﻿HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  79 
  

  

  In 
  June, 
  1786, 
  Galvez 
  was 
  succeeded 
  by 
  Don 
  Estevan 
  

   Miro 
  as 
  Governor 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  and 
  West 
  Florida. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  treaty 
  of 
  1786 
  provided 
  expressly 
  that 
  

   the 
  navigation 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  should 
  forever 
  remain 
  

   free 
  and 
  open 
  to 
  the 
  subjects 
  of 
  Great 
  Britain 
  and 
  the 
  

   citizens 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  yet, 
  with 
  the 
  exclusive 
  

   policy 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  nation, 
  the 
  claim 
  of 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  to 
  its 
  enjoyment 
  was 
  resisted, 
  and 
  the 
  

   boats 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  people, 
  who 
  ventured 
  to 
  descend 
  the 
  

   Mississippi, 
  were 
  arrested 
  by 
  the 
  first 
  officer 
  who 
  met 
  

   with 
  them, 
  and, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  cargo, 
  were 
  confiscated 
  

   in 
  every 
  case. 
  This 
  state 
  of 
  things, 
  so 
  exasperating 
  to 
  

   the 
  people 
  of 
  Kentucky, 
  and 
  of 
  that 
  quarter 
  to 
  "wdiom 
  

   the 
  Mississippi 
  afforded 
  the 
  only 
  outlet 
  for 
  their 
  surplus 
  

   productions, 
  continued 
  until 
  the 
  Governor 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  

   began 
  to 
  apprehend 
  that 
  the 
  western 
  people, 
  already 
  

   highly 
  inflamed 
  by 
  the 
  denial 
  of 
  this 
  reasonable 
  and, 
  to 
  

   them, 
  essential 
  right, 
  might 
  be 
  excited, 
  forcibly, 
  to 
  open 
  

   a 
  way 
  for 
  their 
  trade. 
  Under 
  these 
  circumstances. 
  

   General 
  Wilkinson 
  conceived 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  a 
  regular 
  trade 
  

   to 
  New 
  Orleans, 
  and 
  with 
  this 
  view 
  descended 
  the 
  Mis- 
  

   sissippi 
  with 
  a 
  venture 
  of 
  tobacco, 
  flour, 
  bacon, 
  &c. 
  He 
  

   stopped 
  at 
  Natchez, 
  and 
  the 
  boat 
  was 
  suffered 
  to 
  proceed 
  

   down 
  the 
  stream 
  to 
  New 
  Orleans, 
  the 
  commandant 
  of 
  

   the 
  former 
  place 
  forbearing 
  to 
  seize 
  it 
  under 
  the 
  belief 
  

   that 
  Governor 
  Miro 
  would 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  make 
  an 
  excep- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  distinguished 
  general 
  officer 
  

   of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  was 
  interested. 
  When 
  the 
  boat 
  

   arrived 
  in 
  New 
  Orleans, 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  its 
  owners, 
  steps 
  

   were 
  taken 
  for 
  its 
  seizure, 
  and 
  a 
  guard 
  sent 
  on 
  board 
  by 
  

   the 
  revenue 
  officers. 
  

  

  A 
  merchant 
  of 
  some 
  influence, 
  and 
  a 
  friend 
  of 
  Wilkin- 
  

   son, 
  called 
  upon 
  the 
  governor, 
  and 
  intimated 
  that 
  the 
  

   proposed 
  step 
  might 
  be 
  attended 
  with 
  unpleasant 
  conse- 
  

  

  