Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. IX, Part 46

Author:
Publication date: 1838
Publisher: [Harrisburg] : By the State
Number of Pages: 810

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" A Committee of the Assembly having last Night waited on the Governor with a Message from the House requesting him to ap- point a Time for passing the Bill for raising and applying the Sum of £3000, &cª., and his Honour having agreed to pass the same at this Hour, sent them a Message by the Secretary, requiring their attendance for that Purpose. The House accordingly attended and the Speaker presented to the Governor the Bill entituled " An Act for raising and applying the Sum of £3000 towards removing the present Discontent of the Indians, regaining their Friendship, and for other Purposes therein mentioned;" which his Honour enacted into a Law, and appointed a Member of Council to accompany a Member of the House to see the Great Seal affixed thereto, and to deposit the Law in the Rolls Office.

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Thursday the 18th of February, 1768.

"The Governor consulted with Mr. Galloway, and Mr. James Pemberton, two of the Commissioners for laying out the Money directed by Law to be given in Presents to the Indians, as to the Sum necessary to be expended on that Account at the ensuing Treaty to be held by Sir William Johnson, and they concurring in Opinion that the Sum of £1000 would be sufficient for the Purpose, unless Sir William should judge it necessary and expedient to en- large it with the Addition of £200 or £300 more, which they thought should be submitted to his Judgment and Discretion.

The Governor thereupon immediately wrote the following Letter to Sir William Johnson, which was dispatched by Express, viz"" :

A Letter from the Governor to Sir William Johnson.

" PHILADELPHIA, 18th February, 1768.

" Sir :

"I have the Pleasure to inform you that the Assembly have concurred with me in a Law for raising a Sum of Money, part of which is to be laid out in Presents to the Indians by way of Con- dolance, as well for such of their Brethren as were lately killed by Frederick Stump on Middle Creek, as for all others who have here- tofore been Murdered in this Province by our People, hoping by this Means effectually to remove the Uneasiness and Discontent which may arise or remain in their minds on that Account, and to regain their Friendship. The Persons appointed by Law to dis- pose of the Money in Conjunction with myself, have appropriated the Sum of One Thousand Pounds for this Service. But as the Application and Distribution of the intended Presents cannot be made with so much Propriety or Judgment by any Person as your- self, and as no Time should be lost in a Matter of so much impor- tance, we have agreed that the Presents should be made at a Gen- eral Treaty, which I am informed you are soon to hold with the In- dians.

"I am therefore under the Necessity of requesting the Favour of You to dispose of the above Sum at the ensuing Treaty in the name and on the Behalf of this Government, in Presents to such parti- cular Indians and Tribes of Indians as you shall judge will be most proper and likely to answer the good Ends we propose. The mo- ney shall be immediately paid to such Person or remitted in such a Manner as you shall please to direct.

" The Assembly are of Opinion that it would be expedient and necessary that Commissioners appointed by me should be sent to attend the Treaty, if the Time between this and the holding the Treaty would admit of it. I would therefore request the Favour of You to inform me by the Return of the Bearer, whom I send

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Express to you on this Occasion, whether such a Measure is prac- ticable.

" As several of the Inhabitants of this Province have been mur- dered by the Indians since the general Peace established with them in 1764, You will no doubt think it advisable, at the same time, that you condole with them on the loss of their People, to remind them of the Injuries done to us, and that we have received no Sat- isfaction from them on these Accounts, for which Purpose I here- with send you a List of the names of the Persons belonging to this Province who have been killed by the Indians. I also inclose you the Names of the Indians killed by Frederick Stump, and the Tribes they belong to.

" I beg leave further to observe to you, that the whole Sum ap- propriated by the Law to be expended in Presents to the Indians for reconciiing them to this Province is £2500. But as we are of Opinion that there is more Reason to apprehend a Rupture with the Western Indians than those of the Six Nation or Northern Tribes, we have thought it advisable to allot the greatest part of that Sum to be applied in Presents to the former, which it may be most convenient to distribute among them at Fort Pitt. But as we have the greatest Confidence in your Judgment and Knowledge in Indian affairs, we submit this matter to your discretion, and if you shall judge it most expedient to lay out £200 or £300 more than the £1000 above mentioned, to be presented to the Indians with whom you are about to hold Conferences, I have liberty from the Commissioners to empower you to expend that additional Sum, and to do everything else in this Business on the part of the Pro- vince, which you may think most conducive to its true Interest and Safety.

"I shall not endeavour to apologize for troubling you on this Occasion, as your readiness at all Times to serve this Province ren- · ders anything of that kind unnecessary.

