I received your letter of recent date¹, with copy of letter to Mr. Blackstock. I was not supprised for the reason I did not think at the time I was elected by Com. as Treasurer, that any funds could be drawn from State Treas- and be placed in hands of a [illegible] elected by us, and did not sign the draft.

We have, Mr. J. R. Young, our county surveyor now locating or surveying the property, we desire to take over for the state. We directed him to begin on top of the north one of the Black Brothers, and run a line 80 poles East and 160 poles West, and then run from the ends of that line South, keeping them parallel, and parallel with the crest of the mountain, toward Stepp Spring, so as to in clude 1500 acres. We are making the track 3/4 miles wide, with 1/2 mile on West side and 1/4 mile on East side of mountain. I presume you know that the spruce and balsam has been sold on either side of the mountain, saw timber at $7.50 per m. and pulp wood at $1.00 per cord, and the pulp wood is cut down to five inches in diamater, and the timber belongs to Pearly and Crocket, and the land to other parties, & I think we should save some of the forest, not allowing it to be cut at all. I notice where the timber is cut and skided with the steam skidders that the small timber not cut is almost ruined being broke down, bruised and most [ruined?] & killed Too, there has been a bad fire in the teratory where timber has been cut, on the South [illegible] side and it completely killed every thing where it went, there being so much brush on the ground.

Does the law contemplate that the whole $20,000 be expended for land, or might we purchase $15,000, or less? leaving the remainder for improvements, of course to be ordered by Legislature

Please advice me what you think of the plan and make any suggestion you will and we will thank you for same. We want your advise.