nce the total abolition
of the slave-trade. This decree was confirmed by the Bourbon
dynasty in 1818. _Suppression of African Slave Trade U. S._
(DuBois), p. 247.

(33) Osler's _Life of Exmouth_, p. 303; _Slavery, Letters_, etc.,
Horace Mann, p. 276.

(34) _Sup. of African Slave Trade_ (DuBois) pp. 135, 178-9.

X
LOUISIANA PURCHASE

In 1803, Napoleon, fearing that he could not hold his distant
American possession, known as the Louisiana Province, acquired from
Spain, and which by treaty was to be re-ceded to Spain and not
disposed of to any other nation, put aside all scruples and good
faith, and for 60,000,000 francs, on April 30th signed a treaty of
cession of the vast territory, then mostly uninhabited, to the
United States. This was in Jefferson's administration.

The United States bought this domain and its people just as they
might buy unoccupied lands with animals on it.

It was early claimed as slave territory. There were only a few
slaves within its limits when purchased, though slavery was recognized
there. This purchase was a most important one, although at the
time it was not so regarded.

The Louisiana Purchase was much greater, territorially speaking,
than all the States then in the Union, with all its other
possessions.(35)

It comprised what are now the States of Louisiana, Arkansas,
Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, nearly all
of Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, large parts of Colorado
and the Indian Territory, and a portion of Idaho. These States
and Territories in 1890 contained 11,804,101 inhabitants.

At the time of this great acquisition a conviction prevailed that
slavery was rapidly diminishing. Adams and Jefferson, each, while
President, entertained the belief that slavery would, ere long,
come to a peaceful end. It might then have been possible, by law
of Congress, to devote this new region to freedom, but, as slavery
existed at and around New Orleans in 1812 when the State of Louisiana
was admitted into the Union, it became a slave State. This fate
was largely due to the claim of its original inhabitants that they
were secured the right to hold slaves by the treaty of cession from
France.

Later on, the provision of this treaty, under which it was claimed
slavery was perpetuated, was a subject of much discussion, and on
it was founded the most absurd arguments on behalf of the slave
power.

Its third article was the sole one referred to as