James Seagrove to the White Lieutenant of the Oakfuskies. S^t. Mary's February 20^th 1793 Brother, A few days past I received a talk from you through the medium of M^r Townsend and M^r Timothy Barnard. I find by this talk that you had not then received my letter by Alexander Cornell with the present of silver ware which I sent you by him. Your being from home when he arrived must have been the cause. I was very sorry that you was not with us at the treaty on S^t Marys, as there is not a chief in the Creek nation, I have a greater regard for than yourself. I am led to this favourable opinion of your character from the voice of all who have known you, but in particular am induced thereto from the great regard our great and good father General Washington President of the United States has for you. He considers you as one of his best friends in the Creek land and as such recommends you to me. I fully intended that you should have been at our meeting and it was my express orders, that you should be one of the very first Chiefs invited. how it was omitted I am at a loss to account, but I hope you will take it for granted that it was not intended. I doubt not but you have heard before this the talks which I gave the Chiefs of your nation on this river in November last. I hope you find them such as to give you satisfaction and that you will receive them and hold them fast. Our friend M^r Barnard had my orders to explain all my talks to you and I hope you will receive them from him as from me. By M^r Fowler and M^r Reilly your horses are arrived, and when M^r Fowler returns I shall send them back with a handsome present to you, such a one as will leave no room to complain. I have the pleasure to tell you that all is peace and friendship in this country towards yours; and that it will continue so as long as your people chuse, and that it is the ardent desire of the President of the United States, that you should be a happy free people, that he will by every means in his power make your situation more comfortable, and protect and support you as long as you act well by him and his people. I am really sorry to find that my Creek friends should continue to allow a set of Villians from the Northern Tribes to come into their lands and give out talks which if attended to cannot fail to bring ruin on your nation. I know those people are endeavouring to get you to join them against the United States. but I hope you and your nation have too much sense to be led into such a scrape by them. I will just inform you of the situation those Northern tribes who have been at War with us, are in, and then you shall judge whether it would not be madness in the Creeks to have any thing to say to them. Those tribes have been carrying on a kind of War for some years. General Washington always wished them to be brought back to their duty by lenity and kindness and not to destroy them. for which reason he would not send a large army among them, and by this means they have had an opportunity to kill a number of his people and do a great deal of mischief. Last year he sent three Commissioners offering them peace and good treatment. but like bad men they murdered his Commissioners. This angered him much and he ordered a very great army of choice Warriors to go against them. This army is ready and will march into their Towns as soon as the snow is gone and lay all in ashes before them unless peace should be made this Winter. Those tribes finding the President determined to punish them are now begging in the most humble manner for peace, and have actually sent Chiefs from all the tribes to the President and Congress now at Philadelphia for that purpose. Therefore every Creek Indian who will give himself time to think but for a moment must plainly see the design of those people is to involve you in a war, which they brought on themselves without your consent, and which they are not able to support. They are like a man a drowning who will take hold of any bush or even his brother or best friend and drown them to save himself. Open your my friend and do not be made fools of by those bad people. Drive them from your land, or punish them as they deserve for endeavouring to mislead you. If your Nation do not chuse to punish those who are now among you giving out bad talk let them be brought prisoners to me at this place and I will send them on to Philadelphia, to let their Chiefs that are there now see them and make them ashamed of themselves. I will give for each of them that is brought a prisoner to me a Horse load of good and valuable goods. I have to request that as you regard the peace and happiness of your Country that you use your utmost endeavours to prevent your people taking bad talks from either red or white people until I shall put every thing straight and clear for you. I should come sooner but the path is very bad, and no feed for my horses. I am Yours &c.