José Pizarro. The memorial was presented to the Senate by Mr. Rufus King, of New York, who moved that it be printed. The motion was at first opposed; but, on Mr. King's assuring the Senate that further action on the subject would not be sought by the friends of General Jackson, the printing of the memorial, with the documents accompanying it, was ordered.

CHAPTER XLII.

GENERAL JACKSON MEETS SILAS DINSMORE.

In the autumn of this year we find General Jackson again among the southern Indians, negotiating another of the long series of treaties by which the red man ceded to the stronger race his ancient heritage. The only incident of this journey that need detain us from more important events is a scene that occurred on the treaty ground between General Jackson and his old enemy, Silas Dinsmore. An eye-witness of the scene (Colonel B. L. C. Wailes) has kindly written it out from the tablets of an excellent memory for these pages.

"In October, 1820, a treaty was held with the Choctaw Indians at Doaks' stand, on the old Natchez trace, at which General Jackson and General Hinds of Mississippi were the commissioners on the part of the United States. At that time I had occasion to visit the north, and traveling by land my route took me directly by the treaty ground, at which the commissioners had already arrived, and were awaiting the assembling of the chiefs and head men of the nation, preparatory to the negotiation, the object of which was the acquisition of Indian territory.

"Among the visitors who were attracted thither to witness the novel spectacle of Indian life and manners was Mr. Stockton, a distinguished young lawyer recently from New Jersey, and subsequently one of the judges of Mississippi. On arriving with my party, at the close of the day, within

one day's stage of the treaty ground, I met my old acquaintance, Colonel Silas Dinsmore, then residing at St. Stephens, Alabama, and who intersected our route at the same time that we arrived. There, too, we were met by Mr. Stockton and his party, returning to Natchez, after having spent some days in the enjoyment of the intercourse and hospitality of the commissioners.

"To render intelligible the subsequent part of this narrative to those unacquainted with the history and character of Mr. Dinsmore, it may be necessary to state that he was a gentleman of highly cultivated mind, of much experience and knowledge of the world, a man of unbounded wit, and possessing extraordinary conversational powers, which rendered him the life of every convivial party, of which he was on all occasions of social intercourse the center and attraction.

"His passion for disputation and argument, which gave free scope to his talent for humor and repartee, would carry him far to provoke at any time an intellectual tournament with any foeman worthy of his steel,' and it mattered little with him for the time on which side of a question he engaged, provided he could draw out all the powers of his competitor, and put him upon his metal. And thus it happened, when after the evening meal the assembled party engaged in conversation, it soon narrowed down, as if by some mental attraction, into an animated discussion between the two most cultivated and intellectual of the party, Dinsmore and Stockton; the others. highly interested, but nearly silent listeners on the occasion. Stockton was impetuous and fiery-Dinsmore cool and wary; and, withal, having the advantage of knowing Stockton well by character, whilst he was himself unknown.

"The subject of the approaching treaty naturally became the topic upon which the conversation turned, and, observing the enthusiasm and excitability of Mr. Stockton, he drew him on adroitly into a very earnest and almost angry controversy, much to the covert amusement of those who knew Dinsmore well, and saw his drift; and when, in the course of disputation, he coolly and provokingly asserted that the policy of

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our government towards the Indian tribes was a harsh one, the patience of his opponent was exhausted, and he could scarcely find bounds for his petulance. With his curiosity greatly excited as to this plain-looking old gentleman, under whose homely garb of a backwoods traveler he little expected to find so much knowledge and intellectual adroitness, he privately withdrew the host and anxiously inquired who this extraordinary gentleman might be.

"Why, sir,' he replied, in surprise, 'do you not know Colonel Dinsmore? Sir, he was the former agent of the Choctaws, a great favorite, and of unbounded influence with them.'

"This was enough. A new light broke upon him, and, as will be seen in the sequel, he acted upon the erroneous impression of the moment.

"Next morning Mr. Stockton pursued his route towards Natchez. Our party, increased by the company of Mr. Dinsmore, took our way towards the treaty ground, where we arrived early in the afternoon, the latter little conscious of the peril in which he had unwittingly involved himself.

