﻿90 
  HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  

  

  ferent 
  causes, 
  were 
  designed 
  to 
  gain 
  time 
  whilst 
  Power 
  

   was 
  endeavoring 
  to 
  carry 
  out 
  the 
  schemes 
  of 
  the 
  go- 
  

   vernor-general 
  in 
  Kentucky. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  step 
  taken 
  by 
  Ellicott, 
  under 
  these 
  untoward 
  

   circumstances, 
  was 
  to 
  sound 
  the 
  disposition 
  of 
  the 
  in- 
  

   habitants, 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  a 
  large 
  majority 
  of 
  

   them 
  were 
  desirous 
  of 
  becoming 
  citizens 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States. 
  Although 
  many 
  of 
  theni 
  had 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  

   British 
  colonies 
  before 
  the 
  conclusion 
  of 
  the 
  peace 
  with 
  

   Great 
  Britain, 
  with 
  the 
  suspicion 
  of 
  having 
  been 
  on 
  the 
  

   wrong 
  side 
  on 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  independence, 
  and 
  that 
  

   not 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  influential 
  class 
  were 
  Englishmen 
  who 
  

   had 
  been 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  army 
  or 
  held 
  office 
  under 
  

   the 
  government 
  of 
  West 
  Florida, 
  yet 
  now, 
  under 
  altered 
  

   circumstances, 
  and 
  with 
  better 
  views, 
  there 
  were 
  very 
  few 
  

   who 
  did 
  not 
  prefer 
  the 
  free 
  government 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  to 
  the 
  intolerant 
  and 
  arbitrary 
  one 
  of 
  Spain. 
  

  

  The 
  party 
  of 
  Ellicott 
  encamped 
  in 
  Natchez, 
  exclusive 
  

   of 
  the 
  escort 
  under 
  Lieutenant 
  McClary, 
  left 
  at 
  Bayou 
  

   Pierre, 
  consisted 
  of 
  about 
  thirty 
  persons, 
  generally 
  armed 
  

   with 
  rifles, 
  and 
  expert 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  them; 
  and 
  the 
  

   commissary 
  was 
  directed 
  to 
  procure 
  privately, 
  as 
  large 
  a 
  

   supply 
  of 
  ammunition 
  as 
  could 
  be 
  done 
  among 
  their 
  

   friends. 
  

  

  The 
  Indians, 
  of 
  whom 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  were 
  

   always 
  loitering 
  about 
  the 
  town, 
  having 
  been 
  insolent 
  

   and 
  made 
  threats 
  against 
  the 
  American 
  party, 
  Ellicott 
  

   seized 
  upon 
  the 
  occasion 
  to 
  justify 
  an 
  application 
  to 
  

   Gayoso 
  to 
  withdraw 
  his 
  objections 
  to 
  his 
  escort's 
  joining 
  

   him 
  at 
  Natchez. 
  

  

  In 
  reply, 
  Gayoso 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  conduct 
  attributed 
  

   to 
  the 
  Indians 
  was 
  very 
  unusual 
  there; 
  but 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  

   foreseen 
  some 
  such 
  difficulty 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  that 
  Ellicott 
  

   manifested 
  a 
  desire 
  of 
  having 
  his 
  colors 
  flying, 
  " 
  before 
  

  

  