Person in great Distress, and that they would allow him some Relief:

"To the Honourable the Governor and Council of the Province of Pennsylvania,

"The Petition of Alexander Maginty, of Cumberland County, Indian Trader, Humbly Shews:

"That on the Twenty-Sixth of January last, your Petitioner in Company with Six other Indian Traders being on their Return from a Trading Journey amongst the Cuttawas, an Indian Nation within the Territories of Carolina, was met and taken Prisoner by a Party of French Indians, who took from your Petitioner in Goods, Skins, and Horses, to the Value of Two Hundred and Twenty Pounds, being all that your Petitioner had in the World, and was even stripped of all his Clothes; and being now reduced to extream Poverty and Want,

"Your Petitioner most humbly entreats your Honours to commiserate his distressed Condition and to give or order him some Relief that (being entirely destitute of money's) he may be enabled to purchase some cloathes and to defray the Expence of his journey home.

"And your Petitioner will ever pray, &c.

"ALEXANDER MAGINTY.

"The Deposition of Alexander Maginty, of Cumberland County, Indian Trader, taken on Oath before. William Allen, Esquire, Chief Justice of the Province of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia, the Twelfth Day of October, One Thousand Seven Hundred and FiftyThree, Who saith:

"That this Deponent with Six other Traders, viz': David Hendricks, Jacob Evans, William Powel, Thomas Hyde, and James Lowry, all of the Province of Pennsylvania, and Jabez Evans, of the Province of Virginia, being on their Return from Trading with the Cuttawas, a nation who live in the Territories of Carolina, were on the Twenty-Sixth Day of January last attacked and taken Prisoners by a company of Coghnawagos, or French Praying Indians, from the River Saint Lawrence, being in Number Seventy (with whom was one white man called Philip, a Low Dutchman), at a Place about Twenty-Five Miles from the Blue Lick Town, and on the South Bank of Cantucky River, which empties itself into Allegheny River about Two IIundred Miles below the Lower Shawanese Town, this Deponent and the said Six Traders having then with them in Goods, Skins, and Furs, to the value of Seven Hundred Pounds, Pennsylvania money, which were all taken away from them by the said French Indians. That from thence the said Deponent with the said David Hendricks, Jacob Evans, William Powell, Thomas Hyde, and Jabez Evans (the said James Lowry having

made his Escape soon after they were taken as aforesaid and returned into Pennsylvania as this Deponent hath since heard), were carried by the said Indians to a French Fort on the Miamis or Twightwee River, and from thence to Fort De Troit, and there the said Jacob Evans and Thomas Hyde (as they informed this Deponent at the said Fort) were sold by the said Indians to Monsieur Celoron, Comandant of that Fort. And this Deponent with the said David Hendricks and Jabez Evans were carri'd forward by the Lake Erie to Niagara, and so through Lake Ontario to the City of Mont Real and there brought before the General of Canada, who said he wou'd have nothing to do with them for they were the Indian's Prisoners and at their Disposal. That the said Jacob Evans, Thomas Hyde, and William Powel, were also afterwards sent to Montreal, where this Deponent saw the said Jacob Evans and Thomas Hyde in Prison, but were sometime after sent away to Old France, as this Deponent was told at Montreal. That the said William Powel was sent to Canessatawba Town, Twenty-Six Miles from Montreal, and this Deponent to a small Indian Town in the Neighbourhood of Montreal, where he was kept a Prisoner by the said Indians who took him, but was sometimes permitted to go to Montreal.

"That the Indians of the Town where he was Prisoner, near Montreal, told him that there should not be a White Man of the English Nation on Ohio before the next Cold, meaning the Winter, for the Land was their Father's the French, and no Englishman should remain there.

"That in their Passage from Fort De Troit to Niagara in March last they met on Lake Erie Seven Battoes at one time and fifteen at another; and afterwards in their Passage from Niagara to Montreal they saw on Lake Ontario one hundred and sixty Battoes, or upwards; in all which Battoes were embarked French Soldiers with Arms and Ammunition, some of them having twelve, some ten, and some eight Men on board.

"Sworn before me,

MEMORANDUM.

"ALEXANDER MAGINTY.

“WILL. ALLEN, Chief Justice."

On the Seventeenth October, 1754, Two Members waited on the Governor with a Message from the House that they enclined to adjourn to the Fourteenth of January, but on the Governor's saying that the Time proposed would not suit him, and their reporting this Answer to the House, the Time was altered to the Fourth Day of February.

At a Council held at Philadelphia, Wednesday the 14th November, 1753.

PRESENT:

The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire, Lieutenant

Governor.

John Penn,
Joseph Turner,

Benjamin Shoemaker, Esquires.

Richard Peters,

The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approved. The Commissioners appointed to hold a Treaty with the Ohio Indians at Carlisle made their Report to the Governor, which was read, approved, and ordered to be entered:

"To the Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Province of Pennsyl vania and Counties of Newcastle, Kent, and Sussex, upon Del

aware,

"The Report of Richard Peters, Isaac Norris, and Benjamin Franklyn, Esquires, Commissioners appointed to treat with some Chiefs of the Ohio Indians at Carlisle, in the County of Cumberland, by a Commission bearing Date the twenty-second Day of September, 1753.

"May it please the Governor:

"Not knowing but the Indians might be waiting at Carlisle, We made all the Dispatch possible as soon as We had received our Commission, and arrived there on the Twenty-Sixth, but were agreeably surprized to find that they came there only that Day.

