USA > New York > Genesee County > History of the Genesee country (western New York) comprising the counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates, Volume II > Part 50
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The above letter refers to the increasing friction, which ulti- mately resulted in the War of 1812, and the following letter throws considerable light upon the state of feeling which pre- vailed in England at that time :
51 Baker St. Parkman Sq 1st Oct 1811
My Dear Sir
Since writing to you last I have had the pleasure of entertain- ing your friend Sir James Jay and of receiving your letter par- ticularly mentioning him; his stay in this country however was so very short, that I had but few opportunities of seeing him. I received a note from him the day before yesterday acquainting me of his sudden departure for Deal with a view of taking a passage to France whither I understand it was his intention in the first instance to repair.
In the papers of this day I perceive a Treaty between Bona- parte & the United States of America; it appears to have been extracted from the "Phillidelphia True American" and the articles of the Treaty are fully mentioned fourteen in number in which the greatest hostility seems to be manifested towards this country.
I should wish to know from you whether you are under any apprehensions now of the seizure of English Property in that Country. I beg you will write me on this subject by the first Packet after the receipt of this letter and inform me what your opinion is now on this subject and what seems to be the general feeling on this occasion. It is my opinion and I know it is yours
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also, that the Americans are acting against their own interest in involving themselves in a War with this Country, for I believe that a meeting of the Ministers will immediately take place here, for the purpose of adopting measures in consequence of this decla- ration.
I hope and trust however for the interest of both Countries that this War may shortly be terminated in mutual satisfaction.
The Americans possess very slender means of annoying or injuring us, whereas from the superiority of our Navy, we can effectually destroy their Trade & shipping and I trust this consid- eration will weigh with them and induce them to reject french Councils. The first step on our part no doubt will be to send out Reinforcements to Canada to secure it against any attack.
In expectation of having shortly the pleasure of hearing from you and in hopes that things will take a more favorable turn,
I remain My dear Sir Very truly yours John Lowther Johnstone.
Inside of the cover of the above letter Lord Johnstone made the following note :
"As there may be now danger of my letters being opened I shall not write again till I hear from you on this point. JLJ-"
The following letter speaks for itself :
North End Felham near London August 1811
My dear Sir
I have received your letters of the 10th & 30th May and of the 5 June last. It gives me great pleasure to learn that you have got the Salver in safety about which I was rather uneasy and I am glad that you so highly approve of it: it was very much admired here .-
The affair of the Little Bell Capt. Bringham, with Commo- dore Rogers has made a great noise here; but there is no doubt on my mind now I believe hardly upon any one here, from the positive affirmations of Capt. Bringham, his officers & crew, that
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the Little Bell was fired at first by the United States Frigate; and it is difficult at present to say what turn this unfortunate affair will take. These frequent differences are much to be lamented but I hope and trust that this affair will terminate amicably. I am naturally anxious on this head for in the event of a War between the two Countries I should be in great appre- hension as to the safety of my property though I believe my Estates are more secure than others by some act of the Legisla- ture of New York and as to which I think you once wrote to me. I have it in contemplation provided my health permits to visit America before the expiration of the time you named for keep- ing the Estate, when we might arrange together as to its sale should it be thought advisable. I hope your expectations as to its value after retaining it a few years longer under your management will be realized.
I could wish very much that you would be so good as to trans- mit hence maps or materials to make a general map of my prop- erty in America. You can suggest to me how this can best be done and which may give me a clearer idea of it.
Our arms have lately been very successful both in Spain & Portugal under the command of Sr. Wellington & Marshall Bere- ford who have both evinced themselves fully able to cope with the ability of Bonaparte's Marshalls; the most successful & Tri- umphant result is looked for from this contest in which the fate of almost all Europe is involved. If the Portugese & Spaniards continue firm & united in the cause there is little to be appre- hended. The public attention here is divided just now between the important events expected from that quarter and the very dangerous state of the Kings health whose life is still in eminent danger-and the idea of losing so worthy & excellent a Monarch fills everyone with grief .- This event would occasion a difsolu- tion of Parliament and of course a new election in which I should be greatly interested in getting the members I should nominate return from Weymouth.
