ther suspicions of his Catholick majesty's minister are or are not founded, I am persuaded that the declaration now made will be considered as a proof of our good will, by preventing the great expense of preparations for an enterprise which cannot be prosecuted without occasioning a violation of the neutral rights or duties of the United States. I have the honour, &c. Robert Liston, Esq. Envoy' TIMOTHY PICKERING. No. 9. R. Liston, presents his respects to Colonel Pickering, Secretary of State. WHEN you first mentioned to me the suspicions expressed by the Spanish minister, respecting an expedition supposed to be preparing on the lakes, with a view to attack the Spanish posts in Louisiana, I took the liberty of observing to you that I had no knowledge of any such preparations, and did not believe that they existed. I have since requested information on the subject, from the governour general of Canada, and from his majesty's secretary of state; and I have authority to assure you that no expedition of the nature of that alluded to, has been, or is intended by the British government. Indeed, the impropriety of violating the neutral territory of the United States, is an objection of sufficient magnitude to induce the king's ministers to reject any such plan, were it suggested to them. Philadelphia, 19th June, 1797. No. 10. Department of State, March 16, 1797. SIR, The second article of the treaty between the United States and his Catholick majesty stipulated, "that if there should be any troops, garrisons or settlements of either party, in the territory of the other (according to the boundaries fixed by the same article) they should be withdrawn from the said territory, within the term of six months after the ratification of that treaty, or sooner if it were possible." The United States have no troops, garrisons, or settlements within the territory of his Catholick majesty. We do not know whether those of his Catholick majesty within the United States' territory at the time the treaty above mentioned was made, have been since withdrawn. I am therefore directed by the President to inquire, and do request you to inform me, what is the fact; and if those troops, &c. have not been withdrawn, what orders or measures for their withdrawing have been taken. It is now near eleven months since the ratification and exchange of the treaty took place. I have the honour to be, &c. TIMOTHY PICKERING. The Chevalier de Yrujo, Minister Plenipotentiary of his Catholick No. 11. TRANSLATION. SIR,-Although I received in due time the letter which you did me the honour to write to me on the 16th ult.-an indisposition, from which I am not yet altogether recovered, prevented me from replying to the inquiry you make relative to the evacu ation of the Spanish posts within the new line of demarcation of limits. I now take up my pen to inform you that several months have elapsed since I have received a letter from the Baron de Carondelet, and of course I am deprived of any information touching the steps taken for the execution of the treaty. I offer myself to your disposal, praying God to preserve your fife many years. Your most obedient servant, CARLOS M. DE YRUJO. Philadelphia, April 17, 1797. Timothy Pickering, Esq. No. 12. TRANSLATION. EIGHT or ten days ago I made known to you the information, which I had received from the Baron de Carondelet, relative to the occurrences at the Natchez, between the governour Don Manuel Gayoso de Lemos and the commissioner of the United States, Mr. Ellicott; and being desirous at this time to avoid all equivocation, as to the substance of those letters, I have determined to communicate it to you in writing. By the 2d article of the treaty with Spain it is stipulated that the garrisons which are found above the line of demarcation agreed on, shall be withdrawn. Setting out then with this principle, it appears that the first operation ought to be to draw this line, in order to know which were the garrisons which were to be withdrawn according to the article cited; and although the Natchez and some other Spanish posts are probably situated above the said line of demarcation, the formality and delicacy which one government owes to another, required, that Mr. Ellicott should not pretend to take possession of the territory until the said demarcation should be made, and the more so, as he had been informed officially, that the Spanish engineer, M. Guillemard, was already on his way to fulfil this part of his commission. Mr. Ellicott not attending to these just observations, immediately began to wound the feelings of the Spanish commander, by hoisting the American flag on a territory which would not belong to the United States till after having jointly made the astronomical observations for ascertaining the course of the line. Not content with this, he began to exercise an authority, which was unlawful for the same reasons, to wit, that of recruiting for the United States in a place which was then under the jurisdiction of the Spanish government. These imprudences, which can admit of no excuse, gave rise to a personal resentment, from which there is little to hope with respect to harmony between those commissioners in future. In these circumstances, the governour general of the province, the Baron de Carondelet, made known the just doubts which he had about the delivery of the posts, since in the 2d article, it is not stipulated that they were to be given up, and it seems that it could never have been the intention of his Catholick Majesty to deliver up any fortifications on which he had expended great sums of money, and which through political vicissitudes might perhaps be one day prejudicial to his subjects. In this situation, prudence required that the decision of this doubtful point should be left to the two governments; but Mr. Ellicott adding imprudence to imprudence, and with a pretext which a quarrel between some drunken Chickasaws and the people of his company afforded him, not only violated a territory then Spanish, by desiring to excite the inhabitants by all imaginable means, but