P.\PEHs OF ~IIR.\BE.\U BuoN.\P.\RTE LAMAR 41 there were 3 new settlements forming, 2 on this & 1 on the other side of the Nacches River, comprising in -all about 15 men of arms, who had established themselves there without the consent or knowledge of the American Governmt, and elected their own Govr. & officers for their administrntion of justice; that one titled Col. Cuca (Cook I suppose)• had appeared among them and enlisted a considerable number of troops; that the object of said establishments was no other than that of working £or the subsistence of their families. The - foregoing short narration I extracted with a great deal of difficulty for want of a competent enterpreter to explain & investigate par- ticularly all the nature of the case requircs,-see documt, No. 20. The pa:rty which 1 had sent for corn having returned, the Comder., :Manl. 1\Ionjares presented himself & reported, that he had brought in .3 Negro slaves, 2 men & 1 woman, runaways from Nachitoches, and which Rogrigues will deliver together with the other prisoners. There being nothing now to prevent my departure, I effected it on the 11th. inst. (This I presume to have been Nov-r.)3° leaving ensign :Manl. Delgado with 15 men to apprehend and secure such · as might be lurking about & notice my departure would probably come in to said place. On the night of that day, after my departure from Nacogdoches, an American accompanied by a corporal & 2 soldiers of Delgado's party, came up with me & handed me the inclosed officl. No. 21, from lieut. Spenser, Commander ad-interim of the American advance guard [Y] on the Sabine, the contents of which I understand to be a reclamation of. the release of the persons therein specified. With the view of complying with what I had promised Capt. Birrd [ 1] on the 31st. of Octr. I answered him that so soon as I arrived at my camp on the Trinity, I would examine into the con- tluct of the persons referred to, & determine accordingly,-see documt. 22. On the 19th. of Novr. ensign D. Manl. Delgado, who I had left at '.N'acogdoches, came up with me, & reported that nothing of any note had occurred; that a lieut. of the N. A. setvice with attendant & 1 other who appeared to be of the same Nation, had arrived at that place, with a letter,-see doct. 23-from Capt. Birrd, that said lieut. desired personally to have handed me the letter, but upon being informed that I had left, he handed it•to Delgado to be delivered to me & returned. The contents of the letter I believe amts. to a reclamation of the liberty of the persons th~rein ex- pressed, in virtue of their not being a part of Long's faction. J immediately, after an examination into their conducts, I liberated 18 ,varning them that if any of them should be apprehended on Spanish territory the rigor of the law would be complied with in their chastisement. By said persons I remitted to Capt. Birrd the official of which No. 24 is a copy. The liberty which I have thus taken in liberating the pdsoners referred to, was perhaps an undue assumption on my part, in which I was actuated by a desire to promote that mutual harmony & good feeling which should reign between the 2 Nations, and in due regard to the supplications of Capt. Birrd and his assurances that said persons did· not belong to the faction of Long, and having satisfied myself of same by scrupu- lous examination, I deemed it.a conscientious duty on my part to
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