144 University of California Publications in History

justification of Jackson's acts. Onis indicated that he was per-
fectly aware that Jackson had no specific orders to seize the Span-
ish posts. Late in August Adams replied, again defending Jackson.
He repeated the declaration that St. Marks would be returned to
any Spanish forces strong enough to protect it, and that Pensacola
would be restored to any authorized officials." Onis transmitted
this information to Spain and to Cuba in order that steps might
be taken to reclaim the seized properties.
 After several weeks of waiting, Onis received on October 3 new
instructions, which added two important diplomatic weapons to
those already at his disposal." These were the Spanish act of ratifi-
cation of the Convention of 1802 and the authority to offer the
Sabine as an unqualified limit, not sub spe rati as specified in the
directions sent him in April. At the same time Onis received a
number of documents from Sevilla, and one of the volumes of
manuscripts which came with Padre Pichardo's report on the
Louisiana-Texas boundary.
 Nzw PRoPOsALs
Adams agreed to Onis' proposal to withhold exchanging ratifica-
tions of the Claims Convention until it should be seen whether
ratification could be included in a treaty settlement, and on October
25 he received the new Spanish proposals. These included the ces-
sion of the two Floridas (admitting all land grants to date as
valid) ; the renunciation of all spoliation claims, with the declara-
tion that the United States had received nothing from France and
thus that Spain was entitled to collect the amounts due for damages
by French cruisers; and a strengthening of the neutrality laws of
the United States."
 Onis considered the western limits to be the most important prob-
lem of all." He proposed a boundary beginning on the Gulf be-
tween the Calcasieu and Mermento rivers, following the old Arroyo
Hondo line, thence going north across the Red at latitude 320
north, thence to the Missouri, and up that stream to its source.
 Onis' wording of his propositions to Adams is characteristic and
somewhat amusing. Instead of being in simple, clear, legal phrase-
ology, the articles he drafted usually included wordy confessions
of evil for the United States' negotiator to sign and boasts of gener-
osity on the part of His Catholic Majesty. Thus, he would have had