I am sorry that I have not as yet been able to send the Merino sheep-I applied to Mons Misegarz a Spanish merchant who undertook to purchase the sheep but the Regency of Spain would not suffer any more to be sent out of that country. I have heard that there are great quantities in America and it occurs to me
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that you might probably be able to purchase 20 or 30 and I would remit you the money for this purpose if it be practicable.
I very much applaud your determination to pay the Forster debt, in conformity to the instructions sent to you prior to the lamented death of Sir Wm Pulteney notwithstanding any opposi- tion Mr. Williams may evince, if I have not already, I will have the note you allude to from Sir James to me upon this subject looked out & a copy of it sent to you. From the extracts accom- panying your ties of the correspondence between you, Sir James and Mr. Williams it is quite evident that you had very clear & specific directions to pay the Forster debt out of the personal property and whatever liability may be attached to your acting conformably to these instructions for my interest, I shall of course consider myself answerable for.
I wish you to be so good as to inform me whether any portion of the personal property revolves to me by the death of Sir James. I have not heard that he has made any settlement of this prop- erty. His English property at least the major part of it goes to Mrs. Markham from a desire as he mentions in his Will of ful- filling Lady Bath's intentions in regard to it.
By the next Packet a copy of the Will shall be sent you & it will give me great pleasure to hear from you as soon as pofsible and with warmest regards to Mr. Fellows
I remain My dear Sir Very sincerely yours John Lowther Johnstone
P. S. Your suspicion as to Sir James having been influenced by Mr. Williams to write the Tie dated of March last-so much at variance with his former one of the 15th Nov. 10th is, I am persuaded quite correct.
The following taken from a letter written by Colonel Troup, the agent of the Pulteney Estate, at New York, to Samuel Haight, Esquire, of Bath, dated October 9th, 1804:
"You say 'I am happy to hear that you will give directions with respect to the division to No. 6 in the 4th & No. 1 in the 4th The lands in these two towns will sell immediately.' I have not to my recollection had an idea of giving directions for the divi-
41-Vol. 2
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sion of No. 6 in the 4th range. In your letter to me of the 29th August last you recommended the division of No. 4 in the 6th range and No. 1 in the 4th range & in consequence of this recom- mendation I exprefs to Mr. Heslop in the letter I wrote him under date of the 11th ulto. my wish that these towns might be divided & that he would correspond with you on the subject. I presume, therefore, when you speak of No. 6 in the 4th range, you mean No. 4 in the 6th range.
"From these remarks it seems to follow that your letter of the 27th ulto. has been written without due care, and if this kind of correspondence should be continued it will give us both a good deal of trouble. In corresponding on the businefs of an extensive & important concern it is efsential that attention & accuracy should be observed or Confusion & an increase of trouble will naturally insue.
"I much approve of your refusal to sell upon our liberal terms of credit for Steuben County to meir speculators. The sales on these terms must be confined to actual settlers, and where the purchasers live at such a distance as to make it difficult or im- practicable to move on land within the term of six months I have no objection to a reasonable enlargement of the time of settle- ment. What shall be a reasonable enlargement must be left to your discretion, keeping always in view that the sooner the pur- chaser is settled on the land the better both for himself & also for Sir William Pulteney.
"Relative to the turnpike from Jerico to Bath I shall now con- fine myself merely to answering your remark in your letter of the 27th ulto "That some of the lands set apart for turnpike stock are valued too low". The value I put upon them was recom- mended to me by Mr. Williamson & Mr. Rees and we all throught it would be politic to put the Value of them low as an encourage- ment to the making of the road. I do not know that as the sub- scription has taken place an alteration of the prices can now be made without a breach of good faith As the turn- pike road is an object of public importance to the County I do not see that the sale of lands for moderate prices to accomplish the object can be brought justly to apply to sales having in view the mere private interest of the parties. * * I thank you for your assurance that you will receive from Mr. Matthews the
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horse saddle & bridle which Dr. Schott had delivered him for me & that you will take care of them until I want them. I wish you to use the horse as your own whilst you keep him. When I put him into the hands of the doctor to carry into the Genesee Country he had not been accustomed to harnefs. I imagine the doctor has used the horse in his chaise & from the account you give me of the horse's appearance I should not be surprised if he should prove to be injured. Although I bought the horse solely for the saddle yet I have paid so dearly for travelling on horseback that I should not dislike turning him into a sulkey horse. If the horse is injured the best thing to be done with him would be for you to embrace the first opportunity of selling him for what he will fetch."
