voted Eight Hundred Pounds to be disposed of as I shall think proper; but I cannot allow myself to dispose of it till some application be first made by the Indians for Assistance, and till I am well assured of their real Friendship and hearty Good Will to the Eng lish. "The common Interest does not only suffer for want of such Union, but also, as you justly observe, from the want of proper Regulations of the Indian Trade-a Matter worthy of the closest attention and speediest Reformation, and what has been pressingly recommended by me, tho' without Effect, to our Assembly. "Whilst the Traders are Men of dissolute Lives, without Prudence or abilities, and whilst the Indians are perpetually kept under the Influence of strong Liquor, who of either sort can be trusted? And whilst the old way of doing Business by Deputations of Indians waiting on the several Governments in Places assigned for that Purpose is neglected and disregarded by the Indians (owing perhaps to the officiousness or self Interest of Traders thrusting themselves into the Carriage of Messages), what Intelligence can be depended on? How can the Behaviour or real Disposition of the Indians be known? or how can Presents be distributed so as to answer any publick Purpose? "I could, therefore, wish it was recommended to the Indians at Ohio to observe a greater Regularity in their publick Transactions, and not to send Messages by private Hands but to send them by Two or Three or more, as the Case may require, of their own Body, with whom the several Governments may confer, and learn the true State of their Affairs. "I wish your advices may induce the Ministry to take into Consideration the Pretensions of the French to the Lands on the Ohio and its Branches, as well as to an exclusive Right of trade in all the Countreys to which the French King lays Claim. All that I know of those Pretensions is from a Letter of Monsieur Lajonquiere, Governor of Canada, to Governor Clinton on the following occasion: "Mr. Clinton having received Information in 1751 of the French building a Fort near the Falls of Niagara, and of their having taken Prisoners some of the Inhabitants of Pennsylvania who were trading with the Twightwees on the Miamis River, as they innocently thought they might in a time of confirmed Peace, sent a Gentleman of New York with a Letter of Complaint to Monsieur Lajonquiere, the French Governor, and in Return received an Answer from him justifying both the one and the other; of these Letters Mr. Clinton was kind enough to send me Copies, and as from these you may be able to form some Judgment of the French Pretensions, and likewise clearly see that it will answer no Purpose to write again to the Governor of Canada, I have enclosed you Copies of them. "It may not be amiss further to acquaint you that Governor Clinton sent Copies of these Letters to the Secretaries of State, together with an account of some Leaden Plates taken by the Indians from the French who accompanied Monsieur Celoron in 1749, whereon were engraven Inscriptions containing pompous Claims in the Name of the French King to the Lands bordering on the Ohio. Several of these Plates were buried near the Banks of that River at proper distances by Celoron, who marched from its Heads to the mouth of Ouaback, as well for that purpose as to warn off the English, calling them Traitors and threatning to kill them if he should thereafter find them in those Parts. And the said Celoron likewise wrote me Two Letters, wherein he avows these Proceedings, and acquaints me that he acted by the Command of Monsieur De la Galissoniere, then Governor-in-Chief of Canada; Copies of which Letters I sent to the Proprietaries to be laid before the Ministry, but have never heard that much notice was taken of them. "I heartily wish you Success in your endeavours to make Peace among the Southern Indians, tho' I fear the Northern Indians will not follow their Example; for at all the Albany Treaties as well as those held here, this has been constantly and earnestly recommended to them, and though they are reduced almost every year to the last extremity for want of Provisions owing to the Absences and Deaths of their young Men, yet they cannot be prevailed upon to give over these Rambles; whether it be owing to their insuperable Thirst for this sort of Military Glory, or to the Artful Insinuations of the French, with a view that they may all be destroyed in time, I know not. "I have received repeated Accounts that the French have built a Fort at Boccalunce, a place near the head of Ohio, and about one hundred and Twenty miles from Log's Town, and expect to hear of their march to that Town, but with what Views or with what numbers I cannot learn for certain. "At the Instance of Andrew Montour, who left this Place a few days since, I send you the enclosod Pacquet with three Belts of Wampum, by the Post; and at the Request of Mr. Weiser, who will be glad to serve your Government upon any occasion, I am to desire you will please to send me a Copy of the Indian Deed executed at Lancaster, or an Extract of the descriptive Part of it, with the marks and Names of all the signers, that he may know and be enabled in case of need from that Conveyance to set the Indians Right, in case they should have forgot or mistaken the Bounds of their own Deed. "I am, Sir, Your most obedient and most Humble Servant, "JAMES HAMILTON. "GOVERNOR DINWIDDIE.” Thomas Burny was dispatched Express from Ohio to the Governor of Virginia, with a letter from the Half King, which Mr. Shippen copied as Burny rode thro' this Province in his way to Williamsburg, and sent it to the Governor and it was read as follows: "Our Good Brother the Governor of Virginia "We send you this by our Brother, Mr. Thomas Burny, to acquaint you the we your Brethren, together with the Head Men of the Six Nations, the Twightwees, Shawonese, and Delawares, were coming down to pay you a visit, but were prevented by the Arrival here of four Men, Two Mingoes and Two Delawares, who informed Us that there were Three Hundred French Men and