USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. IX > Part 51
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After the above Chiefs had considered what had been told them, the Delawares and Shawanese, on a Belt and String of Wampum, expressed their Satisfaction at seeing Commissioners from Pennsyl- vania at their Council Fire, and returned Mr. Croghan Thanks for introducing them to their several Nations, Assuring him they would pay due attention to what those Gentlemen should say to them from their Brother Onas, and their Brethren of that Province.
A Belt and String.
At a Conference held with the Indians at Fort Pitt, on Friday the 2d Day of April, 1768.
Present, the same as before.
Mr. Croghan addressed himself to all the different Tribes, and spoke as follows, Viz“:
" Brethren :
" The other Day I introduced you to the Commissioners from Pennsylvania, and informed you they had several Messages to you from the Governor and good People of that Province. They are now going to speak to you, and I desire you will pay due attention to what they shall say.
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The Commissioners then, in the name of the Governor of Penn- sylvania, delivered the following Messages to the Indians :
" The Honourable JOHN PENN, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Province of Pennsylvania, and Counties of New Castle, Kent, and Sussex, on Delaware.
"To the several Tribes of Indians living on and beyond the Ohio, Vizt .: Six Nations, Shawanese and Delawares, &ca.
"' Brethren :
" It is not long since I sent a Message to you to be delivered by Mr. Alexander McKee.
" You will see that that Message was sent on purpose to acquaint you, that two of our bad inhabitants had murdered some of our Indian Brethren at Middle Creek, near Susquehanna, and that I was taking all the Pains in my Power to have the murderers ap- prehended and brought to the Punishment they justly deserve.
" Ever since I sent that message to you, my Heart has been so deeply afflicted with Sorrow for the Loss you have sustained by that barbarous Act, that I could not rest or sleep quiet in my Bed, as I well knew it was a very great Breach of the solemn Engagements we had entered into, of preserving the strictest Friendship between us, in not suffering the least Link in the Chain to be broken, or any ways hurt.
" I have longed much to come myself to the Ohio, to take you by the Hand, and sit down and condole with you on so melancholy an occasion, in the Losses you have sustained in the Death of some of our good Brethren, the Indians ; but I must let you know, that the great Affairs I have to manage in the Government, necessarily detain me at this Time in Philadelphia. I have therefore appoint- ed my good Brother John Allen, Esquire, and the Provincial Sec- retary, Joseph Shippen, Esquire, Commissioners to meet you on this occasion, and to Speak and Condole with you in my stead. They will deliver this Message to you in my Name, and whatever they shall say to you, you may hear and believe, in the same man- ner as if I was present among you, and spoke to you myself; for, you may depend on it, they will say nothing to you but the real 'Truth, and what are the sincere Sentiments of my Heart.
A String.
" Brethren :
" I told you also in that Message, that I had communicated this melancholy news to Sir William Johnson, and promised you, that as soon as I received his Answer, you should hear from me again ; and I hoped, in such a manner as I hoped would be to your satis- faction.
" Brethren :
" I am now to inform you that I have since received Sir William Johnson's Answer, and am pleased to hear that he has laid this
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matter before a large number of Indians, as well of the Six Nations as of several other Northern Tribes of Indians with whom he has lately held friendly Conferences at his House; and Mr. Croghan will relate to you whatever was done at that Treaty.
A String.
" Brethren :
" The unhappy accidents which have happened to some of your People in my Government have given me great Concern, as I have already told you ; I with this string of Wampum gather up the Bones of all our dead Friends, and bury them in the Earth, that they may be no more seen.
A String.
" Brethren :
" As I have buried the Bones of all our deceased Friends, I con- dole with you for the Loss you have sustained in them, and cover their Graves with these few Goods.
Delivered the Condolance Presents.
" Brethren :
" With this Belt of Wampum I clean the Blood off the Leaves and Earth whereon it was sprinkled, that the sweet Herbs which come through the Earth may have their usual Verdure, and that we may all forget the unhappy Accidents that have happened.
A large White Belt.
" Brethren :
" Hearken now to what I have to say further to you in behalf of myself and all the good People of this Province.
