sans holding this country was all wind; that if they were wise, should abandon us, and attach themselves to them, (the Spaniards) for their old friends would not forsake them; but that they were advancing against the Americans, and should soon build a fort in Oppelousas, and another at Attakapa, and one at or near Natchitoches, and proceed on towards New-Orleans: and the officer told him be was in want of spades to go on faster with the works; and that, if the Indians would come in amongst the Americans and buy what they could, and bring to him, he would give them a horse for each spade they would bring. This hunter, on his arrival at Bayou Chico, at the Chactaw village, finding the chief absent, sent off a runner to notify him of it, and to be on his guard against the Americans, for all Louisiana would soon belong again to Spain. Mr. Fulsome, whom I occasionally employ as an interpreter, was present when the chief received this message, and came in with him to me, who likewise said, there was at the same time a Spaniard in the Chactaw camp asleep; and that after the runner had delivered his message, he, Fulsome, awakened the Spaniard, and asked him if he knew any thing of a Spanish force having arrived at the Occokesaws? and he said he had heard so. An American gentleman, a captain Fristo, of Tennessee, was with me a few hours ago; he is lately from Nacogdoches, and informs me he understood the same when he was at that place." Extract of a Letter from captain Turner to General James Wilkinson, dated Fort Claiborne, Natchitoches, May 3, 1805. "WITHIN these two days I have received information that the Spaniards have absolutely established themselves, both at Matogordo, and the Orcoquizas. They came by sea, and immediately commenced fortifying. The informer is an Indian chief of the Chactaws, who says, that a warrior of his nation, who has been hunting with the Carankuas, on the bay of St. Bernard, has returned loaded with Spanish * VOL. I. 45 presents and caresses; and says, that the commanding officer told him, that he and his people had better abandon the Americans, and come under the protection of the Spaniards, who would never forsake their old friends : and bid him witness their present proceedings, giving him to understaud that it was only preparatory to their taking possession of the country again, which would not long remain in the hands of the Americans, as they meant to edge them. selves along till they got to Orleans that the warrior appeared to believe what was told him, and had returned with different ideas respecting Americans, than he possessed before. The informer further says, that the Spanish troops were in want of spades, and told this Indian, and those who were with him, that if they would bring some from this place, or Oppelousas, he would give them a horse for every one delivered.” Extract of a Letter from Dr. John Sibley to the Secretary at War, dated Natchitoches, May 31, 1805. "I SENT Mr. Fulsome to bring in the chief and the party of Chactaws, who had lately returned from the bay of St. Bernard, and had given an account of the posts of Matogordo and the Occokesaws being lately taken possession of. Mr. Fulsome found them and brought them in. He can give no certain account of any troops being at Matogordo; but he was at the Occokesaws, and saw them; they were building a fort; but a small number of soldiers. The chief says the Spanish officer advised him and all his nation to come to them; that their great father over the water had not forgotten them, and gave them not only his hand but his whole arm. He says, the party he saw eame there by land: but the evening he left the place, he saw a vessel in the bay, that the officer said was coming to them with a reinforcement. He likewise says, he heard they intended to build forts soon at Oppelousas, Attakapa, and Natchitoches; but he did not hear the officer say it.": Extract of a Letter from Dr. John Sibley to the Secretary of War, dated Natchitoches, July 2, 1805. "A MAN by the name of St. Prie arrived here yesterday from the Spanish country. He speaks French, 1 have just had some conversation with him. He says that there are five hundred families arrived at t. Antonio, settlers, with a considerable reinforcement of troops; and that one hundred soldiers were coming to Nacogdoches, fifty of whom were to be there by the 15th instant." Extract of a Letter from the same to the same, dated Natchitoches, Aug. 8, 1805. "GREAT pains are certainly taken by people living here, and strangers passing through the country to and from towards Mexico, to freshen and keep alive the report and belief, that