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My Lord,

The want of Regulation among the Indian Traders has given rise to many disorders in the different Nations. The Indians particularly the Cherokees have been permitted to contract great Debts. At their Return from hunting the Traders to whom they are indebted seize their skins and leave them destitute of any supply but what they may chuse to trust them with, under such circumstances they have been for some years past extremely uneasy and have lately

proposed to give up a considerable Tract of Country as satisfaction for their Debts but the Land which they have proposed to give up on this account is claimed by the Creeks. The Traders greedily grasped at the offers and went so far as to draw up an Instrument of Cession which they got signed by the principal Chiefs and in consideration gave the Indians all the goods they were possessed of in the Nation. This irregular and very wrong step was taken without giving me the least intimation and they have not as yet so far as I can learn digested any plan which may induce the assent of Government and point out how such a Cession to the Crown on their behalf can be made to answer the purposes of satisfying the respective Traders for the Debts due by the Indians.

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