Ten Connewaugeroonas within Two Days' Journey of this Place, and we do not know how soon they may come upon Us; therefore our Request to you is, that you would send out a number of your People, our Brethren, to meet us at the Forks of Mohongialo, and see what is the Reason of their coming, for we do not want the French to come amongst Us at all, but very much want our good Brothers the English to be with us, to whom our Hearts are good and shall ever continue to be so. "From your Loving Brothers * * "THOMAS BURNY. "Logstown, June 22d, 1753." *** The Half King, "MONAKATOOTAH. Then the Governor informed the Council that besides these Letters and Intelligences Mr. Peters had sent him an Account from Carlisle, where he was doing some business for the Proprietaries, that he had seen Andrew Montour after his Return from Onondago, who told him that the Six Nations (as well as he, Mr. Montour, cou'd learn from the Indians, tho' there were but few at home whilst he was at Odondago) were against both English and French building Forts and setling Lands at Ohio, and desired they might both quit that Country, and only send a few Traders with Goods sufficient to supply the wants of their Hunters; that they did not like the Virginians and Pennsylvanians making Treaties with these Indians, whom they called Hunters, and young and giddy Men and Children; that they were their Fathers, and if the English wanted any thing from these childish People they must first speak to their Fathers. Mr. Montour said further, that he was going a Second Time to Onondago on Behalf of the Government of Virginia, and desired to know if any thing was to be carried from the Governor of Pennsylvania. Mr. Peters, thinking this a favourable Opportunity, desired him to deliver the following Message to the Council: Brethren of the Six Nations-"The French have invaded your Lands on the Ohio and are building Forts there. The Indians of your Nations settled there, with the Delawares and Shawonese, Twightwees and Owendats, are terrified and desire our assistance, which we are willing to afford them but want first to know in what Manner You will desire We shall give them Assistance, and what You wou'd chuse We should do to prevent the Country and Them from falling into the Hands of the French. Brethren, We desire You will speak plainly and fully on this Head, not knowing what to do till we hear from You." The Governor said Mr. Peters further told him he could not depend on any Accounts from Ohio, as there were none but Indian Traders to apply to for Information, who were too partial, ignorant, and too much concerned for their own Interest, to give true or intelligent Accounts. That he believed the Traders discouraged the Indians from coming to Philadelphia, else they would have come, being often invited." The Governor added, that he thought the Message sent by Mr. Peters of too much Importance to be committed to Mr. Montour only; and, therefore, not knowing what was best to be done, he had sent for Mr. Weiser, and after conferring with him had sent him Express to Onondago with the following Instructions, Viz.: "To enquire among the Six Nations whether the Report that We had from Ohio, to wit, that the French were building Forts there, was true, and whether They the French had Leave from the Six Nations? "Whether the Six Nations are in Fear of being hurt by the French if they don't comply with their desires? "Whether it be true that the Six Nations in earnest require that the English Traders shall be removed from Ohio? "And upon the whole, how they the Six Nations stand at present as to the chain of Friendship between them and the English? "And to Assure Them that the Government of Pennsylvania will do all that can be in reason expected as to furnish Cloathing, and so forth, if the French should attack them the Six Nations. "Whether, in Case the Proceedings of the French be disagreeable to the Six Nations, They intend to oppose them, and in what Manner? And whether they expect any Assistance from this Government, and of what Sort?" Two Days after Mr. Weiser was gone Mr. Montour came to Town from Onondago, and delivered to the Governor the following Answer to the Message delivered to him at Carlisle by Mr. Peters: "A Message delivered the Thirty-First Day of July, 1753, to the Governor of Pennsylvania by Andrew Montour from the Indians at Onondago: "Brother Onas: (6 PRESENT: "Cashwahutyonah, of Onondago. "Andrew Montour delivered Us a Message purporting that you would glad to know what kind of Assistance we desired you should give to our Indians at Ohio, in case they should be attacked by the French. Hear our answer, which is the same that we have given to Assaraqoah: "We thank you for the Notice you are pleased to take of those Young Men, and for your kind intentions towards them. They stand in need of your Advice, for they are a great way from Us. We, on behalf of all the Indians, our Men, Women, Children, entreat you will give them good advice. It is an hunting country they live in, and we would have it reserved for this use only, and desire that no Settlements may be made there, tho' you may trade there as much as you please, and so may the French. We love the English and we love the French, and as you are at Peace with one another do not disturb one another; if you fall out make up your Matters among Yourselves. You must ask the French what they intend to do, and endeavour to preserve Peace. We would not have you quarrel, but trade with us peaceably, one as well as another, but make no Settlements. If our Indians shou'd be struck it will be very kind to help them; it is better to help them than Us, for we are near New York and can be supplied easily from thence. Col. Johnson, the Agent of that Government, has assured Us We may always have what we want there; We expect him amongst Us soon, and can ask then for any thing for ourselves, but our young Men at Ohio must have their Supply from You. We, therefore, heartily thank you for your Regards to Us and our Hunters at Ohio, which we testify by "A String of Wampum."" |