USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. VI > Part 15
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" This Measure, therefore, I now do in the most solemn manner recommend to You; but as on another Occasion You expressed a Desire of acting in Concert with the Governor of Virginia, to whom the King was pleased to commit the chief Direction of this Affair.
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and as I have not been informed by him since this unfortunate Event what his further Resolutions are with respect to the Expe- dition, I at present forbear, in regard to your Opinion, pressing You to engage as Principals until I shall be acquainted with his Determination upon that Head, which in consequence of my earnest Request may be every Day expected, and when received shall im- mediately be communicated to You.
"In the mean while it will be highly expedient that in order to save Time You take into Consideration the most proper Ways and Means of raising a Supply for this Service, in the doing of which I . flatter myself You will industriously avoid whatever may be likely to occasion any Difference in Opinion between You and Me to the Detriment of the Common Cause and Disappointment of his Ma- jestie's just Expectations from Us.
"The unhappy Issue of the late Action between Us and the French has already begun to create an additional Charge to the Publick, as will appear by the Papers I shall order to be laid before You. By them You will be informed that a Body of the Six Na- tions in our Alliance with the Half King and other considerable Men at their Head, have been obliged from a Dread of the French Power to remove with their Families from the Places of their usual Residence and to take a Refuge within our Province where many others are soon expected to join them, and as they are by this means deprived of the Benefit of Hunting, by which their Families were principally supported, they have acquainted me that they ex- pect their Brethren of Pennsylvania should provide for them while their Men will be engaged in War against the common Enemy. And in Compliance with their Expectations, which did not appear unreasonable, I have ordered a Quantity of Provisions to be de- livered to them, not doubting but You will chearfully make Pro- vision for the Expence that has already arisen and will hereafter arise upon the same Occasion. Since nothing can be more just than that while the Men are prevented of the means of subsisting their Families by their Attachment to his Majestie's Interest, and are actually employed in promoting it without Pay or Reward, their Wives and Children, who are incapable of Supporting themselves, should be maintained at the Publick Expence.
" The People of Cumberland and of the upper Parts of Lancaster County are so apprehensive of Danger at this critical Juncture from the nearness of the French and Savages under their Influence, that the principal Inhabitants have in the most earnest manner petitioned me to provide for their Protection, representing withal that a great Number would be warm and Active in Defence of themselves and their Country were they enabled so to be by being supplied with Arms and Ammunition, which many of them are unable to purchase at their own private Expence. The Substance of these several Pe- titions, which I shall likewise order to be laid before you, appears
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to me, Gentlemen, to be of the greatest Importance and well worthy of your most Serious Attention. You may be assured that nothing which depends on me shall be wanting towards affording them the Protection they desire, but You cannot at the same time but be Sensible how little it is in my Power to answer their Expectations without the Aid of your House. It becomes, then, my indispensi- ble Duty, and I cannot on any Account whatever excuse myself from pressing You to turn your Thoughts on the defenceless State of the Province in general, as well as of our back Inhabitants in particular, and to provide such Means for the Security of the Whole as shall be thought at once both reasonable and effectual to the Ends proposed, in which, as in every other Matter consistent with my Honour and the Trust reposed in me, I promise You my hearty Concurrence.
" It is with great Satisfaction that I now communicate to You the Proceedings of the Commissioners at the late Treaty at Albany, as on Perusal thereof You will clearly perceive that the Lands on the River Ohio do yet belong to the Indians of the Six Nations, and have long since been by them put under the Protection of the Crown of England ; That the Proceedings of the French in erecting Forts on that River and in the Countreys adjacent have never received the Countenance or Approbation of those Nations, but on the con- trary are expressly declared by them to have been without their Privity or Consent; That they are greatly alarmed at the rapid Pro- gress of the French, and in severe Terms reproach Us with supine
Negligence and the defenceless State of our Possessions, and in Effect call upon Us to fortify our Frontiers as well for the Security of their Countreys as of our own; That after a due and weighty Re- flection on these several Matters with many Others of equal Im- portance, the Commissioners thought it necessary to consider of and draw up a Representation of the present State of the Colonies, And from thence judging that no effectual Opposition was like to be made to the destructive Measures of the French but by an Union of them all for their mutual Defence, devised likewise a general Plan for that Purpose to be offered to the Consideration of their respective Legislatures.
