4th. Was oblig’d to keep my bed all Day, being very weak.
5th. I found myself better. Scaiohady[25] came to see me; had some discourse with him about the ensuing Council.
6th. Had a Council with the Wondats, otherways called Ionontady Hagas, they made a fine Speech to me to make me welcome, & appeared in the whole very friendly.[26] Rainy Wheather continued.
7th. Being inform’d that the Wondats had a mind to go back again to the French, & had endeavour’d to take the Delawares with them to recommend them to the French, I sent Andrew Montour to Beaver Creek with a string of Wampum to inform himself of the Truth of the matter; they sent a String in answer to let me know they had no correspondence that way with the Wondats, and that the aforesaid Report was false.
8th. Had a Council with the Chiefs of the Wondats; enquired their number, & what occasion’d them to come away from the French, What Correspondence they had with the Six Nations, & whether or no they had ever had any Correspondence with the Government of New York; they inform’d me their coming away from the French was because of the hard Usage they received from them; That they wou’d always get their Young Men to go to War against their Enemies, and wou’d use them as their own People, that is like Slaves, & their Goods were so dear that they, the Indians, cou’d not buy them; that there was one hundred fighting Men that came over to join the English, seventy were left behind at another Town a good distance off, & they hoped they wou’d follow them; that they had a very good Correspondence with the Six Nations many Years, & were one People with them, that they cou’d wish the Six Nations wou’d act more brisker against the French; That above fifty Years ago they made a Treaty of Friendship with the Governor of New York at Albany, & shewed me a large Belt of Wampum they received there from the said Governor as from the King of Great Britain; the Belt was 25 Grains wide & 265 long, very Curiously wrought, there were seven Images of Men holding one another by the Hand, the 1st signifying the Governor of New York (or rather, as they said, the King of Great Britain), the 2d the Mohawks, the 3d the Oneidos, the 4th the Cajugas, the 5th the Onondagers, the 6th the Senekas, the 7th the Owandaets [Wyandots], the two Rows of black Wampum under their feet thro’ the whole length of the Belt to signify the Road from Albany thro’ the 5 Nations to the Owendaets; That 6 Years ago, they had sent Deputies with the same Belt to Albany to renew the Friendship.
I treated them with a quart of Whiskey & a Roll of Tobacco; they expressed their good Wishes to King George & all his People, & were mightily pleas’d that I look’d upon them as Brethren of the English.
This Day I desir’d the Deputies of all the Nations of Indians settled on the Waters of Ohio to give me a List of their fighting Men, which they promis’d to do. A great many of the Indians went away this Day because the Goods did not come, & the People in the Town cou’d not find Provision enough, the number was so great.
The following is the number of every Nation, given to me by their several Deputies in Council, in so many Sticks tied up in a Bundle:
The Senacas 163, Shawonese 162, Owendaets 100, Tisagechroanu 40; Mohawks 74; Mohickons 15; Onondagers 35; Cajukas 20; Oneidos 15; Delawares 165; in all 789.[27]
9th. I had a Council with the Senakas, & gave them a large String of Wampum, black & White, to acquaint them I had it in Charge from the President & Council in Philadelphia to enquire who it was that lately took the People Prisoners in Carolina, one thereof being a Great man, & that by what discovery I had already made I found it was some of the Senekas did it; I therefore desir’d them to give me their Reasons for doing so, & as they had struck their Hatchet into their Brethren’s Body they cou’d not expect that I could deliver my Message with a good heart before they gave me Satisfaction in that Respect, for they must consider the English, tho’ living in several Provinces, are all one People, & doing Mischeif to one is doing to the other; let me have a plain & direct answer.