Fort Wilkinson 2 August 1799 — [A:] I have deemed it Advisable to Reduce to writing Ideas on such parts of the duties enjoined on you by your Appointment of Factor for the United States here, we have Conversed on, to the end that you may possess the Information I can give in Relation thereto — 1^st On credit to Indians or Indian Trading — In my letter as early as the 29^th of may 1790. to your predecessor I gave him my opinion of it in these words — "I find Credit is unquestionably prejudicial to this Country. No Man, [undecipherable: probable reading red] or white is benefited, it is a loss to both; as they consume all they get, it increases their extravagance while it lessens the Means of Supporting it. — If they were taught to be provident they would know the Value of labour which they are totally unacquainted with. — If they were taught to provide the Means before hand for their Support they would be vigilent careful and Economical. But the contrary of this is Manifest. If a Man wants a keg of Taffia he will give a horse for it; If he wants a hunting Shirt [strikethrough: for her parts] he puts on a piece of fine calico. If he wants a horse he cloaths her in fine calico with rich Silver work, If he wants [undecipherable] fowls or eggs he gives chalks for them. 30.40.50.100. 200.400 — [undecipherable] are Nothing for a horse. — he must have his hiring and they must all have Sugar & Coffee every day. The last want is the Means, these are Credits, they are goods. the Merchant will Readily furnish them; the traders trust them out to the Indians or Consumes them & the Indians sets Indolently Smoking their pipes in the squares & Crowd down on the frontiers to beg. There they steal a horse & Return to their Creditor with their Plunder or to fell the horse for a keg of Whiskey." On the 8^th of June I repeated to him, "I am positively certain you will Never recover upon the Debts you contract in this Nation, I wrote you a letter by Michael Elhert on this Subject, that description was not too high Couloured." On the Seventh of December I repeated to him "I must Continue to Repeat my Opinion, that credit is injurious, No one is benefited by it, I have publicly given my Opinion to the Indians and not without Effect, they have as usual tried to obtain what they immediately calls Require on credit, and failing they begin to push out into the Woods." After these Repeated Communications to M^r Price accompanied with information of the State of Affairs in the Creek Agency as often as I possessed any thing which could be useful, I was informed "That the small White traders had been Checked or Restrained in their credit and that No new indulgencies would be Allowed to that class." — If an Indian wants any thing and Cannot obtain it on credit, he will push up his Gun & hunt a Month for the Means. If he is Supplied on Credit he will not hunt one day to keep up his credit. Want is unquestionably the Most powerful Stimulus and it should in no case be Removed by Credit. Except in the few Instances of Chiefs who have been in the habit of Punctuality in dealing and who possess a fund that would ensure the payment of their debts in the future the notinary Resource. The Number of these are but few & can be pointed out to you. 2^d Selling to traders without credit I see no inconvenience in Supplying the traders if the Supplies Suitable for this Market can be Obtained and Sold as the Refusal Sale prices of Merchants, which Should be from 12½ It is equally Clear that a Regular Supply of Groceries and other Articles Suitable for this Demand would be Sold for a Considerable profit & should be induced in aid of Contingencies no part of this would militate against the plan of the Establishment, as the Articles Should be exchanged for homespun made after a pattern furnished by the Factor or for Money, — — 5^th Kind treatment to Indians the Rule Adopted in this all hunting parties of good [undecipherable] characters have a ticket to Entitle them to the Attention of the Public Officers and when they visit this post the principal Chiefs are invited to dine and sometimes they receive a bag of Corn a meal for the path home — Every Chief possessing such a ticket and his party find it incumbent on them to take care of their Character. Persons who have been injured on the frontiers or who come on Public business are particularly Attended to. Others who come and left to make their trade, and Return with out any particular Attention being paid them. — The former practice was different when the Creeks paid Visits they were feasted very indiscriminately & of Course and of course a Crowd always attended of the Idle & Worthless, who would get drunk whenever they had an Opportunity, and Extremely Rude. I believe it would be well to keep in the Store a Constant Supply of Meal or flour and Supply all Applicants for pay. 6^th Supplying the Indians with Rum. — Their desire for strong drink cannot be overcome by any present [undecipherable] disadvantage. This [undecipherable] has been occupied much of my Attention [without] my being Able to do more than Modify it — The Indians have been prevailed on by me to drink at home in their public Squares and not on their Visits as the [undecipherable] are Always Bound to prevent Mischief and when about and drunk they are Apt to involve themselves and often their [undecipherable] Relations in difficulties. If we had the entire direction of Indian affairs was the Evil would be Checked Effectually to 25 [undecipherable] above the Sale prices to Indians. However this is not very important in the place of the Establishment as the Injuring would be easily Remedyed if they are altogether Excluded as they will find, Merchants who will Readily [undecipherable] them the trade to Supply them as long as it will Support profit. In either case there is one inconvenience which it [undecipherable] be difficult to remedy, Whenever the traders are in want of — Articles as can be furnished by the Public Store they can Readily find Some one of their Indian family, to purchase the Same in their own name. — 3^d Selling for money or Peltry only to Indians. The Situation of the trading Store remote from necessity of the Store is placed any where on the frontier of this Agency cannot