﻿HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  87 
  

  

  entertained 
  by 
  the 
  commandant 
  and 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  gar- 
  

   rison. 
  Here 
  the 
  commandant 
  communicated 
  to 
  him 
  a 
  

   letter 
  received 
  from 
  the 
  Governor-General 
  Baron 
  de 
  

   Carondelet, 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  November, 
  directing 
  him 
  

   not 
  to 
  permit 
  the 
  party 
  to 
  descend 
  the 
  river 
  until 
  the 
  

   posts 
  were 
  evacuated, 
  which 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  done 
  until 
  the 
  

   water 
  rose. 
  The 
  commandant 
  remarked 
  that 
  he 
  felt 
  

   much 
  embarrassed 
  by 
  the 
  order, 
  but, 
  as 
  the 
  objection 
  on 
  

   the 
  score 
  of 
  low 
  water 
  no 
  longer 
  existed, 
  he 
  agreed, 
  

   upon 
  the 
  representations 
  of 
  Ellicott 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  delays 
  he 
  

   had 
  already 
  experienced, 
  not 
  to 
  oppose 
  any 
  obstacle 
  to 
  

   his 
  proceeding. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  8th 
  of 
  February, 
  the 
  party 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  

   Chickasaw 
  Bluff. 
  The 
  commandant 
  received 
  the 
  com- 
  

   missioner 
  with 
  politeness, 
  but 
  appeared 
  embarrassed 
  by 
  

   his 
  arrival 
  and 
  surjDrised 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  suffered 
  to 
  

   pass 
  New 
  Madrid. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  Walnut 
  Hills 
  (now 
  Vicksburg), 
  which 
  was 
  

   reached 
  on 
  the 
  19 
  th, 
  considerable 
  works 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  erected 
  by 
  the 
  Spaniards. 
  The 
  post 
  was 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  a 
  very 
  important 
  one, 
  and 
  capable 
  of 
  being 
  made 
  

   very 
  strong. 
  The 
  boats 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  by 
  the 
  firing 
  of 
  

   a 
  piece 
  of 
  artillery 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  same 
  politeness 
  and 
  hospi- 
  

   tality 
  received 
  at 
  the 
  other 
  posts 
  were 
  extended 
  to 
  

   Ellicott 
  and 
  his 
  party. 
  The 
  commandant, 
  however, 
  

   affected 
  an 
  ignorance 
  of 
  its 
  object 
  and 
  even 
  of 
  the 
  exist- 
  

   ence 
  of 
  the 
  treaty. 
  

  

  A 
  short 
  distance 
  below 
  the 
  Walnut 
  Hills, 
  Ellicott 
  was 
  

   overtaken 
  by 
  an 
  express 
  sent 
  after 
  him 
  in 
  a 
  light 
  boat, 
  

   with 
  a 
  letter 
  which 
  had 
  just 
  been 
  received 
  at 
  the 
  fort. 
  

   The 
  communication 
  was 
  from 
  Governor 
  Gayoso, 
  inform- 
  

   ing 
  Ellicott 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  not 
  prepared 
  to 
  evacuate 
  the 
  

   posts 
  immediately 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  vessels, 
  but 
  which 
  were 
  

   soon 
  expected, 
  and 
  to 
  request 
  him 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  troops 
  

  

  