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Show 78 APPENDIX TO PAUT Ill. [- No. 14. 1 Cld!walu~a, 14th 1jlrit, Isor. ON my marching· from Santa Fe, govern.Jr Allencaster infor~ 11cd me ~hat my papers would he considered as a sacred <kpot untJI my arnvul at this place, when your excellency would examine and take them into consideration. . 'Vh~n th~y were examined and taken posscs!:lion of, T explained wnhout chsgu_t~c the nature and contents of each, concei\·in~ that IIIOS(' only wluch had any relation to the object of 1~1y expedition could be interesting, and that merely a copy of the chart and transl. llion of the ofTicial papers would be taken. You must be conscious ~ir, th;. ~it was in my power to have sect·ctecl o1· destroyed crcr; trace ot my voy'lg-e and plans previous to my orrival at Chihuahua1 but re stin g· satisfied that no l'll]Hlll'e had tukcn place between his catholic maj ·sty and the · tales 1 have the honor to serve which wo11ld b . . {j ) C '' l JU. ~t l tC·. tt.l on for the set. zure of my papers; I prefcrcd lc.;avin~; .t hem. m .\'tatu quo ' to tt'-.1, .11 gr <Iu p 1!· C· ·i ty, w 1H · C I1 m· some UC);I'CC alway 1m pl1cates the chamctcr of a military man. Admittillg the country which I explored to he contested bc: wccn tl_1c two g?vernmcnts, each naturally \\ ishin~~ to g-ain some Jnformatwn a.s to It"., g·eogt"•ll >l n·c ..u 1 s··l tuau·o u, 1· n order that they may form c.o rrc. ct1de'·1.", ''I".,' t o w 1h ·i t wou 1( 1 1u. e tllc1· r llllltu ~d I• nterests, f·o und-ed 01_1 JUSt~ce and the hor~or and the dignity of the nation in forming tht: line ol <lcm'· \t'ca· t·, on. 'l'J u· s was the H· ew of the United States ~ovc rn m cnt iu t1 1e• expetl..m ·o n whi· ch I had the hono1· to command a~d the lo~s uf the gcogTaphical sketches taken, might be the occa~ swn of a susp ·nsio11 i' tl , {' 1 1· f · · . . · 0 1e llli.l ille 0 lWHts, and COIISequcntJy the <lc:Iay of an anuc.tble aclju~tmelll of the now existing <.liil'creuce~ bet ween the two go vcl'llmcn ts. Your excellency nny 11 t 1 · • . . . . . • u 1ave an mtentton of deto.unu1g my p:l· 1K'15, whll.:h l had only hcP.. l f' . . o'll1 o ~upposc rom your retur111ng part by lieut. enant Vv' alke.t · ' i n 1 · 1 , . . ' . . w He 1 c.1se you w1ll please to excuse tins 111- trU!,IOil; but I Will add th· t ·f 1 . . . . ' <~ 1 you l<l\'c 1l in view to dctam the pa-pers, I l'CCJUest y. oH . will be J)1 , . I . . . c<~sec to examu1c them wtth parucular C.tl'C, and \ 'OU will f11Hl th· t tl • · · . • . ·l 1erc .u·c lc~tcrs from !jCileral \ V Jlkm-son, as '" t II as J11s son to me, a 1~ o f rom the latter to bi ' l·a the r a11d Jllothcr, nn c1 ot her~; which arc by no t"'c· . f 1 . . . • .. .1 11s o a po JUcal nature, 01 at l e<~stnot rclallvc to the rei· t' · · , . . <l lOllS eXJlll1g" IW tWCCil the governi11Cllt of · pa111 and t!Je Lmtcd St·' ltc·s' nne 1 t11 cn.: f'o re can by no mean~ be APPENDIX TO PART III. 79 interesting to your excellency. The book which contains my charts also contains ptHt of the blotters of a voya~e to the sonrce of the Mi s~iss ippi , which I presume cannot be interesting to the Spanish government. llut to conclude, I h ~~ve only to rc(]uest of yout· excellency to know if it is yout' intention to detain my p••pct·s now in your po'3session; if so, that you may cause me to be furni shed (or sutTer me to take ) a copy of them, and that I may receive a certificate from un· dcr your hand, of the number, nature, &c. of the said papers, and the reasons for theit· seizure and detention, in o,·der that my governm ent may be nablcd to make the propet· application to the Spanish court fo1· an expbnation. My reason for applyiug to yout· ex_ ccllenC)' so cal'ly on this subject, is that on the arrival of my men, who arc still in the rem·, I might be pt·cparcd to march in a shon period of time, (for under the present aspect of afTairs) I feel conscious that I am as anxious to arrive on the territories of the United States, as your exce llency must be for me to quit the dominions of his catholic majesty. In all events, I hope you will believe me to be with the highest sentiments of personal rcc;pcct, Your most obedient servant, (Signed) Z. M. PIKE. His excellency, brigadic t' general Don Nimesio Salcedo, commanfl-in ~-~e neral of the interior province Of the kingdom of C\V Spain . -·- [ No. Is. ] TRANSLATION. 0 F the papers connected with the expedition, which by ordt11 ~ of the United State~ govemmcnt, you have made from the St. Louis of th' ltlinois, uuto the settlements of New lVlexico, and which you yomself separated from those which you brought here and put into my hands the day you arrived in this town. There has been formed an inventory and certificate respecting each of them accompanying it to you, and clcpo~ited in the oflicc, the 17th current, for the purpos<' • Sec my account of the scizur~ of my papers, April 15t, I8o .:. |