Early Governors' Papers

Knoxville 9 March 1804

Sir

Yours of 13 February ult. I have came duly to hand, been duly honored with It affoards [sic] me pleasure to discover that you are in such forwardness with your business and that you expect to have the same compleated [sic] by the first day of April - I am sorry you are oblidged to Feateague [sic] yourself in so great a degree, but have no doubt our the Assembly will consider your services and make you ^an ample allowance for all your trouble - It gives me pain to find you are in want money, especially when it can not be sent forwarded M^r Maclin & myself have made every exertion to procure some bank notes to send you, and as yet find it out of our power,- there is not one solitary Cent in the Treasury at Knoxville, tho we could I suppose ^we could procure the sum you have wrote for otherways, provided it could be conveyed with certainty to Raleigh- I am much relieved about the business since ^being informed hearing from M.^r Maclin that M.^r Brown had forwarded to you some the sum of one hundred dollars, never the less that will not prevent Mon the Money sum being trans =mitted to you which you have requested request, provided it can be

of a Consolidation of the Banks

I have defered [sic] writing for some days with a view to obtain the favour of M^r Brown to hand this letter to some of the members

Very respectfully Gentlemen I remain your ob^t Humble servant

Jos. M^cMinn

Jos. M.^cMinn to Major Brown Commissioner to examine Surveyors officers &c

Executive office Murfreesboro 6^th Ap^r 1819

Sir

Your letter of acceptance of the office of commissioner under the act entited an act &c has been duly received and in pursuance thereof your commission is herewith forwarded.

The law under which you derive your autho =rity, having been drawn very much in detail, and the objects of the Legislature so distinctly exhibited as to render anything in the form of instructions almost unneces =sary, except as to the following Points.

Altho the Commissioners books are not named in the Law, they are nevertheless deposited in The Registers office, by legal authority, & consequently form a part thereof, which will place them entirely under your Controul [sic] in relation to an examination and report thereon, the object of which will be to ascertain the gross amount of acres ^in warrants which have issued between the or =ganization & termination of the Law under which the different board, of commissioners have acted.

I recommend a carefull [sic] examination of the Books Kept by The Registers for recording warrants &

John Davis John R Cooke and William Heflen in manner and form aforesaid did feloniousy wilfully and of their malace aforethought kill and murder the said Stephen Against the form of the Act of Assembly in that case made and provided and against the peace and dignity of the state

H G Burton Atty Gen^l

The foregoing Bill of Indictment having been laid before the Grand Jury, it was returned endorsed a True Bill.

Samuel Bailey John Davis and John R Cooke defendants in the above case was brought to the bar for trial for the murder of a Negro slave called Stephen when M Brown Counsel for for Samuel Bailey moved that he be tried separately for reasons by him assigned which motion was refused him by the Court

On motion to the Court for reasons assigned for the trial of John R Cooke separate from the Others named in the Indictment, and was

or the salt could be sold at cost and thereby reduce the price of that essential article at other salt works where such impositions have been practiced on the community - on learning that the salt spring and four miles square of land had been leased by some Citizens about the time of signing the treaty, and discovering that those Citizens were not by the terms of the treaty prohibited from from vending salt at the distance of two miles from the spring at any price which they could get - I determined to make an effort to secure this saline for the state & introduced the resolution of which the enclosed is a copy - It was believed that the lease executed before the ratification of the treaty vested us title in the [page damaged] - And if the state could procure the first lease after the ratification of the treaty [her? then?] title would be a good one - On application to the Sec^ry at War, he with his characteristic promptness instructed the Agent of the Chicasaw to see Brown & Colbert and request them to execute no other lease except to persons authorised by the U States to negotiate with them, [page damaged] [desired?] the War department