"I am, with great Regard, Sir, " your most Obedient, humble Servant, "JOHN PENN.

"Sir WILLIAM JOHNSON, Baronet, "at Johnson Hall."

A List of Persons belonging to Pennsylvania, Murdered by the In- dians since the last Peace made with them :

" Henry Obryan, Peter Brown, and eight other White Men, in proceeding down the Ohio last August, with two large Batteaus, loaded with Goods amounting to the Value of £3000, were attacked and Pillaged near the Falls of that River, and not having been since heard of, tho' the Batteaus with a great part of the Goods were afterwards found on the Shore, they are supposed to have been all Murdered.

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" Thomas Mitchell, A Trader from this Province, Murdered in one of the Shawana villages last Fall.

"Another Person, name unknown, Murdered by a Delaware In- dian, near Fort Pitt, in December last.

Names of the Indians killed on the 10th and 11th of January, 1768, by Frederick Stump and John Ironcutter, at Middle Creek, vizt .:

" The White Mingo, otherwise called John Cook, a Seneca In- dian, whose Relations are said to Live on the Head of the Cayuga Branch, (which runs into the Susquehanna at Diohoga), at a Place called Peemeekannink, not far from Chenasse.

"Cornelius, A Mohickon Indian, from a Place called Paghseka- cunk, on the Susquehanna, Six Miles below Diahoga.

"John Campbell, A Mohickon Indian ; also, Jonas Griffy, either a Stockbridge or Jersey Indian.

Women-The White Mingoe's Wife, &c.

"Two other Women, supposed to be the Wives of Cornelius and John Campbell.

"Two Girls and a Child.

"The Women are said to be of the Delaware and Shawanese Tribes."

Thursday the 18th of February, 1768, A. M.

Two Members of Assembly waited on the Governor and presented to him " An Act for the better Employment, Relief, and Support of the Poor of the City of Philadelphia, the District of Southwark, the Townships of Moyamensing and Passayunk, and the Northern Lib- erties."

Friday the 19th of February, 1768.

A Committee of the Assembly presented to the Governor for his Concurrence, a Bill entituled " An Act to enable the Owners and Possessors of a certain Tract of Marsh and Meadow Land therein described, situate in the County of Chester, to keep the Banks, Dams, Sluices, and Flood-Gates in Repair, and to raise a Fund to defray the Expences thereof."

Captain William Patterson having recommended himself to the Governor by his late Spirited and commendable Conduct in apprehen- ding Frederick Stump and John Ironcutter, and delivering them to the

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Custody of the Sheriff of Cumberland, and his Honour, upon en- quiry, finding that he was well qualified for the Office of a Magis- trate, this day issued a special Commission, appointing him a Jus- tice of the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace and of the County Court of Common Pleas for the County of Cumberland.

Eodem die, P. M.

A Committee of two Members of Assembly waited on the Gover- nor with a Verbal Message from the House, requesting him to give as much dispatch as he could to the Consideration of the two Bills now before him, as the House inclined to adjourn this Week, if the Gov- ernor had no Objection. The Governor acquainted them that he had no particular Objection at present to their Adjournment, and that he would return the Bills to the House in the Morning.

Saturday the 20th of February, 1768, A. M.

The Governor and Council having considered the Bill entituled "An Act for the better Employment, Relief, and support of the Poor, &ca.," and " An Act to enable the Owners and Possessors of a certain Tract of Marsh and meadow Land therein described, situate in the County of Chester, &ca," returned them by the Sec- retary to the House, with his assent to first, and the following Amendments to the latter, vizt :

"Page 1, Lines 2, 3. Dele the Words [Tinicum Island].

"Page 22, Line 7. After the Word [List], insert the Words [to be made out]."

Saturday Noon.

A Committee of the Assembly waited on the Governor, and acquainted him that the House had agreed to the Governor's Amendments to the Chester County Meadow Bill, and desired His Honour would be pleased to appoint a Time for passing the Bills which had been agreed on. The Governor made answer that he 1 should be in the Council Chamber at 5 o'Clock this Afternoon, in order to receive the House for that Purpose.

Council Chamber, 5 o'Clock, P. M.

The several engrossed Bills being compared with their Originals, and found to agree, The Governor sent the Secretary to the House

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with a Message requiring their attendance, that he might pass the Bills which had received his Assent.

The whole House Attending accordingly, the Speaker presented to the Governor the following Bills, which he was pleased to enact into Laws, and issued a Warrant for affixing the Great Seal thereto, and appointed a member of Council and the Secretary to accompany two members of the House to see them deposited in the Rolls Office.

