P R E S E N T,
The Honble George Thomas, Esq; Lieut. Governor.
| James Logan, | Samuel Preston, | } | |
| Clement Plumsted, | Thomas Lawrence, | } | Esqrs; |
| Samuel Hasell, | Ralph Asheton, | } | |
| Abraham Taylor, | Robert Strettell, | } |
The Chiefs of the Six Nations, with the Chiefs of the Shawanese.
Canassateego, the Onondago Chief, Speaker.
Conrad Weiser, Interpreter.
The Governor opened the Conference as follows.
'BRETHREN,
'The Proprietor having purchased certain Lands from your Nations about Six Years ago, a Moiety of what was agreed to be given in Consideration of that Purchase was at that Time delivered to them, and the other being at their own Desire left in the Proprietor's Hands, He pressed you by Shikalamy, to send last Year for it, and would have been glad to have seen you and taken you by the Hand before his Departure. But as the Design of this Meeting is to hear your News, and converse together in a free and friendly Manner, I shall say no more about the Goods than that they lye ready at the Proprietor's House, and will be delivered when you shall have sufficiently rested from the Fatigue of your Journey.'
The Chief of the Onondagoes spoke,
'BRETHREN,
'We propose to rest four Days, and then come to the main Business. At present we are at a private Conference about News, and have something of this Sort to mention to our Brother Onas.' And on the Governor's signifying they would be glad to know what it was, the Chief proceeded.
'BRETHREN,
'It is our Way when we come to our Brethren, or any other Persons, whom we live in strict Friendship with, to remove all Obstructions to a good Understanding; with this View we are to inform you of a Piece of disagreeable News that happen'd in our Journey.—Some White People living at a Place called Conegocheegoe, whose Names we cannot tell, nor whether they belong to this or the neighbouring Government, but one of them, as we heard, had his House burnt over his Head some Years ago, and he was brought down a Prisoner and committed to the Goal of this City: These People lighting of our young Warriours, as they were hunting, made some Proposals about the purchasing of Land from them, and our young Men being indiscreet, and unacquainted with publick Business, were foolish enough to hearken to them, and to receive five Duffil Strowds for two Plantations on the River Cohongoronto. A Conestogoe Indian, and a French Indian, and some others that were in Company had three Duffil Strowds, and went away with them; and our young Men carried off the other two. As soon as this came to our Knowledge, we sent for our Warriours, and after examining and rebuking them severely, we took away their two Strowds, and publickly censured them for exposing us to our Brethren of Pensilvania, in doing a Thing so inconsistent with our Engagements to them; You are, said we aloud, that all our People might hear and take Notice, to know and remember, that the Six Nations have obliged themselves to sell none of the Land that falls within the Province of Pensilvania to any other but our Brother Onas, and that to sell Lands to any other is an high Breach of the League of Friendship. Brethren, this rash Proceeding of our young Men makes us ashamed. We always mean well, and shall perform faithfully what we have promised: And we assure you, this Affair was transacted in the Manner we have related, without our Privity or Consent. And that you may be fully convinced of this, and of the Sincerity of our Intentions, we have brought you these Two Strowds [here he presented two Red Strowds to the Governor] they are the very Strowds our foolish young Men received; we took them from them, and we give them to you to return to those white People who made the Bargain, and desire when the Strowds are returned to them, they may be told what we now say, and that we shall not confirm such Bargains nor any other that may interfere with our Engagements to our Brother Onas.'
The Governor then spoke:
'BRETHREN,
'I thank you for this Piece of News; you have taken this Matter perfectly right. All Bargaining for Land within this Province, is, to be sure, a manifest Breach of your Contract with the Proprietors, and what we know you will not countenance. We have hitherto found the Six Nations faithful to their Engagements, and this is a fresh Instance of their Punctuality. You could not help these Mistakes of your young Men; they were not done in your Presence: But as several Inconveniencies may arise from these kind of clandestine Sales, or from any such loose Sales of Land by your People, we desire you will, on your Return home, give publick Notice to all your Warriours not to bargain for any Land; or if they do, that you will not confirm such Bargains; and that this very Affair, together with what you have done therein, may be particularly reported to all your Nation assembled in Council.'