(Shades of David Harum)
In another letter dated December 14th, 1804, Colonel Troup states :
"I have lately had a conference with Mr. Phillip Church relate to the turnpike road from Jerico to Bath & he is of opinion and he tells me it is also your opinion & that of people in general that deeds must be executed to the makers of the road as it progrefses from gate to gate, and that the road will never be completed if the makers of it are to wait for their deeds until the whole road is finished & all the gates are put up. On this subject I have written to Mr. Heslop and requested him to advise you and to let me know the course which you & he may recommend for me to pursue."
Under the same date Colonel Troup wrote to Vincent Mat- thews Esq, Newton, Tioga County. Dear Sir,
I have been favored with your letter of the 20th ulto & I thank you for the information you give me respecting Dr. Schott. The origin of my acquaintance with him was his calling upon me respecting a claim he had on Sir William Pulteney & his afso- ciates. This claim I compounded with the doctor and afterwards paid to him in full. Upon this occasion the doctor informed me that he was going to the southward-that he had a very respec- table acquaintance there and that he thought he would be able to sell the townships which he understood I owned in Steuben County. He pretended to be so sanguine in his expectation of
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selling the township that I was induced to give him a letter authorizing him to sell it upon certain terms which I had no idea could be obtained for it. The doctor went a small distance to the southward & soon returned but he made no sale & I do not believe that he made any attempt to sell. * On his way from this to Newtown the doctor very civilly drew on me for one hun- dred dollars which I refused to pay. This is the history of my connection with the Doctor, the ties of which I shall be careful not to have more closely drawn. I have seen enough of him to satisfy me that your opinion of him is well founded Mr. Haight was kind enough to inform me that you had delivered him my
horse & that the Doctor had used him very hardly.
*
*
Several persons at Bath were as I understood at the time candi- dates for the Office which I give to Mr. Haight. The appoint- ment of Mr. Haight naturally mortified them and they after- wards proceeded to misrepresent my conduct & motives & thus to prejudice me & Sir William Pulteney in the opinion of the people. Their aim however has been defeated; and the good con- duct of Mr. Haight has I believe powerfully contributed to pro- duce this happy effect. I have every reason in the World to be satisfied with all Mr. Haight's proceedings & I have so repre- sented his conduct to Sir William Pulteney lest anything should happen to me.
(Human nature has not changed much during the last hun- dred years)
Writing to Mr. John Heslop of Geneva on February 26th, 1805, Colonel Troup said, "In making sales you appear to labor under two disadvantages,-one is that you are confined to the Office at Geneva & the other is that in general you hold our selling prices too high. If I could sell the whole of Sir William Pulteney's lands for one dollar per acre payable in ten annual installments with interest I should have no hesitation in making the sale. 2 I am persuaded that this sum with the grow- ing interest will exceed what Sir William Pulteney or his heirs will ever receive for the lands. It is true that the lands have cost Sir William Pulteney a much larger sum per acre & I sus- pect at least four dollars per acre including interest on his capital, but this ought not to be regarded as the true standard for regu- lating our prices when it is known that there are several mil-
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lions of acres in the neighborhood of Sir William Pulteney's and that some of these lands are selling for prices below one dollar and fifty cents per acre. That the proceeds of the sales of the lands will ever reimburse or do anything like reimbursing Sir William Pulteney or his heirs for the moneys they have cost them is entirely out of the question."
(Whatever faults the good Colonel possessed he could scarcely be accused of over-confidence.)
New York 26 March 1805.
Dear Sir
The Mount Morris Tract on the west side of the Genesee River is encumbered with an Indian claim called the Squaky Hill Reservation. I understand that an Indian Treaty is to be held in the course of the ensuing summer for the purpose of exting- uishing Indian claims. At this Treaty I wish to extinguish the Indian Claim on Sir William Pulteney's Moiety of the Mount Morris Tract. I think it would be best for you and me to act in concert & to have the claim on the whole tract extinguished at once. Judge Phelps will attend to the business for me at the Treaty as he must attend having several claims to extinguish on lands of his own. Shall I act for you as I do for Sir William Pulteney. If you give me permission to act would Judge Phelps be a fit person in your opinion to take charge of the business for us? Or would you recommend some other person & whom? I am desirous of having the business fairly and honestly done for all the parties interested.
