The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 47, July 1943 - April, 1944 Page: 51

Letters and Documents

as hunters, or people who had to Subsist Some Months upon
what game they could kill. I promised the Panis Chief a Small
United States Flag which Capt. Glass Carried with him And
likewise a Present of a Scarlet Uniform Coat & gave him a
Writeen memorandum of Instructions relative to his treatment
of the Indians, and they set off about the 20th of June with
An intention of keeping up all the way on the North East Side
of Red River, till they Arrived at the Panis Villages,"7 Some
of whom are Situated On that Side of the River. I have heard
Nothing direct from the Party Since excepting I was informed
by the Caddo Chief that they Arrived Safe at the Panis Vil-
lages. There never has to my knowledge, so respectable a trading
party taken their departure from this place, nor one on whose
prudence I had Such Confidence, knowing them all well Attached
to Our government. I have always calculated that good would
result from it. That a trading House at Nacogdo-
ches who have annually been in the Habit of Sending goods
to the Tawakeno [Tuacanas] Nation which House is Connected
with persons here should Exert all its Influence to prevent
being Rivaled in their Trade is not extreordinary, nor that they
Should draw into their party a band of foreigners who live
here, who are more friendly to any other government that that
under which they live. It is vexatious that there are Amongst
us persons who are never satisfied with attending to those
affairs with which they have business; but busy themselves
with Other affairs; It appears to me to be a Connection with
a certain foreign Influence that is distracting the United States
from one end of them to the other, & from which we have more
to fear than from all our transatlantic enemies.
When General Wilkinson was here he read to me a letter from
Governor Salcedo in which the Governor Complains to the Gen-
eral of my interfering with Indians who live in the Country
Claimed by the King of Spain, the General at the Same time
Observed "that our Government would Consider that Complaint
against me as the highest praise." It is notorious that I have
been in the Habit of Licencing Traders to the Panis Nation
Since I have been Indian Agent. If Any regulations have been
entered into between Our Government & Spain that would
render it in future improper I have not been informed of them.
I am
Sir
With great Esteem
Your Obt. Hble. Servt.
John Sibley.
"7While they remained on the northeast side of Red River, they were in
territory of the United States. When they crossed to the Panis villages,
they were in Spanish territory. Governor Claiborne, in a report to Presi-
dent Jefferson, declared that the Glass expedition was a violation of Spanish
dominions. W. C. C. Claiborne, Letter Books, IV, 187, 189, 194, 199-200.

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