Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. V, Part 48

Author:
Publication date: 1838
Publisher: [Harrisburg] : By the State
Number of Pages: 808

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must not be mentioned among those People); we, your Sons and your Brother before named, make bold to come near you in order to comfort you in your trouble and to wipe off the Tears from your Eyes, and to clean your Throat, to enable you to see about you and to speak out again; we also clean the Place where you sit from any deadly Distemper that may remain on it, and might perhaps have been the occasion of the great Man's Death.' Here the Speaker gave a String of Wampum of Three Rows in Behalf of the Onciders, Cayugers, and Tuscoraros; I gave another of the same size, with a Belt of Wampum to cover the Grave of the deceased. After a short pause I desired to be heard, to which they answered they were ready to hear me. Then I said, ' Brethren, the United Six Nations, to wit, Togarihoan, Sagosanagechteront, Dyionenhogaron, Neharon- toquoah, Sanonowantowano, and Tuscoraro, I am sent to your Coun- cil Fire by your Brother Assaryquoah, and what I am going to say to you is according to his Request.' I gave a String of Wampum and proceeded : 'Brethren, the Governor of Virginia desires that you will come to Fredericksburg, a Town a little way from Cach- wangarodon (Patowmec), to a Publick Treaty, and to receive such Presents as the King of Great Britain, your Father, has ordered to be given to you by the Governor of Virginia, in Consequence of the Treaty of Lancaster held about Six Years ago.', I gave a large String of Wampum and proceeded : 'Brethren, the Governor of Virginia will kindle a Council Fire at Fredericksburg in Virginia, where you may sit in Safety as under the Shadow of a great Tree, as at your own Fire at Onondago, to hear what your Brother the Governor of Virginia will say to You by the Direction of the King of Great Britain, your Father; the things that will be said to you will be of Importance and altogether for the Good of the Publick, especially of the Six United Nations, tending entirely to their Pre- servation. For the Confirmation of what I have now said to you, your Brother Assaryquoah, the Governor of Virginia, gives you this Belt of Wampum.' Here I gave a large Belt of Wampum.

"I concluded, and desired to have their answer that night if possible ; I was told that I should have their answer on the morrow.

"By Sun set the Onondagers gave thanks for the Condolement, and returned the Compliment by a long Oration made by Tahash- wuchdiony, and gave a String of Wampum of three Rows to the Oneiders, Cayugers, and Tuscoraros, and one to me, and desired that we may yet be comforted over the Death of the Great Man.

"September the Fifteenth-The Indians being in Council all Day, in the evening I was told by three of them that were sent to me that I should have my Answer at the Oneider's Town on my Return, which they hoped would be satisfactory.

" The Sixteenth-According to Custom I put out the present Council Fire which was kindled by me and took my Leave of the Onondagers and come with the Deputies of the Oneiders and Tus-

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coraros to Canasoragy before night. I bought a Quart of Rum here for me and my Companions to drink at six Shillings, but the Com- pany being too great I was obliged to buy two other Quarts.

" The Seventeenth-Arrived by rainy weather at Oneide about two o'Clock in the Afternoon, the Oneiders met immediately in Council and after about two hours Consultation by themselves, they sent for me and told me that they were ready to give me an answer and desired me to hear; I told them I was ready to hear. The Speaker directed his Discourse to the Governor of Virginia and said :

"' Brother Assaryquoah : We take your Invitation very kindly, and return you our hearty thanks, we would be very glad to see you but every time that we have been down with our Brother Onas in Philadelphia we lost so many men, and last Year we lost Twenty, among which Number were several of our Chiefs ; the evil Spirits that Dwell among the White People are against us and kill us, and we are now in a manner like Orphans, all our great and wise men are dead and as you live so much deeper within the Settlements of the White People the evil Spirits must needs be more numerous and of course will be more destructive to us. We therefore desire that gou will move your Council Fire to Albany and kindle it there, which can be but very little or no trouble to you since you have Ves- sels to come by Water, and at Albany we will gladly hear you and receive the Presents sent by the Great King over the Waters for the Lands some of our former Deputies assigned to You ; we desire that you will take our answer in good Part and come to Albany to meet us at our Council Fire there burning.' The Speaker gave me a large Belt of Wampum.

