The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1900-02-08

possession OF all territory nelu nY the
French west of the Mississippi River.
BY the treaty of 172G, Spain gained
from England what was known as
Florida A part Of the present state of
Tennessee was claimed by Spain, and
that country also claimed the exclusive
navigation of the Mississippi claim
which the Watauga aud Cumberland
settlers treated with Indignation. IT
was also dream of Spain's to unite
with her possessions these growing
settlements. For years she melted
the Indians to make war on them, in the
hope of exterminating or driving them
away. Failing in this, she sought
through her Ggents-aud especially
through the Governors of Louisiana
and Florida Owned by SPAIN Don
Mero-to win their friendship by al
lowing their commerce special priyil-
eges in the navigation os the Mississip-
pi and then exciting their fears by
threats of excluding them entirely from
a lucrative trade. Efforts were made
in addition to estrauge them from the
United States. There are some letters
Of Robertson which, taken in coHnec-
ton with his friendship as shown in
suggesting the name of the new dis
trict, have made many believe that he
meditated uniting with the Spanish
government. But this is most probably
incorrect. His colony was weak; the
Spaniards were wealthy and strong;
the Indians were using every effort to
exterminate the Americans. Spain
had the confidence of the savages, and
actually offered the latter rewards for
American scalps. Meeting craft with
Notwithstanding friendship TO the
nation that was dissembling-was Rob
ertsOn's only sin, and this was to pla-
cate Spain, until the settlements on the
Cumberland should become formidable
enough to resist assault successfully
1T is difficult to look at Che matter in
any other light. In 1884, Alexander
McGillivray, noted Creek chief, hav-
ing influence over neighboring tribes,
entered into treaty with Spain to
totally destroy the Cumberland people.
For nine years, off and on, he exerted
himself to this purpose. If Nero had
not become the Spanish Governor, and
if Robertson had not become diplomatic
enough to have won his forbearance
somewhat, there is hardly any doubt
but McGillivray would have succeeded.
Robertson was the right man in the
right place, as when he defended Wa.
tauga fort from the attack Of Old Abra-
ham and his $50 warriors.
Phelan gives correct picture of the
state as it might have been seen de-
cade or so before the eighteenth cen
tury. In the far west, he says, one
would have seen on the banks of the
Mississippi where Memphis now stands
a small fort filed with few Spanish
officers and soldiers, perhaps drunken
Indian in the door Of hut. Here and
there he would have detected isolated
wigwams reaching toward the south.
Perhaps he might have seen glimpses
of the Great Natchez Trace, which led
from Nashville to the great trading
emporium of the southwest. AT ter the
eye had passed over miles of silent for.
ests, fields and streams, he would have
seen an irregular collection of cabins
and block-houses scattered up and
down the Cumberland and along the
banks of the Caney Fork, Stones River
and a few creeks that emptied into the
Cumberland in the-neighboring district
of country. The whole settlement
would not have covered much more
than forty miles square, and when tht
mouth Of Red River with lis germ O.
Clarksyille had been passed, wilderness
and desolation would have again me-
the eye. In the extreme east the sigh
would have been little more gratifying
There he would have seen small wood
en- villages and palisaded cabins scat
tered up and down half dozen valleys
beginning in q kind of point in Sulli
van county, far away among the head
waters of the Holston River, spreading
out through valley and 9leu and along
river and creek, and gradually coming
again to an end at southwest point neal
the junction Of the Clinch and Tennes
see rivers, where Kingston now stands
Not quite one-eighteenth of the state
was occupied, and the population wat
given in the Federal census of 1880 al
2j,601.
Among the settlers most distinguish
ed at this period, and who were later tC
figure prominently in the new state
were John Sewer, James Robertson
William Cooke, James White, Hugh L
White and Andrew Jackson.
Among the Indian Chiefs who wer
best known in the depgedations agains
the western frontier Of North Caroin
were Oowostota, Atta-Kulla-Kulla
John Watts and Double Head, Chero
KEGS; Alexander McGillivray, Creek
r and Plomingo, Chickasaw-though i
his later years Piomingo was friend G
the whites.