﻿88 
  HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  

  

  (composing 
  his 
  escort) 
  about 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Bayou 
  

   Pierre. 
  The 
  object 
  was 
  stated 
  to 
  be 
  to 
  prevent 
  any 
  un- 
  

   foreseen 
  misunderstanding 
  between 
  the 
  Spanish 
  troops 
  

   and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  request 
  was 
  deemed 
  indecorous 
  and 
  un- 
  

   reasonable, 
  the 
  escort 
  was 
  left 
  at 
  the 
  Bayou 
  Pierre, 
  

   where 
  they 
  arrived 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  the 
  22d 
  of 
  

   February. 
  At 
  this 
  place, 
  a 
  friend 
  of 
  the 
  commissioner. 
  

   Colonel 
  Peter 
  Bryan 
  Bruin, 
  an 
  officer 
  of 
  the 
  revolu- 
  

   tionary 
  army, 
  and 
  subsequently 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  judges 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mississippi 
  Territory, 
  had 
  resided 
  for 
  some 
  years, 
  and 
  

   from 
  him 
  EUicott 
  derived 
  much 
  useful 
  information 
  re- 
  

   specting 
  the 
  principal 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  and 
  

   their 
  sentiments 
  towards 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  and 
  the 
  

   measures 
  proper 
  to 
  be 
  adopted 
  to 
  carry 
  out 
  the 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  trust 
  committed 
  to 
  him. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  

   further 
  service, 
  it 
  was 
  agreed 
  that 
  Colonel 
  Bruin 
  should 
  

   repair 
  to 
  Natchez, 
  which, 
  to 
  prevent 
  suspicion, 
  and 
  not 
  

   to 
  be 
  seen 
  with 
  EUicott 
  until 
  after 
  the 
  interview 
  of 
  the 
  

   latter 
  with 
  the 
  governor, 
  he 
  did, 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  Noland's 
  boats, 
  

   and 
  the 
  day 
  after 
  their 
  arrival 
  was 
  formally 
  introduced 
  

   by 
  Gayoso 
  to 
  EUicott 
  as 
  an 
  entire 
  stranger. 
  

  

  Immediately 
  after 
  arriving 
  at 
  the 
  Natchez 
  landing, 
  on 
  

   the 
  evening 
  of 
  the 
  24th 
  of 
  February, 
  1797, 
  the 
  commis- 
  

   sioner 
  addressed 
  a 
  note 
  to 
  Governor 
  Gayoso, 
  apprising 
  

   him 
  of 
  his 
  arrival, 
  and 
  requesting 
  him 
  to 
  state 
  when 
  it 
  

   would 
  be 
  convenient 
  to 
  receive 
  his 
  credentials. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  same 
  day 
  the 
  reception 
  of 
  the 
  note 
  was 
  ac- 
  

   knowledged 
  through 
  Mr. 
  Vidal, 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  the 
  

   governor; 
  but, 
  as 
  he 
  avoided 
  fixing 
  a 
  time 
  for 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   posed 
  interview, 
  several 
  verbal 
  messages 
  were 
  exchanged 
  

   before 
  this 
  point 
  was 
  arranged. 
  It 
  was 
  finally 
  agreed 
  

   that 
  a 
  meeting 
  should 
  take 
  place 
  at 
  the 
  government 
  

   house, 
  on 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  the 
  25th. 
  

  

  