Louisiana and Aaron Burr 161 



rondelet, the only way by which the Americans could 

 be retained within their own boundaries. 31 The 

 Spaniards devoted much attention to supporting 

 those traders among the Indians who were faithful 

 to the cause of Spain and could be relied upon to 

 intrigue against the Americans. 32 



The divided condition of the Creeks, some of 

 whom wished to carry out in good faith the treaty 

 of New York, while the others threatened to attack 

 whoever made any move toward putting the treaty 

 into effect, puzzled Carondelet nearly as much as it 

 did the United States authorities; and he endeav- 

 ored to force the Creeks to abstain from warfare 

 with the Chickasaws by refusing to supply them with 

 munitions of war for any such purpose, or for any 

 other except to oppose the frontiersmen. He put 

 great faith in the endeavor to treat the Americans 

 not as one nation, but as an assemblage of different 

 communities. The Spaniards sought to placate the 

 Kentuckians by promising to reduce the duties on 

 the goods that came down stream to New Orleans 

 by six per cent, and thus to prevent an outbreak on 

 their part ; at the same time the United States Gov- 

 ernment was kept occupied by idle negotiations. 

 Carondelet further hoped to restrain the Cumber- 

 land people by fear of the Creek and Cherokee na- 

 tions, who, he remarked, "had never ceased to com- 

 mit hostilities upon them and to profess implacable 



31 Carondelet to Alcudia, Aug. 17, 1793. 



32 Do., Manuel Gayoso De Lamos to Carondelet, Nogales, 

 July 25, 1793. 