1. "An Act for incorporating the Society known by the name and Style of the Philadelphia Contributionship, for insuring Houses from Loss by Fire, &cª."

2. "An Act to continue An Act entituled ' An Act for laying a Duty on Negroes and Mulattoe Slaves imported into this Pro- vince."

3. "An Act for appropriating the Sum of Money for building the middle House on the West side of the Barracks, in the North- ern Liberties of the City of Philadelphia."

4. "An Act for Regulating the Fishery in the River Brandy- wine."

5. "An Act for raising, by way of Lottery, the Sum of £ 5,250 - for purchasing a public Landing in the Northern Liberties, and paving the Streets of Philadelphia."

6. "An Act to amend the Act entituled 'An Act for the better Employment, Relief, and Support of the Poor of the City of Phila- delphia, the District of Southwark, the Townships of Moyamen- sing and Passyunk and the Northern Liberties."

7. " An Act to enable the Owners and Possessors of a certain Tract of Marsh and Meadow Land therein described, situate'in the County of Chester, to keep the Banks, Dams, Sluices, and Flood Gates in repair, and to raise a Fund to defray the Expences thereof."

The Speaker then, in behalf of the House, delivered to the Gov- ernor a Certificate for & 500 towards his Support for the present Year, for which His Honour thanked them.

In about half an Hour after passing the Bills, the Assembly sent by a Committee of two members the following written Message to the Governor; whereupon His Honour acquainted them, that as the Message might possibly require some short Answer, he desired them to inform the House that he requested they would not adjourn till he had an Opportunity of sending them one. The Governor ac- cordingly prepared an Answer, and in an Hour's time sent it by the Secretary, who immediately carried it to the State House; but the Assembly had adjourned, notwithstanding the above request, as he was informed by the Door-Keeper, near half an Hour.

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A Message to the Governor from the Assembly.

"May it Please your Honour:

"We met at this sitting, sincerely disposed to preserve that Harmony which ought to subsist between 'the Branches of a Legis- lative Body;' 'and altho' your Message of the 8th Instant appears to us evidently calculated to disturb it, yet we were resolved that it should not divert us from the important Objects before us; But as the public Business is nearly concluded, and that Message con- tains a number of severe Insinuations and Groundless Charges against us, we are obliged to take particular notice of them.

" We entertain as just a Sense of the 'great Inconvenience attend- ing Differences between those Branches' as you possibly can do .- Ever since we have had the Honour of holding these Seats we have carefully avoided them, unless they were necessary to obtain some Act of Justice, to regain some Right invaded, to support His Ma- jesty's Authority, or procure Safety to ourselves and those we rep- resent ; and even in these Instances we think we may safely call on your Honour, to shew that we have conducted them otherwise than by a plain Representation of Facts, and decent tho' firm Arguments. Could we on a Retrospection of your conduct, persuade ourselves to believe ' that you have carefully avoided doing anything to inter- rupt a good understanding with the Assemblys of this Province,' it would give us real Pleasure, as it would afford us a Prospect of an easy accomodation of our present 'differences.''

" We have carefully re-considered our Message of the fifth In- stant, which you are pleased to say is 'not only indecent and unbe- coming,' but indicates a Spirit prevailing among us very ill suited to. the present critical Situation of our public Affairs, &ca., From what part of this Message you could collect any thing that justifies these Charges, we are at a loss to judge. The manner of expression is plain, accompanied with Arguments deduced from a fair Represen- tation of Facts, which Your Honour has, however, chose wholly to pass over unanswered, from a Conviction, we suspect, that it was much easier to pronounce them 'indecent and unbecoming,' than to re- fute our Reasoning, or disprove the Truth of our Representation.

" We remonstrated to your Honour that most atrocious Offences. had been long since committed in the Province. We requested that you would take the proper Measures to bring the Offenders to Justice, and pointed out the Means by which this most necessary Business might be effected, 'without your doing Violence to the Constitution.' We endeavoured to delineate the unhappy Conse- quences that have resulted from permitting Men who have bid de- fiance to the Powers of Government, and audaciously trampled on its Authority, to remain longer unpunished ; And We presumed to intimate the present Debility of the Government under the late Administration of the Laws. If the pointing out those Truths to your Honour can be esteemed 'indecent' and 'unbecoming,' we

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justly merited Your Censure. But if to advise and to intreat Your Honour to support the King's Authority, committed to Your Care for the protection of his People, is an indispensable Obligation which we owe, both to His Majesty and our Constituents. And if, in the discharge of this Trust, we have incurred Your Displeasure, we can the more chearfully bear it, as we are conscious we were actuated by no Motives but our Duty, and the good of the Country.

