2

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