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Middle River or Wagamatkook Jan 4th. [?1857 - right edge torn]
Sir
We have within these few days been struck with
considerable alarm, at the visitation of the Sheriff and [?his - right side edge torn]
concurrents to the poorest portion of our Inhabitants, &
cannot better express the facts, than by referring you to
the enclosed Petition to His Excellency the Governor [?hoping]
that you will be so good as use your influence with
him, to stop further proceedings against them.

In the whole of this District there could not have been
Selected a more harmless portion of the people & a Set
whose Pecuniary circumstances, are more circumscribed
in every respect The number of Indians over sixteen
years of age holding these 5000 acres, at Wagamatkook
do not exceed [sixteen - underlined] & by these Since the first of our
people settled here
[in 1811 - written above so insert here]
not an acre of land has been
cultivated [by them - crossed out] but have been, not unfrequently, indebted
to these very people, summoned for trespassing
upon their land, for the means of preventing their
starvation _ We have not the [least - written above so insert here] desire of dispossessing
the Poor Indians of their Rights but we are [?confidently - right side edge torn]
[?assured] that a less quantity of land would equally [?sustain - right side edge torn]
them for generations to come for all [by?] improv'ts?] [?they] [illegible - right side edge torn]