with from sd Colony occasioned their Sachems to Acknowledge the Kings of England to be their Kings & Protectors, after weh: one Cap': Sam'. Mason weh: their Sachem, Oweneco, (then in his declining Age being much Impaired,) took to be his great ffriend, told s Sachem that the English in s Colony had wrong'd sd Sachem & got away his Land, and at Length the s Mason by his great Importunity prevailed upon Oweneco . to Suffer him sa Mason in the Name of the sd Sachem to represent the Same to the late Queen Anne wch was accordingly done & a Comion Ordered to Gov' Dudley & others after wh: their Sachems with their Council looked into the matter more Maturely & found that those Lands then in Question were Sold to the English and that the Same Sachem Oweneco had under his hand & seal granted the bigger part thereof. All wch: had been done according to the Articles of Agreement made by his Predecessor, Uncas, (who was Sachem when s Colony first began to Settle,) and the Gov: & Co: of sd Colony, so that they were sorry they had troubled their ffriends, Yet knowing that said Mason had Obtained Leave of Oweneco to use his Name they were Concerned for the charges he had been at wch. Charge M. John Mason, a Kinsman of the s first mentioned Mason, who was also Active in said affair put them in Mind of by Saying that he had been at much Cost himself about the matter & thereupon demanded the Same of their Sachem & altho they plainly found that both the said Masons sought the good of themselves & not the good of the Mohegan People, and Nothwithstanding that their sachem with the good liking of the s. Gov': & C°: had before given to the ffamily of the Masons & their near Relations more than 3 times the Sum demanded by s". Mason (in Lands), Yett they allowed the s. John Mason to

Sell of their Lands more in Value than what sd. Mason ever demanded of them, which Lands were then holden by the purchasers or their assigns. All wch. they did Supposing it not just to lay the Costs upon sa Colony, who had not broken the League, & their Sachems remembered the Kindness of Major Mason, the predecessor, & sa Samuel & John. Their Sachem and People were unwilling to See any of the family hurt tho' they had greatly hurt them in the abovementioned affair. Whereupon the s. Uncas Sachem Declared that in honour & justice he coa: not nor woa: not take any benefit by the Complaint made by sd Sam'. Mason in s. Oweneco's name, or any Proceedure, or doings thereon, for that the matter so far as it related to s. Gov': & C°: or any of the English living in sa Colony, had been long before that time Settled & made up and said John Mason fully paid out of their Lands as aforesaid, and he thereby utterly barred & for ever Excluded himself & his Successors from all Demands in reference to the Pses [Premises] & further Declared that the present Mõcon of said John Mason wch he himself told them he was going to make to his Majesty, respecting the abovesaid Management, that then he forbid him, & that before a good & Suff': Evidence Proceeding & Declared that he had not given him any Liberty or Countenance, but utterly disallowed that Motion for that sd Mason had not any right to Petition the King respecting s Complaint, or anything depending thereon, or relating to the Indian Lands, or Affairs. That he made this Declaration freely & Desired the Comm" & his [their] Interpreter to Subscribe the Same, & that the Gov. of Connecticut wod: Send this Declaration to Great Britain there to be Improved before the King, or elsewhere, for the Defence of him & his People, & their Just Rights.

DECLARATION OF 9 OF THE PRIME OF THE MOHEGAN INDIANS, DATED 17TH APRIL, 1736.

