180 University of California Publications in History
land-grant declaration, ratification should be withheld, but the
decision should not be announced; that efforts should be made to
obtain English support; and that in place of further dealings with
Forsyth, a new minister should be sent to Washington in an at-
tempt to gain a more favorable settlement." At the same time a
report was made on the defenses of Cuba and orders were given to
strengthen the fortifications On such bases ratification was with-
held. The period provided therefore in the treaty expired on Au-
gust 22, 1819.
 It must be emphasized, in fairness to Onis and Pizarro, that the
members of the Consejo did not seriously take into account the
difficulties of the negotiation, or the stress of circumstances which
had forced their minister at Washington to make the concessions
he had. Their preoccupation with European affairs, courn-
trigues, a dispute with Portugal, and the Spanish American revo-
lutions partly explains their attitudes. Further, it may be doubted
that many of them were acquainted with the voluminous corre-
spondence involved, or with the facts. Said Sir Henry Wellesley:
 I am asured that M. Lomano de Torr who it now the King's prinlpal
adviser is ignorant even of the geographical position of the countries which
form the principal objects of the negotiations with Portugal and with the
United States, and it may be doubted whether the King himself i much bet-
ter informed upon these subjectsa.
 Allegations ran rife among the foreign observers concerning the
real responsibility for nonratification, showing among other things
that the land-grant issue'was not regarded as the primary obstacle.
Particularly prone were they to blame England, less so to hold
Russia and France guilty. The official correspondence shows no
justification for such charges, however.
 To be sure, some Englishmen were greatly disturbed by the ces-
sion of the Floridas, as the Spanish declared that they would be.
The Marquis of Lansdowne, a veteran leader of the Whig opposi-
tion in the House of Lords, in May, 1819, decried the cession of the
Floridas and the threat to Caribbean commerce. But his demand
for active interference was discountenanced by the prime minister,
Lord Liverpool, and Castlereagh, who more highly valued peace-
able relations with the United States." Rumors were widespread
that to offset the Florida cession England had acquired Cuba from
Spain, and this aroused certain groups in the United States, al-