBER, 1800:- AND WHICH WERE AFTERWARDS)
ASSUMED BY THE UNITED STATES,
In the Louisiana Convention of the
30
th April,
1803.
BY A CITIZEN OF BALTIMORE;
James H. Causten. Washington[?],
1829
.
First Edition
. 8vo, 141, [1] pages. Hardcover, 3/4 linen over boards, title stamped to spine; marbled endpapers, ex-libris bookplate to upper pastedown; original plain tan wrappers present, bound-in, title:
"French Claims"
penned in contemporary hand to upper wrap; spotting to endpapers; textblock evenly agetoned, couple light penciled markings, author notation and call number to title-page, else clear and unmarked.   Causten reviews the diplomatic history of the acquisition of Louisiana from France, with information on American agitation resulting from Spain's closing of the port of New Orleans, and on the American and French negotiating strategies. He closely examines the French- American treaty and the legal issues involved. As part of the consideration for the sale of Louisiana, the United States agreed to pay the claims against France of American citizens. Those claims had arisen by reason of France's assaults on American commerce during the 1790's. Causten argues that the United States has breached its treaty obligations to American citizens. "Having established, that the United States are bound by the compact with France to satisfy the claims in question, and that a strong motive for doing so exists in the acquisition...which...was all purchased from France: It is now contemplated to show a further inducement to satisfy the claims, in an additional acquisition of territory, not understood to be embraced in said purchase, but which by fortuitous circumstances has been conferred to us. The acquisition alluded to is that part of West Florida, south of the 31st degree of latitude, and between the Mississippi and Perdido rivers, embracing about four and a half million acres of land, most of which is equal to any in fertility and value. The jurisdiction however, was of more value to us than the soil, since the great rivers Alabama, Tombeckby, Pascagoula and Pearl, with others of minor importance, having their sources far within the United States, have all their mouths within said territory; so that we could not reach the ocean except through the permission of foreign power, who might, and who did exact transit duties."
OCLC#1026650176