"' Brother Assaryquoah : the Belt of Wampum you gave us con- cerning your Council Fire we will answer and exchange when we shall have the pleasure to see you in Albany, we will do all that is in our Power to please you, pray consider well our circumstances and you will then do the just thing.' The Speaker gave another smaller string of wampum.

" After some pause I told them that I believ'd the Governor of Virginia could not come to Albany and would perhaps give the Pre- sents to the Indians at Ohio, as the Ohio Indians were one and the same with the Six United Nations and of their own Blood. They made answer that the Ohio Indians were but Hunters and no Coun- sellors or Chief Men, and they had no Right to receive Presents that was due to the Six Nations, although they might expect to have a Share, but that Share they must receive from the Six Nations' Chief under whom they belong.

" I took my Leave and told them what I had said last was my own thought and I would let their Brother Assaryquoah know what had passed as soon as I came home.

"The Eighteenth-Set out from Oneido, came to George Cost after Sunset.

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" The Nineteenth-Came to Burnet's Field in rainy Weather, and the Twentieth to the upper Castle of the Mohocks called Canawa- dagy, the said Indians being from home when I went up they now met and desired to know what passed at Onondago and what success I had. I informed them of every thing and told them that I found our Brethren the Six Nations quite of another Disposition than formerly, and that I had the strongest reason to believe that their Heart was turned from their Brethren the English. They an- swered that it was true what I said, the French had too great an In- terest with the Onondagers, Cayugers, and Sinickers, they complained of the ill management of the English in Indian Affairs, and said that they were afraid to be cut off by foresaid Nations because they charge them the Mohocks to be Slaves of the English; Several other Complaints they had but I could say nothing to them.

"I recommended John Picket, my Sister's Son, to them for to learn the Mohocks Tongue perfect among them, to serve as Inter- preter for Pennsylvania, &ca., after I am grown old and no more able to travel, they promised to do what they could; the young man speaks their Language tolerable well now and can write and read English, Dutch, and Indian, his Father lives but a mile from Cana- wadagy, and has the best opportunity to learn the Indian Language perfectly.

" September the Twenty First-Took my leave of them and took my Route directly towards Shochary, or Hunter's Field, by a blind Indian Path and from the late mentioned Place to Katskill also by a small Indian Path much a nearer way than I went, and arrived @at my House on the first Day of October in perfect health.

" P. S .-- The Chiefs of Onondago inquired what was done to the Settlers on their Land near Juniata Creek and thereabout ; I told them that the Governor of Pennsylvania had sent his Secretary to the spot with some Magistrates and Sheriff's to remove the Settlers, that accordingly the People were ordered to come away instantly, some had resisted and taken up Arms, had their Cabbins burned after the Goods were taken out by the People that came with the Sec- retary, that some of the People were imprisoned, that to all this I had been an Eye Witness, that some People that seemed to be good natured (upon their Submission and Supplication) had obtained Lib- erty to gather in their small Crops but had promised to come away in the Fall, that some of the Shamokin Indians had been present all along and saw what was done. They signified their Satisfaction to me, and told me they were very glad that their Brother the Gover- nor of Pennsylvania had taken Notice of their Complaint.

"They repeated over and over that the Indians on Ohio had no Right to sell any Land about Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, or Ohio, and that what Share they might have a Right to demand of the Presents the Six United Nations received for the Land must be adjusted by the Chiefs of the said Nations, that the Ohio Indians

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lived on a good Hunting Place and were in a manner only gone to hunt there, and their Relations at home received hitherto their Share of the Consideration or Presents for the Lands.

" Onondago was thick with French praying Indians when I was there ; eight or nine of them came to see ine, and owned they came from Canada to see their Friends at Onondago, and behaved very civil to me. I was told by Tahashronchdioony the Chief, that all the Belts of Wampum belonging to the Publick from the several English Governors that remained unanswered at the Death of Can- assatego, and found in his Possession, were by his orders burned with him. This the said Chief said to make Canassatogo a Thief after his Death ; some imagine that his Widow and Family stole them. " CONRAD WEISER.

"The 10th of October, 1750."

A Letter from the Governor of New York, dated the 8th Instant, and Coll. Johnson's letter inclosed, were read and ordered to be enter'd :

A Letter from Governor Clinton to Governor Hamilton. "S" :

"I now send you enclosed further Information which I have re- ceived from Coll. Johnson, relating to the Designs of the French ; though the English Colonies be, beyond comparison, superior to the French in North America, both in Numbers and Money, yet as the Assemblies of the several Colonies do not act in concert, but pur- sue different Interests, the French may succeed in their designs to our prejudice by their being directed by one Council and pursuing steadily the same View.

