Brooks: Diplomacy and the Borderlands 119

tioned in Zea Bermudez' letter, did not reach Washington until
after the signature of the Adams-Onis Treaty."
 There is no evidence of Russian pressure on Spain concerning
the drawing of the boundary line to the Pacific Coast Inasmuch
as that question did not reach the stage of specific negotiation until
a few months previous to the signing of the treaty, possibly the
Russians were not aware of the threat of recognition of the United
States' claim to land on that shore. But rumors of the republic's
ambitions in that direction had been current in Madrid for some
time, and Tatistcheff must have been aware of them. Even though
he was, after the possibility of United States extension to the Pa-
cific became apparent at Madrid there was not time to report back
to St. Petersburg and receive more instructions before the signa-
ture of the Adams-Onis Treaty. A consideration of the Russian
view toward its ratification must be left for a concluding chapter
dealing with that problem.
 FRNCE zND mHE LOUMIANA FONTIERS
That France should be concerned in the affairs of Spain and the
United States was natural in view of her recent ownership of Lou-
isiana, the dispute over damages by French corsairs in the Napo-
leonic Wars, Napoleon's interference in Spain, and the widespread
activity of Bonapartist plotters after 1814.
 French testimony concerning the limits of Louisiana varied in
different periods, though in general the Restoration government
of France usually avoided backing the claims of the United States.
It has been noted that the instructions of Napoleon to General
Victor in 1802 tended to support the broadest interpretation of the
western limits of Louisiana; but that, outside of vaguely encourag-
ing statements made by French officials to Livingston, the inclusion
of West Florida in Louisiana was not generally conceded in Paris.
Talleyrand, in letters which the Spaniards claimed to have re-
ceived from him, contradicted his statements to Livingston by
declaring that West Florida was excluded.
 The Duke of Richelien, foreign minister under Louis XVIII,
held the opinion that West Florida was not a part of Louisiana
after 1763, inasmuch as at that time both Floridas were ceded to
England, and therefore that the region east of the Iberville could
not have been included in either the Treaty of San ldefonso or the