econded by Madison and others, by a vote of twenty-nine to twenty-five,
to enter the report at length upon the journal of the house, where it
might be consulted in the future, and to take no further action. Thus
ended the first agitation of the still pending "slavery question" in
Congress. In a letter to Doctor Stuart, in June, referring to a
complaint of the tardiness of Congress, Washington remarked: "The
introduction of the Quaker memorial respecting slavery was, to be sure,
not only _ill-timed_, but occasioned a great waste of time. The final
decision thereon, however, was as favorable as the proprietors of this
species of property could well have expected, considering the light in
which slavery is viewed by a large part of this Union."

While topics of a domestic nature agitated the public mind and occupied
the attention of the national legislature, the foreign relations of the
government (in which expression may be included the relations with
hostile Indian tribes) were far from satisfactory. We have already
alluded to the hostile attitude of some of the tribes in the northwest
and southwest, among whom it was suspected British emissaries were at
work. Those of the southwest, especially the Creek nation, had been in a
disturbed state for some time, and difficulties with the authorities of
Georgia had caused an open rupture a little earlier than the period in
question. The Creeks were governed by an accomplished chief, Alexander
M'Gillivray, the son of a loyalist Scotchman, of that name, and a Creek
woman of a leading family. He had been well educated, and his father
designed him for commercial pursuits. He loved study more than ledgers;
and his father owning large possessions in Georgia, the young man looked
forward to wealth and social position. But the revolution swept all
away. His father's property was confiscated, and young M'Gillivray took
refuge with the Creeks, his heart filled with hatred of the republicans.
He was brave, fluent in speech, popular with the leading men, and soon
rose to the rank of head chief; and no doubt he stirred up his nation to
assume an attitude hostile to the Americans.

The Creeks, with M'Gillivray at their head, had also established a close
alliance with the Spaniards, who held possession of Florida. The Spanish
governor of that province courted the young half-blood chief, and he was
honored with a colonelcy in the military service of Spain. Through the
Spaniards, the Creeks coul