" And as both those Papers appear to me to contain Matters of the utmost Consequence to the Welfare of the Colonies in general, and to have been digested and drawn up with great Clearness and Strength of Judgment, I cannot but express my Approbation of them, and do, therefore, recommend them to You as well worthy of your closest and most serious Attention."
Then the Governor informed the Council that Jehu Curtis, Se- cond Judge of the Supream Court of the Lower Counties, was dead, and that He intended Mr. Till should succeed him if they had no Objection, and they having none a Commission issued to Mr. Till.
Several of the Justices of the County of Kent having dyed, it
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was unanimously agreed to issue a new Commission, and the follow- ing Persons were appointed, viz : Samuel Dickinson, John Brinckle, Thomas Clark, Samuel Johns, William Farson, John Vining, George Wilson, George Martin, John Goading, Stephen Parradee, Robert Wilcocks, Richard Wells, Thomas Irons, and John Clayton, Jun ., Esquires.
Then the Record of Conviction of James Duffy, of the County of Kent upon Delaware, for the Murder of John Brown of the said County, was read, and Ryves Holt, Esquire, One of the Justices of the Court of Oyer and Terminer for the Countys upon Delaware aforesaid, having represented to the Governor that the Fact was proved before the Justices of the said Court to have been perpe- trated in so unmanly and cruel a manner that he could not be re- commended to his Honour's Clemency, a Warrant was, therefore, made out and signed for his Execution on Wednesday, the twenty- first of this Month.
MEMORANDUM.
On the Ninth of August Several Deserters from the French Gar- risons having at different times arrived in Town who were in want of the common Necessaries of Life, the Governor sent the following verbal Message to the House by the Secretary :
" The Governor commands me to acquaint the House that Parties of French Deserters from the Forts on the River Ohio are daily arriving in this City, And as many of the Inhabitants are afraid to employ them, not knowing their Characters or Designs, or that there may not be really sufficient Employ for them, they are in Danger of being reduced to extreme Want, the Few who have hitherto in a great Measure supported them not being able or not enclining to do it any longer, and therefore proposes it to the Consideration of the House whether it might not be for the publick Service that some small Reward should be given them as an Encouragement for Others to desert, or some Consideration offered to such as would employ them on reasonable Terms."
On the Twelfth of August the Governor received the following Letter from Governor Dinwiddie, and laid an Extract of it before the House; and also a Copy of the Capitulation of the Virginia Troops at Fort Necessity. The Capitulation is entered before and the Letter is in the following Words:
" WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA, July 31st, 1754.
" Sr. :
" Yours of the 21st Currant I received the 29th. The late Ac- tion with the French gave me much Concern; my Orders to the Commanding Officer was by no means to attack the Enemy till all the Forces were joined in a Body. They were surprised and had
.
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no account of their march till the morning before the action, which obliged them to be on the defensive; and, indeed, considering the few numbers of our Forces, the Enemy have nothing to Vaunt of but what they got by the capitulation, copy of which I now send you. The French no doubt will fortify themselves as strong as they possibly can. Their numbers from the best information I can procure does not exceed 1,100 Men, Indians included.
" By the advice of my Council I gave orders to the Commander- in-chief to collect his Forces together at Wills' Creek and march over the Allegheny Mountains; if he find it impossible to dis- possess the French of the Fort he is to build a Fort at Red Stone Creek, the Crossing Place, or any other Place proper that may be determined by a Council of War. The number of our Forces you have below, and should be glad if they were augmented by Two or Three Companies from your Province. I think the sooner we en- deavour to make a Settlement and build a Fort the other side the Allegheny Mountains the better, for if we allow them a quiet Set- tlement their numbers will greatly encrease in the Spring. We have now Three months fit for Marching and Action. I would feign hope our Forces will be at Wills' Creek before the twentieth of next month, and shall be glad if reinforced from your Colony; if you send some Companies they may safely march after our Forces over the Mountains.