"Immediately on our Arrival We conferred with Andrew Montour and George Croghan, in order to know from them what had occasioned the present coming of the Indians, that We might by their Intelligence regulate our first Intercourse with them; and were informed that tho' their principal Design when they left Ohio was to hold a Treaty with the Government of Virginia at Winchester, where they had accordingly been, yet they intended a visit to this Province, to which they had been frequently encouraged by Andrew Montour, who told them he had the Governor's repeated Orders to invite them to come and see him, and assured them of an hearty Welcome; and that they had moreover some important matters to propose and transact with this Government.

"The Commissioners finding this to be the Case, and that these Indians were some of the most considerable Persons of the Six Nations, Delawares, Shawonese, with Deputies from the Twightwees and Owendats, met them in Council, in which the Commissioners declared the Contents of their Commission, acknowledged the Governor's Invitation, and bid them heartily welcome among their Brethren of Pennsylvania, to whom their visit was extremely agreeable, Conrad Weiser and Andrew Montour interpreting between the

Comissioners and Indians and several Magistrates and Others of the principal Inhabitants of the County favouring them with their Pre

sence.

"The Twightwees and Delawares having had several of their great Men cut off by the French and their Indians, and all the Chiefs of the Owendats being lately dead, it became necessary to condole their Loss, and no Business could be begun agreeable to the Indian Customs till the Condolances were passed, and as these could not be made with the usual Ceremonies for want of the Goods, which were not arrived, and it was uncertain when they would, the Commissioners were put to some Difficulties and ordered the Interpreters to apply to Scarrowyady, an Oneido Chief, who had the Conduct of the Treaty in Virginia and was a Person of great Weight in their Councils, and to ask his Opinion whether the Condolances would be accepted by Belts and Strings and Lists of the particular Goods intended to be given, with Assurances of their Delivery as soon as they should come. Scarrowyady was pleased with their Application, but frankly declared that the Indians could not proceed to Business while the Blood remained on their Garments, and that the Condolances could not be accepted unless the Goods intended to cover the Graves were actually spread on the Ground before them. A Messenger was therefore forthwith sent to meet and hasten the Waggoners, since every Thing must stop till the Goods came.

"It was then agreed to confer with Scarrowyady and some others of the Chiefs of the Shawonese and Delawares on the State of Affairs at Ohio, and from them the Commissioners learned in sundry Conferences the following Particulars, viz1:

"That when the Governor of Pennsylvania's Express arrived at Ohio with the Account of the March of a large French Army to the Heads of Ohio, with Intent to take Possession of that Country, it alarmed the Indians so much that the Delawares at Weningo, an Indian Town situate high up on Ohio River, went agreeable to a Custom established among the Indians and forbad by a formal Notice the Commander of that Armament then advanced to the Straits between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie to continue his March, at least not to presume to come farther than Niagara. This had not, however, any Effect; but notwithstanding this Notice the French continued their March, which being afterwards taken into Consideration by the Council at Log's Town, they ordered some of their principal Indians to give the French a second Notice to leave their Country and return home; who meeting them on a River running into Lake Erie a little above Weningo, addressed the Commander in these Words:

"The Second Notice delivered to the Commander of the French Army then near Weningo.

"Father Onontio

"Your Children on Ohio are alarmed to hear of your coming so

far this Way. We at first heard You came to destroy Us; our Women left off planting and our Warriors prepared for War. We have since heard You came to visit Us as Friends, without Design to hurt Us, but then we wondered You came with so strong a Body. If you have had any Cause of Complaint You might have spoke to Onas or Corlaer (meaning the Governors of Pennsylvania and New York) and not come to disturb Us here. We have a Fire at Log's Town, where are the Delawares and Shawonese, and Brother Onas; You might have sent Deputies there and said openly what you came about if you had thought amiss of the English being there; and We invite you to do it now, before you proceed any further.

""Children:

"The French Officer's Answer.

"I find you come to give me an Invitation to your Council Fire, with a Design, as I suppose, to call me to Account for coming here. I must let you know that my heart is good to you; I mean no hurt to you; I am come by the great King's Command to do you, my Children, Good; You seem to think I carry my Hatchet under my Coat; I alway carry it openly, not to strike you but those that shall oppose me. I cannot come to your Council Fire, nor can I return or stay here; I am so heavy a Body that the Stream will carry me down, and down I shall go unless you pull off my arm. But this I will tell you, I am commanded to build Four Strong Houses, viz.: at Weningo, Mohongialo Forks, Log's Town, and Beaver Creek, and this I will do. As to what concerns Onas and Assaragoa (meaning the Governors of Pennsylvania and Virginia) I have spoke to them and let them know they must go off the Land and I shall speak to them again; if they will not hear me it is their own Fault, I will take them by the arm and throw them over the Hills; All the Land and Waters on this side Allegheny Hills are mine, on the other side their's; this is agreed on between the two Crowns over the great Waters. I do not like your selling your Lands to the English, they shall draw you into no more foolish Bargains. I will take care of your Lands for you, and of you. The English give you no Goods but for Land. We give you our Goods for nothing.'

"We were further told by Scarrooyady that when the Answer to this Message was brought to Log's Town, another Council was held consisting of the Six Nations, Delawares, and Shawonese, whọ unanimously agreed to divide themselves into Two Parties, One to go to Virginia and Pennsylvania with Scarrooyady, and the other to go with the Half King to the French Commander, who had it in Charge to make the following Declaration as their Third and last Notice: "The Third Notice delivered by the Half King to the Gommander of the French Forces.

"Father:

"You say you cannot come to our Council Fire at Log's Town,