Our Catholic Heritage in Texas
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across the vast expanse of the Interior Provinces to the very outskirts of Mexico City. There was no time to lose in fortifying this province. 9 Difficulties of tlee Boundary Commission. In the midst of the uncertainty and the fears of puzzled Spanish officials, the United States appointed Colonel Andrew Ellicott to proceed to the survey of the boundary established by the treaty of 1795, and Spain named Brigadier- General Manuel Gayoso de Lemos as her representative. Late in 1796, Ellicott and his military escort reached the Mississippi by descending the Ohio. On January 16, 1797, his party met Philip Nolan on his way from New Madrid to Massac. Ellicott remarked of the newcomer that he was well known "for his athletic exertions and dexterity in taking wild horses." The young adventurer, who was to meet an inglorious death in Texas, 10 gave Ellicott much useful information "which eventually I found extremely useful," declared the commissioner. It was a fortunate chance meeting, for few men knew more about frontier conditions than the young protege of the wily General Wilkinson. 11 Ellicott and his party arrived on February 2 in New Madrid where the Spanish garrison fired a salute and welcomed the American party with characteristic Spanish hospitality. Here Ellicott met Father Maxwell, an Irish priest, "a well informed liberal gentleman, who acted as an interpreter." A letter of Governor Carondelet of November was shown to the commissioner in which the commandant was instructed not to allow the commissioner to proceed down the river until the Spanish forts had been evacuated. This surprised Ellicott, who protested, and was per- mitted to continue the next day. By February 3 he was in Chickasaw Bluffs where the Spaniards were evidently surprised to see him and received the visitors with cold but impeccable hospitality. Ellicott was perplexed and his suspicions of the action of Spanish officials were rapidly aroused. Nolan warned him, "keep your suspicions to yourself . . . the utmost caution will be necessary both for your success and my own safety." After a few days' delay, the party continued down the river to Walnut Hills (Nogales). Here the Spaniards had erected a strong fortification which Ellicott observed could be converted into an almost impregnable post. 9 .Marques de Branciforte to the Prinicipe de la Paz, May 27, 1796. A. G. I., Papeles de Estado, Mexico, Legajo 5, Num. 64. (Dunn Transcripts, 1792-1799, pp. l 69- 172.) 10 A full account of his activities and death is given in Chapter VIII. 11 Ellicott, Andrew, Journal of .•• during ,;art of 1796, the ,iears 1797, 1798, 1799, and ,;art of 1800, 20-30.
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