" I am informed that some wicked and ill disposed People have told you many Lies; endeavored to make you believe that the good People of my Province are not well affected towards you, but in- tend you some mischief, and are not desirous of preserving the Chain of Friendship bright and entire between us. You may de- pend on it that all such Representations are false, and without the least foundation, and are made with no other View than to make a Breach between us, and the Authors must be looked on as our greatest Enemies. To assure you that I am desirous and sincere in my Intentions to live always in the strictest Harmony with you, and to remove every uneasiness that may be lodged in your Breasts, I have impowered and instructed my Commissioners to confer with you on any matters which immediately relate to my Government, and to hear what you have to say to me with regard to all such things as may contribute to preserve the Peace and strengthen that Band of Friendship in which you are united with the good People of this Province; and I make no doubt but you have the same good Dispositions that I have to promote that End, and that all
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Things will be freely communicated to one another in these Con- ferences ; I desire, therefore, that you will fully inform my Com- missioners of everything that gives you the least uneasiness, that I may know it and endeavour to remove all Cause of Discontent among you.
A Belt.
" Brethren :
" I have told you every thing I had to say to you relative to the unhappy Murder committed by two of our wicked People on some of your Brethren, and as I am and have been doing every Thing in my Power to bring those Offenders to Justice, I cannot help remin- ding you of the Number of People I have lost in the Indian Coun- try by some of your foolish young Men ; And as I am determined that the strictest Justice shall be done you, I must let you know that I expect the same Justice from you for the Loss of His Majesty's Subjects entrusted to my Care. This is agreeable to the Treaties of Friendship long subsisting between your several Na- tions and Us, and if we both unite in attending strictly to those Treaties, we shall be able to preserve the Chain of Friendship bright and without Rust.
" It was likewise agreed at those Treaties, that whenever any Accident should happen, that might give the least Uneasiness, or in any Manner endanger the Friendship subsisting between us, We should immediately inform each other of it. Now, you see that I have not forgot those antient Treaties, for as soon as I had Knowledge of those unlucky Accidents which have happened in my Province, I immediately sent you Notice of them by a Speech and Belt, to be delivered to you by Mr. McKee; and I now send my two Commissioners to Condole with you on that Melancholy Oc- casion.
"I must now inform you of such English Subjects belonging to my Province as have been Murdered in the Indian Country, and have come to my Knowledge, viz : Henry O'Brian, Peter Brown, and eight other Men, in proceeding down the Ohio last August, with two large Batteaus, loaded with Goods, were murdered by the Indians, and part of the Goods taken away, near the Falls of that River. Thomas Mitchell a Trader, was likewise Murdered in one of the Shawanese Villages last Fall. John McDonald was also Murdered near Fort Pitt in December last, by a Delaware Indian. A Belt.
" Brethren :
" With this Belt I renew, brighten and make strong the Chain of Friendship that Subsists between us, I have still fast hold of one End of it, and desire you will also keep fast hold of the other End, and let us both for ever hold it fast, that We may hereafter con- tinue as one Man, and act together in all Matters relating to our
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mutual Welfare as Brothers, who have the same Interests and Con- cern for each others Peace and Happiness.
A Belt, representing a Chain held by a hand at each end, of 11 Rows.
" JOHN PENN.
" Dated at Fort Pitt, the 29th day of April, 1768.
" By his Commissioners,
" JOHN ALLEN, [L. S.]
" JOSEPH SHIPPEN, Jun"., [L. s.]
The Commissioners having delivered the Governor's Messages in Council, Mr. Croghan addressed the Indians as follows :
" Brethren :
"You have now heard what the Governor of Pennsylvania hath said to you by his Commissioners, and you see that he and the Wise Men of that Province have not forgot the former Friendship that subsisted between your Fore-fathers and theirs; They have now condoled with you for your lost Friends, agreeable to your antient Custom, and spoke their Minds freely on every subject that has caused their Meeting you at this time, and have called on you to do the same on your Parts. They have brightened the Chain of Friendship, and have done every thing in their Power to preserve that Friendship which was made between your Fore-fathers and the first Settlers of that Province, who came over with your Brother Onas.
