﻿62 
  HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  

  

  than 
  two 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  ; 
  several 
  old 
  iron 
  guns 
  were 
  

   lying 
  about, 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  left 
  by 
  the 
  French. 
  

   About 
  seventy-eight 
  families, 
  dispersed 
  in 
  different 
  set- 
  

   tlements, 
  constituted 
  the 
  wdiole 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   trict, 
  few 
  of 
  which, 
  according 
  to 
  these 
  statements, 
  had 
  

   emigrated 
  to 
  the 
  country 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  year 
  1772. 
  

   There 
  were 
  four 
  small 
  mercantile 
  establishments 
  in 
  the 
  

   town; 
  these 
  were 
  owned 
  by 
  Blomart, 
  James 
  Willing, 
  

   Barber, 
  and 
  the 
  firm 
  of 
  Hanchet 
  & 
  Newman. 
  Blomart 
  

   was 
  a 
  reduced 
  British 
  officer. 
  Willing 
  became 
  afterwards 
  

   unfavorably 
  conspicuous, 
  and 
  Hanchet 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   followers 
  or 
  associates 
  of 
  Lyman. 
  

  

  In 
  1777, 
  the 
  British 
  held 
  a 
  treaty 
  with 
  the 
  Indians 
  

   at 
  Mobile, 
  when 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  Natchez 
  District 
  were 
  

   defined; 
  and 
  in 
  1779 
  the 
  eastern 
  boundary 
  line 
  was 
  

   surveyed 
  and 
  marked 
  ; 
  between 
  this 
  line 
  and 
  the 
  Missis- 
  

   sippi, 
  the 
  Indians 
  relinquished 
  all 
  their 
  claims. 
  The 
  

   line 
  commenced 
  on 
  the 
  thirty-first 
  degree 
  of 
  north 
  lati- 
  

   tude, 
  about 
  fifty 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  running 
  

   rather 
  west 
  of 
  north 
  and 
  approaching 
  the 
  river 
  by 
  a 
  not 
  

   very 
  direct 
  line, 
  until 
  it 
  reached 
  the 
  Yazoo 
  River, 
  pass- 
  

   ing 
  only 
  about 
  six 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  city 
  of 
  

   Vicksburg. 
  A 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  bordering 
  on 
  

   the 
  Mississippi 
  and 
  the 
  principal 
  streams 
  was 
  covered 
  by 
  

   British 
  grants, 
  which 
  were 
  now 
  being 
  rapidly 
  settled 
  by 
  

   the 
  emigrants 
  resorting 
  to 
  the 
  country. 
  

  

  The 
  war 
  of 
  the 
  Revolution 
  had 
  broken 
  out 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  

   was 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  expected 
  that 
  so 
  remote 
  and 
  inconsidera- 
  

   ble 
  a 
  settlement 
  as 
  this, 
  absorbed 
  with 
  the 
  cares 
  and 
  

   struggling 
  with 
  the 
  privations 
  and 
  difficulties 
  incident 
  to 
  

   newly-settled 
  countries, 
  would 
  take 
  any 
  active 
  part 
  in 
  

   the 
  contest, 
  or 
  that 
  the 
  peaceful 
  and 
  absorbing 
  avoca- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  its 
  inhabitants 
  would 
  be 
  interrupted 
  or 
  disturbed 
  

   by 
  hostile 
  incursions. 
  Circumstances, 
  however, 
  pre- 
  

  

  