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the Indians are counselling. It will occupy ten to 15 days above & a week at the Osage river Agency. If the Hon. Comrs. Indn. Affairs will excuse me for this presuming to make these suggestions I will be gratified. He know the position & relation we occupy & will I trust appreciate my motives. Allow me to say again, this plan, if adopted & wisely executed will succeed. It shall at any rate have my hearty, though humble support, and I will co-operate with your Comrs. if desired so to do.

    I will be in the City of St. Louis on or before the 1st of June with my family, and if you will honor me with your confidence, and drop me a line or tell Major Andrews to do so when you get ready to move in this matter I will hold myself in readiness to go up & co-operate with your Comrs. refer to Maj'r. Harveys report of 12 July last, you will there see what he says of me.  Your local Agent at the Bluff could be told to inform those upper Bands a month before hand so they could be got together.  They scatter off at great distances.  The lower Bands are always close at hand, easy to assemble.
    In view of this treaty being closed up this year, I would not advise any changes or new division in the payment of their present years annuities.  It would create hard feelings and perhaps make trouble with the Upper Bands.
    The lower Bands will be very well satisfied to have it all thrown into a common annuity after this year under the new Treaty, so to insure harmony I would recommend that no changes be made as to their annuities this year.

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                                                                                                                                                      [in pencil]  * box Ayer MS 3067