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moral character will receive a rude shock. The unsettled state of the Spanish monarchy-- the distant, dispersed and feeble state of some of the colonies of that empire, especially of the Floridas, and their relations to the U.S. have excited considerable concern in the gov't of this country as to their final destiny. The extent, and nature of the soil of these provinces, forbid the idea of their being an independent nation. Their geographical situation in relation to the larger Spanish provinces forbid the idea of their becoming a component part of any confederated empire which may possibly be formed in North or South America upon the final dissolution of those ties by which the different parts of this feeble and unwieldy empire have heretofore been bound together. East and West Florida must therefore become a part of this nation, or they will be seized upon by one of the great Maritime States of Europe, not upon account of their intrinsic worth or importance, but as they will further their views of ambition, and enable them to cramp and check the growth and prosperity of this empire. Admitting this view of the subject to be correct, what course