" The Governor of Maryland proposes building a large magazine for Provisions near Wills' Creek ; it will be very convenient for you (if your Assembly proves generous) to help to fill it, and really ab- solutely necessary, as the want of a proper Supply of Provisions has been much Complained of by our men. I never the least doubted your earnest Endeavours and firm good wishes for the necessary Expedition, and I hope your Assembly will strengthen your Hands and put it in your Power to serve his Majesty and protect the pri- vate Property of the People you preside over; and I dare say they now must think that a proper assistance and a mutual Supply is ab- solutely necessary, and that they will not clogg their Bill with any- thing unreasonable or unconstitutional. Your observation is very just; if the People here do force the Parliament of Britain to inter- fere with the Legislatures of America, which undoubtedly must be the case if they continue obstinate to his Majestie's Commands and the Preservation of his Colonies on this Continent, will prove of very great Loss to them and curtail the Powers Assemblies in these Colonies unjustly assume. Mr. Washington had many of the In- dians with him; but I observe these People remain unactive till they see how Affairs go, and generally speaking side with the Con- querors, that in my private Opinion little Dependance is to be put in' them ; however the Half King and several other Indians are now among the back Settlements of this or your Government. I hear of no Invasion on North Carolina-all their Forces by this time are near Wills' Creek.
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" The Article of Capitulation in regard to make no Settlements for one Year, the Officers say it was only in regard to the Forces left with the Baggage and Sick, they gave no Parole for them- selves, and are now ready to proceed with the other Forces. I doubt not when your Assembly observes how earnest We are in support- ing and prosecuting this Expedition they will cordially and with Unanimity grant proper Supplies, and more so as the Danger ap- pears so near to them. The Albany Treaty I have not received, but have a Plan for an Union among all the Colonies on this Con- tinent; as it is an extraordinary Piece, and some new Positions in it not before ventured on, I do not care to give my Opinion on it till I hear how it is received at home. It is most certain if the neighbouring Colonies had given due Assistance the late unlucky Affair would not have happened ; to the contrary, 'tis more than proba- ble by this time We should have forced the Enemy from the Ohio, and had Possession of these Lands ourselves. If your Assembly can be brought to Reason, to their Duty to the King, and for their own Preservation, I hope they will give at least Ten Thousand Pounds; in that case, if You succeed with your Assembly, I pray You to send a large Quantity of Flower to Wills' Creek, and I am per- suaded You will have no great Difficulty in raising some Companies of Men to join our Forces. As the Money raised here is very near exhausted, I have called the Assembly to meet next Month, having very strong Assurances that they will give me a pretty generous . Supply, and they will be the more engaged to do so if they find your People in earnest, and grant a suitable assistance.
"I hope this with You in a suitable Time, having dispatched this Express with all the Expedition I could; pray by him write me/ what they are likely to do; and I beg you will forward the en- closed by the Post. I remain, with great Regard and Esteem, and in great Truth,
"Sir, your most Obedient humble Servant,
" ROBT. DINWIDDIE.
" The Number of our Forces, vizt .:
" So. Carolina Independt- Comp1.
100
"New York 2 Independt- Compa.
-
160
" Virgª. Regiment - 300
" Nº· Carolina -
350
" Maryland - 100
"1,010 Men.
" I believe I shall add 200 Men to our Regiment."
On the Thirteenth of August Two Members presented a Bill Entituled "a Bill for Striking the Sum of Thirty-Five Thousand Pounds in Bills of Credit, and for granting Fifteen Thousand Pounds
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thereof to the King's Use, and to provide a Fund for sinking the same, and for applying the Remainder to the Exchange of ragged and torn Bills now current in this Province" for the Governor's Concurrence. And on the fifteenth in the morning a Message was delivered by Two Members to acquaint the Governor "that the House had near gone through the Business before them, and desired to know when they might expect his Result upon the Bill." In the Afternoon the Governor sent down the Bill with sundry Amend- ments, such as had before been agreed to by the Council when Bills of the same Nature had been under their Consideration.
On the same Day the Governor received from the House a Mess- age by Two Members with the Bill acquainting him "that the House were in Hopes the Bill could not fail to have received his assent, but as he had objected to the inserting his Name in the Bill for receiving or ordering the Disposal of the Money thereby granted, they had complied with his Request, and instead thereof had made it payable to the Lieutenant Governor of this Province for the time being in Conjunction with the other Gentlemen therein named, and requested he would be pleased to pass it as it stood, for the House . could not admit of any other Alteration in the Bill."
