Excerpt from The African Repository, and Colonial Journal, Vol. 7: November, 1831

Dear Sir: Your several favours per Schooner Zembuca, enclosing reso lutions of the Board and making various inquiries, have been received; some of the inquiries shall be noticed at present, and others as soon as the necessary information can be obtained.

It is with extreme mortification and regret, I find myself compelled to state, that the saw-mill l have been so anxious to get into operation, and in selecting a site for which bestowed no little labour and made great sacri fice ofhealth, is still not even commenced. The timber required for its construction is so large and heavy, the people will not undertake to pro cure ir' except at a price so enormous, that your funds would not authorize me in paying it: the difficulty of transportation is also very great, from the want ofteams - the timber alone, delivered on the spot selected, would cost $2000. I have, therefore, concluded to defer it ttntil I hear from you. Indeed, should I be able to procure the timber at this moment, still it must lay for at least twelve months to be seasoned, otherwise the mill constructed of it would not stand a year. Taking every thing into con sideration, I think it would be cheaper to purchase the timber required in the United States, and send it out in one of the expedition vessels; it can readily go on deck, without much, if any inconvenience. I enclose a list of the number and size of the pieces wanted: it is taken from the model which is on the scale of one inch to the foot. I must confess the failure, in this affair has caused me no little vexation. I was confident the thing could be satisfactorily arranged, and after having traversed no in considerable extent of country for the purpose of selecting the best loca tion and furnishing the people with a list of the timber wanted, to have the whole thus frustrated, is very trying. I attribute muth of it to the sawyers who apprehend their employment, will be taken away by the erec tion ofthe mill - this idea they derived from Dr. Randall, who opposed the erection of a mill on the same grounds, and some of these people have cited his opinion as a sanction for their conduct.

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