" Brethren :
"I now desire you will assemble all the wise Men of your several Tribes together, and call to mind your former Treaties with the good People of Pennsylvania, and consider what has been said to you, and speak your minds freely and openly to the Governor's Commissioners, that every thing which gives you Uneasiness or Discontent, may be fully known to your Brother Onas, as he has desired."
A Belt.
After the above Speeches were interpreted to the different Na- tions, one of the Chiefs spoke, and said they would take them into Consideration, and let us know when they should be ready to an- swer them.
Then a Deputy, sent from the Six Nation Country, got up and delivered the following Message to the several Nations present.
" Brethren :
"I am sent from the Six Nation Council with this Speech, to in- form you, that they have considered well the past Conduct of their Warriors, in going through this Country to and from War, who have made a practice of Stealing Horses, and behaving otherwise very ill to their Brethren, the English, and have forbid their doing any mischief for the future ; and do now desire you, the Shawanese,
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Delawares, and Wyandotts, to do the same, and to throw all evil Thoughts out of your minds and Hearts ; and to think of nothing but promoting a lasting Friendship with your Brethren, the En- glish, as we, your elder Brothers, the Six Nations, have determined to do."
A Belt.
After the Six Nation Deputy had finished the foregoing Speech, and it was interpreted to the Indians, Mr. Croghan informed them of the Congress Sir William Johnson lately held with the Six Na- tions, Canada Indians, and other Northern Tribes, of the Business transacted with them, and the Peace settled between those several Nations and the Cherokees; and that the Deputies of the latter, with a Number of the Six Nations, were to return home by the way of Fort Pitt, and recommended it to the different Tribes pres- ent to behave in a friendly manner to them, and see that they passed safe through their Country, on which Mr. Croghan gave them
A Belt.
At a Conference held with the Indians, at Fort Pitt, on Sunday the 1st day of May, 1768.
PRESENT :
The same as before.
Quequedagaytho, Speaker for the Delawares, rose up, and made the following Answer to the Message from the Governor of Penn- sylvania :
" Brother :
" We return you thanks for your kindness in sending Commis- sioners to Condole with us, on Account of the unhappy Accidents which have happened between us; as also, for the Friendly Mes- sages they have delivered to us in your Name, and you may be assured We shall pay due Regard to every thing you have therein said to Us.
He then requested the several Nations present to attend to what he was about to say further to their Brother, the Governor of Penn- sylvania, and then proceeded :
" Brother :
" The Grief and Concern which you have expressed to us on the late Mischiefs committed on our People, we believe to be very sincere, and that they were caused by the evil Spirit. You have also mentioned, in a particular Manner, several Losses which you have Sustained in the Indian Country ; We are heartily sorry for them, but must acquaint you that, as to the Murder of the Ten Men in the Batteaus, down this River, we have heard of it as well as you, but it was committed by other Nations and not by any of
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the Tribes here present, so that we have not had the least Concern in this unhappy Affair. It is too true that one of your People was killed by the Shawanese, and we are also very sorry for that Acci- dent. As to the Man who you say was killed near Fort Pitt, by a Delaware Indian, we tell you that the Person who committed that Fact was half a White Man and half an Indian, so you see, Brother, that you are equally concerned with us in that Breach of Friend- ship ; but I hope, Brother, all these Misfortunes are now buried in Oblivion, and that our Children may never think of them more, and that we may continue in the strictest Friendship.
A Belt.
" Brother :
" I shall, in the next Place, speak to you concerning the Friend- ship that subsists between us; I hope we shall always be firm in it, and we shall endeavour, on our Parts, to keep the Chain as bright and Strong as our Forefathers did at their first Councils, which were held by Wise Men."
A String.
He then repeated the same Ceremonies that We had used in the Burying the Bones, and said :
" Brother :
" I now gather all the Bones of your deceased Friends, and bury them in the Ground in the Same Place with ours, so deep that none of our young People may ever know that any Misfortunes have hap- pened between us; and it gives us great Satisfaction that our Brother Onas has not forgot this antient Custom of Condoling with us for our Losses.
A Belt.
"Brother :
" By this Belt I wipe away the Blood, as you have done, from the Earth, and make your Bodies quite clean, that you may appear to have as good Hearts as our Wise Fore-fathers, and We hope what passes in this Council will never be forgotten."
