136 University of California Publications in History

 tion of the insurgent colonies, he said, the limit might be set at the
 Sabine River, sub spe rati. This was in truth no innovation, since
 the Sabine had been the effective line for many years, and the
 official boundary of Louisiana since its admission to statehood
 in 1812. The diplomats were forced, under the circumstances, sim-
 ply to acknowledge existing conditions of occupation.
 EBVING'S LAST Errors
 Before Onis had a chance to act upon his latest instructions, there
- was a further exchange of views between Pizarro and Erving at
 Madrid. The discussion was futile but is of interest in showing the
 gradual wearing down of the Spanish diplomatic defense. It will
 be remembered that Onis in March, 1818, had transferred the cen-
 ter of negotiation to the Spanish capital. Pizarro conferred with
 Erving immediately upon the receipt of Onis' despatch. Pizarro
 began the discussion with Erving by saying that the two chief
 obstacles to the negotiation were the United States' insistence upon
 the line of the Colorado River, and the demand for indemnity from
 Spain for the spoliations by French vessels in Spanish ports." The
 subsequent debate, however, was primarily upon the first of these
 problems. Much futile conversation ensued as the two men argued
 the relative merits of the territories concerned, in the southwest
 and the southeast. Erving deprecated the value of the Floridas,
 whereas Pizarro magnified the munificence of the King in offering
 to cede them.
 Erving firmly maintained his insistence on the Colorado River
 limit, and soon added the request that Spain ratify the Claims
 Convention of 1802. At the end of June the Spanish secretario
 informed his adversary that his government had finally deter-
 mined not to accept the Colorado River limit, and that it would not
 approve the convention unless the claim for indemnification for
 the French spoliations be definitely abandoned by the United
 States.
 In such an impasse the negotiation lapsed for a time, and Erv-
 ing lost all hope of reaching a settlement." He was anxious to leave
 Madrid, both because of his health and because of his dislike for his
 mission. Like Onis, he coupled his complaint of illness with a de-
 nunciation of the climate. The Madrid summers troubled him as
 much asthe Washington winters did Onfs.