Be pleased to favor me with your answer to this letter as soon as pofsible and believe me to be
Dear Sir with the greatest Respect Your humble sevt Robt. Troup.
Thomas Fitzsimmons, Esq. Philadelphia.
New York, April 17, 1805.
The Indians I understand will be willing to take land adjoining & not unless they do adjoin some other reservation of theirs. * it probably will be expedient to authorize Judge Phelps to let the Indians have lands adjoining the Gardeau Reservation for the lands in the Mount Morris Tract, unless you
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think that we can do better by engaging to let them have other lands belonging to Sir William Pulteney or to be purchased by us for the purpose we must spare Mr. Fitzsimmons as much as will also serve for his share of the Mount Morris Tract as it is not probable that the Indians will take lands lying in different places. I desire you to reflect on this
subject Judge Phelps generally supports, as you well know, the reputation of a man very keen in the pursuit of his own interest, but as he can have no interest that I can discern in not getting the Indian Claim on the Mount Morris Tract exting- uished at the lowest pofsible price. I presume & so does Mr. Fitz- simmons that he will execute the trust we repose in him with fidelity. (The above was written to Mr. John Heslop, of Geneva) and the following day Mr. Troup wrote to Oliver Phelps, Esq., Suffield, Connecticut, in part as follows: Mr. Bronson called upon me today and informed me that you told him on your leav- ing town that the Indian Treaty would be held sooner than you had expected and therefore you would be obliged speedily to pro- ceed to the Genesee country I depend upon the promise you obligingly made me to use your endeavors to pro- cure the extinguishment of the indian claim on the whole of the Mount Morris Tract by which I mean as well the part owned by Mr. Fitzsimmons as that lately sold by me to Mr. Bronson. To enable you to do this I hereby engage to ratify and carry into effect any bargain you may see fit to make with the Indians whether it be to pay them an equivalent in money or land I will thankfully repay you the monies you may dis- burse in treating with the Indians I will moreover cheerfully pay you a reasonable compensation for your services. (Writing to Mr. Thomas Fitzsimmons, Esq. Philadelphia, from Albany under date of April 29th, 1805, Colonel Troup mentions the fact that Judge Phelps "has been kind enough to accept the trust of procuring the extinguishment of the Indian Claim on the Mount Morris Tract". He also says "Sir William Pulteney's moiety of the Mount Morris Tract I sold to Mr. Bronson for three dollars per acre in cash. Mr. T. F. Morris thinks I sold it much too low, but I am so well satisfied with the sale that I would not cancel it if Mr. Bronson were desirous of it * it is cer- tain that there is a swamp in the Tract of about seven hundred
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acres, which if ever capable of being valuable could not be made so without much Expence *
* Last Summer Mr. S. Ogden is said to have sold a tract of twenty thousand acres of good land not far from the Mount Morris Tract for 75 cents per acre I have suffered severly & almost ruinously by land speculations & all my own dreams & those of my friends with re- spect to the rising value of lands & the easy sale of them have completely vanished into air. I am confident that Mr. T. Morris is sincere in the opinion he has given you but I think that from peculiar circumstances he has a partiality for the tract that imperceptibly warps his judgment & I know from the ruinous nature of his land speculations that he has been so far from making accurate calculations of the value & sale of lands as other unfortunate land speculators have been.
(All of which goes to show that one man is as good a guesser as another. )
Albany 23d May 1805.
Dear sir,
The badness of the roads owing to the long rains we have lately had in this quarter has prevented my setting out for the Genesee Country, as I expected and this gives me the opportunity of sending you the annexed extract of a letter under date of the 15th inst, which i have just received from Judge Phelps from which you will preceive that the purchase of the Indian reserve in the Mount Morris tract is likely to be attended with difficulty. To Thomas Fitzsimmons, Esq. Philadelphia.
Extract of Judge Phelp's letter above mentioned.
