222 The Winning of the West 



sippi and Alabama possessed, from its great fertility, 

 peculiar fascinations in the eyes of the adventurous 

 land speculators. It was unoccupied by settlers, be- 

 cause as a matter of fact it was held in adverse pos- 

 session by the Indians, under Spanish protection. 

 It was claimed by the Georgians, and its cession was 

 sought by the United States Government, so that 

 there was much uncertainty as to the title, which 

 could in consequence be cheaply secured. Wilkin- 

 son, Brown, Innes, and other Kentuckians, had ap- 

 plied to the Spaniards to be allowed to take these 

 lands and hold them, in their own interests, but on 

 behalf of Spain, and against the United States. The 

 application had not been granted, and the next effort 

 was of a directly opposite character, the adventurers 

 this time proposing, as they could not hold the terri- 

 tory as armed subjects of Spain, to wrest it from 

 Spain by armed entry after getting title from 

 Georgia. In other words, they were going to carry 

 on war as a syndicate, the military operations for the 

 occupation of the ceded territory being part of the 

 business for which the company was organized. 

 Their relations with the Union were doubtless to be 

 determined by the course of events. 



This company was the South Carolina Yazoo 

 Company. In 1789, several companies were formed 

 to obtain from the Georgia Legislature grants of the 

 Western territory which Georgia asserted to be hers. 

 One, the Virginia Company, had among its incor- 

 porators Patrick Henry, and received a grant of 

 nearly 20,000 square miles, but accomplished noth- 



