[Dec. —, 1797.]

Above I have given you as good an idea as I can of the Situation of the Lead Mines and marked out the place I wish the furnce to stand as I was not at the place long I may have made some mistake in laying it Down however I wish to have the furnac Hous at the lower end of the Village that is Down the Creek at the point of the Road that goes to the Mines. You will have the Hous of the following Dimentions say 38 by 30 feet and 12 feet in higth. a good strong frame a Saw mill and [undecipherable] or any other Kinds of Mill you think will be best So send Down the Creek untill you finde a good place, the stone and Timber as also the lime for Building the Brick and Stone work John Storts Drury Green Mathew Mull ins Timothy Mullins and Montgomery must be sent out to the Mines as soon as possible Shouse may stay in Kaskaskia and help Nail git the Distillery ready—I wish a shaft Immediately Sunk and you will finde the ground such as will require to be Timberd I expect however this you will best Know when you see the place either you or Mr Bates will be obliged to go out to the Mines untill Mr. Shouse has finished the Distillery, I have given Elias Bates Orders respecting the factory but as Elias Bates will have to be much of his time at the Mines I do not expect much Can be Don as to the factory untill I arrive unless a Hous can be had already Built which I suppose may be Don in that case It may be easily put in Order by Elias and Montgomery Elias will fix his family at St Genevieve as soon as he can with whom Shouse will board when he is from the Mines If Montgomery wants all the Hands with him you may lett the sinking the Shaft a lone untill I arrive you will finde a great quantity of Ore at the places where others have melt Down Ore in log fires this Ore you are to Demand of the Commandant to Know if I am not to have all I finde on the ground and If you finde anything said about the Ore that is about the Old works being taken away make a purchase of it all as it Stands also Make a Purchase of all the refuse Ore at the Mines of De Le Mott make your Contract so that I may have the liberty to work up all the Ore I finde in and about the Mines of De Le Mott above ground for unless I have this Liberty It will not be worth while to Build a furnace at the Mines of De Le Mott give all the Hands absolute Orders not to say a word as to the Value of the Ore about the Old Workings for If they say much about the Value of the Ore It may make trouble for me in all things you and E Bates will both do for the best and take advice of each Other Call on Mr Jones for advice and pay Great respect to Mr Valle and Lesses [De Lassus's] advice—You will make a purchace of all the Lead Ore you Can both at the Mines of Breton and the Mine of De Le Mott If you can git it for 12 1/2 pr Hundred for good Clean Ore the goods you will manage to the Best advantage in your Power for the Best Interest of us all—

Moses Austin [Rubric]

To Messr Judather Kendal and Elias Bates—

[Endorsed:] Memorandum of instructions for Mess. Kendal and Bates respecting the Illinoies.