﻿HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  Ill 
  

  

  the 
  line), 
  were 
  stanch 
  friends 
  to 
  the 
  government 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States. 
  

  

  The 
  committee 
  held 
  its 
  first 
  meeting 
  in 
  the 
  house 
  

   occupied 
  by 
  the 
  American 
  commissioner, 
  on 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  

   July, 
  having 
  as 
  before 
  declined 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  govern- 
  

   ment 
  house 
  tendered 
  for 
  that 
  purpose. 
  

  

  Contrary 
  to 
  expectation, 
  Colonel 
  Hutchins 
  declined 
  

   serving 
  on 
  the 
  last 
  committee, 
  pleading 
  his 
  age 
  and 
  

   infirmities 
  in 
  excuse. 
  He 
  attended 
  the 
  first 
  meeting 
  of 
  

   the 
  committee, 
  however, 
  as 
  a 
  spectator, 
  and 
  manifested 
  

   great 
  dissatisfaction 
  with 
  its 
  proceedings, 
  which 
  were 
  

   directed 
  first 
  to 
  securing 
  the 
  country 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  

   States, 
  and 
  secondly 
  to 
  the 
  preservation 
  of 
  peace 
  and 
  

   good 
  order. 
  

  

  Having 
  established 
  their 
  neutrality, 
  and 
  rid 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  authority 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  seriously 
  

   obnoxious 
  to 
  them, 
  dissensions 
  soon 
  ensued 
  between 
  

   the 
  inhabitants 
  themselves, 
  and 
  rival 
  parties 
  sprung 
  

   up, 
  and 
  an 
  abortive 
  attempt 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  supersede 
  the 
  

   permanent 
  committee 
  by 
  the 
  choice 
  of 
  another. 
  The 
  

   newly-acquired 
  liberty 
  of 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  was 
  jeopard- 
  

   ized, 
  and 
  the 
  Spanish 
  officers 
  looked 
  on 
  with 
  complacency 
  

   at 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  things 
  which 
  promised 
  in 
  the 
  end 
  to 
  restore 
  

   their 
  lost 
  authority. 
  

  

  By 
  some 
  very 
  original 
  and 
  unauthorized 
  devices, 
  the 
  

   semblance 
  of 
  a 
  counter-committee 
  was 
  got 
  up; 
  but 
  

   beyond 
  denunciation, 
  which 
  proved 
  harmless, 
  and 
  the 
  

   getting 
  up 
  a 
  memorial 
  to 
  Congress, 
  which 
  was 
  disre- 
  

   garded, 
  its 
  labors 
  were 
  fruitless. 
  

  

  Although 
  threatened 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  with 
  an 
  armed 
  force 
  

   of 
  forty 
  men, 
  who 
  were 
  assembled 
  on 
  the 
  Bayou 
  Pierre, 
  

   assured 
  of 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  arms, 
  the 
  com- 
  

   mittee 
  pursued 
  the 
  even 
  tenor 
  of 
  its 
  way. 
  

  

  