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By your messenger send me four or five of the
commissions of your officers, which you can borrow
under any pretence you please : they shall be returned
faithfully : already are orders to the contractor given
to forward six month provisions to points Wilkinson
may name : This shall not be used until the last mo-
ment, and then under proper injuctions : the project
is brought to the point so long desired : Burr guaran-
tees the result with his life and honor, the lives, the
honor, and fortunes of hundred, the best blood of
our country ; Burr's plan of operations is to move
down rapidly from the falls on the fifteenth of Novem-
ber, with the first five hundred or one thousand men,
in light boats, now constructing for that purpose ;
to be at Natchez between the fifth and fifteenth of
December, then to meet Wilkinson ; then to deter-
mine whether it will be expedient in the first instance
to seize on or pass by Baton Rouge : on receipt of
this send Burr an answer ; draw on Burr for all ex-
penses, &c. The people of the country to which we
are going are prepared to receive us : their agents
now with Burr say, that if we will protect their reli-
gion, and will not subject them to a foreign power,
that in three weeks all will be settled. The Gods
invite to glory and fortune : it remains to be seen,
whether we deserve the boon : the bearer of this goes
express to you ; he will hand a formed letter of intro-
duction to you from Burr, a copy of which is here-
unto subjoined : he is a man of inviolable honor and
perfect discretion ; formed to execute rather than to
project ; capable of relating facts with fidelity, and
incapable of relating them otherwise : he is thorough-
ly informed of the plans and intenstions of and
will disclose to you as far as you enquire, and no fur-
ther : he has imbibed a reverence for your character,
and my be embarrassed in your presence ; put him
at ease and he will satisfy you : doctor Bollman, equal-
ly confidential, better informed on the subject, and
more intelligent, will hand this duplicate." 29th July,