1

Knoxville 13. August 1805.

Sir

The State of Tennessee is about entering into a
Contract with the Agent of Phineas Miller and Eli
Whitney, relative to the patent right of a machine or
new invention for cleaning cotton, commonly called
the Saw Gin; and the Legislature has requested the
Executive to use all the means in his power to procure
information on the subject - must therefore request the
favour of your Excellency to inform me, what is the
conceived opinion in the state over which you preside
respecting the said Millers and Whitneys right to the
said machine, and what has been the event of the
suits heretofore brought by Miller and Whitney against
the Citizens of the state of Georgia, and will thank
you for such other information on the subject, as you
may think will be useful to us in making the contract

Our Legislature will convene about the
middle