"This is the 'Spirit' which prevails among us. If you sus- pected us of any other, you did us great Injustice; And had more of this Spirit been exerted by your Honour, we are persuaded the Murderers of the Indians at Conestogo and Lancaster, would, long e'er now, have suffered the Punishment they deserved; Numerous Offenders would have been deterred from the Perpetration of the most Henious Offiences. The Honour of the Government would have been maintained, and that Order supported, which only can ensure Safety and Happiness to the Subject.

"That 'the averting an Indian War and the sad effects of it, were the principal Objects at the opening of this Sessions,' we agree, and we hope we have demonstrated by our Conduct a faithful discharge of our Duty herein, so far as our Power extended. We, at your Instance, prepared a Bill with all possible Dispatch, for removing the Lawless Intruders from the Indian Lands. And to leave nothing undone which could possibly tend to remove the Indians discontent, we Voted and granted a sum of Money to be expended in Presents of Condolance for the Number of Indians who have been cruelly Murdered in and on the Frontiers of this Province, and other Gifts for regaining their Friendship. 'These things we were more especially induced to do, as we despaired from your Declara- tion, that the Offenders were likely to be apprehended or Public Justice satisfied, which the Laws and Policy of all civilized Nations strictly require.

" But you are pleased to tell us that 'the two only Causes of Complaint you find mentioned in His Excellency General Gage's and Sir William Johnson's Letters, are the Intrusions of our People on the Indians' Lands, and the Insults and Hostile Acts they have received from the Frontier People, chiefly from Vir- ginia ;' and you Charge us, that not being ' content with the Causes pointed out by those Gentlemen, we have proceeded to investigate others.' Your Letter from Sir William, laid before us, we did not receive until the 21st Ultimo. Our Message, upon which you found the Charge against us of unnecessarily investigating other 'Causes than those pointed out by him,' was sent up to your Honour on the thirteenth Ultimo.

"With what Propriety, then, could you Assert that we were not con- tent with the Causes pointed out by Sir William, when we had not seen his Letter ? But had this Letter come to your Hands, and been earlier laid before us, we must have been blind indeed not to have discovered that there are other Causes than those you assign ; because, after men-

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tioning them, this Gentleman adds the words [&cª.] which, to a Per- son desirous of investigating all for the Public good, might have shewn there were 'others' than those particularly specified. The Copy of the General's Letter is now before us, and we cannot help expressing our surprize that you should refer us to that Letter to find that 'the two Causes' recited in your Message are the only Causes of the Indians' complaint. Had your Honour attended to a few words just preceding those you have been pleased to select, you would have found your mistake, and plainly discovered that the General in very explicit Terms assigns other Causes. That the whole Truth may, however, appear, we beg leave to Quote the very Words of his Letter, not transposed as they are in your Message, but in the Order they stand. They are these : That altho' 'seve- ral Causes ' for their present ill Temper are suggested, yet the Insults they have received from the Frontier People, chiefly from those of Virginia, and the Obstinacy of the People, who persist to settle on their Lands, not only without their Consent, but in Con- tradiction to their warmest remonstrances and the Endeavours that have been used to remove them, I perceive to be the most immedi- ate Cause of their present Discontent, Hence it appears very con- trary to what you have alledged, that the Matters asserted by you as the only two Causes of Indian Complaint are styled by the Gen- eral ' the most immediate Cause,' and of Consequence, that there re- main 'other Causes' for their present ill Temper. Indeed, had his Excellency omitted to mention any other Reasons for the Indian Dis- quietude than those your Honour seems so remarkably attached to, We apprehend it requires but a small Knowledge of the Dispositions and Policy of the Natives, and of what has unhappily passed in this Province, to discover many others. The Indians have strong Ideas of Justice, and retain a warm Resentment for Injuries. The Murder of their People they esteem not only a pri- vate Loss to their Relatives but a publick one to their Nation, And they seldom forget or forgive Insults of this Nature without ob- taining satisfaction from the Government where they were com- mitted, And, therefore, when we consider the Number of their Peo- ple who have been cruelly Massacred by a lawless part of the In- habitants of this Province, We cannot conceive that Your Honour can be at a loss to find out some of the other 'Causes' intimated, tho' not expressly enumerated by the General; And if in the In- vestigation of those Causes we have unfortunately given Your Hon- our offence, it is an Offence we assure you we could not well avoid. His Excellency's Letter, and the seeming sincerity with which you declared your Readiness in your first Message on this subject, 'to remove the just Causes of Indian Complaints of past Injuries,' and an anxious Desire of uniting with you in a Measure so neces- sary to the future Safety of the Province, led us into the Enquiry which we conceived to be our Indispensable Duty, as it appeared necessary to avert the Calamites of an Indian War.