"This I think deserves the serious Attention of all the Gov- ernors of the Colonies on the Main, and I shall gladly join with you and them in any Method which may prove effectual for uniting the Colonies in pursuing their general Interest, but I doubt whether this can be effected without an immediate Application to his Ma- jesty for that purpose.

"I am, with great Respect, Sir, Your Honour's most obedient and very humble Servant.

"G. CLINTON.

" FORT GEORGE, 8th October, 1750."

Copy of a Letter to his Excellency Governor Clinton from Coll. William Johnson.

" 76". 25th, 1750.

" May it please your Excellency :

" This is to acquaint your Excellency that the bearers hereof are

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two Englishmen belonging to Pennsylvania Government, and as they were trading among the Indians of Ohio River last Summer as usual, were taken Prisoners by Seven Indians sent by the Com- manding Officer of Detroit for said purpose, and by him detained ever since the beginning of last June ; it plainly appears by all the Circumstances that he, the said Officer, sent the Indians to take or destroy what English Men they could meet, as the Indians told those young men so, and shewed them the Ammunition, Tobacco, &ca., which the said Officer gave them for their Journey, and when they brought said Prisoners to him he was very thankful and re- warded them well, which said Prisoners were Eye Witness to. He being relieved by another Officer, took those two Prisoners with him in order to bring them to Quebec, but they luckily made their Escape from him halfway between Niagara and Oswego, from whence they came to me quite in a miserable naked Condition. They say the French are making all the Preparations possible against the Spring to destroy some Nations of Indians very stead- fast in our Interest, which if they succeed in will be of very bad Consequence; they met in the Lake ten or twelve large Battoes laden with Stores and Ammunition for said Purpose, with whom were several Officers, in particular two Sons of one of their Lieu- tenant Governors, whom I suppose to be Monsieur Longquilles' Sons. Certainly they have something in agitation which they want to put in Execution as soon as they can, having Accounts from several Hands lately which corroborate. Those two men say that the French at De Troit and thereabout have offered and given some Indians great Presents to go and take or destroy one Mr. Croghan and Lowry, two of the Chief Men who trade from Pennsylvania, and have the most Influence on all Indians living thereabouts of any that ever went among them, or in all likelihood ever may. Should they succeed therein it would certainly be a great step towards their gaining them Indians, who are as yet very strongly attached to the British Interest, and double the Number of the Five Nations. Moreover if the French go on so, there is no man can be safe in his own house, for I can at any time get an Indian to kill any Man for paying of him a small matter; their going on in that manner is worse than an open War. Jean Ceur, whom I mentioned to your Excellency some time ago is now gone among said Ohio Indians in order to spirit them up against the English. I wish he may meet with his proper Deserts. I hope your Excellency will pardon my troubling you with so long a Detail of this kind, but as I thought it my Duty to acquaint You of every thing may come to my Knowledge relating to the Service of the Province, hope you will excuse it, and believe me to be with all Sincerity and Esteem,

" Sir, Your Excellency's most obedient Servant.

" WILLIAM JOHNSON.

VOL. V .- 31.

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"P. S. I should have been to wait on your Excellency long ago, but was much out of order as was most of my Family, having eleven sick at once with a violent cold and sore Throat which raged here very much.

" NEW YORK."

" A true Copy Examin'd by

"GEO. BANYAR, D. Sec'ry."

The Examinations of Morris Turner and Ralph Kilgore were taken in Council, and being sworn to, were ordered to be enter'd as follows :

