evil, would lessen its danger. 2. The administration
of justice in our forms, principles, and language,
with all of which they are unacquainted, and are the
more abhorrent, because of the enormous expense, greatly
exaggerated by the corruption of bankrupt and greedy
lawyers, who have gone there from the United States
and engrossed the practice. 3. The call on them
by the land commissioners to produce the titles of
their lands. The object of this is really to
record and secure their rights. But as many of
them hold on rights so ancient that the title papers
are lost, they expect the land is to be taken from
them wherever they cannot produce a regular deduction
of title in writing. In this they will be undeceived
by the final result, which will evince to them a liberal
disposition of the government towards them. Among
the American inhabitants it is the old division of
federalists and republicans. The former, are as
hostile there as they are every where, and are the
most numerous and wealthy. They have been long
endeavoring to batter down the Governor, who has always
been a firm republican. There were characters
superior to him, whom I wished to appoint, but they
refused the office: I know no better man who
would accept of it, and it would not be right to turn
him out for one not better. But it is the second
cause, above mentioned, which is deep seated and permanent.
The French members of the legislature, being the majority
in both Houses, lately passed an act, declaring that
the civil, or French laws, should be the laws of their
land, and enumerated about fifty folio volumes, in
Latin, as the depositories of these laws. The
Governor negatived the act. One of the Houses
thereupon passed a vote for self-dissolution of the
legislature as a useless body, which failed in the
other House by a single vote only. They separated,
however, and have disseminated all the discontent they
could. I propose to the members of Congress in
conversation, the enlisting thirty thousand volunteers,
Americans by birth, to be carried at the public expense,
and settled immediately on a bounty of one hundred
and sixty acres of land each, on the west side of
the Mississippi, on the condition of giving two years
of military service, if that country should be attacked
within seven years. The defence of the country
would thus be placed on the spot, and the additional
number would entitle the territory to become a State,
would make the majority American, and make it an American
instead of a French State. This would not sweeten
the pill to the French; but in making that acquisition
we had some view to our own good as well as theirs,
and I believe the greatest good of both will be promoted
by whatever will amalgamate us together.