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CHAP.

II.

CHA P. II.

A Treaty between the Agents of Maffachuset's Bay, New-Plymouth, and Connecticut, and the Sachems of the Five Nations, at Albany, in the Year 1689.

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BOUT the Beginning of September 1689, Colonel John Pynchon, Major John Savage, and Captain Jonathan Bull, Agents for the Colonies of Majachufet's Bay, New-Plymouth, and Connecticut, arrived at Albany, to renew the Friendship with the Five Nations, and to engage them against the Eaftern Indians, who made War on the English of thofe Colonies, and were fupported by the French.

The Five Nations had received four Meffengers from the Eastern Indians, which gave the People of New-England fome Apprehenfions, and they were therefore defirous to know what Reception these Meffengers had met with.

The Five Nations anfwered by Tabajadoris, a Mohawk Sachem, on the twenty fourth of September. He made a long Oration, repeating all that the Agent from New-England had faid, the Day before, and defired them to be attentive to the Answer now to be made to them. They commonly repeat over all that has been faid to them, before they return any Answer, and one may be furprized at the Exactness of these Repetitions. They take the following Method to affift their Memories: The Sachem, who prefides at these Conferences, has a Bundle of fmall Sticks in his Hand; as foon as the Speaker has finished any one Article of his Speech, this Sachem gives a Stick to another Sachem, who is particularly

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ticularly to remember that Article; and fo when an- CHA P. other Article is finished, he gives a Stick to another to take Care of that other, and so on. like Manner when the Speaker answers, each of these has the particular Care of the Answer refolved on to each Article, and prompts the Orator, when his Memory fails him, in the Article committed to his Charge. Tabajadoris addreffing himself to the Agents, faid:

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"Brethren,

"You are welcome to this Houfe, which is appointed for our Treaties and publick Bufi"nefs with the Chriftians; we thank you for re"newing the Covenant-chain. It is now no longer "of Iron and fubject to Ruft, as formerly, but of pure Silver, and includes in it all the King's Sub

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jects, from the Senekas Country eastward, as "far as any of the great King's Subjects live, and "fouthward, from New-England to Virginia. Here " he gave a Bever.

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"We are glad to hear of the good Success our great King has had over the French by Sea, in taking and finking fo many of their Men of War. "You tell us in your Propofals that we are one People, let us then go Hand in Hand together, "to ruin and deftroy the French our common Enemy. Gives a Bever.

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"The Covenant-chain between us is ancient (as "you tell us) and of long standing, and it has been "kept inviolably by us. When you had Wars "fome time ago with the Indians, you defired us to help you; we did it readily, and to the Pur

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pofe; for we pursued them closely, by which we prevented the Effufion of much of your Blood. "This was a certain Sign that we loved truly "and fincerely, and from our Hearts. Gives a "Belt.

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CHAP.

II.

"You advife us to pursue our Enemies, the French, vigoroufly; this we affure you we are "refolved to do to the utmost of our Power: But "fince the French are your Enemies likewife, we

defire our Brethren of the three Colonies to fend "us an hundred Men for the Security of this Place, "which is ill provided, in Cafe of an Attack from "the French; the Chriftians have Victuals enough "for their Entertainment. Gives one Belt,

"We patiently bore many Injuries from the "French, from one Year to another, before we "took up the Axe against them. Our Patience "made the Governor of Canada think, that we "were afraid of him, and durft not refent the In

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juries we had fo long fuffered; but now he is "undeceived. We affure you, that we are refolved "never to drop the Axe, the French never shall "fee our Faces in Peace, we fhall never be recon"ciled as long as one Frenchman is alive. We shall "never make Peace, though our Nation fhould be "ruined by it, and every one of us cut in Pieces. "Our Brethren of the three Colonies may depend "on this. Gives a Bever.

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"As to what you told us of the Owenagung as " and Uragees, we anfwer: That we were never fo proud and haughty, as to begin a War without juft Provocation. You tell us that they are "treacherous Rogues, we believe it, and that they "will undoubtedly affift the French. If they fhall "do this, or fhall join with any of our Enemies, "either French or Indians, then we will kill and deftroy them. Gives a Bever."

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Then the Mohawks offered five of their Men, to guard the Agents Home against any of their Indian Enemies, who they were afraid might be laying in wait for the Agents, and gave a Belt.

Afterwards the Speaker continued his Speech, and faid: "We have fpoke what we had to fay of "the War, we now come to the Affairs of Peace = "We

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"We promise to preserve the Chain inviolably, and CHAP.) "wish that the Sun may always fhine in Peace over "all our Heads that are comprehended in this Chain. "We give two Belts, one for the Sun, the other "for its Beams.

"We make faft the Roots of the Tree of Peace “and Tranquillity, which is planted in this Place. "Its Roots extend as far as the utmoft of your "Colonies; if the French fhould come to shake this "Tree, we would feel it by the Motion of its "Roots, which extend into our Country: But we "truft it will not be in the Governor of Canada's "Power to shake this Tree, which has been fo "firmly and fo long planted with us. Gives two

"Bevers."

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Laftly, He defired the Magiftrates of Albany to remember what he had faid, and gave them a Bever.

But the Agents perceiving, that they had not anfwered any Thing about the Owenagunga Meffengers, and had answered indiftinctly about the War with the Eastern Indians, defired them to explain themselves fully on these two Points, about which the Agents were chiefly concerned.

The Five Nations anfwered:

"We cannot declare War against the Eastern In"dians, for they have done us no Harm: Never"thelefs our Brethren of New-England may be af "fured, that we will live and die in Friendship with "them. When we took up the Axe against the "French and their Confederates, we did it to re66 venge the Injuries they had done us; we did not "make War with them at the Perfuafions of our "Brethren here; for we did not fo much as acquaint them with our Intention, till fourteen Days "after our Army had begun their March."

After the Company had feparated, the Sachems fent to the New-England Agents, defiring to fpeak with them in private; which being granted, the

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Speaker

II.

CHA P. Speaker faid, we have fomething to tell you, which was not proper to be fpoken openly, for fome of our People have an Affection to the Owenagungas; and we were afraid, that they would difcover or hinder our Defigns.

Now we affure our Brethren, that we are refolved to look on your Enemies as ours, and that we will first fall on the * Owaragees; and then on the Owenagungas, and laftly on the French; and that you may be convinced of our Intention, we design to fend five of our young Men along with our Brethren to New-England, to guard them, who have Orders to view the Country of the Owaragees, to difcover in what Manner it can be attacked with the most Ad- · vantage. This we always do before we make an Attempt on our Enemies. In a Word, Brethren, your War is our War, for we will live and dye with you. But it is to be observed, that they confirmed nothing relating to thefe Indians, by giving Belts.

It is probable, that the Sachems acted with fome Art on this Occafion, for they really had favourable Inclinations towards the Owenagungas; and they had Reason not to increase the Number of their Enemies, by making War on the Eastern Indians, who avoided doing them any Injury. The People of Albany likewife have always been averfe to engage our Indians in a War with the Eaftern Indians, left it should change the Seat of the War, and bring it to their own Doors.

On the 25th the Magiftrates of Albany had a private Conference with the Sachems of the Five Nations, and defired to know their Refolutions as to the War with Canada, and the Measures they refolved to follow. In this Conference the Indians faw that the People of Albany were fo much afraid of the French, that their Spirits were funk under the Apprehenfions of the approaching War; and for this Reafon made the following Anfwer.

Called by the People of New-England Panocok Indians.

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