" These Examinants say that they are hired Servants of one John Frazier, of the County of Lancaster, in the Province of Pennsyl- vania, Indian Trader ; that in May last they were trading for him among the Twightwees to whom they had sold a large quantity of Goods, and had received in Return more Skins than they could carry with their Horses at one time; that after having delivered one Parcel of their Skins at Allegheny, as they were returning for a Second with empty Horses, and were got within Twenty-Five Miles, as they think, of the Twightwee's Town, on the Twenty- Sixth Day of May last, Seven Indians came into their Cabins a little before Sun-set, received Victuals from them, and dress'd and eat it, and behaved like Friends. That some time after their coming into the Cabin the Indians in the way of curiosity took up the Guns belonging to these Examinants and a Tomhock, and ask'd them for Knives to cut their Tobacco with, which as soon as they had given them they seized them and tied their Hands with Ropes, and told them they must carry them to their Fathers the French, and, ac- cordingly, they took them along with them, pinioning them in the day and fast'ning them in the Night with Ropes to the Ground ; that they did not go the direct Road to Fort De Troit, but went round about ways, for that they did not reach it in less than six- teen Days, though from the Place where they were taken it is not as they think above one hundred and fifty miles. That all the way they were very inquisitive about the Courses of the Road and of the Waters between the Twightwee Country and the Allegheny Towns, and made these Examinants draw Draughts of those Roads and Waters. That when they came about a mile from the Fort they unpinioned them and marched them into the Town called De Troit, consisting of one hundred and fifty Houses stockaded all round.

" That on their Arrival at the Town more Indians join'd them, when a Council was imediately convened by the Commander of the Fort, in which the Indians gave a formal Account of their taking these Examinants Prisoners, delivered them to the Commander in

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Council, and received some Presents in reward of their Services, viz" : a ten gallon Cag of Brandy and about one hundred Pound Weight of Tobacco.

" That the Commander of the Fort sent them to a Farmer's House about a mile from the town, where they were made to reap Wheat and how Indian Corn, and work Country Work. That about six Days after they were placed there the Indians who took them came to see them, and treated them very contemptuously, flirting their Fingers against their Noses and saying they were Dogs, and they were going for more of them. That they remained in this Farmer's House about three Months, when there arrived a new Commander, one Monsieur Celeron, the same Officer who the Year before had commanded a Detachment of French Soldiers sent to Ohio with design to intimidate those Indians and the Twightwees.

" That about three Weeks before their leaving the Farmer's House one of the Garrison Soldiers came to visit them along with two or three others who talked English. This Soldier told them that he was but just come to the Fort, having been taken Prisoner by the Catawbas, who carried him to Williamsburg, where he was treated very civilly and permitted to go home, and that he came through Philadelphia and New York, and was every where enter- tained much to his satisfaction; and hearing that there were two English Men Prisoners at that house he came to see them, and in Confidence told them that in the Spring an Army of Five Hundred French Men would march to Ohio, and either bring back the Shawa- nese and Owendats or kill them, and that they had offered One Thousand Dollars for the Scalps of George Croghan and James Lowry, imagining if they were taken off as they had great Influ- ence with the Ohio Indians they could easily gain over those In- dians to them.

" That the late Commander of the Fort departing for Canada, they were committed to his Care, and in fourteen Days arrived at Niagara, where they found one Jean Ceur, the Head Interpreter for the French at Quebec, conducting, as they were inform'd, a large Present of Goods to Ohio which lay upon the Bank, and which they believ'd if they were to be bought in Philadelphia could not cost less than Fifteen Hundred Pounds.

" These Examinants likewise saw at this Place eight or nine Bat- teaus laden with Bacon, Peas, and Flower, which they were told were to be stored in the Magazines at Fort De Troit for the use of the Spring Expedition.

" That somewhere between Niagara and Oswego, on Lake Fronti- niac, these Examinants made their Escape in the night time, the Persons appointed for their Guard being asleep, and got safe to

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the Fort of Oswego, and from thence came by New York to this Place.

his "MORRIS MT TURNER. mark.

"RALPH KILLGORE."

"Sworn before the Governor in Council.

"RICHARD PETERS, Secretary."

At a Council held at Philadelphia, Wednesday the 10th October, 1750.

PRESENT :

The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor.

Thomas Lawrence,

Samuel Hasell,

Benjamin Shoemaker,

Joseph Turner, Esqrs.

Thomas Hopkinson,

Richard Peters,

The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approv'd.

Six Members of Assembly waited on the Governor last night with a Message from the House, that pursuant to the Charter and Laws of the Province a Quorum of the Representatives had met and chose a Speaker, and desir'd to know when he wou'd be pleased to receive them that they might present him. By the Appointment of the Governor the whole House came into the Council Chamber and presented Isaac Norris, Esquire, as their Speaker, Who, having made the Request for Privileges as usual, and received the Gover- nor's Approbation and favourable Answer, they withdrew.

