Brooks: Diplomacy and the Borderlands 181
though Nles' Weekly Register published the reports with some
skepticism concerning their truth."
 Naturally, the extension of the United States into the Floridas
made this country a formidable Caribbean power, with hundreds
of miles of added shore line and with new strategic positions, and
brought it within striking distance of Cuba. Toward that island
many expansionists in the United States were already casting long-
ing glances. Well might Spain hope that the dislike of the greatest
maritime Power for such a menace to its own Caribbean plantation
interests would arouse active English opposition. On that supposi-
tion Spanish officials based renewed appeals to British diplomats
and, apparently, one more concrete scheme. Wellesley wrote in
July, 1819, that the archplotter and former rebel Joe6 Alvarez de
Toledo was being sent to England as a special emissary. It was
alleged that he would offer the Floridas to England for a loan of
six million dollars, which would be sufficient to meet the pecuniary
claims of the United States against Spain. The plan fell through,
however, as Toledo for some reason did not present himself at the
foreign office, and the Spanish ambassador there falsely declared
to Castlereagh that he had never heard of such a person."
 One possibility appears wherein British diplomacy might have
 contributed to the delay in ratification by Spain, although the pol-
 icy of England was clearly otherwise. In March, before receiving
 word of the treaty's signature, Castlereagh gave San Carlos, the
 Spanish ambassador, a vague idea of the intention of the United
 States to recognize Buenos Aires." This was based on a definite
 overture to England presented by the United States minister,
 Richard Rush, for concurrent action in that matter, which Castle-
 reagh refused. It may be that such information stirred Spanish
 fears and strengthened the demands of the treaty's opponents for
 a guaranty of nonrecognition. On the other hand, it appears that
 Irujo used the knowledge of such menacing intentions on the part
 of the United States to show the necessity of settling at once, and
 at all costs, with that Power. Other indications of British policy
 lead to the belief that it was for that purpose that Castlereagh re-
 layed the information to San Carlos.
 The documents show that on numerous occasions the British
 officials, particularly Castlereagh and Wellesley in their diplo-
 matic pursuits, emphasized the desire not to intervene nor to antag-