After repeating what had been said to them concerning the Chain of Friendship, he concluded :
" Brethren :
" We are much obliged to the Governor for speaking so freely & openly to us from his Heart, and as he has recommended to us to take fast hold of the Chain of Friendship, we assure him we shall take his Advice and will do it; and that we shall, likewise, speak to him from our Hearts, for we look upon this as the only way to preserve our Friendship, and we shall take Care to guide and direct our Young People to behave as they ought to do in promoting the Peace and cultivating the Strictest Harmony between us."
A Belt. 1
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The Beaver, a Chief of the Delawares, then rising up, desired all present to pay attention to what he should say to his Brother, the Governor of Pennsylvania.
" Brother :
" We, the old Men of the different Nations present, are much re- joiced that the Chain of Friendship is now brightened by our Brother the Governor of Pennsylvania, and we return him thanks for put- ting it into our hands, in the kind manner he has done, which con- vinces us of his good Intentions.
" We, the Delawares, Shawanese, Munsies, Mohickons, Wyan- dotts, and our Uncles the Six Nations, will keep fast hold of the Chain of Friendship, in the Manner you desire us. We now de- sire the Governor will also take hold of the end of this Belt, which we stretch along the Road between him and us, in order to clear it of the Briars and Brush that have grown up in it, that we may travel it in Peace and Safety.
"Brother :
" We make the Road smooth and pleasant for your Commission- ers to Travel home, and make a Report to you, at our antient Council Fire in Philadelphia, of what they now hear from us. And when you consider our speeches, you will find that our Hearts are good, and that we are determined to preserve the Road of Peace free from any interruption on our parts. We desire you will take the same care on your Parts, for if any Logs should be laid across it by any of your People, it will be undoing every thing that is now agreed on between our several Nations and you, at this meet- ing."
A Belt.
Then Queguedagaytho rose, and said that they had spoken every thing they had to say at this Time, to their Brother Onas; and, addressing himself to Mr. Croghan, spoke as follows :
" Brother :
" We have long been acquainted with you, and are well pleased with your Behaviour towards us, and at this Time, are the more obliged to you for introducing to us the Commissioners from the Government of Pennsylvania, as it has given us a good opportuni- ty of renewing our Peace with the good People of that Province, with whom our Fore-fathers always lived in the most perfect Friend- ship. You spoke to us the other Day and recommended to us to take into our most serious consideration the several matters we have heard from the Governor of Pennsylvania by his Commission- ers, and to weigh them well in our Minds before we give our An- swers to them.
" Brother :
" We have taken your Advice, and you may be convinced of this by what we have just now said in behalf of the Delawares, Mun- sies, and Mohickons."
A Belt.
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The Speaker of the Delawares then observed that they had fin- ished what they had to say at this Time.
Then a Chief of the Six Nations rose up, and addressing himself to the Commissioners of Pennsylvania, said :
' Brethren :
" We have heard with attention what the Delawares have now said to you, and we shall speak to you to-Morrow, and so will our younger Brothers, the Shawanese.
At a Conference held with the Indians at Fort Pitt, on Monday the 2nd Day of May, 1768.
Present the same as before.
Tohonissahgarawa, a Chief of the Six Nations, got up, and ad- dressing himself to the Several Nations present, said :
"Brethren :
"The great giver of Life has brought us all together at this Council Fire, in order to promote the good work of Peace, and we have heard what our Brother Onas hath said to us by his Commis- sioners, and you will now hearken attentively to what the Six Na- tions are about to say to him in Answer to his Messages.
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A String.
Then addressing himself to the Commissioners of Pennsylvania, he said :
" Brethren :
" You have already heard what our Nephews, the Delawares, have said to you ; they have spoken freely and openly to you from their Hearts, and we hope it has made a proper Impression on you. We are now, in like manner, going to open our Hearts to you freely ; and We also hope that what We shall deliver will be received by you in a friendly manner.
A String.
" Brother Onas :
" In your several Speeches you have desired us to open our Minds freely, and to speak before you every thing that gives us uneasi- ness ; we are obliged to you for this advice, which we shall follow, and are glad of an opportunity to speak to you in Council.