accommodate but a Small Number of the Indians. And unless a General Market is kept at there for the Sale of all the Products of the Indians the benevolent views of the Government contemplated in their Establishment [strikethrough: contemplated] cannot have the Effect intended. — There cannot be no difficulty in finding a Market for their Cattle, Hogs, Horses, Corn, tobacco, ground Nuts, Cotton, butter & cheese as the quantity for Some years will not be great as the price always under the Control of the Factor and the delivery of any of those Articles can be fixed at any time & place agreed on. The [undecipherable] trade is now So much on the decline that Some of the best Disposed Villagers in the Nation cannot depend on hunting for their Cloathing & Salt. I have had it in Contemplation to better their condition by their industry, and if we cannot find a Regular Market in the infancy of their Efforts for all they make the progress in the plan for bettering their Condition will be greatly Retarded. 4^th [Trading?] with others Resident at the Garrison or Neighbourhood. I have had it Clearly Ascertained that a profit Arises from Exchanging imported Articles particularly fine goods with the Citizens on the frontiers for Homespun & the Indians now give a preference to that finding from Experience it is more durable than Calicoes or Muslins — But we have not and if they are Refused Rum they go directly to a Spanish post and get a Supply. the Applications for it is generally by the King this is taken to their Towns & there they meet & drink together. The Small quantity which they get at the Factory much always when furnished to be accompanied with an injunction to drink it at their Camps — are now in the habit of Respecting such injunctions — 7^th Manner of trading in the Nation and terms used by the traders. — There has been no certain Rule adopted since the [strikethrough: undecipherable] tariff of Sir James Wright Governor of Georgia of the 8^th of November 1794. The traders of the upper towns generally put an Advance on the Articles for Sale to cover Charges and they Sell at cost & charges but Estimate the Sale prices at a pound of Leather a Chalk, for which they Receive two pounds of leather — Among the lower Creeks they Add in like manner and Sell at cost & Charges & they Receive three pounds of leather for two Chalks a Mark upon the Ground (Coon sulke) when the leather is weighed the pounds are Chalked down, formerly a pound of dressed leather valued a [undecipherable: probable reading ½ shilling] was a Chalk and a yard of strouds four chalks or four pounds of dressed [undecipherable] leather. The value has been changed since the [undecipherable] of Raw Skins, the Names are Retained & the Value lessened a chalk, here is [strikethrough: Estimated] at a pound of Raw Skins or 25 Cents — It has been So long in use that it would create disgust to alter it now. Care must be taken to Trade on the Sale Articles to meet it. If I had not Clearly Ascertained that the Skin trade is So much on the decline as within three years at most to be no object. If the Creeks Remain in peace, I would now advise that the Skins be weighed as Usual, & 1 third deducted for hairs a term in use among the traders & known to the Indians. (Bag) is half Bushel or ½ flour 25^c Basket is now fixed at ½ Bushel. I am with due Regard and Esteem Sir your obt servt. M^r Edward Wright U.C.S. Factor &— Benjamin Hawkins Having had Leisure to Examine the Invoice of goods Sent out for the trade here, and finding Several articles unfit for the trade and Such as will Never be Sold to Indians, I have thought it Advisable to Subjoin an Invoice of Such as will be Suitable and at all times Salable and in Such quantity as can be disposed of within a year. — " —— 200 p^s Strouds [4]40 p^s Scarlet Cloth to Sell at 4 Dollars p^r y^d — 100 p^s Blankets Assorted 50 p^s Linseys — 100 p^s Tomclun 200 Gross Bond p^s 50 p^s of Alamoise Stripe 60 p^s Irish Linen low p^r? 150 ^w of Mixed or Scotch Thread 50 ^oz of Coarse white Thread 2000 y^ds of low priced Calicos 500 " of good quality Calico} To Exchange for homespun 50 p^s of Nanmoody Muslin S} with the Citizens —— 50 Doz. Silk Silk Handkerchiefs 3 Doz. p^s of [undecipherable] Broad & Striped 50 bolts of Oznaburgs — 10 Doz. Wool hats to Sell @ 2 to 2½ Dollars 10 p^s White plains 5 Doz p^s of plated Spurs 500 Doz Garnet Beads — [undecipherable] Small round Beads —— The Wampum and all other Sorts are Unsalable —— 10 Doz p^r. Scissors 9 Inch long [undecipherable] Doz Ivory Combs — [undecipherable] [undecipherable] horse combs [undecipherable] white handled Knives [undecipherable] Coarse Bracelets [undecipherable] ^w of Vermillion 1 [undecipherable] of Rifle powder 2 [undecipherable] of Lead in pigs [undecipherable] Doz. Gun flints 500 Bushel of Salt — 500 Gallons of Whiskey 1000 ^w of Brown Sugar 400 ^w Coffee 1 Gross of packing Needles 30 ^w of Packing twine 10 Doz. Knives & forks [undecipherable] of Pewter in Basony Plates & dishes [undecipherable] Spoons of Iron 200 ^w of Brass Kettles from 2 to [undecipherable] large will not do 20 Doz. Pint Tin Cups 40 Common Rifles — 10 Best quality 2 Doz. Mens Saddles 1 Doz. Womens Saddles 400 Common curb bridles 150 ^w of tenpenny Nails 50 Cow Bells — — 20 Small hog bells [undecipherable] hoes large 20 Doz. low priced Shawls 20 Doz. p^r. [undecipherable] bobbs The Silver ware but little in demand —— You will observe I have calculated for Indians only. The Groceries for your own use and if permitted for Sale to the Garrison & Neighbouring Citizens you must add. — That no inference may be drawn upon trading the Articles for credit unfavourable to your predecessor I have thought fit to observe that he was Early drawn into the practice of giving credit by information drawn from sources which had not been Sufficiently Explored at the time, and which Subsequent information and Events have demonstrated. And he was Apprehensive that by a total Stop before our Misunderstanding between the Re. States & Spain were Accommodated, and there were Some Arrangements for the Recovery of Debts would be taken on, much loss would inevitably Accrue. And that by a judicious Management of the Debtors, he could in the end Secure all — Benjamin Hawkins