N^o 1. Fort Wayne 15^th October 1797 M^rs Leith, Shepherd & Duff Gentlemen Your Application of the day is before me and I will reply to it in brief. The General Orders regulating the Trading houses within the Military Reservations explain the Motives which direct to it M^e to prevent frauds & abuses and to preserve tranquillity with the Natives. The Regulation touching the Tawa Town was calculated to drive out M^r M^cDonald who has been represented to me, as a man mischievously disposed towards the Government of the United States, and who had continued the purchase of Stolen Horses from the Indians, the preference to M^r M^cDougall was founded on the presumption of his Services to Government, his expences incurred in establishing the Town in question and the manifest confidence reposed in him by my Predecessor in command and the Acting Governor of the Territory. But Gentlemen, while I avow the determination arising from a sense of duty and justified by the usage of Nations to give a preference to the Citizens of the United States in all cases; I beg you to believe me incapable of entrenching on the rightful pretensions of any foreigner whatsoever; much less, to offer wanton Injury to an Individual. Although I feel myself authorized to regulate within the Military Reservations, I pretend not to the authority of giving permission to trade on the General principles nor do I hold controul over or correspondence with the Agent at Detroit — I rest assured Gentlemen of the fulfillment of the Stipulations contained in your Address and on the precise terms of those conditions I enclose you the permission required. With much consideration & respect I have the honor to be Gentlemen Y^r m. o. s. (Signed) Ja^s Wilkinson