Brooks: Diplomacy and the Borderlands 97

although included in the dominions of the Crown of Spain, were still desert,
and without forts or garrisons to cheek the incursions of that French adven-
turer; that nothing resulted from them.

He continued by deprecating one of Adams' authorities on the sub-
ject of La Salle, Father Hennepin, reminding his adversary that
on the testimony of the Swedish naturalist Kahn, the opinion entertained of
Hennepin, in Canada, is expressed in the following words: "The name of honor
they give him there is the great War; he writes of what he saw in places where
he sever was."

 But the real purpose of Onis' voluminous note was to urge upon
the secretary the idea of mediation by a Power or Powers, and,
most important, to state that, lacking authority to consider Adams'
demands, he must send a courier to Madrid for further instruc-
tions. In making this statement he evidently took the confusion of
the rivers as a pretext to await instructions.
 The basis of this decision as stated by Onis is directly contradic-
 tory to the evidence in an earlier cited despatch to Pizarro, that he
 knew well which Texas river the United States had in mind. For
 he said to Adams in the same note:
 You must be aware, sir, that [the powers] I am already furnished with cannot
 extend to the ease presented by the proposals contained in your note of the
 16th January, since Spain never imagined that the Bio Colorado, hitherto
 spoken of by the minister of this republic, could be any other than that of
 Natchitoches; and I did not even think that you meant to speak of any other
 in your note, until I was more exactly informed by you; the river which you
 wished to designate being known by the name of 8an Mareos, or de las Cansa.
 This circumstance ... produces an infinite difference in the view to be taken
 of the first proposals made on the part of your Government to that of His
 Catholic Majesty; and I am unable to stipulate such sacrifes ... until I have
 previously consulted my court.

 Erving at Madrid evidently was irritated by this juggling of
 river names. He wrote Adams, when news came to him of Onis'
 declaration, that
 The motive alleged by Mr Onis for requiring further instructions, or more
 extensive powers, is indeed the most extraordinary plea for delay that could
 have been hit on; it is to be hoped that it is the expiring struggle of pro-
 crastination, as it is the very apex of shudling diplomacy, or the dregs of a
 worn out capacity: whatever he may have understood to have been meant by
 the "Colorado,"-it is not true that his government ever fell into the absurdity
 of taking it to mean "Bed River."