On the Sixteenth in the morning the Governor returned an An- swer to the House by the Secretary in these Words :
"The Governor promised himself from the Request he made to the House in his Speech at the opening of the Session that (consid- ering the Importance of the Occasion) they would have fallen upon some Method of raising Money for the King's Use to which he might have had no material Objection, and could not therefore help being extremely mortified at finding the Bill now presented him for that Purpose to be not only formed on the said Plan but to be nearly of the same Tenor with that to which he refused his Assent at their last Meeting. He has nevertheless complied with the Proffer he then made them, and has agreed to extend the Fund they have chosen to raise the Money upon in the same Proportion as they have en- creased the Sum granted to his Majesty. But the House is per- emptory, and will admit of no alteration in their Bill; . All then that remains, after assuring them that the Governor, least the King's Ser- vice should suffer, has strained his Powers even beyond what he almost dares think consistent with his Safety, is to submit our respective Conduct to the Judgment of our Superiors. But he hopes this also may be rendered unnecessary by the arrival of the Gentleman that is to succeed him in the Administration, who may every day be looked for among us, and who may possibly think himself more at Liberty with respect to the matter in Controversy than the Gov- ernor can presume to do; in the meanwhile it is hoped no con- siderable Detriment may arise to his Majesty's Affairs in the Short Interval between this and the time of his actual Arrival.
" So much has already been said upon this Subject on another
.
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Occasion, that the Governor declines any farther Enlargement thereon, as well knowing that publick Disputes of this Nature fre- quently terminate in private Animosities, which he is very desirous of avoiding, and therefore only expects from the House that they will do him the same Justice he is willing to do them in supposing him to act from his Judgment when he tells them that he cannot recede from his amendments."
And in the Afternoon a Message was delivered by Two Mem- bers to acquaint the Governor "that the House had near gone thro' their Business and proposed to adjourn to the Thirtieth of Sep- tember, if he had no Objection thereto," and he made no Objection.
At a Council held at Philadelphia, Thursday the 22d August, 1754.
PRESENT :
The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor.
John Penn, Joseph Turner, Richard Peters,
Esquires.
The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approved.
A Letter from George Croghan, which came by Express from Aucquick, and a Letter enclosed therein from Capt. Stobo, were read and ordered to be entered and are as follow : .
" AUCQUICK, Old Town, August 16th, 1754.
" May it please your Honour :
" The Half King Scarrooyady and several other Indians with their Wives and Families, have been here since Col. Washington was defeated, and about twelve Days ago came here the Young Shawonese King from the Lower Shawanese Town and several more with him, and Delaware George and several other Delawares came here from the French Fort. Delaware George brought a Letter from Capt Stobo, One of our Hostages, to the Commanding Officer in Virginia ; the Indians would have the Letter broke open, a Copy of which I send You P the Bearer.
" The Shawonese and Delawares have made four Speeches to the Half King and me; they directed their Speeches to your Honour and the Governor of Virginia ; the Purport of all their Speeches is to renew the Chain of Friendship, and to know what the English intend to do. They have heard from the French before they came here that the Half King and all that were with him were killed here by the Southern Indians. Your Honour will see by. Capt Stobo's Letter what Strength the French are of now at the Fort;
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the Indians are all very uneasy to see the Backwardness of the Eng- lish, and say they fear what the French tell them of their Brethren is too true, that is that the English are afraid of the French, not- withstanding their superior Number. The Shawonese and Delawares were sent down to see if there were any Preparations making to attack the Fort this Fall; they imagine it will not be hard to do now, but if deferred till next Spring they think it will be very difficult to do.
" The Half King has sent Three Men off for Shingass and the Delawares and the Shawonese to bring them here in ten Days, and has ordered me to write to your Honour to meet or send one to meet them here in ten Days. They all seem to think if the Eng- lish does nothing this Fall, when they have it in their Power, that the Ohio Lands will belong to the French, so that it is my Opinion this Meeting will determine the Ohio Indians either in Favour of the English or French.
" By Order of the Half King I have wrote to Col. Innes to let him know that the Indians expected to shake Hands with some of their Brethren of Virginia as well as Pennsylvania. Col. Innes makes his Compliments to your Honour ; I saw him a few days ago, he was going to Wills' Creek to join the Independant Companies and build a Fort; he is very much for attacking this Fall.