also carried his zeal so far as to attempt to get possession of the fort of the Natchez by surprise. Governour Gayoso says he has in his power documents which prove evidently the intention of this attempt: such conduct was little calculated to produce the spirit of harmony so necessary in such circumstances, and obliged governour Gayoso when he discovered such hostile intentions, to take on his part, measures necessary for his defence. This is the true state of things, by which it clearly appears that the inconsiderate conduct of Mr. Ellicott is the only cause of the disagreement at the Natchez; the more so, as the Spanish commanders declared to him that while the two governments were deciding on the doubt which occurred to the Baron de Carondelet, about the delivery of the posts, the drawing of the line of demarcation might be begun, when Mr. de Guillemard, who had already departed from New Orleans for the Natchez, should arrive. If in this situation of the business, the commanders changed their ideas, or their measures, it could only proceed from the imprudent conduct of Mr. Ellicott. The Baron de Carondelet, desirous of observing religiously the treaty, so far as was not inconsistent with his duty, seeing the personal resentment which exists between Mr. Ellicott and governour Gayoso, desires that there may be sent to command the detachment of American troops on that frontier, a man of judgment and prudence, who in such delicate circumstances shall act with moderation, which is of so much importance to the two governments. This is what I had the honour of communicating verbally to you, sir, in my last conference, and I repeat it now; recommending more particularly that there should be sent on the part of the United States to that frontier a person of prudence and sound judgment; leaving to Mr. Ellicott the technical part only; for while he acts as principal, it is to be feared that we shall not see the agents of the two governments, which are interested, proceed with that union and harmony which is ever important to us. I repeat, sir, my wishes of obliging you, and that our Lord may preserve your life many years. Your most obedient servant, CARLOS MARTINEZ DE YRUJO. Philadelphia, June 24, 1797. Timothy Pickering, Esq. &c. &c. No. 13. Nueva Orleans, 1 Marzo, 1797. Mui señor mio: He recibido con muchra satisfacion la apreciable de V. S. de 27 Febreso pasado en que se serve participarme su arrivo a esa plaza con el caracter ne Comisario por los Estados Unidos de America para la demarcacion de limites entre les territorios de S. M. C. y los de los dechos Estados. Me causa igualmente la mayor complacencia el testimonio que V. S. me de la corbanidad y atenciones que ha recivido de los Comandantes de las fuertes, quienes han correspondido a las intenciones del gobierno, a mis ordenis, y a los principios generales de la nacion; y no dudo que en qualquiera oportunidad encontraran los espanides igual y reciproca correspondencia de parte de los ciudadonis de los Estados Unidos. Dios, &c. Beni. de V. S. Su mas aot. serr. EL BARON DE CARONDOLET. Dr. Don Andrew Ellicott. No. 14. Extract of a letter from Winthrop Sargent, Esq. Secretary of the Government of the Northwestern Territory, to the Secretary of State, dated Cincinnati, June 3, 1797. GENERAL WILKINSON sending off an express I seize the occasion to transcribe for you some paragraphs from a western letter. "The Spaniards are reinforcing their upper posts on the Mississippi considerably-general Howard, an Irishman, in the quality of commander in chief with upwards of three hundred men arrived at St. Louis and employed in erecting very formidable works. It likewise appears through various channels that they are inviting a great number of Indians of the territory to cross the Mississippi, and for this express purpose Mr. Larromie an officer in the pay of the crown made a tour through all this country last fall, since which time several Indians have been sent on the same errand-and generally furnished with plenty of cash to defray their expenses." "A large party of Delawares passed down White River about the 6th of May on their way to the Spanish side bearing the national flag of Spain sent them from St. Louis." "They (the Spaniards) have above the mouth of the Ohio, on the Mississippi, several row galleys with cannon." No. 15. Department of State, Philadelphia, July 1, 1797. SIR,-Your note of the 19th of the last month, alluding to the suspicions expressed by the Spanish minister, respecting an expedition suggested to be preparing at the lakes, against the Spanish posts in Louisiana, I laid before the President of the United States, who received great satisfaction from your assurance that no such expedition has been, or is intended by the British government. Will you permit me to inquire whether you can give any information concerning any other project of an expedition against any part of the dominions of Spain adjacent to the territory of the United States, where or from whence any co-operation was contemplated? I am aware of the delicacy of this inquiry; but the frankness of your verbal answer, formerly, relating to the alleged expedition from Canada, and the assurances in your note above mentioned, lead me to hope that you will not deem the present inquiry improper and the proofs you have uniformly given of respect to the rights and interests of the United States, authorize the further hope that you will feel yourself at liberty to communicate any information you possess, which on this occasion may concern their tranquillity and welfare; and I beg you to be assured that it is on this ground only that I would make the inquiry. I will add, however, that it is not the result of suspicion but of information (in which your name is introduced) that some project of the kind has been contemplated; and that the means proposed for carrying it into execution, could not but be highly detrimental to the United States. I have the honour to be, &c. TIMOTHY PICKERING. Robert Liston, Esq. Envoy Extraordinary, and Minister Plenipotentiary from his Britannick |