France claimed in America. The whole tone of France changed at once, and the bargaining for an empire of land went merrily as a marriage bell. Sixteen million dollars was the price agreed upon for Louisiana territory; the, largest real estate transaction in the world from the beginning of the human race. It conveyed all the lands in, the states of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, three-fourths of Wyoming, North Dacotah, South Dacotah, half of Colorado, Oklahoma, Indian territory, Utah, half of Minnesota and most of Montana; five hundred and sixty-five million acres at a price of about one dollar and a half per square mile of land. Napoleon was greatly pleased with the sale he had made, and said to the American minister. "This accession of territory strengthens forever the power of the United States; and I have given to England a maritime rival that will sooner or later humble her pride." And the most curious thing in the whole transaction was that President Jefferson borrowed the money from English bankers to pay France when it was perfectly plain that Napoleon would use the whole sum fighting England, taking a most outrageous advantage of the stupidity of the English ministry. On the 20th of December following, formal possession of the Province of Louisiana, was taken by the American commissioners, Wm. C. Claiborne and General James Wilkinson, and the tri-colored flag was pulled down to wave no more forever over American soil.
President Jefferson was now free to pursue his life long desire to know what was in the far west. He had now cleared away all obstacles; he had added to the national domain territory enough to make thirteen more great states; he had opened the way now to find out what was in the far off Oregon country. Oregon had been in his mind ever since he had started Ledyard across Asia to reach and explore it. And that is the reason this history of the Louisiana purchase is pertinent to the history of the city of Portland. Without Louisiana, the United States could never reach Oregon, and without Oregon, there would be no American Portland.
Accordingly at the next session of Congress after the treaty of purchase from France on January 18, 1803, Jefferson sent a confidential message to congress containing a recommendation for an exploring expedition to the west, and congress promptly passed an act providing the necessary funds to make the exploration. The president lost no time in organizing the expedition known in all the histories as the Lewis and Clark expedition, appointing his private secretary. Captain Meriwether Lewis to the chief command and captain Wm. Clark, a brother of General George Rogers Clark, as second in command. As a matter of historical fact, the president had already, before he knew of the signing of the treaty of cession at Paris, perfected arrangements with Captain Lewis to go west and organize a strong party to cross the continent to the mouth of the Columbia river. This is proved by the fact that Lewis left Washington city within four days after the news was received by the president, that the treaty had finally been executed. A large part of the year was spent in making preparations for the journey, and the president was so anxious for the safety and success of the men, that he prepared with his own hands the written instructions which were to govern their conduct. We make the following extract from these instructions to show the nature of them, and the great care the President was taking to have success assured, and the natives treated with justice and consideration. "In all your intercourse with the natives," says Jefferson, "treat them in the most friendly and conciliatory manner which their own conduct will admit; allay all jealousies as to the object of your journey; satisfy them of its innocence; make them acquainted with the extent, position, character, peaceable, and commercial dispositions of the United States; of our wish to be neighborly, friendly, and useful to them, and of our disposition to hold commercial intercourse with them, and to confer with them on the point most convenient for trade and the articles of the most desirable interchange for them and for us."