"It is unnecessary to detail the cause of my stopping there, further than that it was occasioned by a letter from my friend, Colonel McKee, the agent of the Choctaws, then attending the commissioners, received a few days before I left home, which had reference to some supposed knowledge I had acquired of the geography of the country, of which the commissioners, I was informed, wished to avail themselves.

"On our arrival, an invitation was promptly given to us to remain some time, and take a part in the accommodations of the camp and table of the commissioners.

"Half an hour later I was accosted by General Hinds, and requested to take a walk with him. After strolling leisurely and in silence through the grove, beyond the camp, and out of hearing of the crowd, he paused and asked me if I knew Colonel Dinsmore. I replied that I had known him from my boyhood.

“Then, sir,' said he, somewhat abruptly and with much earnestness, what brings him here?'

"I do not know,' I rejoined; he has not told me, but I can give a conjecture. Two years since,' I continued, 'a treaty was held near the trading-house at Old Fort Confederation, at which I acted as secretary to the commissioners. At that treaty Colonel Dinsmore was present, and it was generally understood, and was the subject of frequent conversations, that, in the event of making a cession of land to the United States, which, however, the nation refused to do, a reservation was to be made to Colonel Dinsmore, to indemnify him for the destruction of some of his stock and other property, many years before, at Mount Dexter, by some turbulent young Choctaws, during his absence from the agency; and that the principal chiefs always intended to compensate him in this way. I presume he is here at this time with the expectation that the long standing pledge of the chiefs will now be redeemed, and that they will reserve a tract of land for him in the treaty which you are about to make.'

"At this time I could not divine why I was thus interrogated. I noticed, however, that my explanation seemed to be highly satisfactory to General Hinds, and to relieve him from some brooding anxiety. We returned to the camp, and General Hinds' stroll was extended in an opposite direction, his companion on this occasion being General Jackson; the two evidently engaged in an earnest conversation.

"All the mystery which enveloped these movements was subsequently explained, and I was much gratified to learn that my explanation to General Hinds had enabled him to interpose effectually, and to prevent Mr. Dinsmore from being placed under personal restraint, of which, although he may never have known it, he stood in great peril.

"It appeared, as I afterwards learned, that one of our party, unknown to the rest, and himself unconscious of the contents of the missive, had been the bearer of a letter from Mr. Stockton to General Jackson; that, upon learning who Colonel Dinsmore was, and adverting to the subject of their

controversy, he, Stockton, had jumped to the conclusion that Dinsmore was really disaffected towards the government, and that he was proceeding to the treaty ground to defeat by his great influence the wishes of the commissioners; and, under this persuasion, in his intemperate zeal, Mr. Stockton hastily penned the letter, guarding General Jackson against Mr. Dinsmore's interference with the Indians.

"Thus warned, with the recollection also of the old controversy and correspondence, and supposing that Dinsmore might not feel personally friendly to him, the fiery disposition of the General was naturally aroused. The fortuitous explanation, however, which I was enabled to give to General Hinds had the effect of allaying his kindling wrath, and the gathering storm passed away. That Colonel Dinsmore, then in straightened and embarrassed circumstances, should entertain a wish, or go so far to defeat or prevent the negotiation of a treaty, upon the very success of which rested his only hope of obtaining the long promised reservation of land, now so essential to him, was too preposterous for belief.

"The evening passed away; the following day wore on, and no sign of recognition was observed to pass between the General and his unwelcome guest, as they passed and repassed through and about the camp and among the Indians and whites who thronged the grounds, and pressed around them with friendly greetings and deferential respect. Late in the afternoon, after the business of the day was over, and the throng had dispersed in groups to their different quarters, several yet lingering about the camp were seated on a long bench in front of the commissioners tent, engaged in a light, free conversation, in which all seemed alternately to participate. These were Mr. Dinsmore, Colonel McKee, General Jackson, the principal orator and chief, Poosh-ma-ta-ha, and myself; perhaps one or two more, including an interpreter.

“The conversation commenced with inquiries of me by the old chief after some friends with whom, several years previously, he had spent some months in the woods. Some nearly forgotten and ludicrous incidents of the period, which he was