22 University of Caifornia Publicatios in History

The flour and wheat from the United States, most of which are said
to have been consumed by the British armies in the Peninsula, were
shipped in greatest quantities in the years 1812 and 1818. Though
Onis and his consuls were buying some ships, most of the supplies
went in United States bottoms, and their owners profited well until
the breakdown of the Continental system released supplies from
the Baltic." An act of Congress, in 1813, prohibiting United States
vessels to sail under foreign licenses, such as those issued by the
British for this trade even during the war, helped to stop this
commerce.
 During the struggle, although the volume of Onis' correspond-
 ence evidences a difficulty of communication and a somewhat neces-
 sary lapse in activity, there did develop an interesting efort on
 the part of Monroe to revive the Florida dealings. In 1811, al-
 though he received Congressional authority for occupation under
 certain conditions, Monroe failed in what was evidently an attempt
 to obtain East Florida by subornation of a revolt which would
 have allowed the province to fall into the hands of the United
 States. When war was declared, only a slim Northern and Fed-
 eralist majority kept Congress from authorizing the seizure of all
 of Florida east of the Perdido, in order to keep England from using
 it as a base. A like attempt of the administration met failure in
 1813.
 After the first such failure, Monroe approached Onis through
 Vice-Consul Chac6n. In a conference on July 15, 1812, Monroe is
 reported by Chac6n to have said that,
 According to the geographical situation of that region, the nature of its
 habitants, and in order to conserve the peaee between the two nations, the
 Floridas should belong to the United States, and for years the Congress has
 taken this into consideration, and expects that Spain, in order to avoid a pos-
 aible war, before exposing herself to that will concede amiably that which ...
 this government kims so justly over a territory which pain does not need,
 not being able to derive any advantage from it, and the mainteanmes of which
 costs more labor and expense than one would expect it to be worth.

 Two weeks later Monroe presented a set of propositions and
 questions for Ons' consideration. He stated that the United States
 would exchange for East Florida, and for Spain's claims to West
 Florida, its right to be indemnified for damages suffered in the
 Napoleonic Wars. He asked whether Onis was authorized to make