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Hampton Elizabeth City Co Sept 18th/65
Col. O. Brown
Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Freedmen &c.

Colonel.
The undersigned a citizen of Elizabeth City Co. Va. would respectfully beg to know, whether it is the policy of the Bureau to allow a whole community of freedmen, occupying some five or six farms to furnish themselves with wood, rails and canoes and of the woods attached to said farms. He would  respectfully say that this inquiry arises out of the abrogation of the Orders issued by Lt Hawk, which order was in force up to the reinstatement of Capt. Wilder, and even in effect as follows.  "All persons are forbidden to cut wood, rails on unsuitable land, or to inhabit the houses upon any of the abandoned lands in this county except by permission from this officer.  Any violations of this order will be severely punished."  In view of its daily violations by such numbers, the Undersigned sought an interview with Capt Wilder and presented this very judicious order issued by Lt. Hawk, before Capt Wilder was reinstated, and asked him "if it were longer in farms"? He said that he had given "freedmen permission to get down wood on any of the abandoned lands." Finding the effort to convince him of the large deforestations that were occurring under said licenses veins, the Undersigned asked "if he had authorized this cutting of canoe trees from his farms?"  He replied that he "did not know but what he had given permission to somebody to cuts a solitary tree for canoe purposes but to whom, he refused to say, at this same time, telling the Undersigned 

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---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-01-27 20:32:10