4. Colonel Robert Love to Jackson, 17 November 1831
. . . My worthy friend the object of this letter is to crave your friendly permission for myself to dig for Gold in the Cherokee Country. I have three sons and as many son in laws living not far distant from me, and we can spare among us forty strong active hands and still retain a force sufficient to make our bread, and that is all we can do in a country like ours where we cannot grow Cotton or Tobacco, our employment being as the old saying is, we can make plenty of Hog and Hominy, and then sit down and eat it . . .
[Endorsement in Jackson's handwriting] Rob. Love of No. Carolina friendly letter, enclosing the Constitutionalist, and asking permission to dig for gold in the Cherokee nation. answer to be given.
The State sovereignty being extended over the cherokee country, the right of domain and the fee, being in the state, the privilege asked for, must be granted by the state, the Federal Gov't having no power to interfere. The domain in fee belonging to the State the mines and minerals are vested in that sovereignty, until granted away by it.
A.J.
4. Colonel Robert Love to Andrew Jackson, 17 Nov 1831, in John S. Bassett, ed., Correspondence of Andrew Jackson vol. 4 (Washington: Carnegie Institute, 1929), 376-77.