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New York, 12th month, 28th, 1818. To THOMAS ELLICOTT &; PHILIP E. THOMAS. David A. Ogden holds the pre-emption right of pur-chasing all the Indian reservations in our state. Heis very desirous the Indians should remove to theWestward, and sell to him their reservations. TheseIndians west of Genessee River, have heen underthe care of Friends in Philadelphia, and they haveuniformly advised the Indians not to remove. Ogdenprevailed on Calhoun to address to him a letterwhich he then communicated to the Indians. One Jabez Hyde, a Presbyterian minister or school-master, residing among them, published the letter. When we met our Friends in Philadelphia, we foundtheir minds much soured and prejudiced againstgovernment, and particularly against the Secretaryat War; they asked, why should any confidence beplaced in men who would talk so smooth to us, andat the same time write a letter, with a view to haveit shown to the Indians, stating that Friends weretheir worst enemies. It did not serve to alter theopinion so strongly taken up by them, that we urgedour own belief, and that of T. McKenney, that Cal-houn did not intend any way to allude to Friends.We believed, we told them, that Ogden had stated toCalhoun, that a number of whites residing near theIndians, constantly urged them not to remove, andwho, by trade and artifice, got from the Indians, every year, the amount of the annuities paid them by go-vernment; and thus it became the interest of this classof people, to use every means in their power to per-suade the Indians not to remove. In making sucha representation, Ogden induced Calhoun to writethis letter. I am satisfied that he (Ogden) nevermentioned to the Secretary that Friends had advisedthe Indians to remain on their lands—it would havebeen bad policy for him to have urged such senti-ments. In short, I do not believe Calhoun thoughtof Friends when he wrote the letter. It is probably