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(185
Dear Sir
I hope to complete, in a short time,
all the Returns of Survey for the Indians; but I must
beg you to represent to the President that I have caused
to be laid out, for the Indians settled about five miles
from St. Peters. 1280 Acres which includes all I ever
heard that they claimed; that if a Tract was laid
out in proportion to the number of their families
it would extend to 5000 acres more in the rear of this
settlement, require several difficult surveys and greatly
exceed my estimate of expenses, and moreover, would
in my opinion, be useless to those for whose benefit
it is intended, who depend more on the produce of the
stores] than on that of the soil - Mr. McNab representing
that it was with much difficulty he obtained their
assistance; the provisions intended to enable them
to proceed with him being [?denounced] by their families
who were in a state of absolute starvation, the effect
of a too ardent devotion to the juice of the [?cane]_ _

I begin to feel the want of some of the
surveys of Roads which I had not time to copy before
I forwarded them to your Office - I have in
preparation Returns of Lots, near the Strait of Barra