Sir:

I did myself the honor to lay your Excellency’s Letters before the General Assembly of this State respecting the Cherokees. The Assembly have passed an Act authorizing me to treat with that nation on such terms as may effect a lasting peace between them & us. I have given this people assurances of our friendly disposition, and have directed that those persons who have intruded on them near their Towns be removed, to the eastward of French Broad River until some permanent boundary can be ascertained between them and us in the Charter limits of this State. The Treaty is delayed for the present, as we have no Goods ready to give them as an equivalent for such Lands they may cede to us. I have heard of no commercial treaty yet between Great Britian and the United States, nor received from Congress any Commercial regulations recommended to the States. I request your Excellency will please to favour me with your Determinations, or of your General Assembly on this subject, as a number of British adventurers have arrived in our Ports to whom our Assembly did not attend in their last Sesion, who have not yet been permitted to land any goods or to transact any commercial business on shore, until some uniform regulations of the British trade be recommended to the States in General by Congress, or until I can be informed what is done in this business in the neighboring States, especially in our Sister State of Virginia, whom we are frequently proud to copy in our political transactions. Your Excellency fovouring me with a line on this subject will be very acceptable.