Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1935-10-02
Sebastian -
.abot's Map Of l544

back the necessary information More than that,
he supplied the money needed for the expedition.
AS result of Clark!s conquests, financed mainly
| by VigO, the American peace commissioners at
the close of the Revolution, were able to make
good their demand that the western boundary of
the republic should be the Mississippi rather
than the Allegheny mountains.
After the Revolution Vigo made his home in
| Vincennes and continued to provide money to
sustain American credit in the newly won wilder
ness and to build up series of trading posts and
protected trade routes which would bind the In
| dianS to the American cause For, like Tonti.
| VigO had great influence over the red men, But
| American inertia and ineptness in dealing with
the Indians defeated him. When he tried to get
back some of the money he had lent Clark and
Others both the Virginia authorities and penu
| rous federal government refused to honor his
claims. >"%l
William Henry Harrison, first governor Of In
diana territory, became Vigo's friend and tried
to help get the claims paid, both then and later
when he became President. Finally in 1876 the
Ong-pending "Vigo claims tOtang nearly $780,
COO were paid by the government to the second
generation of his in-laws. But they had been too
late to save this Robert Morris Of the West"
who had labored so nightly in the cause of
American independence, from dying an impOver-
iShed embittered old man. Al the time of his
death on March %, 1885, this wealthy Spanish
merchant" who was in reality an Italian, pos
sessed, exclusive of his credit (D on the govern
ment, exactly $77.62!
Colombo Cabato, Vespucci, Ton Vigo-so reads
the roll Of distinguished "Itaan immigrants
to America One other name should be added to-
the list-Philip Mazzei FRIEND neighbor and
business associate of Thomas Jefferson. Mazzei
was born in Tuscany in $780, prarticed medicine
for while in Smyrna and also engaged in the
mercantile business in London He came to
America with several of his countrymen in1De-
cember, 1773, to introduce into Virginia the
grape the olive and other fruits Ct Italy. Buying
an estate adjoining Jeffersons Monticello; he
formed company to carry on his "Nperfments in
horticulture and Jefferson who was always in.
terested in such matters, became member Of it. |
The unsettled conditions of the country during
the Revolution however, caused Mlzzei to give |
up his experiments. Then the state OF Virginia |
employed him to go to Europe TO solicit la loan
from the Tuscan government, l"Hn which, Incl
dentally, seems never to have been repaid by Vir
gfnia any more than it repaid FrHn"'sco Vigo for
the money he had lent George Rogers Clark. -,
In 1892 Mazzei was made prvI councillor to
the king of Poland and in 1902 h" received pen. |
sion from Gar Alexander of RllSSiH even though
he was an ardent Republican. M"zzel's political /
faith as well as his interest in h"rticulture was
another factor in his friendship with Jefferson.
After his return to Europe he kept up CORE
spondence with the Virginan ana they re
mained friends to the end of th":r careers. J.
Western Newspaper Urion. =.