which is ten miles East of the Susquehanna river." This purchase included the Valley of Wyoming and the country westward to the head waters of the Allegheny river. The country lying between the line running ten miles East of the Susquehanna river, and the river Delaware, was purchased by another company called the Delaware Company.

The commissioners of Pennsylvania in conformity with their instructions from Governor Hamilton, held many conferences with the Indians during their continuance at Albany for the purpose of purchasing the same and other lands in Pennsylvania, and their reports of those conferences was read in council at Philadelphia on the 6th. of August, 1754, and entered in the minutes of the day, prefaced in the following words. "The commissioners of Pennsylvania having held a private treaty with the Six Nations whilst at Albany for the purchase of lands, their report was likewise read and ordered to be entered." In their report it appears that the commissioners made many attempts on thẻ 4th. and 5th. of July to induce the Indians to sell the Wyoming lands to the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania, and charged them with being disposed to sell to the Connecticut people. Peter Hendrick a chief who acted as one of the principal speakers on this occasion, became angry with the commissioners in consequence of their observations, and among other things said to them:-"We have "heard since we came here that our brother Onas

*Governor of Pennsylvania. The title was first

1

"and our brother of New England, have had some "disputes about the lands of Susquehanna; a dis"pute of the same kind as that of the Governor of "Canada and Assaragoah; but we desire you "would not differ with one another about it for "neither shall have it. We will not part with "it to either of you-we will reserve it for our "western Indians to live upon. "They however executed a Deed on the 6th. of July, to the Proprietors of Pennsylvania for a tract of land between the Blue Mountain and the forks of the Susque hanna river.

The Governor of Pennsylvania having been informed on the return of the commissioners from Albany, that the Susquehanna Company had effected a purchase of the Wyoming lands, wrote to Sir William Johnson on the 15th. of November 1754, requesting him to induce the Indians if possible to deny the regularity of the contract, and as a preparatory step towards effecting it, to win over Hendrick to his interest, and persuade him to visit Philadelphia. Gov. Morris also enclosed a letter to Hendrick from himself, in which among other things, he says:-"Some matters of great moment to this Government as well as to the Indians of the Six Nations, having lately fallen out, which makes it necessary for me to have a private conference with you before I can proceed to give public notice to them of my arrival here; and as you was so good as to promise to the commis,

given to William Penn.

sioners when at Albany that you would, at the re quest of Government, come at any time to Philadelphia and give your sentiments on any thing that might be proposed for the public service, I now earnestly desire that you would favor us with a visit in order to consult on some affairs in which the safety of the Indians and his Majesty's colonies are very much concerned that cannot be done by message but must first be communicated to you in personal conference. If you should incline to take with you one or two of your best friends it will be the more agreeable. Mr. Daniel Clause is well acquainted with the nearest and best roads to this city, and he has my directions to accompany you, furnish the necessaries, and make everything as agreeable to you as possible."

Sir William Johnson in his answer dated Mount Johnson, Dec. 9, 1754, says:

"I have been honored with yours of the 15th, ultimo by Mr. Daniel Clause, whom I immediately sent to call Hendrick to my house. Upon his arrival I delivered and interpreted your honor's letter or instructions to him, and urged his waiting on you immediately, which when he agreed to, I spoke to him concerning the affair as far as I judg ed necessary; and I flatter myself it will have a good effect, he having faithfully promised me to exert himself and use his utmost endeavors for the interest of the Proprietaries against the Connecticut attempt. After my expatiating some time on the injustice of their proceedings, more especially so after what had passed at Albany last June, Hen

drick then with some warmth disapproved of them as well as the weakness of those of his brethren who were seduced by Lidias, and promised to do all he could to make them revoke or retract what they had so shamefully done."

The Susquehanna Company at this time consisted of six hundred and seventy-three persons, ten of whom were inhabitants of Pennsylvania, and having completed their purchase, concluded to divide the land into shares which were to be distributed among the several claimants. A general meeting of the company was therefore called to be holden at Hartford on the 20th of November, and a messenger was sent to Pennsylvania to notify the members resident in that Province. The messenger having arrived in Northampton County, was arrested upon a warrant issued by Daniel Brodhead, Esq. a magistrate of Lower Smithfield, who having ascertained many particulars concerning the company, immediately communicated them by letter to Richard Peters, Esq. a member of the Council of Pennsylvania. Upon receiving this information, Gov. Morris sent Mr. John Armstrong to Connecticut for the purpose of collecting whatever information could be obtained in relation to the Company and the measures which they intended to adopt. He was also the bearer of a letter from Governor Morris to the Governor of Connecticut. In which the former again refers to the Deed from the Six Nations to William Penn dated Oct. 11, 1736, and to the engagement then made by the Indians to sell all the lands in Pennsylvania to

William Penn and to no one else; after which he proceeds to say:

"You will give me leave further to observe to you that the Six Nations at the late Congress at Albany, in open council mentioned on application then made to them by agents from Connecticut for the purchase of some of the Susquehanna lands and that they had absolutely refused to give any ear to such proposal, telling the several Governments then present by their Commissioners that they were determined the lands at a place called Wyomink or the Susquehanna should not be settled, but reserved for a place of retreat." He further observes: "Notwithstanding which I am informed that Mr. John Lidias who is known to be a Roman Catholick, and in the French interest, has been since employed by some people of your Province to purchase from the Indians some lands within this Government: that he has in a clandestine manner, by very unfair means, prevailed on some few Indians to whom he secretly applied to sign a Deed for a considerable part of the lands of this Province, including those at Wyomink. And as we stand engaged to the Six Nations by treaty neither to settle the lands at Wyomink, or suffer them to be settled, this Government thought it proper (among other things) to inform the Indians that those people were not authorised or even countenanced by this Government, and their attempts were disavowed by the Government of Connecticut and were to be looked upon as a lawless set of people for whose conduct no Government is accountable."