" Brother :
" It is not without Grief that we see our Country settled by you without our Knowledge or Consent; and it is a long Time since we first complained to you of this Grievance, which we find has not as yet been redressed, but Settlements are still extending further into our Country. Some of them are made directly on our War Path, leading to our Enemies' Country, and we do not like it.
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" Brother:
" You have Laws amongst you to govern your People by, and it will be the Strongest Proof of the Sincerity of your Friendship to let us see that you remove the People from our Lands; as we look upon it, it will be Time enough for you to settle them when you have purchased them and the Country becomes yours.
A Belt.
" Brother:
"We have heard with Pleasure what you have said to us; you have made our Hearts easy with respect to the Losses we have suf- fered by you, and therefore we shall not take notice of any past Misfortunes. We are glad to find our Nephews, the Delawares, have taken fast hold of the Chain of Friendship with you, and by this Belt we join our hands with you and them in holding it fast. We speak now in behalf of the six Nations residing in this Coun- try, as there are some of every Tribe present, and we wish, Brother, that you may be Strong, and as well disposed to preserve that Friendship as we are.
A Belt.
" Brother :
" I have now done speaking, and have told you every thing that Remains in our Hearts which gives us, and the several Nations in- this Country, any uneasiness."
At a Conference held with the Indians at Fort Pitt, on Tuesday the third of May, 1768.
PRESENT :
The same as before.
Nymwha, a Speaker for the Shawanese, addressing himself to all the Indians, desired they would attend to what he was going to say to the Commissioners of Pennsylvania, and all his Brethren, the English, present, and spoke as follows :
" Brethren :
" When you talked of Peace to us at the time We were strug- gling in War, We did not hearken to you at first. You mentioned it to us a second time. We still refused to attend to you, but after repeating it to us several times, we consented to hear you. We then looked at you, and saw you holding Instruments of War in your Hands, which we took from you and cast them into the Air out of our Sight. We afterwards desired you to destroy your Forts, as that would be the Way to make all Nations of Indians believe you were sincere in your Friendship, and we now repeat the same request to you again. We also desire you not to go down this River, in the way of the Warriors, belonging to the foolish Nations, to the Westward; and told you that the Waters of this River, a
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great way below this Place, were coloured with Blood; you did not pay any regard to this, but asked us to accompany you down, which we did, and felt the smart of our Rashness, and with difficulty re- turned to our Friends. We see you now about making Batteaus, and we make no doubt you intend going down the River again, which we now tell you is disagreeable to all Nations of Indians ; and now again desire you to sit still at this Place.
" They are also uneasy to see that you think yourselves Masters of this Country, because you have taken it from the French, who you know had no Right to it, as it is the Property of us Indians .- We often hear that you intend to fight with the French again; if you do, we desire you will remove your Quarrel out of this Country, and carry it over the great Waters, where you used to fight, and where we shall neither see or know any thing of it. All We de- sire is to enjoy a quiet Peace with you both, and that we should be strong in talking of Peace.
" We have now spoken to you from our Hearts, and hope We shall be strong in promoting a lasting Friendship. All We have to say to you now is to be strong, and let us agree to what We desire of each other. When you first talked of Peace to us you de- sired us to sit over the River, quietly at our Fires ; but our Women and Children were frightened away by the Noise you made in re- pairing your Fort, but, if you do as we desired you, they will re- turn without Fear.
A Belt.
" Brethren :
" You have heard what we desired in our last Speech, and we hope you. will comply with our Request, and not attempt to go down this River again, as the Nations who live that way are surprized to see you make a Practice of this at the same time that you were making professions of Friendship to us. We, therefore, desire you will put a Stop to your People going down this River till We have spoke to the Nations living in that Coun- try, which we intend to do with the assistance of our Brothers, the Six Nations, and our Grand Fathers, the Delawares.
A String.
"Brethren :
" The Reason of our mentioning this Matter at this Time, is because we hope you will take pity on us, and do as we have de- sired you."
Then Kissonaucththa, a Chief of the Shawanese, rose up, and said :
" Brethren :
"We are glad to see you here, and that you are sent by the Governor of Pennsylvania to confer with us at this Council. It much rejoiced our Hearts to take you by the Hand on your Arrival,
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and We assure you that the several Nations now present are equally rejoiced with us on this Account.
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