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In reference to the marriage relation I notice but little improvement for the better; living together in a state of concubinage they seem to regard as a social right that no one has permission to interfere with.

Many cases of distress growing out of this state of things have come to my knowledge and the parties in every instance referred to the proper authorities who from some cause of forbearance, generally on account of the ignorance of the freedmen in the matter have let them go unpunished. I have time and again urged upon the authorities here the importance of making an example of some one of the many offenders.

In regard to contracts between the planters and Freedmen, I regret to state that there is much trouble, and seems to grow worse daily, from the fact that the crops are now well cared for and there is but little or no work at present to do, so the Planters seek some personal difficulty with the Freedmen so that they may have a shadow of excuse for driving them away from their plantations without a settlement The contracts are so worded that for trivial matters the Freedmen may be defrauded of his portion of the crops, and in this manner, many of the planters get the benefit of the Freedmens labor without pay-

In many cases of this kind reported to me daily