Star. — 1819-01-08 (London, England)

ARBUTHNOT.'  Letter from A. Arbuthnot to the Governor of I lavalinah. " To his Excellency Don, Governor-General, &c.  " The Chiefs of the Creek Nation whose names are hereunto annexed beg leave to approach your Excellency, and represent their complaints. Long imposed on by the persons keeping stores in this country, in charging us exorbitant prices for their goods, while they only allow us a trifling ore for our peltry, we have found it necessary to look out for a person that will deal fairly with us, and we wish to establish a store for him on Appalachi River. We have made application to the Commandant bf St. Mark's, and he refers us to your Excellency. It is not alone the impositions that have been practised upon us that has made us presume to address your Excellency: we have complaints of a mote serious mature against the persons employed by the only house that has been established among us. " In the first place, some years back, under false pretences, they attempted to rob us of a very large portion of our best lands, and we the more readily acceded to it, from the faithful promise given us that they would get English people to settle and live  among us; but, far from doing this, Mr. Forbes attempted to sell it to the American Govirnment, and settle it with Americans. Thus finding ourselves de• ceived and imposed on, we withdrew our grant about three years since, which, from the stipulations contained therein not being fulfilled on the part of Mr. ' Forbes, we conceived we had a right to do. " Secondly, Mr. Doyle and Mr. Hambly, the two persons left in the nation to carry on Mr. Forbes's business, have for more than two years been endeavouring to influence us to join the Americans ; and, finding that fair means would not sever us from our attachment to our ancient friends the English, they have recently had recourse to threats of bringing the Americans down upon us; and that people only want a pretext to attack us, which the said Doyle and Hambly attempt to give-them, by spreading false reports of our murdering the Americans, stealing their cattle, and preparing for war against them ; while in fact it is the Americans who murder our red brethren, and steal our cattle by hundreds at a time, and are daily encroaching on our lands, and maintaining the settlers in their ill-gotten possessions by armed force. On the Choctawhatchy rivet, there are a large body of Americans forming settlements, and more are joining them. As that river is far within that line marked out by your Excellency's Government, and the Americans some years since (though that line was unknown to us until very lately, and we never gave our sanction, nor in fact knew of any sale of our lands made to the Americans), we trust your Excellency will give orders to displace them within the line, and send them back to their own count y. " Our delaying to address your Excellency, to represent the forementioned grievances, has been owing to the want of a person to attend our talks, and put them in writing for us. The Commander of the fort of St. Mark's has heard all of our talks and complaints. lie approves of what we have done, and what we are doing; and it is by his recommendation we have thus presumed to address your Excellency. We have the honour to be, your Excellency's most obedient and very humble servants, (Signed) 6' A.