Including A Map of the Louisiana Purchase by the French Negotiator for the 1803 Treaty
François Barbé-Marbois’s Histoire de la Louisiane offers a comprehensive history of Louisiana from its discovery through its transfer to the United States in 1803, and thereafter up to 1819 (the date of the Adams-Onis Treaty). Written by a key figure in the Louisiana Purchase negotiations, the work provides both a historical narrative and a political analysis of the region's significance within the French colonial empire.
The book traces the early European exploration of Louisiana, beginning with René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle’s 1682 expedition down the Mississippi River. Barbé-Marbois recounts La Salle’s formal claim of the vast territory for France, naming it in honor of King Louis XIV. The narrative continues with Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville’s 1699 establishment of a permanent French colony at Biloxi, marking the beginning of sustained European settlement.
A significant portion of the text is devoted to the economic and financial history of Louisiana, particularly the speculative schemes of John Law and the Compagnie des Indes. Barbé-Marbois examines the ill-fated Mississippi Bubble and its lasting impact on French colonial administration. His analysis extends beyond Louisiana itself, incorporating discussions of France’s broader North American holdings, including Canada, and their role in shaping imperial policy.
As a statesman who played a pivotal role in negotiating the Louisiana Purchase, Barbé-Marbois offers firsthand insight into the diplomatic and economic considerations that led to France’s 1803 sale of the territory to the United States. The book concludes with reflections on Louisiana’s integration into the American political system, comparing the U.S. Constitution and government with European models.
As noted by famed 20th Century American collector Thomas W. Streeter:
Barbe-Marbois represented France in the preliminary negotiations with the United States on the Louisiana purchase and his book is one of the main sources on that subject. It shows that in the claim by the United States in the negotiations with Great Britain, that the northern boundary of Louisiana included the area now comprised in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho was without foundation. The important map in the first edition indicated the 110th meridian as the western extent of Louisiana.
Barbé-Marbois’s work remains a foundational text on Louisiana’s colonial history, providing a detailed account of its discovery, settlement, economic development, and ultimate transition to American sovereignty.
The Lousiana Purchase Map
The work includes an important map of the United States showing the Louisiana purchase, with interesting printed annotations pertaining to the Oregon Question and historical territorial claims.
The map shows the division of the United States prior to the Louisiana Purchase when it was bounded by the Mississippi River. Michigan and Minnesota are included as part of a Northwest Territory, and a complex boundary is shown in Lake of the Woods. Florida is still shown as Spanish and comprising West Florida, although the later boundaries of Mississippi and Alabama are dotted in.
Detail in the Louisiana Territory is interesting. Notes mention how old maps show the Louisiana Purchase stopped at the 110 degrees marker. Mentions are made of contested territory between the English and the Americans that were supposed to be resolved in 1828 but were not. "Old" and "New" Mexico are shown, and Texas is named.
François Barbé-Marbois
François Barbé-Marbois had a fascinating personal history, being involved in the French Revolution and being deported to French Guiana. He was later chosen as the French Treasury Minister, and he negotiated the Louisiana Purchase on behalf of Napoleon. He would later write about his experiences and design the presented map.
Barbé-Marbois was also directly responsible for the the the creation of Thomas Jefferson's seminal work, Notes on the State of Virginia, which was prompt by Barbé-Marbois's letter to Jefferson, as governor of Virginia asking about Virginia's geography, resources, history, and government.