Brooks: Diplomacy and the Borderlmads 63
peals by Onfs the government allowed the minister to employ him,
without official status, to write propaganda. Norofia had originally
intended to publish a Spanish newspaper, in cooperation with the
then-insurgent Toledo, but Onis dissuaded him from that design."
After his procurement for the royal cause, through financial in-
ducements, Norofia served as translator of French, English, and
Portuguese. He also wrote some important memories, including
the "Verus" pamphlet of 1812 (generally credited to Onfa) and a
lengthy discussion of the colonial problem. He was sent in 1819 to
England, where until his death a year later he published a Spanish
propaganda journal, El Observador.
 After his recognition, Onis naturally proceeded to formulate all
Spain's complaints against the United States, and to set forth his
country's territorial claims. Thinking that this was the best time to
settle the difficulties, while the United States was still recovering
from the war, he tried to find a basis for agreement with Monroe,
but to no avail.
 Onfs demanded, first of all, that West Florida be returned to
Spain pending the settlement of its title. Secondly, he asked that
the recruiting and arming of expeditions in the United States to
revolutionize Spanish provinces be stopped, particularly the enter-
prise then being organized by Toledo and one Manuel de Herrera
at New Orleans. He demanded, further, that ships of the insur-
gent colonies be excluded from United States ports, and that they
be prevented from obtaining supplies."
 It should be emphasized here that well into the 1820's Spanish
officials assumed that the reconquest of the colonies was possible.
Thus the prevention of foreign aid to the insurgents, as well as the
protection of the northern frontier of the colonies, vitally affected
Spain's diplomacy with the United States.
 With respect to his last two demands, Onfs eventually received
some satisfaction in the Neutrality Act of March 3, 1817, which
prohibited the ftting out of expeditions in the United States to
fight Powers with which this country was at peace. This prohibi-
tion was given added force in an act of April 20, 1818.
 With respect to territories, the West Florida demand reopened
the arguments of 1803-1805, but the contending ministers reached
no accord. Monroe said that, since Spain held Texas, which he con-
sidered part of the Louisiana Purchase, the United States was