The Enquirer

Domestic Intelligence

AUGUSTA, October 10.

On Monday morning last, col. Benjamin Hawkins the Indian Agent for the United States, arrived here with a deputation of Chiefs from the Upper and Lower Creek Nations, consisting of Alexander Cornell and Tuskegaw, from the upper towns ; and William M'Intosh, Tukee nee hue Chapco--Enchau Thiucco, and Che, cop, chelco Emantiau, from the lower towns. On Tuesday they left this place in the stage on their way to the City of Washington. We understand that their visit to the seat of government is to treat for the extension of the boundary line of this state to the Oakmulgee river--the Upper Creeks we are told are in favor of ceding the land as far as the Oakmulgee, and the Lower Creeks opposed to it; we believe however that the agent is of opinion, the land may be obtained.

There were in the Creek nation when the agent left it twelve Looms employed, eight of them, if we recollect aright, were made by Indians and are worked by Indian women, who also spin the cotton which they weave. The plough and the hoe are now also in very general use among them, and in becoming attached to property, and being acquainted with the comforts and advantages of agricultural improvements, they are losing very considerably that predilection for the chase and the hunting life, which almost universally characterizes savage nations.

It will be recollected by our readers, that after several ineffective efforts to obtain the land from the Indians to the Oakmulgee river, a treaty was entered into with them on it last year, on terms which the Senate of the United States rejected. It has been frequently asserted and repeatedly published in different papers, that the payment for the land was to be made to the Indians in transferable Stock of the United States, and this provision of the treaty has been much censured, and by some has been supposed to have been founded in the selfish views of the agent--we find however from a conversation with Col. Hawkins, that the observations on this subject have been altogether founded on a mistake. The sale was consented to by the Indians, to secure them a permanent fund for their own support, and the discharge of their debts--the payments for their land therefore, was by the treaty to be made expressly in United States' stock, made payable to the Secretary at war for the time being. in trust for the Indian nation. We feel it a duty, and an act of justice to the agent, to make this correction, as we believe we re-published from some other paper, an erroneous statement on the subject.

Augusta Herald.