﻿94 
  HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  

  

  Averse 
  to 
  any 
  reinforcement 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  troops, 
  

   Gayoso 
  dispatched 
  his 
  aid, 
  Major 
  Minor, 
  to 
  the 
  Wahiut 
  

   Hills, 
  with 
  a 
  request 
  to 
  Lieutenant 
  Pope, 
  to 
  delay 
  his 
  

   arrival 
  until 
  he 
  was 
  prepared 
  for 
  the 
  evacuation 
  of 
  the 
  

   Spanish 
  posts. 
  

  

  Ellicott 
  declined 
  uniting 
  with 
  the 
  governor 
  in 
  this 
  

   request, 
  as 
  desired, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  wrote 
  to 
  the 
  

   lieutenant, 
  that 
  the 
  sooner 
  he 
  arrived 
  at 
  Natchez 
  the 
  

   better. 
  

  

  About 
  this 
  time, 
  an 
  individual 
  arrived 
  at 
  Natchez 
  

   with 
  a 
  confidential 
  communication 
  for 
  Ellicott. 
  He 
  ap- 
  

   pears 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  some 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  designs 
  of 
  

   William 
  Blount, 
  of 
  Tennessee; 
  but, 
  learning 
  from 
  the 
  

   commissioner 
  that 
  their 
  estimation 
  of 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  

   that 
  individual 
  did 
  not 
  accord, 
  the 
  communication 
  was 
  

   not 
  made. 
  

  

  He 
  remained 
  at 
  Natchez 
  a 
  few 
  weeks, 
  in 
  close 
  associ- 
  

   ation 
  with 
  Colonel 
  Anthony 
  Hutchins 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Rapalje, 
  

   both 
  of 
  whom 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  military 
  establish- 
  

   ment. 
  

  

  Ellicott 
  admits 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  much 
  embarrassed 
  by 
  the 
  

   mysterious 
  conduct 
  of 
  this 
  individual, 
  whose 
  name 
  he 
  

   withholds, 
  but 
  intimates 
  that 
  he 
  held 
  some 
  office 
  in 
  the 
  

   United 
  States, 
  and 
  was 
  paid 
  for 
  his 
  services, 
  whatever 
  

   they 
  were, 
  by 
  the 
  public. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  29th 
  of 
  March, 
  1797, 
  Gayoso 
  issued 
  a 
  procla- 
  

   mation, 
  assigning 
  as 
  a 
  motive, 
  his 
  apprehensions 
  that 
  

   the 
  dangerous 
  insinuations 
  of 
  busy 
  and 
  malignant 
  persons 
  

   might 
  agitate 
  and 
  disturb 
  the 
  public 
  tranquillity. 
  The 
  

   public 
  were 
  cautioned 
  against 
  being 
  led 
  by 
  their 
  ^'innocent 
  

   credulity" 
  into 
  any 
  measures 
  which 
  might 
  frustrate 
  all 
  

   the 
  advantages 
  they 
  would 
  have 
  a 
  right 
  to 
  expect, 
  if 
  

   they 
  continued, 
  as 
  heretofore, 
  their 
  strict 
  attachment 
  to 
  

   his 
  majesty. 
  These 
  advantages 
  are 
  stated 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  

  

  