“Brothers, when you came to see us at Detroit,[1] we wanted to see you; but other people would not suffer us to take you by the hand. If they had been of our minds, you would have had us round you then, as you are now round us. Colonel M’K.[2] prevented us. We return you thanks for the good you came for. Our wives and children shed tears because they could not come to you. When they said we will go, he said, you will be disappointed, they will not give you so much as a needle full of thread. We believed it—our dependence was on them.
“Brothers, we hope you will continue your friendship to us, and help us to keep our lands. I speak from my heart. We know you are not capable of giving bad advice. The Great Spirit hears what we say, and it will be known among our people, so long as red men shall remain upon this island.
“Brothers, these six strings of wampum, in the sight of the Great Spirit, are to sweep all the bad things away from between us.
“If the white people should want to spill our blood again, we hope you will use your endeavours to preserve peace.”
These Indians also presented a large belt of ten strings of white wampum from the Delaware nation, with a speech of considerable length in writing, from which we extract the following.
After acknowledging the kindness of Friends, and the good advice communicated in the speech which they had received by the hands of the Miami chief, the Little Turtle, they say—
“Brothers, you strongly recommend peace—we are much inclined to peace. The war axe is long since buried deep in the bottom of the great lake—so very deep, that we hope the evil Spirit will never be able to take it up again. There we hope it will ever remain, and never be thought of by any of us. We hope that the master of life, who disposes of all things according to his will and pleasure, may also so dispose the hearts and minds of his white brethren, as they used to be at that time when our forefathers first met on this great island, and smoked the pipe of peace with your grandfather Onas, (Penn) on the very same spot where your great village (Philadelphia) now stands.
“Brothers, at that time the hearts and minds of men were white and good. The evil spirit who works in the inside of the bodies of men, had then no power over them. Our villages were peaceful, and our paths, at that time, were covered with flowers, and we knew nothing of war. But soon after, the bad spirit fixed himself deep in the hearts and minds of our white brethren. They made war against each other, and soon taught us to be as wicked as themselves, and, like themselves, cruel and unjust. It was them who took the pipe of peace out of our hands, and it was them who put the destructive war axe into our hands, to strike against their white brethren and their helpless women and children. They only are the cause of all our misfortunes—the destruction of our villages, the death of our young warriors and helpless women and children—the loss of our lands and our happiness.
“Brothers, we are told by you, in your speech to us, that you wish to know our situation, and in what manner you could be of service to us—we are poor and pitiful indeed—destructive war has caused many of our families to be scattered abroad in the wilderness, insomuch, that we can scarcely find their places of residence. Our once peaceful villages exist no more. Our paths, which once were covered with flowers, are now full of thorns, and stained with the blood of our young warriors and our helpless women and children. We have almost considered ourselves as last men, and thrown our bodies away, but by the advice of our brother, Jonathan Shefflin, and the assistance of the Great Spirit, we will now assemble ourselves together, and form an extensive village on the plains of the White river. Speeches are this day sent to our brethren for that purpose, and we hope that by the next summer, we shall all be assembled at that place, when we will point out the means of your assisting us.
“Brothers, may the great regulator of all things, he who knows the hearts and minds of all men, so dispose the hearts and minds of our Quaker brethren, that they may never be induced to withdraw their friendship and counsel from men who by their ignorance, are easily led astray by the songs of the bad birds—men who are real objects of pity, and who require the protection of their white brethren more at this time than ever.”