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Mr John Howard Payne, N. York Brainerd April 5 1857 166

 Dear Sir     If I have burthened? you with trash? not worthy your nature? yet you will bear with me, as a desire to please and gratify you, sir, as far as practicable, has been, with me, one important object.   What I have communicated, is what I have received from the Cherokees, and what, I believe, they communicated sincerely. But should we examine the whole again, we should doubtless find many errors, and imperfections. Having had no written language, it may well be supposed that many of their antiquities are lost, and many are handed down connected with some degree of error. Some of the old men remember some things, and others again delight to retain, and ruminate on other parts of their history. It is therefore with much difficulty that we can illicit anything like a connected history of their antiquities. And notwithstanding all this difficulty, yet we must emprt to find the first edition of any work on Indian antiquities, in many respects incorrect, and imperfect. But by means of an imperfect edition, we might prepare one more complete, if the public mind would allow. But in the United states, with regard to Indians, and Indian affairs, the public mind is inexorable. Let a work, therefore, be ever so correct & complete, yet if it is impartial, treating the Indians with strict justice, it will not be popular. How then would we hope for forgiveness in publishing what must of necessity be more or less incorrect. On learning lately from a press in N. York City that the Indians "are unclear by war, revenge and blood, without natural affection", & c.  I at once concluded that all further attempts to give an impartial view of the Indians to citizens of the U. States, would be vain. Enough has been said to convince such as will be convinced. But the great mass of the people, evidently, will not be enlightened. When the Indian unclear is held up impartially for a moment, they will instantly dip their arrows in gall, and pierce the hand which holds it, and blacken the picture with the venom of asps, and there prevent it as exactly representing the Blood thirsty savage. Please pardon me if I am too severe. My only apology is, I have been