jor General in the service
of the French Republic, and sent out various Frenchmen--Michaux, La
Chaise, and others--with civil and military titles, to co-operate with
him, to fit out his force as well as possible, and to promise him pay
for his expenses. Brown, now one of Kentucky's representatives at
Philadelphia, gave these men letters of introduction to merchants in
Lexington and elsewhere, from whom they got some supplies; but they
found they would have to get most from Philadelphia. [Footnote: Draper
MSS., Michaux to George Rogers Clark, undated, but early in 1793.]
Michaux was the agent for the French Minister, though nominally his
visit was undertaken on purely scientific grounds. Jefferson's course in
the matter was characteristic. Openly, he was endeavoring in a
perfunctory manner to carry out Washington's policy of strict neutrality
in the contest between France and England, but secretly he was engaged
in tortuous intrigues against Washington and was thwarting his wishes,
so far as he dared, in regard to Genet.

Jefferson's Double-dealing.

It is impossible that he could have been really misled as to Michaux's
character and the object of his visits; nevertheless, he actually gave
him a letter of introduction to the Kentucky Governor, Isaac Shelby.
[Footnote: State Department MSS., Jefferson Papers, Series I., Vol. V.,
p. 163.] Shelby had shown himself a gallant and capable officer in
warfare against both the Indians and the Tories, but he possessed no
marked political ability, and was entirely lacking in the strength of
character which would have fitted him to put a stop to rebellion and
lawlessness. He hated England, sympathized with France, and did not
possess sufficient political good sense to appreciate either the
benefits of the Central Government or the need of preserving order.

Clark at once proceeded to raise what troops he could, and issued a
proclamation signed by himself as Major General of the Armies of France,
Commander in Chief of the French Revolutionary Legions on the
Mississippi. He announced that he proposed to raise volunteers for the
reduction of the Spanish posts on the Mississippi and to open the trade
of that river, and promised all who would join him from one to three
thousand acres of any unappropriated land in the conquered regions, the
officers to receive proportionately more. All lawful plunder was to be
equally divided according to the customs of war. [Footnote: Marshall,
II