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the offices of the government & that due notice would then be circulated for the general information of the people, in order that exceptions by any one to the measure, may be avoided, and the business expedited. - Your own observation upon the affairs of men will satisfy you at once, that, under the existing state of things among the Cherokees, the course pursued on the part of the government agent in this business, was not calculated to ensure a correct enumeration of the Cherokees. It had a stronger tendency to excite their fears & suspicions than to gain their confidence as to the objects & fairness of the procedure/ I have no authoritative COMMAND over the rights & liberties of the Cherokee people and never have presumed to exercise any, but so far as they claim the right of seeking information & advice from me on all important subjects touching their rights & interests and which were proper for me to give, such information & advice have never been withheld. - So much by way of explanation of what has been communicated to you as a matter of complaint against me in this business. But being now informed, through you, that the census of the nation has been directed to be taken, and assured "the object of the government in taking the census is to enable it to deal in the most fair & just manner with the Cherokee Nation," I take occasion to inform you that suitable persons will be appointed on the part of the nation, to accompany & act in concert with such gentlemen as may be appointed on the part of the United States Government to take a fair & correct census of the Cherokee Nation. -You will therefore please to apprise me of the names of the several gentlemen to whom this duty will be entrusted, & the district of country assigned to each of them, to enable us to act understandingly in reference to the number of officers that will be necessary to be appointed on the part of the nation; and to assign them their respective districts; also to advise them of the proper officers on the part of the government. And that this arrangement may be promulgated for the general information of the people, that all further difficulty may be removed & the business expedited. You may rest assured that every facility in my power to have the business executed correctly & fairly will be afforded. As