The history of the Louisiana purchase . tsof Louisiana are from this moment relievedfrom their oath of fidelity to the FrenchRepublic. He then caused Claiborne totake the his^h central seat while he sat at theside. iro The United States in Possession It was now tlie turn of Governor Clai-borne. Speaking in English, he offered thepeople Lis congratulations on the eventwhich irrevocably fixed their political exist-ence, and no longerleft it open to thecaprices of chance,assuring them thatthe United Stateswould receive themas brethren, and that•they would be pro-tected in the enjoy- ijjmeet of th
The history of the Louisiana purchase . tsof Louisiana are from this moment relievedfrom their oath of fidelity to the FrenchRepublic. He then caused Claiborne totake the his^h central seat while he sat at theside. iro The United States in Possession It was now tlie turn of Governor Clai-borne. Speaking in English, he offered thepeople Lis congratulations on the eventwhich irrevocably fixed their political exist-ence, and no longerleft it open to thecaprices of chance,assuring them thatthe United Stateswould receive themas brethren, and that•they would be pro-tected in the enjoy- ijjmeet of their liberty,property, and relig-ion; that their com-merce would be fa-vored, their agriculture encouraged. The sec-retaries then read the proces-veihal of thetransfer in French and English, which thecommissioners, having signed and sealed, for-mally interchanged. And now while the concourse looked on, and the commissioners stood at the front of the balcony, came the closing ceremony. Till this time, in the sunshine, spread abroad 171. History of The Louisiana Purchase in the mild breeze, the great flag of Francehad floated above all, at the top of its now it descended, trembling, flutter-inor, never more to wave on the continent ofNorth America. What heart does not feel the deep pathosof that moment! The descent of the flao^that day indicated that all the magnificentstriving had come to naught. In vain hadthe strong-souled Champlain held the rockat Quebec through long decades of peril anddiscouragement; in vain had been the thou-sand-league journeys of the intrepid La Salleby forest-trail, by stream and lake; in vainhad La Verendrye opposed his breast, markedby the wounds received at Malplaquet, to As-sinniboines and Dakotas in far Manitoba;in vain the splendid soldiership and bloodydeath of Montcalm. Since that moment theislets of St. Pierre and Miquelon—dots of rockin the surf beating upon Newfoundland—have been the sole remnants of that far-reach-ino; New
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Keywords: ., bookauthorhosmerja, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1902
