A British Reaction to the Treaty of San Ildefonso

Abstract

W X THEN Napoleon I concluded Treaty of San Ildefonso with Spain, October i, i8oo, he incorporated as its seventh section retrocession of Louisiana to France.' On this provision hinged First Consul's dream of a new western empire which would play a prominent part in greater French state.' The success of this policy, however, dependent upon a conclusion of peace with Great Britain and her acceptance of French control of Louisiana. On October i, i8oi, British government agreed to Preliminary Treaty of Amiens as a first step toward peace, but its chief negotiator, Robert Banks Jenkinson, Lord Hawkesbury, later wrote American minister to England, Rufus King, that Louisiana cession was not heard of on that occasion.3 Without general knowledge of cession, British Parliament Amiens preliminaries. A leading contemporary, BarbM Marbois, aware of arguments later used by Lord Cornwallis's opponents, wrote in i830 that had Parliament known of this, would have paused before they approved preliminaries. Furthermore, he held, the ministers were acquainted with it before signing definitive treaty, [March 27, i802] and they were inexcusable for not having considered it an obstacle to making peace.4