Mr. Brown arose and after a few preliminaries, stated:—that he did not consider himself at liberty to disclose the private conferences he held with Don Gardoqui, but this much he could say: “If we are unanimous everything we wish for is within our reach.”
Then Governor Wilkinson took the floor and read, “An Address Presented to the Governor and Intendant of Louisiana.”
The temper of the convention was shown at this stage of the proceedings by the adoption of a resolution offered by Edwards and seconded by Marshall; “To appoint a committee to draw up a decent and respectful address to the Legislature of Virginia for obtaining the independence of Kentucky, agreeable to the late resolution and recommendation of Congress.” After the adoption of this resolution nothing more was said in furtherance of the Spanish Conspiracy.
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John now had spent the five dollars which Martin had returned; and he was compelled to go to work or return home.
One of the earliest settlers of Kentucky, John Filson, was at this time in Danville, gathering material for a supplemental edition of his history of Kentucky; which had first been published at Wilmington in 1784, and was entitled: “Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke.” Historically it was chiefly of value for a map showing the location of the trails and stations of the District.
He had been present when John addressed the Political Club. A day or two later they met in Grayson’s [pg 208] Tavern and he invited John to his room. When they were seated he began the conversation by saying:
“Young man, how would you like to help me survey out a new town on the Ohio, this winter?”
“I am quite anxious to find something to do; in fact, I must, or return to Campbell Station.”
“Have you met Matt Denham? He came from New Jersey along with the Stites Colony and stopped for a while at the mouth of the Little Miami, but he liked the north bend opposite the mouth of the Licking better as a town-site and purchased it from Judge Simmes, 800 acres for $500.00, continental money. Then he came to Lexington and from there here, looking for Robert Patterson and me to help with his colony. He intends to call it Losanteville, but why I do not know, except that he claims to be of French descent and has coined the name from the words, L’os ante ville, which he may have translated, the village opposite the mouth. We have gone in with him; and while Denham procures his townsmen, Patterson and I are to survey the boundary, lay off a town on the river bank, and cut away some of the timber in the streets, so the purchasers can get to their lots with their wagons. We leave for Lee’s Town tomorrow and shall then travel down the Kentucky and up the Ohio in canoes to the town-site. We need a dozen husky young fellows to help us out. Would you and young Clark care to go? We will pay $40.00 a month continental money or $10.00 in specie.”