Your favour of the 12th enclosing the rec[eip]t for the taxes paid on mr Turners land was received yesterday the amount of which together with your former advance for the same land I will settle with your Uncle. I hope to see him in a day or two when I will get his Signature to the power of attorney which accompanies this letter authorizing you to sell the Kentucky lands belonging to the devisees of Genl Washington. In the mean time I will give you such information respecting those lands as I am enabled to collect from the papers in my possession.

     The deed from Genl Lee to Genl Washington for these 5000 acres of land is dated the 5th Novr 1798 and was recorded on the 7th Decr 1799 in the Court of Appeals of the state of Kentucky, so that if you should require the particular boundaries of the land, they can be obtained from an inspection of the records¹ of that Court at Frankfort, or you can obtain a Copy of it as may be most convenient to yourself.

     As to the quality & description of the land I find amongst many others the following Certificates. James Nourse states in substance as follows "that the 2000 acre tract is 15 or 20 miles from Shaws Settlement on the head of big Clifty— Rough Creek has a fine flush Stream of water in the dryest times in Summer; abounds with a variety of fish waters an extensive fine Country & is navigable from the above Survey to its mouth & thence to the Ohio in high water. This is supported by the Certificate of Mr Griffin. As to the adjoining tract of 3000 acres, P. Philips Certifies that the whole of it is good land, generally level & well timbered & watered, as far so at least as he discovered, & he adds that he had traversed it considerably. Nourse Certifies as above in relation to Rough Creek & Philips attests the truth of both Certificates. It appears from the Survey of these tracts & some that are adjoining that the 2d falls are about midway the 3000 acre tract & that the 3d falls are above the 2000 acre tract.² General Spotswood gives a very particular & favourable account of this land, of the adjoining Country & of the navigation, but it is too long to insert in this letter. He describes the whole Creek as navigable in middling water for large boats & clear of Obstructions & even in the highest water as a placid Stream safely to be navigated, carrying do<wn>³ from 12 to 15 feet at full water. The distance of these tracts from the town of Hartford, by land, 20 miles & from thence to the mouth of Rough 14 miles—By water 60— That at half water, the largest boa<t^>4 may go down with 4 feet water over the falls, and that at all times when you can pass the falls, the river is clear of obstruction to the ohio<.>⁵ It will be safest however for you to depend rather upon your own observations than upon the reports of others.

     It would seem from the plat of the 3000 acre tract that one Woodrow claims 300 acres at the 2d falls, but I do not know whether this is a deduction from the 3000 acres, tho I presume it is— neither do I know any thing concerning the validity of his claim. He runs I believe on both Sides of the creek so as to include the second falls.

     I think it proper to mention that in Decr 1802 I recd a letter from Mr Thomas Lewis dated at Bell vue (which I suppose is in virginia as he requested me to direct to him near Petersburg) in which he supposes that Genl Washington claimed 3 tracts of land in Kentucky, & he enclosed me a connected plat of all the tracts including one for 2933 acres claimed by him & which appeared to interfere with one of Saunders' tracts of 2000 acres. As the 2000 Acre tract with which he interferes is a distinct one from that conveyed to Genl Washington I presume there will be no difficulty of this sort to apprehend. Our 2000 acre tract runs along rough Creek from the 3d falls crossing short Creek until it strikes the 3000 acre tract, whereas the 2000 acre tract with which the 2933 acre tract interferes, adjoins the other to the east & does not appear <to>⁶ touch the Creek at all.

     Mr Lewis and myself are willing to allow you a reasonable compensation for visiting & examining the above lands so as to enable you more advantageously to dispose of it.

     I am perfectly ashamed of being obliged ag<ain>⁷ to request you to inform me the amount of taxes paid for mr Turner previous to the reciept last sent me, having lost or mislaid those formerly sent. If without giving yourself much trouble you could send me a duplicate of the lost reciepts I would thank you. I am Dear Sir very respectfully yr mo. ob. Servt