Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1825-08-18
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
MiiiedgeUiite, 18th June, 1872.

Sir | have this moment had the
honour to receive your communication
of the l4th inst. on the subject of the
survey of the coded country, and the
running Of the dividing line between
Alabama and Georgia, and in which
you request, that, i'll conformity with
the expressed will ofyour Government,
both the survey and the running of the
line may be forborne ''until the period
arrives at which the removal Of the In
dams is required"
1t would give me great pleasure to
be able to comply with any request
made by yourself or your government.
You would make none that did not TO
your own apprehensions seem reason
able and proper. AS, however, there
exist two independent parties to the
question, each is permitted to decide
for itself; and with all the due reference
to yours, Unjust be permitted to say,
that my apprehension of the right and
of the wrong, leads me the opposite con-
clusiop; the conclusion to which the
Legislature of Georgia, upon mature
reflection, recently arrived by an al
most unanimous voice, and which was
made the foundation of my late commu-
nication to the Secretary of War, and
my more recent one to You upon the
subject
would deeply lamentif any act pro-
ceeding from myself should cause the
least embarrassment to yourself or to
your government, especially consider
ing the critical relations in which the
United States stand to the Indians, and
the great interest which the government
of Georgia feels in their early and sa-
Iisfactory adjustment, but it cannot be
expected by your government that inn
portant interests are to be surrendered,
and rights deemed unquestionable "a
bandoned by Georgia, because of any
embarrassment which may arise in the
intercourse and negotiations between
the United States and Indians---I set too
Just value on your high character, to
believe that you would willingly create
them--I am equally persuaded that
none will be suffered to exist which
can with propriety be removed; and |
know you will pardon me wnen take
the liberty Of saying, that those to which
you refer Dug ht not to exist for single
moment--Upon every principle and
practice of diplomacy, the particular in
struction of your government which
has given rise to these embarrassments,
ought at this moment to be taken and
held as no instruction at all; for it is
now known to you, that what purports
to be an instruction, was given upon in
formation which was believed to be true,
but which has turned out to be false !;
and the presumption is irresistible, that,
the state Of things being changed, your
government, so far from desiring to
press the execution, would gladly with
draw the instruction, and that without
mourning any, the least responsibility,
you are at perfect liberty to consider it
withdrawn. 1t is not for me to instruct,
but to derive instruction from you in
every thing connected with the military
art; and you knew as well as /, that nc
principle is better settled, than the one
which justifes disobedience to positive
orders under change Of circumstances.
| say that the instruction had its origin
singly in a falsehood, the instruction
would not have been given. You
have the proof of il in common sense,
and in the documents and evidence con-
nected with the late disturbances; if you
want more proof, look into the gaZettcs
Of yesterday, where you will find a
Council of Indians assembled by the A
gent,proclaiming by reclamation his in
nocence of the death of M'intosh,s be-
cause that death followed from the
survey, but the law of the Nation.
Your government is informed by the
Agent. that the hostile Indians are in
array against us, because the govern.
ment Of Georgia interfered to procure
the con4cAt to the saryey-The same