24 University of California Publication in History

with the Russian minister in Washington, Andr6 de Daeckoff, and
to attempt to persuade the United States to instruct its commis-
sioners to consider Spanish affairs. At the same time, no doubt, the
Regency in refusing Onis the authority to negotiate was partly
moved by its belief that the United States was about to suffer a
disastrous defeat.
 Daschkoff brought to Monroe in March, 1813, the offer of Czar
 Alexander to mediate, an offer accepted so promptly that in May
 commissioners were en route to Europe. Immediately Spain's am-
 bassador in London, Count Fernan Nifiez, was instructed to ask
 England to demand at the conference that the United States
 evacuate the occupied sections of the Floridas, and that they rec-
 ognize the Regency and admit Onis.
 Fernfn Nifiez made his approaches to the new British foreign
 minister, Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh. He failed com-
 pletely, on account of two stubborn facts: first, Castlereagh had
 declined the offer of Russian mediation, and, second, as Fernan
 N6iiez reported in his despatch of September 25, 1813, he found
 the Russians apparently pledged to support British interests, so
 that Spain could expect no aid from that quarter."
 In Washington, Onis had no better fortune. Far from instruct-
 ing our commissioners to consider a settlement which would suit
 Spain, Monroe told them that they might "find it advantageous
 to bring to the view of her Ministers, the relation which the United
 States bear to the Floridas." That relation, he explained, was ex-
 pressed in the claim to West Florida as part of Louisiana, the claim
 to East Florida as indemnity for spoliations, and the effort made
 by Congress to keep out a foreign threat by passing a bill authoriz-
 ing occupation of West Florida."
 This renewal of Monroe's efforts to obtain some recognition of
 the United States' claim to the Floridas was thwarted by Albert
 Gallatin, a member of the commission and an opponent of the ad-
 ministration's Florida policy. He insisted on the withdrawal of
 United States troops from Florida in order to aid the commission-
 ers/ their diplomacy with England an& Russia." Thus the efforts
 f both Spain and this country to further settlement of their issues
 in this negotiation failed.
 When, after Castlereagh's later offer to treat directly for peace,
 the commissioners finally undertook their work at Ghent in the