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sharp lawyer of New Orleans, who usually passed his/summers here, on the property now owned by Madame O?Brien. He applied, in person for advice to Gov. Claiborne, who gave him the following letter to the Attorney General.
New Orleans, Juno 6th, 1811.
The bearer, an honest and well meaning justice of the parish of Biloxi, is harrassed ? lor an act, which, although perhaps, not strictly legal, appears nevertheless, to have been very just. Hear his.story and advise him, for the best. If justices are to be proceeded against for every unintentional and petty irregularity, I shall very soon receivethe resignations of two-thirds of them. Mr. Ladnier informs me that Mr. Ellery demands of him iifty dollars, and.promises to discontinue his complaint. This is a heavy assessment on a poor man for an honest act. But, if nothing else can be done, it may be well to pay Mr. Ellery, at my expense. I often see instances of these poor people being oppressed xinder color of law, and always regret when I have it not m my power to intervene.? ;
Mr. Ellery, got his fifty dollars, and died not long after, and was buried in the old grave yard on the front.	'	/;
About that time, 1812, the Mississippi Territory was repre-: sented in Congress by the Hon. George Poindexter,- a man of great ability, who was then taking measures to have Mississippi admitted into the Union as a State.
Among his papers I find the following letter from Gov. Claiborne, from which I quote :?
?Success attend your efforts to brin" in Mississippi, but I cannot approve your wish to attach the whole of West Florida. Had you proposed that Orleans Territory should extend eastward to Pearl river, and up to tho 31st degree; and tho district from Pearl river to the Perdido, to be attached to Mississippi Territory, I should have mado no opposition But your demand for the wholn is rather extravagant, and would bo greatly injurious to the interests of Louisiana. I, myself, would prefer the Perdido lor our eastern boundary, and there are strong equities in the claim. But we will compromise and take as far as Pearl river, and leave to you tho country on the Pascagoula and Tom-bigbee, and tho custody of one of the great avenues of western commerce, the Mobile river."
Mr Poindexter?s views did not prevail. There was at that time great jealousy of territorial domination, and a disposition to circumscribe instead of extending boundaries. The State of Georgia, which had once claimed nearly the whole country known as Mississippi Territory, and organized it into a county called Bourbon, was particularly vehement in her opposition to Mr. Poindexter?s plan, and even voted against our admission into the Union. ; v
An act of Congress, approved April 14th, 1812, attached all West Florida, lying between the eastern branch of-Pearl river, the ? 31st degree of latitude,and the Mississippi river, to Louisiana; and^ happily for us, this Sea-coast became part and parcel of the Missis^" sippi Territory;* w&s constituted 14th December, 1812', into',tha.'|l county of Hancock, and we assisted by our delegate, to make:v,the:^ first constitution,preliminary to the admission of Mississippi as a Stated War hpvincr hppn rWlared by the United States against Greatjf