[THE _Perdido_ is the name of a river and bay, which form the
boundary line between the present state of Alabama and Florida.
It will be recollected, that Florida was a Spanish colony,
previous to its cession to the United States by Spain, in 1819.
It was discovered by Juan Ponce de Leon, a Spanish navigator,
in 1512, and by him it was called Florida. The French made an
attempt to colonize the territory in 1562, but their settlement
was broken up by the Spaniards, who founded, in 1565, the city
of St. Augustine, in East Florida. Pensacola, in West Florida,
was founded in 1699. Though often invaded by the French and
English, Florida remained part of Spanish America until 1763,
when it was ceded to Great Britain: but, by the definitive
treaty of 1783, it was receded by Great Britain to Spain. When
Florida was a colony of Spain, and Louisiana of France, or from
1699 to 1763, the Perdido river was a common boundary, but,
by the treaty of 1763, Louisiana having been ceded by France
to Spain, the Spaniards in 1769, for their own convenience,
incorporated that part of Louisiana, between the Mississippi
and Perdido rivers, with Florida. This act caused a controversy
between Spain and the United States; the latter having purchased
Louisiana of France, in 1803, to which power it had been ceded
by Spain, in 1800. President Madison, in 1810, took possession
of the territory in dispute, for which act he was assailed by
the opposition members in the senate, particularly by Mr. Horsey,
of Delaware; to whom Mr. Clay replied, in defence of the
administration, as follows.]