The Indian Wars, 1784-1787 209 



the goods and boats of a trader from the Cumber 

 land district were seized and confiscated by the 

 Spanish commandant at Natchez. 24 At first the 

 Cumberland Indian-fighters determined to retaliate 

 in kind, at no matter what cost ; but the wiser among 

 their leaders finally "persuaded them not to imitate 

 their friends of Kentucky, and to wait patiently 

 until some advice could be received from Congress." 

 One of these wise leaders, a representative from the 

 Cumberland district in the North Carolina Legis 

 lature, in writing to the North Carolina delegates to 

 the Continental Congress, after dwelling on the 

 necessity of acquiring the right to the navigation 

 of the Mississippi, added with sound common-sense : 

 "You may depend on our exertions to keep all things 

 quiet, and we agree entirely with you that if our 

 people are once let loose there will be no stopping 

 them, and that acts of retaliation poison the mind 

 and give a licentiousness to manners that can with 

 great difficulty be restrained." Washington was 

 right in his belief that in this business there was as 

 much to be feared from the impetuous turbulence of 

 the backwoodsmen as from the hostility of the Span 

 iards. 



The news of Jay's attempted negotiations with 

 Gardoqui, distorted and twisted, arrived right on 

 top of these troubles, and threw the already excited 



24 State Dept. MSS., No. 124, Vol. III. Papers transmitted 

 by Blount, Hawkins, and Ashe, March 29, 1787, including 

 deposition of Thomas Amis, Nov. 13, 1786. Letter from Fay- 

 etteville, Dec. 29, 1786, etc. 



