142' 
VIEWS OF LOUISIANA. 
from the settlement, just then formed on Big river, to St Gene¬ 
vieve, accompanied by a number of their friends, with the inten¬ 
tion of having the matrimonial knot tied by the priest, were 
met by sixty Osages, robbed of their horses, and the whole par¬ 
ty actually shipped I What serves, however, to lessen the atro¬ 
city of these outrages, it has been remarked, that they are never' 
known to take away the lives of those who fall into their hands. 
The insolence of the other nations who came openly to their 
villages, the piorias, Loups, Kickapoos, Chickasas, Cherokees, 
See. is inconceivable. They were sometimes perfectly meters 
of the villages, and excited general consternation. I have seen 
the houses on some occasions cipsed up, and the doors barred by 
the tepri&ed inhabitants; they were not always safe even there. 
It is strange how these people have entirely disappeared with¬ 
in a few years, there are at present scarcely a sufficient number 
to supply the villages vyith game. 
The historical epocha of this territory, are few and simple. 
Shortly after the first formation of the settlement, it was ceded 
by the treaty of ’63; the secret treaty between Spain and 
France of 1762, was not known, and perhaps never would have 
been, if France had proved successful in her contest with Bri¬ 
tain. The history of Louisiana, generally, until it came into 
the hands of the United States, is the his.tory ,pf this territory, 
By the treaty of Ildefonso, of Oct. 1800, this country wasreced- 
ed by Spain to France ; the situation of France at that period 
not permitting her to take possession, she ceded ft to the U. 
States. The fear of its falling into the hands of her enemy was a 
strong inducement. 
On the part of the United States, possession was taken of this 
territory in 1804, by capt. (now major Stoddard) who was our 
first civil commandant. In pursuance of .the act pf congress, 
which separated it from the district of Orleans, with the name 
of the district of Louisiana, it was placed for the moment, under 
the government of the territory of Indiana. Governor Harrison, 
of that territory, accordingly, organized the government, and 
put it in motion. In 1805, it was/erected into a.territorial go¬ 
vernment similar to that of the other territories, by the name of 