this part of the country is not long to remain in the hands of the United States. The day before yesterday the Baron Bastrop, an intimate acquaintance of the marquis de Casa Calvo, passed through this place from Orleans on his way to Mexico, or that way he took great pains to circulate the report, and to tell all the inhabitants he spoke with, that the country would ere long be again under the government of pain. He speaks French, English and Spanish. Assurances of that kind from a character like the baron, make a strong impression upon the minds of the uninformed inhabitants." Extract of a Letter from Captain Turner to General Wilkinson, dated Fort Claiborne, Natchitoches, Sept. 3, 1805. "ABOUT a month ago Mr. Shabus, of this place, received a letter dated St. Antonio, from Padre Puellet, telling him that the commandant-general, Mr. Grimaré, direct from the court of Spain, was expected in August at the Rio Grand, where a great number of people of the province of Taxus was to meet him; that he was accompanied by seven companies coming to St. Antonio, which place he was to make his residence, and that captain Amangual was to be stationed with his full* company at Nacogdoches. Mr. Shabus received a passage from the governour of St. Antonio, and a letter from the bishop, requesting him to come on immediately to make preparations for the commandantgeneral. Said Shabus says that he (the commandant-general) was high in the confidence of the court of Spain, and sent on account of the limits. Six hundred families coming from Spain to settle Matagordo, had put into the Canary islands." Extract of a Letter from the same to the same, dated Fort Claiborne, Natchitoches, Sept. 30, 1805. THE new governour, Antonio Cordero, has arrived at St. Antonio. Two men have just arrived from Nacogdoches, one of whom says he saw a letter from Mr. Barr to Davenport, written at St. Antonio, saying that he was waiting to set out with the colonel, who was to take command at Nacogdoches. He was to have two companies with him, one of which was to reinforce the Orcoquisas, and the other to be divided between Nacogdoches and Adeis. The white men employed by the Indian agent are now with me, and relate the following: "At about six days march, nearly south west from here, they came in sight of a sort of stockade, as well as they could judge from the distance they saw it. They were discovered by the garrison, and a number of horsemen (to the amount at least of fifty) immediately sallied out from or near the picket work, in line, and gave them chase; as they approached they formed a half circle in order to enelose them; they, the Americans, escaped to the woods, which were within a league; the Spaniards continued the pursuit about fifteen miles. They imagined the fort or picket work to be about one hundred and twenty miles from this place, and is situated in open ground in the bottom of * A full company consists of captain, lieutenant-commandant, and one hundred and fifteen men. a prairie, at the confluence of the Trinity and Snow rivers, about twenty miles from the sea. They were further informed that the place where the fort is was called Orcoquisas." Extract of a Letter from a Mr. Johnson, son of a Col. Johnson of Kentucky, to Dr. Sibley, dated Nacogdoches, October 3, 1805. "I HAVE chosen this method of informing you of the receipt of a letter from Mr. Barr but a few minutes since, which mentions that he will be here the day after to-morrow, accompanied by the new commandant, who had under his charge two companies of 110 each. The one is to be stationed at the Trinity until further orders, the other is for this place, with orders to make it a place of defence." Extract of a Letter foom Captain Bowyer to Lieutenant Colonel Freeman, dated Oppelousas, Oct. 13, 1805. YESTERDAY judge Collins waited on me, and informed me, that the minds of the citizens of this district were considerably agitated on a report being in circulation, that a number of Spanish troops have taken post on the Kelqueshoes, some distance on the side of the Sabine. Report says, the number does not fall short of eight hundred. I have no idea the force is as strong as reported, but that there are some Spanish troops in that quarter, I have not the smallest doubt. Some time before captain Stille left Atakapa, he had certain information, that a regular patrole was kept up on the Sabine, and were relieved weekly from the post of Nacogdoches. Since then, I have been informed (how true I cannot say) that two of the inhabitants of this country are prisoners at that post. Extract of a Letter from governour Claiborne to the Sec- |