The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 17, July 1913 - April, 1914 Page: 144
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The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
view of the prospective withdrawal of these garrisons and the
change in allegiance of any subjects residing upon these tributaries,
they were to emphasize the probable advantage of trade relations
with the United States and to arrange for the establishment of
trading posts. In connection with his suggestions upon relations
with "those people," he warns the leader of the party not to perse-
vere in his exploration, if threatened by a superior force, "author-
ized or not authorized by a nation." The lives of the members of
the expedition are too valuable to be exposed to probable destruc-
tion, and with the loss of the party would follow the loss of all
results from the expedition. The fact that this warning, as in
the case of the instructions to Lewis, follows the paragraphs de-
voted to the Indians, seems to imply that the President anticipated
the use of this alternative only as a result of savage opposition.
Yet, as a matter of fact, it was employed only in yielding to the
Spaniards and was probably an expedient of Jeffersonian diplomacy
to avoid direct mention of their possible opposition.
It so chanced that Stephen Minor, the last Spanish governor of
the Natchez district, had remained in that region to keep watch
upon the movements of the Americans and report to the Spanish
authorities. Dunbar was on excellent terms with him and con-
sulted him in regard to the President's plan for exploring the Red
River. Minor told him that such an enterprise ought not to. be
undertaken before the limits of Louisiana were positively fixed. To
send a party of soldiers to the sources of rivers in the disputed ter-
ritory would be an insult to Spain and would cause that power
to retaliate by forcing it to return. Minor thought that by this
argument he had convinced Dunbar, but he did not feel any too
confident of this result. He therefore lost no time in communicat-
ing his information to Casa Calvo at New Orleans, who quickly
disseminated it amongst the interested Spanish authorities.8
Salcedo had already learned of the Lewis and Clark expedition
some three months before Casa Calvo's communication telling
of Jefferson's Red River project. This reiterated the previ-
ous admonitions to preserve "the vast dominions of His Majesty"
by the immediate arrest of those who should engage in such work
and, as before, Salcedo reported the warning to the viceroy, Itur-
Casa Calvo to Cevallos, June 21, 1804. Legajo 5542, Estado, Archivo
Historic Naional, Madrid.144
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 17, July 1913 - April, 1914, periodical, 1914; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101061/m1/148/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.