about to be, sent to St. Domingo, and that fifteen thousand more must be ready to sail by the middle of August. [1] Yet his policy of abandoning the colonial system had been already decided; for on January 30 the "Moniteur" produced Sebastiani's famous Report on the military condition of the East,—a publication which could have no other object than to alarm England.[2]
Livingston was quick to see the change of policy; but although he understood as much as was known to any one, he could not count with certainty on the result.[3] Not even Joseph and Lucien knew what was in their brother's mind. Talleyrand seems to have been elaborately deceived; even as late as February 19 he was allowed to instruct General Beurnonville, the French ambassador at Madrid, to express "the warm satisfaction which the last acts of sovereignty exercised by the King of Spain in Louisiana have given to the First Consul."[4] The last act of sovereignty exercised by Spain in Louisiana had been the closure of the Mississippi. Before Beurnonville could obey this order, Godoy, hastening to anticipate possible interference from France, promised Pinckney, February 28, that the entrepôt should be
- ↑ Correspondance, viii. 201; Bonaparte to Decrès, 16 Pluviôse, An xi. (Feb. 5, 1803).
- ↑ Lucien Bonaparte et ses Mémoires, Th. Jung, ii. 165, n.; Lanfrey's Napoleon, ii. 495.
- ↑ Livingston to Madison, Feb. 18, 1803; State Papers, ii. 533.
- ↑ Beurnonville to Talleyrand, 15 Ventôse, An. xi. (March 6, 1803); Archives des Aff. Étr., MSS.
