66 University of California Publications in History

 Erving never presented the extreme concessions authorized by
 Monroe. When Monroe's instructions were presented to Congress
 and published, the portions quoted above were omitted. But they
 appear important when appraising the final settlement achieved in
 the Adams-Onis Treaty and the censure Adams received for relin-
 quishing Texas. It is fairer to evaluate the arrangement finally
 obtained by John Quincy Adams with a knowledge of the conces-
 sions Monroe would have made.
 At the same time, Monroe presented his somewhat vague views
 on the extent of Louisiana in instructions to William Pinkney, who
 had been sent to Russia shortly after Erving's departure. It is also
 a commentary on his conciliatory policy that he would have made
 concessions on the North Pacific sufficient to enrage any "54 40'
 or fight" enthusiast of Polk's time. Whereas thirty years later many
 would have fought to hold what is now British Columbia, Monroe
 then would have yielded it peaceably.
 Writing to Pinkney on May 10, 1816, he said:
 The Northern boundary between the United-States and the British possessions,
 is formed by a line, which runs from the North-weetermost point of the Lake
 of the Woods, due West, on the parallel of the 490 of North Latitude. It was
 limited by the Treaty of 1783, between the United-States and Great-Britain,
 West, by the Mississippi, which was then supposed, to have its source, North,
 of that parallel. The territories of the United-States, were afterwards ex-
 tended, by the acquisition of Louisiana, whose boundaries have not been de-
 fined by Treaties, but which according to the principles and usages applicable
 to such a case, may fairly be considered of vast extent equally to the West and
 North as well as to the South. In adjusting these claims with the Busmian gov-
 ernment it will be satisfactory to the United-States to do it, by adopting the
 parallel of 49' as the boundary between them on the Pacifie ocean.*

 That offer was withdrawn a few months later when Richard Rush,
 ad interim secretary of state, told Pinkney that "the President has
 some reasons for believing that the Government of Russia will be
 satisfied with the 55th degree of North latitude as the boundary."
 No boundary negotiation was carried on between Erving and
 Cevallos at the time, because before the Spanish minister answered
 the note of August 26, in which Erving recounted the complaints
 of the United States against Spain, instructions had been sent to
 Onis transferring the negotiations to Washington. The United
 States minister had tried to obtain an answer from Cevalloe, but
failed, and the delay gave rise to the following comment, which