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" The oblique Insinuation thrown out by your Honour that those Enquiries were taken up rather with a view to distract your ' Councils than to remove the present Causes of Indian Dissatis- factions,' tho' of a high Nature, gives us no Concern, Our Innocence and Actions we trust will not only vindicate us against this inten- ded Aspersion, but against any others which you may think proper to cast upon us; Nor are we to be thus diverted from firmly dis- charging our Duty to the Crown and our Constituents.

"Those Enquiries were entered into and made before we knew of the Murders committed by Frederick Stump and his Servant; On the 7th of January Mr. Croghan was examined on these Matters before this House ; On the 13th our Message mentioning this Enquiry was sent to you, and the Letter from Colonel Armstrong, giving you the first Account of the Rescue of Stump and his Servant, which seems to have thrown your Councils into so much Confusion, was not wrote before the 29th of the same month. How then was it possible that the House could intend to distract your Councils' at the Time those Enquiries were taken up. They could not suspect that a Request made to your Honour could have that effect when they knew of no other matters before them. If your Councils are Distracted, we disclaim all share in the Causes of that Distraction. And we think you might with much greater Propriety and Justice have derived it from another Source. Councils must undoubtedly be in- volved in Perplexities and Confusion, when the Execution of Laws for a long Series of Time has been grossly neglected ; Murderers and other Offenders permitted to escape with Impunity, and the Government thereby brought into the utmost Contempt. To these Causes the present difficulties attending your ' Councils,' are only to be ascribed, and not to anything which we have done or ever thought of doing; And, therefore, this most unkind Insinuation 1 against us is the more ungenerous and unjustifiable.

" Your Honour is pleased to repeat your 'Detestation of the Murder of the Indians at Conestogo and Lancaster,' and yet you are extremely unwilling to believe it 'one of the Causes of the present discontent among the Indians,' and you confess 'yourself at a loss to conjecture on what Intelligence we found our Opinion in this particular.' We will candidly inform your Honour upon what our Opinion is founded. It is upon the very Nature of those tragical Scenes and their apparent Consequences.

" Those Indians were chieffly Descendants from one of the most powerful Tribes of the Six Nations; They had Relations among them who have long since heard of their inhospitable and Barbar- ous Treatment while under the Protection of the Government. To suppose then that such Acts of Inhumanity had not created Un- easiness and Resentment, not only in those Relations but in the Nation principally, would be to flatter ourselves that they were void of all Passion and Policy, the contrary of which every Day's

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Experience fully manifests; And when we further considered, that not one of those atrocious Murderers has been brought to Punishment in order to remove the Prejudices of the natives against the Government, nor that the usual Presents of Condolence has been made by this Province, to the Relatives, for the loss of their Brethren, we were greatly confirmed in our Opinion that these murders were one of the Causes of Indian Discontent. But we did not depend on those Reasons solely. We found, from the Ex- amination of George Croghan, Esquire, Deputy Superintendant of Indian Affairs, that the Senecas had complained, among others, of those Murders, and we have been so happy, since, as to have our Opinion farther corroborated by another Authority, which we think your Honour will not dispute, as you have fully acknowledged it in your Message now before us. We mean from an impartial and full State of all the causes of Indian Discontent communicated in a Letter, during this Session, to our Speaker, by the Honour- able Sir William Johnson, His Majesty's Superintendant of Indian Affairs. In this Letter Sir William expressly mentioned the Bar- barity exercised on the unhappy Conestoga Indians, as one of the Causes, among others, of the intended Indian Hostilities against the Colonies. And in another Part thereof he says ' The Murder of the Conestogos, still fresh in their Memory, gives them much Pain.' Thus your Honour may perceive that we have not ' taken it for granted' that the Murder of the Conestogo Indians 'is one Cause of Indian Complaint, But that we are supported by good In- formation, and on the very Authority which you so strongly re- commend in your Message.

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Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. IX, Part 46

Author: Publication date: 1838 Publisher: [Harrisburg] : By the State Number of Pages: 810

Author:
Publication date: 1838
Publisher: [Harrisburg] : By the State
Number of Pages: 810