Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 3 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 747 pages of information about Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 3.

Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 3 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 747 pages of information about Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 3.

Copy of my answer of No. 1, to them, and copy of a letter from myself, to the President, stating a conversation with those gentlemen.

From those papers you will find that we have been constantly endeavoring, by every possible means, to keep peace with the Creeks; that in order to do this, we have even suspended and still suspend the running a fair boundary between them and us, as agreed on by themselves, and having for its object the precise definition of their and our lands, so as to prevent encroachment on either side, and that we have constantly endeavored to keep them at peace with the Spanish settlements also:  that Spain on the contrary, or at least the officers of her governments, since the arrival of the Baron de Carondelet, have undertaken to keep an agent among the Creeks, have excited them and the other southern Indians to commence a war against us, have furnished them with arms and ammunition for the express purpose of carrying on that war, and prevented the Creeks from running the boundary which would have removed the cause of difference from between us.  Messrs. Viar and Jaudenes explain the ground of interference on the fact of the Spanish claim to that territory, and on an article in our treaty with the Creeks, putting themselves under our protection.  But besides that you already know the nullity of their pretended claim to the territory, they had themselves set the example of endeavoring to strengthen that claim by the treaty mentioned in the letter of the Baron de Carondelet, and by the employment of an agent among them.  The establishment of our boundary, committed to you, will, of course, remove the grounds of all future pretence to interfere with the Indians within our territory, and it was to such only that the treaty of New York stipulated protection:  for we take for granted, that Spain will be ready to agree to the principle, that neither party has a right to stipulate protection or interference with the Indian nations inhabiting the territory of the other.  But it is extremely material also, with sincerity and good faith, to patronize the peace of each other with the neighboring savages.  We are quite disposed to believe that the late wicked excitements to war have proceeded from the Baron de Carondelet himself, without authority from his court.  But if so, have we not reason to expect the removal of such an officer from our neighborhood, as an evidence of the disavowal of his proceedings?  He has produced against us a serious war.  He says in his letter, indeed, that he has suspended it.  But this he has not done, nor possibly can he do it.  The Indians are more easily engaged in a war than withdrawn from it.  They have made the attack in force on our frontiers, whether with or without his consent, and will oblige us to a severe punishment of their aggression.  We trust that you will be able to settle principles of a friendly concert between us and Spain, with respect to the neighboring Indians:  and if not, that you will endeavor to apprize us of what we may expect, that we may no longer be tied up by principles, which, in that case, would be inconsistent with duty and self-preservation.

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