Louisiana and Aaron Burr 335 



could be drawn into any disloyal movement, and 

 had found that they were honorable men, firm in 

 their attachment to the Union; and he was begin- 

 ning to perceive that the people generally were quite 

 unmoved by Burr's intrigues. Accordingly, when 

 Burr reached him he threw cold water on his plans, 

 and though he did not denounce or oppose them, he 

 refrained from taking further active part in the se- 

 ditious propaganda. 



After visiting Harrison, the Governor of the In- 

 diana territory, Burr returned to Washington. If 

 he had possessed the type of character which would 

 have made him really dangerous as a revolutionist, 

 he would have seen how slight was his hope of stir- 

 ring up revolt in the West; but he would not face 

 facts, and he still believed he could bring about an 

 uprising against the Union in the Mississippi Valley. 

 His immediate need was money. This he hoped to 

 obtain from some foreign government. He found 

 that nothing could be done with Great Britain ; and 

 then, incredible though it may seem, he turned to 

 Spain, and sought to obtain from the Spaniards 

 themselves the funds with which to conquer their 

 own territories. 



This was the last touch necessary to complete the 

 grotesque fantasy which his brain had evolved. He 

 approached the Spanish Minister first through one 

 of his fellow conspirators and then in his own per- 

 son. At one time he made his request on the pre- 

 tence that he wished to desert the other filibusterers, 

 and save Spain by committing a double treachery, 