The Onondago Chief promised to give such publick Notice; and desiring Liberty to mend his former Speech, he proceeded:
'BRETHREN,
'I forgot one Circumstance: Our People who pretended to sell the Land, demanded a Belt of Wampum of the Buyers to carry to their Chiefs; and on their declaring they had no Wampum, our Warriours said, they would not answer that their Chiefs would confirm this Bargain, since they never did any thing of this Nature without Wampum.'
The Governor, after a short Pause, spoke:
'BRETHREN of the Six Nations,
'I shall take this Opportunity to relate to you a Piece of disagreeable News I received some Days ago in a Letter from Le Tort the Indian Trader, at Allegheny, who says, That in May last some Indians of the Taway Nation, supposed by us to be Twightwees, in their Return from War, called and stayed sometime with the Shawanese; who being asked, and denying they had brought either Scalps or Prisoners, the Shawanese suspecting them, had the Curiosity to search their Bags, and finding two Scalps in them, that by the Softness of the Hair did not feel like Indian Scalps, they wash'd them clean, and found them to be the Scalps of some Christians. On this Discovery, the Twightwees were so much ashamed, that they stole away from their Town in the Night-time; and coming, as they afterwards understood, to a little Village belonging to the Shawanese, they told our People that their Hearts were full of Grief; for, as they came along the Road, they found it all bloody; and having good Cause to believe it was made bloody with the Blood of some of the White Brethren, they had very sorrowfully swept the Road; and desired them to inform the Governor of Pensilvania of their (the Twightwees) Grief; and how they had swept the Road clean.' Le Tort adds, on Behalf of the Shawanese, 'That they were much troubled and grieved at this unfortunate Accident; and prayed as they had no Concern in it, more than by being Instruments to discover it, their Brethren would not blame them, nor suffer a Misunderstanding to arise between them on this Account: They would sweep the Road clean, and wipe all the Blood away; and desired their Brethren would be satisfied with this, and not weep too much for a Misfortune that might not happen again as long as the Sun and Moon shone.'
'The Person who delivered me Le Tort's Letter, brought this Bundle of Skins as a Present to me; but I told the Messenger, I would not meddle with it; he might leave it if he pleased: The Affair appear'd to me in a bad Light, and I would represent it to the Six Nations, who were expected in Town every Day. This is the Fact as I have it from Le Tort: I desire to be inform'd if you know any thing of this Matter; and if you do not, that you will make diligent Enquiry who committed the Murder, and who are the unhappy Sufferers, and assist us to obtain Satisfaction, if it shall appear to be any of our Fellow-Subjects that have been treated in this Manner.'
To inforce this Request, I present you with this String of Wampum.
The Onondago Chief, in Reply, said:
'BRETHREN,
'We take this Information kind at your Hands; we will take this String of Wampum home with us to our Lodgings, and there consult about the most regular and proper Steps to be taken by us to answer your Expectations; and when we have duly considered the Matter, we will return you an Answer.'
Upon this the Governor put an End to the Conference; and calling for Wine and other Liquors, according to the Indian Custom, after a decent and chearful Entertainment, the Indians withdrew.
At a COUNCIL held at the Proprietor's House, July 5. 1742.
P R E S E N T
The Honble George Thomas Esq; Lieut. Governor.
