maintained the Catholic king's American colonies in perfect
tranquillity, content, and subordination."

A year after these deeds of military heroism, O'Reilly took passage for
Europe. But what said his royal master, the King of Spain, for such
outrages upon the lives and liberty of his newly acquired subjects? We
are told in one short paragraph--"Charles III. _disapproved_ of
O'Reilly's conduct, and he received on his landing at Cadiz, an order
prohibiting his appearance at court." Well, it is something that his
conduct was _disapproved_ of, and not rewarded with new honours and
powers. Some _sovereigns_ might have done this.

We pass from these distressing and disgraceful scenes, and find nothing
of peculiar interest in our History, until we come to the period of our
revolution. Although in 1778, the people of Louisiana could have had no
prophetic vision to warn them that they would become a member of the
American Republic, they felt and manifested a friendly disposition
toward us, and rendered us efficient aid in the struggle then carrying
on for our independence.

"During the month of January, Captain Willing made a second
visit to New-Orleans. Oliver Pollock now acted openly as the
agent of the Americans, with the countenance of Galvez, who
now, and at subsequent periods, afforded them an aid of upwards
of seventy thousand dollars out of the royal treasury. By this
means, the posts occupied by the militia of Virginia on the
Mississippi, and the frontier inhabitants of the state of
Pennsylvania, were supplied with arms and ammunition."

Now that we have become one people, and our Independence has made the
independence of Louisiana, it is gratifying to recall to our
recollection every testimony that may draw us closer together in our
affections, as we are in our interests and common welfare. We take
pleasure also in presenting an instance of American enterprise and
gallantry, which ought not to be forgotten.

"Colonel Hamilton, who commanded at the British post at
Detroit, came this year to Vincennes, on the Wabash, with about
six hundred men, chiefly Indians, with a view to an expedition
against Kaskaskia, and up the Ohio as far as Fort Pitt, and the
back settlements of Virginia. Colonel Clark heard, from a
trader who came down from Vincennes to Kaskaskia, that
Hamilton, not intending to take the field until spring, had
se