Knoxville aug^t 3^d 1795 In the 10 instant the Conference with the Cherokees and Choctaws ended. There was a very full representation of the former but not of the latter, among there is reason to believe in the Spirit of influence, the Minutes of which will be forwarded to you by M^r [undecipherable] who leaves this in ten or fifteen days for Philadelphia. During the Conference General Picens and myself acquainted the strong past of our loves of peace and friendship for the United States from both Nations and I believe they were made with great sincerity. With respect to any place of importance, and of your and of the United States I refer you to General Picens letter of the 3^d instant transmitted herewith by Articles and I beg leave to add that my opinion perfectly agrees with his respecting the Tribe. The Cherokees as a nation as the whole commit depredations and deserve to be punished, that is the young and unruly part of them for the chiefs to a Man, except Double-head, who was a violator of the treaty, I have great reason to believe are remarkably for peace — to fail entirely to punish them with a route going purpose to the frontiers would be like lopping off a limb from a tree for the puppy's