| James Logan, | } | |
| Clement Plumsted, | } | Esqrs. |
With several Gentlemen of the Town,
It being judg'd proper, at this critical Time, when we are in daily Expectation of a French War, to sound the Indians, and discover what Dependence we might have on them, in case their Aid should be wanted; an handsome Dinner was provided for their Chiefs; and after they had made an hearty Meal, and drank his Majesty's Health, the Proprietor's, and the Health of the Six Nations, the Chiefs gave the solemn Cry, in Testimony of their Thanks, for the Honour done them. And soon after, the Governor began, in a free Way, to enquire for what Reason the Senecas were not come down, since they had an equal Right to a Share of the Goods with the other Nations.—Canassateego, their Speaker, said, 'The Senecas were in great Distress, on Account of a Famine that raged in their Country, which had reduced them to such Want, that a Father had been obliged to kill two of his Children to preserve his own and the rest of his Family's Lives; and they could not now come down, but had given Directions about their Share of the Goods.'—The Governor express'd his Concern for the unhappy Circumstances of their Brethren of the Seneca Nation; and, after a short Respite, enquired if any of their Deputies were then at Canada, and whether the French Governor was making any warlike Preparations? And on their answering, Yes; the Governor said, with a smiling, pleasant Countenance, 'I suppose if the French should go to War with us, you will join them.' The Indians conferr'd together for some Time, and then Canassateego, in a chearful lively Manner, made Answer.—'We assure you, the Governor of Canada pays our Nations great Court at this Time, well knowing of what Consequence we are to the French Interest: He has already told us, he was uncovering the Hatchet and sharpening it, and hoped, if he should be obliged to lift it up against the English, their Nations would remain neuter and assist neither Side.—But we will now speak plainly to our Brethren: Why should we, who are one Flesh with you, refuse to help you, whenever you want our Assistance?—We have continued a long Time in the strictest League of Amity and Friendship with you, and we shall always be faithful and true to you our old and good Allies.—The Governor of Canada talks a great deal, but ten of his Words do not go so far as one of yours.—We do not look towards them; We look towards you; and you may depend on our Assistance.' Whilst the Onondago Chief made this open and hearty Declaration, all the other Indians made frequently that particular Kind of Noise which is known to be a Mark of Approbation.—The Governor bid the Interpreter tell Canassateego, 'He did not set on foot this Inquiry from any Suspicion he had of the Six Nations wanting a due Regard for the English.—Our Experience of their Honour and Faith would not permit us to think any other of them than that they would esteem our Friends their Friends, and our Enemies their Enemies, agreeable to the strict Union which had ever subsisted between us.—As to the Governor of Canada, they need not mind what he said.—The English, on equal Terms, had beat the French, and could beat them again: And were they but to consider the Advantages which the English have, by possessing so many large and populous Countries, and so many good Ports on the Continent of America, they would soon see who had most Reason to fear a War, the French or the English.'
Here the Conversation drop'd; and, after another Glass of Wine, the Indians resumed the Discourse, by asking, whether their Brethren had not been for some Time engaged in a War with the King of Spain, and what Successes they had met with?
The Governor told them, the King of Great Britain lived in an Island, and being surrounded with the Sea, his chief Strength lay in his Ships; in which he was so much superior to his Enemies, that they were seldom to be met with on the broad Ocean, but sculk'd and hid themselves, only venturing out now and then; and whenever they did, they were almost sure to be taken; and that the King of Great Britain had, with his Ships, beat down or taken several of the Spaniards Great Forts in America.—The Indians said, they were pleased to hear their Brethren were an Over-match for their Enemies, and wish'd them good Success.
The Governor then enquired into the State and Condition of the Nations to the Westward of the Great Lakes, and whether they had any Warriours then in those Countries? Whether they had concluded Peace with the Southern Indians? And whether they had heard what their Deputies had done at Albany?
They made Answer: That they had always Abundance of their Men out amongst the Nations situate to the West of their Lakes.—That they had kindled a Fire with a vast many Nations, some whereof where Tributaries, and they had a good Understanding with all.—They set out from their own Country in Company with two Sets of Deputies, one going to hold a Treaty with the Southern Indians, and they believed a Peace would be concluded: The other going to meet the Governor of New-York, at Albany; but they could not tell what had been done at either Place.—On their Return, they were to hold a General Council, and would inform their Brethren of these Particulars.
Then the Governor put an End to the Conference, by telling the Indians the Goods would be delivered to them at a Council to be held to morrow Afternoon at the Meeting-House.