Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/130

 70 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI ices which Louis Lorimier has rendered to the state since he became a subject of her Catholic Majesty, we permit him to establish himself with the Delawares and Shawnese who are under his care, in such places as he may think proper in the province of Louisiana on the west bank of the Mississippi, from the Missouri to the River Arkansas, which may be unoccupied, with the right to hunt, and cultivate for the maintenance of their fam- ilies, nor shall any commandant, officer or other subject of the king hinder them, nor oc- cupy of the land for him and the said In- dians, sown, planted or laid out, so much as is judged necessary for their maintenance : and be it further understood that in case they should remove elsewhere, the said lands shall become vacant and as for the house, which the said Sir Louis Lorimier has built at Girardeau, it will remain in his posses- sion, nor can he be removed for any causes, except those of illicit trade or correspond- ence with the enemies of the State. "In testimony of which we have given these presents, signed with our hand an'' the countersign of the secretary of the Gov- ernment, and caused to be affixed our official seal at New Orleans, the 4th of January, 1793. "The Baron of Carondelet. "By order of the Governor, Andres Lopez Armesto. ' ' This grant of authority was accompanied by the following letter from Zeuon Trudeau the Lieutenant-Governor : "St. Louis, Mo., May 1, 1793.— The within is a permit which the Governor-General gives you to make your trade with the Delawares and the Shawnese. so exteuded that there may be nothing more to desire, without fear that you will be troubled by any officer of the king as long as you do as you have heretofore done. He recommends you to maintain or- der among the savages, and to concentrate them, so that he may he sure that they will take position more on the frontier of our set- tlements in order to lend lis help in case of a war with the whites, and they will thus also be opposite the Osages, against whom I shall declare war forthwith, a thing I have not yet done, because! have to take some precautions before that shall reach them. In- form the Delawares, Shawnese, Peorias, Potawattomies and the other nations which presented a memorial, last September, that it is on account of the bad treatment that they have suffered, that the Governor-General has determined upon the war, in order to procure quiet for our land ; the Osages are at present deprived of aid and harassed by us and by them, they will surely be open to reason; that consequentl.v all the red na- tions must agree to lend a hand; it is their good which the Government seeks; and it is of that that you must convince them, so that the offended nations will take some steps toward the others to se- cure their aid. and particularly that the lowas. Sacs and Foxes shall not consent to let the Osages come so far as to trade on the river Des Moines, and that still less shall they allow the English to introduce themselves by that river, which is a possibility. "Protected bv the Government, you owe it your services in closely watching over all that tends to its prosperity, and averting every- thing which is to its detriment. At this mo- ment we fear nothing from Congress, but from the ill-disposed which depend upon it, posted in advantageous places, to give adiee of the least assemblage. I am confident that as soon as you are cognizant of it you will make it known to the commandants with