" May it please your Honour : I here send You an Account of what the Indians have had since they came down, by which your Honour will see what a Burden it is to maintain so many Indians. I hope the Assembly will allow this Account, that I may be able to pay the People whom I had the Flower and Meat from, or else I shall be obliged to discharge the Indians and send them home, for I am not able to bear the Expence myself. I am
" Your Honour's most humble and most obedient Servant,
" GEO. CROGHAN.
" As soon as the other Letter of Cap" Stobo comes to hand I will send your Honour a Copy of it.
" The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire."
-
A Letter from Captain Stobo. " FORT DUQUESNE, July the 29th, 1754. " Sir :
" I wrote You Yesterday by an Indian named the Song or Moses; he will be with You in Seven Days; this goes by Delaware George ; if these discharge their Trust they ought to be well rewarded ; the Purport of Yesterday's Letter was to inform You of a Report, and I hope false, which greatly alarms the Indians, that the Half King Monecatootha are killed, their Wives and Children given to the Catawbas, Cuttoways, and Cherokees. I wish a Peace may be
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Į
made up between the Catawbas and the Nations here ; they are much afraid of them; many would have joined You eer now had it not been for that Report. You had as; just a Plan of the Fort as Time and Opportunity would allow. The French manage the In- dians with the greatest Artifice. I mentioned Yesterday a Council the Shawanese had with the French, the Present they gave, and they made the French a Speech yesterday. The Bearer, who was present, will inform you to what Purport. If yesterday's Letter reaches You it will give You a particular account of most things. I have scarce a minute, therefore can only add one more thing- that there are but two hundred Men here at this time, two hundred more expected here in a few days ; the Rest went off in several De- tachments to the amount of a thousand besides Indians. The In- dians have great Liberty here ; they go out and in when they please without Notice. If one hundred trusty Shawonese, Mingoes, and Delawares were picked out, they might surprize the Fort Lodging themselves under the Platform behind the Palisadoes by Day and at Night secure the Guard with their Tomhawks; the Guard consists of Forty Men only and Officers. None lodge in the Fort but the Guard except Contre Cœur; the Rest in Bark Cabins around the Fort. All this You have more particularly in yesterday's Account. Excuse Errors and bad Education, and I am
" Your humble Servant, " ROBERT STOBO.
" La Force is greatly missed here ; let the good of the Expedition be considered preferable to our Safety. | Haste to strike."
" A List of Deserters and Prisoners at the French Fort :
John Smith, S Did not get here till after
" Mercer's Company, John Baker. { the Detachment of Deserters. This man is the Cause of all our Misfortunes ; he deserted the Day before the Battle; the French got to Guests' at Dawn of Day, sur- rounded the Place imagining that we were still there ; gave a general Fire ; but when they found We were gone they were determined to return with all Expedition, thinking We " Vanbram's Ditto, Barnabas Devan. had returned to the Inhabitants, when up comes Mr. Driscall; told them he deserted the Day before, and that the Regiment was still at the Meadows in a Starving Condition, which caused his deserting, and hearing they were coming deserted to them ; they confined him, told him if true he should be rewarded, if false hanged ; this I had from the English Inter- preter.
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" Mercer's Company,
" Meaka's Do.
Jacob Arants, John Ramsey. John Stuerd Fager, wounded in the Right Arm.
" Montour's Do. S Daniel Laferty, Prisoners.
" Taken at Guests' by an Indian named English John, Low- ry's Traders.
Henry Obrian,
Andrew McBriar,
Nehemiah Stevens,
John Kennedy,
Elizabeth Williams.
" The Indians offered their Prisoners for Sale; enquired the Price-Forty Pistoles for Each ; a good Ransom.
" All sent to Canada in Custody of the Indians who took them except John Kenedy ; he was given to the Owll to weigh upon while his Leg was curing. He was wounded with ten others and four Indians ; all are recovered but one, who died after having his arm cut off. Four were shot on the spot-that is all the Loss I can hear of. On the Twenty-Third Three of their People deserted. I hope they are got with You by this time. I hear more intended it soon. I spoke to the Commander several times concerning the Prisoners, telling him as long as We come to a Capitulation to make them Prisoners, he told me they were the Indians and he could not get them from them."
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