The Governor informed the Board that he had communicated the Intelligences relating to Indian Affairs to the Governments of Vir- ginia and Maryland, with his earnest Request that they wou'd lay the same before their respective Assemblies, and recommend to them to consider the Contents thereof that such measures might be taken by their Colonies, either separately or in Conjunction with New York, as might prevent the Defection of the Indians, which was much to be apprehended.

The following Message drawn in order to be sent to the Assembly was read and approved :

"Gentlemen :

"In my Message of the eighth of August to the late Assembly, I mentioned the Apprehensions the Indians at Ohio were under from the Menaces of the French, who frequently threatned to attack them for adhering to their Friendship with Us; yet as no Hostilities had then been attempted I was in Hopes, from the Caution and Unani-

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mity of the Indians in our Alliance, they might be discouraged from any Undertaking of that kind, But I am now sorry to acquaint You that from the Information I have since received it appears the French are determined at all Events to bring off the Indians from our Alli- ance. That in Consequence of this Resolution they have been using all possible Artifices to corrupt the Six Nations at Onondago, and have also sent a large and valuable Present to be distributed among the Indians at Ohio; and least these Measures should fail have actually provided at Fort D'Etroit Magazines of Provisions and war- like Stores to be in readiness against the Spring, in order to reduce them by a Body of Forces from Canada; In which Design, should they succeed, it cannot be supposed they will long suffer those Indians to continue in Peace with Us, the fatal Consequences whereof not only to our Trade but even to the Lives and Properties of our remote Inhabitants must be obvious to every considerate Person.

"That the French are resolved at any rate to embroil Us with the the Indians at Ohio is further confirmed by two Persons, Inhabitants of this Province, who were taken Prisoners in May last by Seven French Indians within a few Miles of one of the Twightwee Towns at the Instigation of the French Officer at Fort D'Etroit, to whom they were delivered, and from whom as he was conveying them to Canada they made their Escape.

" Mr. Weiser, our Province Interpreter, is now in Town, being just returned from Onondago, and brings from thence likewise very disagreeable News, to wit, That upon the Death of Canassatego and some other of the Principal Sachems of the Six Nations, who were heartily attached to the English, the Person now at the Head of their Councils is wholly in the French Interest.

"Thus thro' the indefatigable Industry of the French, not only the Six Nations at Onondago are much shaken in their Affections to Us, and inclining to go over to our Rivals, but the Indians at Ohio are in great Danger of being corrupted by their Presents or subdued by their Arms, unless some proper and speedy Measures are taken to prevent it.

" This, Gentlemen, is the present unhappy Situation of our In- dian Affairs, according to the best Information I can procure, and tho' it is not usual for You to enter on Business of Importance at Your first Meeting, yet I am persuaded that on Perusal of the Papers I herewith send you, you will think it incumbent on You to take the whole Matter into your immediate Consideration, since any · Delay, as things are now circumstanced, may prove of the most dan- gerous Consequences.

" Upon what his Excellency Governor Clinton was pleased to write to me on Indians affairs, I imediately directed Mr. Croghan and Mr. Montour to hasten to Ohio with the small Present provided by the late Assembly for the Twightwees, and was in hopes they would arrive time enough to have disappointed the Schemes of the

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French, and by shewing those Indians their true Interest have fixed them stedfastly in our Friendship; but unfortunately they were both prevented by Sickness from proceeding on their Journey, so that they are not yet gone. I have given Orders to stay them till I shall be acquainted with the Resolutions of your House on this Subject.

"I therefore earnestly entreat You to give these Affairs all the Attention their Importance requires, and that together with your advice you will likewise furnish the necessary Means of frustrating the mischevous Designs of our Rivals the French, and enable me effectually to preserve the Fidelity and Friendship of our Indians and their allies.

"JAMES HAMILTON. " October 16, 1750."

MEMORANDUM.

The Governor having exceedingly at heart that the Assembly should act a becoming Part towards the Indians, had several Con- ferences with their Speaker and four or five of the principal Mem- bers, and on the nineteenth of October he received the following Message from the House:

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Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. V, Part 48

Author: Publication date: 1838 Publisher: [Harrisburg] : By the State Number of Pages: 808

Author:
Publication date: 1838
Publisher: [Harrisburg] : By the State
Number of Pages: 808