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Tampa Bay Florida
February 23. 1851.

Hon. C. M. Conrad
Secty War  Sir,

I have the honor to acknowledge the recpt. of yr letters of Jany 27 & Feby 1. 3. & 6th in the last of which you inform me of the appointment of [[underlined]] Mr. Archibald Smith [[/underlined]] of Quincy, as an Agent to assist me in "effecting the peaceable & speedy ([strikethrough]] removal [[/strikethrough]]) migration of the Indians yet remaining in Florida"

On Mr Smith's arrival I shall be glad to avail myself of his aid and suggestions.

It is proper that I should now report to you that since my return (in Oct. last) I have been reluctantly forced to the belief that there is no prospect of peaceably removing these Indians within a few years; and I have of late, confined my efforts to getting the Indians within their limits & under the control of their Chief.  In this I have not yet succeeded, and on the 13^th^, in Council, I notified the Ind. that until I was satisfied that all their people were inside the boundary, the trade would be suspended.

This step will, I hope, hasten the movement of the outsiders within the limits.

The [[?]] of the migration question, suspend all approaches, on the part of the Indians, toward confidence in us, or a restoration of peace-laws among themselves.

They refused any active efforts to induce Indian emigration an equivalent to a state of war is, evoking a forfeiture of all their obligations to us.  The [[?]] Chief Bowlegs, suspected of having favored emigration, has  in consequence, lost all influence & is practically no longer a chief.

The discussion of "Arkansas" only keeps them on the alert & ready for war, and as the white population on their frontier advances very slowly offering little outreach to, and inspiring no fear in the Seminole there is no prospect of any favorable change within a few years, beyond the peaceable constraint of the Indians within their limits

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If they are to be removed [[underlined]] soon [[/underlined]] force is necessary; and at present it is worse than useless to keep up the [[?]] of migration.

They will, I think, be peaceable if left alone, as they have been since the pacification of 1842, unless an occasional murder be regarded as an interruption of peace (tho the murderer may be given up)

In the late Council, the murder of the boy Daniel Hubbard last August was not reported altho' I doubt not they were cognisant of the facts.  As those present were not such [[a?]] & deemed it politer to [[?]]as [[?]] in the case, & as I did not wish to alarm the outsiders & so cut off all chance of quietly getting the criminals, I made no allusion to it. I am still in hope that I shall have an opportunity of [[?]] the criminal outsiders with a part, if not all of those concerned in the murder, but should I be [[disappointed?]] after waiting reasonable time, I shall then take any [[?]] men of influence as hostages for the delivery of the murderers. I shall not, under any circumstances, release in Florida, any Indians that I may view as hostiles but [[?]] for having further to report [[?]] as a Council - will be better as can be made of these here.

[[?]]
[[?]] J. C. Casey 18[?]

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Tampa Bay Florida March 12. 1851

Hon. C. Mclennan [[?]]

Sir, I have the honor to report that [[underlined]] Mr. [[?] Smith [[/underlined]] of Quincy Fla, appointed an Agent to assist me in removing the Ind. remaining in Fla:, arrived here & reported on the 5th inst: 

As he could render no service in the present state of affairs he returned by the first opportunity to his home.  I paid him his reasonable expenses for coming & returning

Mr Smith concurred with me, that he could not, at present, do any good, as he has no personal knowledge of any of these Seminoles Whenever his general knowledge of Indians, and his familiarity with the language of these people, promise to be of service, I shall be happy to employ him, & shall send for him under authority of yr letter to him dated Febry 5. 1851.

Respectfully   J. C. Casey Capt & [[S?]] I. A.