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Office Bureau RF&AL
Macon Miss Jany 9, 1868.
Sunderland Capt J. W.
AAQM Bureau RF&AL

Capt.
I have the honor to transmit herewith my accounts as Sub Ass't Comr for Sub Districts of Corinth & Macon for postage, in amounts seven & 50/100 dolls and fifteen & 75/100 dollars respectively, for payment.
Very respectfully
Your obedt Servt
Geo. S. Smith 
Late Capt VRC Bt. Maj. S.A.C. 

Office Bureau R. F. & A. L.
Macon Miss Jany 13, 1868.
Barber, Merritt Lieut.
A.A.A. Genl. Bureau R. F. & A. L.
Vicksburg Miss.

Lieut
I have the honor to submit the following report of the opperations of the bureau for this Sub Dist for the month of December 1867. = as follows.
I have no change to note relative to school marital relations &c of freedmen since my last report. My time was chiefly occupied during the mo. in making settlements between employer & employees, a work requiring much labor, and no small amount of patience. The result of these settlements disclosed the fact that in nine cases out of ten the freedmen are in debt to the employer, this the terms of the contracts admit of & but for which many chg's against them would have been disallowed=

A majority of the freedmen have entered into contracts for the present year. Many however are disinclined to contract & are holding back refusing all offers entertaining the idea that the convention now in session will do something to better their condition. So firmly impressed are they with this belief that the influence of this office is powerless to counteract it.

This erronious idea has been impressed upon their minds by misrepresentations made by two of the delegates elect to the convention, one of whom, an illiterate, low bred white man, by name Sam Powell openly denounced the Bureau, its officers, and the recent orders of the Ass't Commissioner.

I have tried to obtain evidence sufficient to justify his arrest and trial by Military Commission but so far, without success, as the blks over whom he has the most perfect control will not disclose anything that might convict him.

The contracts that are being made for this year are generally for a third of the crop - the employers finding himself.

Many of the planters are determined to employ none but able bodied men Some refuse actively to advance provisions to the nonworkers - Women & children. It is believed that not more than three fourths of the labor employed last year will find employment this, and as a consequence destitution must insue. Already in the western portion of this county, a section known as Arkansas there is suffering, among class of poor whites mostly widows having large families depending upon them for support. In my opinion some action by the Genl Government is necessary to prevent starvation among this class.

Very few complaints have been made by freedmen & no cases of outrage at least no agravated cases have come to my knowledge. On the evening of the 30th ult. by request of the Hon. Judge Foote who represented that a body of armed freedmen living near the line of this & Kemper County were resisting the civil authority = I telegraphed the Com'd'g officer at Columbus for a file of soldiers one non com'd officer & six men to 

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