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produced a magnificent map of the United States.
"Gentlemen," said he, in opening the discussion, "I presume that we are all
agreed that this experiment cannot and ought not to be tried anywhere but
within the limits of the soil of the Union.
Now, by good fortune, certain frontiers of the United States extend downward
as far as the 28th parallel of the north latitude.
If you will cast your eye over this map, you will see that we have at our
disposal the whole of the southern portion of Texas and Florida."
It was finally agreed, then, that the Columbiad must be cast on the soil of
either Texas or Florida. The result, however, of this decision was to create
a rivalry entirely without precedent between the different towns of these two
States.
The 28th parallel, on reaching the American coast, traverses the peninsula of
Florida, dividing it into two nearly equal portions.
Then, plunging into the Gulf of Mexico, it subtends the arc formed by the
coast of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana;
then skirting Texas, off which it cuts an angle, it continues its course over
Mexico, crosses the Sonora, Old California, and loses itself in the Pacific
Ocean. It was, therefore, only those portions of Texas and Florida which were
situated below this parallel which came within the prescribed conditions of
latitude.
Florida, in its southern part, reckons no cities of importance;
it is simply studded with forts raised against the roving Indians.
One solitary town, Tampa Town, was able to put in a claim in favor of its
situation.
In Texas, on the contrary, the towns are much more numerous and important.
Corpus Christi, in the county of Nueces, and all the cities situated on the
Rio Bravo, Laredo, Comalites, San
Ignacio on the Web, Rio Grande City on the Starr, Edinburgh in the Hidalgo,
Santa Rita, Elpanda, Brownsville in the Cameron, formed an imposing league
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against the pretensions of Florida.
So, scarcely was the decision known, when the Texan and Floridan deputies
arrived at Baltimore in an incredibly short space of time.
From that very moment President Barbicane and the influential members of the
Gun Club were besieged day and night by formidable claims. If seven cities of
Greece contended for the honor of having given birth to a Homer, here were two
entire
States threatening to come to blows about the question of a cannon.
The rival parties promenaded the streets with arms in their hands;
and at every occasion of their meeting a collision was to be apprehended which
might have been attended with disastrous results.
Happily the prudence and address of President Barbicane averted the danger.
These personal demonstrations found a division in the newspapers of the
different States. The New York _Herald_ and the _Tribune_ supported Texas,
while the _Times_ and the _American
Review_ espoused the cause of the Floridan deputies. The members of the Gun
Club could not decide to which to give the preference.
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40
Texas produced its array of twenty-six counties; Florida replied that twelve
counties were better than twenty-six in a country only one-sixth part of the
size.
Texas plumed itself upon its 330,000 natives; Florida, with a far smaller
territory, boasted of being much more densely populated with 56,000.
The Texans, through the columns of the _Herald_ claimed that some regard
should be had to a State which grew the best cotton in all America, produced
the best green oak for the service of the navy, and contained the finest oil,
besides iron mines, in which the yield was fifty per cent. of pure metal.
To this the _American Review_ replied that the soil of Florida, although not
equally rich, afforded the best conditions for the moulding and casting of the
Columbiad, consisting as it did of sand and argillaceous earth.
"That may be all very well," replied the Texans; "but you must first get to
this country. Now the communications with Florida are difficult, while the
coast of Texas offers the bay of
Galveston, which possesses a circumference of fourteen leagues, and is capable
of containing the navies of the entire world!"
"A pretty notion truly," replied the papers in the interest of
Florida, "that of Galveston bay _below the 29th parallel!_
Have we not got the bay of Espiritu Santo, opening precisely upon
_the 28th degree_, and by which ships can reach Tampa Town by direct route?"
"A fine bay; half choked with sand!"
"Choked yourselves!" returned the others.
Thus the war went on for several days, when Florida endeavored to draw her
adversary away on to fresh ground; and one morning the _Times_ hinted that,
the enterprise being essentially
American, it ought not to be attempted upon other than purely
American territory.
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To these words Texas retorted, "American! are we not as much so as you? Were
not Texas and Florida both incorporated into the
Union in 1845?"
"Undoubtedly," replied the _Times_; "but we have belonged to the
Americans ever since 1820."
"Yes!" returned the _Tribune_; "after having been Spaniards or
English for two hundred years, you were sold to the United
States for five million dollars!"
"Well! and why need we blush for that? Was not Louisiana bought from Napoleon
in 1803 at the price of sixteen million dollars?"
"Scandalous!" roared the Texas deputies. "A wretched little strip of country
like Florida to dare to compare itself to
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Texas, who, in place of selling herself, asserted her own independence, drove
out the Mexicans in March 2, 1846, and declared herself a federal republic
after the victory gained by
Samuel Houston, on the banks of the San Jacinto, over the troops of Santa
Anna!-- a country, in fine, which voluntarily annexed itself to the United
States of America!"
"Yes; because it was afraid of the Mexicans!" replied Florida.
"Afraid!" From this moment the state of things became intolerable. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]