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Knoxville 13^th April 1803

Gentlemen

About the Beginning of last month I addressed
a Letter to Cap^t Arbuckle to be communicated to you
at that time my information ^was not official on the subject of the
Prosecutions intended to be brought against you at the
next federal Court was since that time since the date of that Letter Col^o Meigs
the Agent has officially stated to me by sent me a letter in
his official capacity containing a list of a
number of names stated by him of persons (as he
says) residing on Indian lands contrary to treaty
and that the Indians demand their removal.
He says that the President is determined to
prevent all such intrusions and that ^Lt Col Meigs by his
orders is bound to take effectual measures to
to have all such settlers removed. Whether this
will be done by commencing prosecution at law or by the
federal troops or both, I have not been informed

Knowing this to be the case these facts I think
it a duty I owe you as citizen of Tennessee to com
municate the information and again to repeat
my former advice, that ^to you ^to remove from the
lands secured to the Indians by treaty, that you
may avoid the disagreeable consequences which
will probably result from a contrary conduct.

In my official capacity as Governor of the
State I have nothing to do in any business
of this nature. To the financial authority it is
committed by an act of Congress and
over that authority I have no controul