1

Department of War
October 24^th 1825

Sir,

One of the members of the Board of
Internal Improvement, M^r. David Shriner, having resigned
and the other member General Bernard being required to attend
personally at the seat of Government to objects connected with
Internal Improvements which will necessarily detain him
here for several months and which are considered of paramount
national importance, the employment of the Board of Internal
Improvement in the examnation of the Westernmost route con-
-templated for the National Road proposed to be established between
this place and New Orleans, which you were informed by the
letter of this Department of the 28th of February last, would be
undertaken by the Board after the other two routes should have
been examined, has become impracticable.

To fulfil [sic] the expectation of Congress and
to satisfy the solicitude which pevails throughout the
Country and particularly in those sections through which
the westernmost route will pass, the Department has de-
-termined to resort to the best means available of having
that route examined without delay and accordingly has