That their Rightfull Sachem, Ben Uncas, who was Elected into that Office According to the Antient Custom amongst them Sent for the Comm's: (appointed by the Gen': Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut at the request of their Sachem and their People) to Inspect their Affairs at all times that thereby their s Sachem together wth: themselves, the body of the Mohegans, might declare against, and if possible prevent the Injurious designs and intentions of Mr John Mason against their Sachem and his People at the Court of Great Britain. They therefore Declared that altho' their Predecessors had had regard in the choice of their Sachems to the family of their late Sachems, Yett their Predecessors never Supposed themselves obliged to Elect the next Heir Male of the s Sachem, but to choose the most worthy and promising Branch of the ffamily, and that the Govt: of sd Colony had never molested or hindered them in this their Antient Custom & Usage wch: had not a little Contributed to the good Understanding that had always Subsisted between the sd Govt: & their Sachems & them from time to time, & that they hoped there wod: never be any thing done or acted at any time that might in any wise hinder or Incumber them in the Enjoym1: of this their darling. that thereby they might be forced to Declare the Antient League & Covenant made with the said Gov': to be Void. And whereas they had been informed that the s Mr John Mason had contrary to their knowledge or Consent taken One Yeomanum alias Mahomet, & was gone to Boston, & there taken Ship, & was gone to Great Britain with an Intent as they were Informed to gett the sd Yeomanum alias Mahomet established Sachem in the Stead of their rightfull Sachem, Ben

So

Uncas, They thereby Declared that tho their former Sachem Oweneco did Declare that his Son, Mahomet, Sho: Succeed him as Sachem of Mohegan, Yett sd Mahomet, dying before his ffather, Oweneco, never had that Dignity conferred upon him, and that before the death of Oweneco sd Mahomet so misbehaved himself that his ffather, Oweneco, was obliged to banish him from his presence to a remote part of his Dominions where the s Mahomet was continually Exercising his Cruelty & barbarity towards his ffather's Subjects til at length without any Provocation he Murdered one of them. Whereupon the next of Kin to the deced, according to the Custom of their Nation, Slew the s Mahomet. That said Mahomet took to Wife a Woman of the Royal Blood, according to the Custom & practise of that Nation & dwelt wth: her Some Years, during weh time he took a Concubine of a Mean Extract, by whom he had Issue Yeomanum àls Mahomet & Some Short time after the birth of sd Yeomanum the s Mahomet discarded the sd Concubine Woman & her Issue, & banished them from him, & they dwelt in Exile from him to the day of his death, & never to that day returnd into the Dominion of the Mohegans, but had been always looked upon as a Stranger & an Alien, but s Mahomet She [He?] kept & continued to live with his wife as afores". That s Oweneco, ffather of the said Mahomet, at all times refused to own the said Yeomanum alias Mahomet as his Grandson, Neither wo: he Suffer him so much as to bear his Name or to be Accounted a part of the ffamily, but before his Death declared his only Surviving Son, Caesar, to be his Successor in the Gov': & accordingly before his Death Ordered his People to be convened together, & he together with the People unanimously chose the s Caesar to be Sachem in his ffather's Stead, & accordingly s

Cœesar remaind uninterruptedly the Sachem of the Mohegans to the day of his Death; who dying without Issue Male, after his death they unanimously met together & Elected Ben Uncas the father of the present Sachem, & Bro': of Oweneco, to be their Sachem and accordingly sd Ben Uncas the Elder was their Sachem without any Interruption to the day of his Death & after the death of sd Ben Uncas they met together & unanimously Chose the present Ben Uncas their Sachem who had continued to be to their good liking to that day, & desired & hoped he might be so continued to be until the day of his Death. That s Yeomanum after the Election of the present Sachem sent him a present, according to Antient Custom of Neighbouring Nations, and that s John Mason had always acknowledged the present Sachem, and his Predecessor to be rightfull Sachems of the Mohegans, and was present at their Installment. That they made this Declaration freely & desired the Commissioners and their Interpreter to Subscribe the Same, and That the Gov': of Connecticut would send this Declaration to Great Britain there to be improved before the King, or elsewhere, for the defence of them & their Sachem, in their Just Rights.

FRANCIS WILKS TO GOVERNOR TALCOTT.

To the Honble

Jos. TALCOTT, Esq'.

LONDON, 15th June, 1736. (Copy Cap" Cary.)

Sir. This confirms copy of my last, since which I have obtain❜d Copy of Mahometts Petition, which I now inclose you, and have attended the Lords of Trade sundry times relating thereto, besides at a formal Hearing, when I employed an able Solicitor in behalf of the Colony. It would be tedious to mention all