The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-12-11
COPIES or AUTHENTIC LETTERS.
kfafaehy, Fe6rnarg STD, 17sg.


myielf the honor to addrefs YOU, will, hons. be.
admitted an execute for the trouble you have in
reading this letter.
The political ftuation of this weifern conn
try, appears to me to be fometbing critical. and
therefore, have undertaken (thcugh re,rc-
tantiy)to give you fate of facts preceding onr
pre.ent htuation, 70 far as they have fallen
within my knowledge.
In the iprng of 1887, gen. Wiikinfon went
10 New-orleans with cargo of tobacco. &c.
and was requeiled by the governor OF that place.
to give his tentiments freely in writing, refcc6t-
ING the political interef Of Spain and the A
mercsnS Of the U. S. ihhabiting the veltern
waters. This he did in an eflay, as he calls If.
contained IN about Is or 90 fleets of paper
| law the governors letter TO him acknowledging
the receipt of his efIay, aud Informing him tbst
ne would layit befcre the king of Spain.
copy of this efay he produced and read in our
late convention. for the difrict; and AZ well "a
my memory (Which I acknowledge is not very
accurate) terves me, the fubttance of it is as
follows:
He urges our natural right of following .hs
current of rivers, flowing through our conptrv
INTO the iea. He Rates the extent of our conn.
try-the richneis Of our foil ahounding in choice
productions, proper for foreign markets. to
whicp we have no means of CONVEYING their.
thould the MiiIifiPpi be fl.ut againn us. He
ftates the advantages Spain might derive from
allowing us the free uie of that river. He eoea
on TO ihew The rapid population Of this corn
Try, anu the eagerneis with which every indi
viduai looks forward TO that navigation. He
lta'es the general adherence with which the
people OF the weitern waters received the in
teiilgence that congreis was about to i.criice
their deareR interef by ceding TO Spain, the
navigation of the Mffhippi for % or 50 Years.
ana rePreierts it as fact, that they were on
'he point OF Operating themfelves totally from
INC union on that account. He aGGreGcs him
leif 10 thelr fears by a pCmpous difpay Of our
force, and urges that mould Spain be fc Blind
to her true interef, as 10 refrfe ,e IN ar,..lI-
participation IN the navigation of that river.
and thereby force us into violent meafures. G
d. tands with her arms expanded ready to re-
ceive us, aud aIlt our efforts for the accom-
pliihment OF that Object and quotes a CONVEX.
fation ne had few years ago with A member of
me BritIih honic OF commons to that eGttf,
lie itates the facility with which their province
OF Louii,ana be invaded by the united forces Of
the Brtlih and Americans, by means of the
river Illinois, and the praGicability of proceed
ing from thence to the province Of New.Mexi.
&c. B'ii2in, he fays, will probably aim al the
neItiefii, R,'iif9na ard New Orleans for
America and urges pretty forcibly, the great
danger the SPanih intereft in North America
would be in from the Britiih power, lhould
Britain Pofltis herfelf of the mouth of the MiC.
biIppI, and thereby hold the two grand portals
of North America, that river ard the ST. Ian
renee and concludes with an apolopv for the
freedom with which he has treated the fubie& -.
and adds that it has lat their own particular re-
queit) been drawn from man whole head NAV
err, but whole heart cannot deceive.
This s1ay has Il am told) been laid before
the court CT Madrid, and as ayiolent ftpsrati-
on from the U. S. feems to be laid down as the
ground work upon which every other conGe-
quence depends, think it probably has pro-
duced inltructioES from that court to the Span.
IN rehdent at congref3, that if the wehern
country ihonld declare itfelf fsparate from the
union, to avail hmiefof that event. found
this conjecture upon Idr. Browns confidential
letters from congrefs TO bis friends in this dif
trct. Some of thofe letters | have feen-he
mentions that in private conversation, which
ne had with Don Gardoque, he was informed
mat TO long as this country remained part OF
the union, we bad nothing to expecl from
Spain--but were we TO declare ourfelyes Cepar
ate from, and independent of the U. S. he is
authorized by the king of Spain, TO treat with
US refpc6ting commerce and the navigation Of
The Minifippi.
MIR. Brown having returned from congrefs,
was caled upon IN convention, in November
'Ht, '" give iuCh information reipeCtIng our
affairs at congreis, as might be proper TO know.
He told us that he did not think bimfelf at liz
berty to mention what paa in private CONVEX
iatlon between hmfef and Don Gardoque,
respecting us-but this much in general. he
would venture to inform us that provided we
were unanimous, every thing we could win
tor, was within our reach, meaning, as it ap-
peared fully to me, that ii we would ahume
government, and declare ourfeves ieoarate
from the union, Spain would give us every in
dulgence we could ak for.
About this time, arrived from Canada. the
famous doctor (now coloneI) Connolly. His
oftenlible buiincis, was TO enquire after, and
repoiieis himielf of fome lands he formerly held
at the falls of Ohio. but believe his real tu-
ineis was to found the difpoftion Of leadipc,
men of the diltriGt, refpe6ing the Spanifh bu-
hneis. He knew that both col. Muter and nv
fe'f, had given it all the oppoGtiou in conven-
ton, we were able TO DO and before he lege
the diilritt, paid a vift, though neither of us
had the boSor Of the leaG acquaintance with
him. He was introduced by col. John Camp.
bell formerly a Priloner taken By the Indians
and confined IN Canada) who privately inform
ed ne of the propohtion he meant to make. He
preisutly entered upon his iuhje6t--urEed the
great Importance the navigation of the Minif-
fppi muit be Of to the inhabitants of the SyeC-
tern waters, ihowed the abfoiute necefHfv of
orr poleliiug it, and concluded with anuran-
ces, that were we difpofed to afert our rigbt
lre!petting that navigation, lord DorcheNer