"I have just returned from the river, have had opportunity to see the principal Indians on Squaky hill, respecting the sale of their land. I find they have contracted with one Haskell to make a good rail fence round their improvements on the reserve (the greater part of which is already made) this will make it very difficult to purchase their reserve. Their reasons before for sell- ing was that the cattle belonging to the settlers round them ate up all their corn. They do not now appear disposed to sell. The Chiefs listen more to it than the common Indians, but I cannot do anything with them at present. All the Chiefs are going with me to the treaty, I shall have an opportunity to converse with
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the whole of them on the subject & if the thing is practicable I will buy it for you."
In a letter to Mr. Haight written from Albany under date of April 27, 1805, Colonel Troup says: "I also thank you for the sale of my horse and I am satisfied with what you got for him." Which seems to end the episode of the horse the Colonel loaned to Dr. Schott.
Albany, 30 July, 1805.
Dear Sir,
The last evening's New York papers brought accounts from London down to the 6th ulto by an arrival from Liverpool & the following paragraphs are taken from a London paper under date of the 5th ulto:
"In the event of the late Sir William Pulteney's having left no Will, the principal part of his Shropshire Estates, to the amount of above £30,000 per annum will fall to the Earl of Darl- ington, the rest of the Bath, and his own unentailed property of course devolved on his only daughter the Contefs of Bath. He is succeeded in his title, and in all his entailed property, consisting of his Scotch & West Indian Estate of about £10,000 per annum by his nephew Capt. Johnstone of the Coldstream Guards, sone of the late Governor Johnstone. The amiable and accomplished Lady Bath may now be reckoned one of the richest personages in this Country, the American property being of incalcuable value."
From these paragraphs I conclude that our worthy friend Sir William Pulteney is dead, & it seems probable that he died without a Will in which event his daughter will succeed to his American Estate. The long time which has elapsed since the date of Sir William's last letter to me renders his death the more probable. I have, however, no letters advising me of this mel- ancholy event. If true, it makes my power of attorney null & puts an immediate stop to all our operations. We had better say nothing of it, for the present, but go on as usual with selling land and receiving money; but from the execution of deeds we are restrained; as they would have no legal effect and be void. This will of course be a mutual obstacle to our progress in busi- ness & yet it cannot be surmounted without a fresh power. I shall write to day to Sir James Pulteney & communicate to him what is needful for the owner of the property to do and I doubt
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not he will give immediate attention to the subject. I can scarce- ly believe Sir William died without a will, considering his late marriage & I am altogether at a loss whom to write to about his American Estate, but I presume I cannot do wrong in writing to Sir James Pulteney *
With much respect, I am
Robt. Troup.
To Mr. John Heslop,
Geneva, Ontario County.
Under date of August 2, 1805, Mr. Troup further states in a letter to Mr. Heslop: A paper brought me by the last evening's mail contains the following paragraph from a London paper of June 1.
Sir William Pulteney, Bart., died yesterday at two o'clock at his house in Piccadilly. He had been in a very dangerous state several days past and underwent a surgical operation, which ended in a Mortification & occasioned his death." This account seems to put Sir William's death beyond all doubt. There has not yet been quite time enough for the arrival of dispatches to me.
MORE ABOUT THE INDIAN TITLE.
On August 29th, 1805, Colonel Troup wrote to Thomas Fitz- simmons Esquire, Philadelphia. "Judge Phelps has held his treaty with the Indians as he expected, but it does not appear that he has taken a single step to extinguish the Indian claim to the Mount Morris Tract. This claim therefore remains as it was & the extinguishment must be effected if at all at some future treaty. After I understood that Judge Phelp's treaty had been holden & that nothing had been done with the claim on the Mount Morris Tract I conversed on the subject with an intelligent friend of mine, who lives not far from the Tract and he told me that he was surprised to hear that the Indians objected to sell their claim; & he added that he would see and converse with Mr. Jones the Indian interpreter, who resides amongst the Indians having the claim & would let me know the result. On the 25th ulto. I received from my friend a letter from which an extract is hereto annexed. You will perceive that Mr. Jones's opinion is directly at variance with Judge Phelps's. There is a mystery in this businefs, which I cannot unravel. I reposed the fullest confi-
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