USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. VI > Part 70
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The inhabitants from all the parts of the Province, interior as well as Frontier Counties, petitioned the Governor & Assembly by seperate Petitions that they would forthwith concur in enacting Laws as well for a Militia as for the immediate defence of the Province, City, and the Security of their Trade and Naviga- tion.
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PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
At a Council held at Philadelphia, Friday, 7th November, 1755.
" PRESENT :
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esq'. Lieu- tenant Governor, &ca.
Joseph Turner, Richard Peters, Esquires.
Lynford Lardner,
The Minutes of the Indian Treaty held with the Owendats and some of the Six Nations in August last were read, and a fair Copy thereof was wrote in order to be sent to the Assembly agreeable to their request.
" The Council not being able to come to any determined opinion about the several methods proposed for raising supplies of Arms and Ammunition, and thinking it might be attended with ill Con- sequences to go into private Subscriptions or any other means be- fore they knew positively what the Assembly would finally do, the Governor was of a different opinion, and declared that the present Exigency would not admit of delay, and therefore applied to the Proprietary Receiver General to advance him the sum of £1,000 of the Proprietary's Money in order to purchase Arms & Ammuni- tion for the use of the back Inhabitants, but Mr. Hockley excused himself by assuring the Governor that he had not £100 in the House.
Several Military Commissions were applied for on the Recom- mendation of the Magistrates of the County of Kent and granted.
The following letter from Mr. Weiser who was in his way here along with Scarroyady and Andrew Montour, was delivered in Council :
A Letter to Governor Morris from Conrad Weiser, Esq".
" GERMANTOWN, at 6 o'clock in the evening, Nov". 7th, 1755. " Honoured Sir :
"I arrived here just now with Andrew Montour, Scarroyady, and drunken Zigrea ; they would go to Philadelphia to know what we would do for them or not, & all what I cou'd tell of them was to no purport. I think they are very good Friends with no rest of the Indians on Sasquehannah ; the Question is whether we ate theirs, they say they will have in plain Terms how things shall be. Since my last three Persons have been buried, killed by the Enemy. Witnesses, two of my sons & the Coroner of the county of Berks is gone up, and will make report to your Honour (I believe) accordingly. The rest I must refer till I have the Satisfaction to wait upon your Honour, who am George Kast's,
" Honoured Sir, Your most obedient " CONRAD WEISER.
1 "Governor MORRIS."
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MINUTES OF THE
At a Council held at Philadelphia, Saturday 8th November, 1755. PRESENT :
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esquire, Lieu- tenant Governor, &ca.
Robert Strettel,
Lynford Lardner,
John Mifflin,
Richard Peters, Esqrs.
A Bill was presented by two Members to the Governor for his concurrence, entituled "A Bill for striking Sixty thousand Pounds in Bills of credit, and for granting the same to the King's use, and to provide a Fund for sinking the same by a Tax of Six pence # Pound and ten shillings Per head yearly for four Years on all the Estates, real & personal, & Taxables within this Province," which was read.
The Governor after hearing the Bill was under a great concern of mind at the ill temper of the Assembly in raising a dispute about . the Proprietary Tax at such a dangerous time as this, and having received at the last Council the unanimous opinion of the Members that he ought not to pass such a Bill, and those present adhering to their opinion, he drew a Message to the Assembly, and whilst it was considering the Indians, vizt- Scarroyady, Andrew Montour, Jagrea, and Scarroyady's son, with Mr. Weiser, came into Council.
The Governor bid the Indians welcome, was particularly obliged to them for this visit, & would be glad of their advice in these dan- gerous Times.
Scarroyady Speaker.
" Brethren :
" Since we saw one another last Affairs have taken a great turn. We have now need to look about us in this dangerous time. I came down on purpose to encourage both Governor, Council, Wise men, and Warriors. I have something to say to them of very great Consequence."
Gave a String.
Scarroyady then proceeds :
" Brethren-
" Two Messengers came from Ohio to an Indian Town at the Big; Island on Sasquehannah, and seeing an Englishman that by accident happened to be there, They said kill him. No, say the Indians of the Big Island, we will not kill him nor suffer him to be killed .. We have lived in peace many Years with the English here ; if you are so blood thirsty go some where else for Blood-go where the Blood already covers the Ground. We will have no Blood spilt here. These two Messengers were Delawares, and said further that they had something very extraordinary to say to them, and then producing a Belt offered to deliver a Message from the Governor of
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Canada, but the Sasquehannah Indians stopped them, desiring they would defer their Speech till they could send for some of their Neighbours, and when their Neighbours came they delivered their Speech in the name of Onontio.
"' Children : I have often warned you to move from this River. You are Children. You must now go where I cannot hurt you. You are in my way. You must not stay any longer. I will allow you to wear a little Hatchet that can kill a Bear or a Deer or an Englishman ; a little Hatchet will serve for this purpose. You wear Petticoats ; do not, therefore, concern yourselves in War nor enquire any thing about Warriors, only move away from this River that you may not stand in my way. If you want Powder and Lead I have enough at Ohio,; it lies there in heaps, and you may have what Quantity you please.' This last part of the Speech was made to the Delawares & mo Indians else."
Gave a Belt of Wampum.
" The two Ohio Delawares proceeded and told the Indians to send for all the Indians that were among the English. If Onontio finds any of your Indians among the White people he will kill them, & therefore he gives you this Warning, & be sure mind what we say.
" The two Messengers said further : 'We, the Delawares of Ohio, do proclaim War against the English. We have been their Friends many years, but now have taken up the Hatchet against them, & we will never make it up with them whilst there is an English man alive.
"" We tell you that the French have a numerous Alliance of other Indians as well as the Delawares in this War.'
[Danced the War Dance.]
"Then said further : ' When Washington was defeated We, the Delawares, were blamed as the Cause of it. We will now kill. We will not be blamed without a Cause. We make up three Parties of Delawares. One party will go against Carlisle, One down the Sasquehannah, and I myself with another party will go against Tulpohoccon to Conrad Weiser, And We shall be followed by a thousand French and Indians, Ottowawas, Twightwees, Shawonese, and other Delawares.'
"The French have on this Occasion summoned in all their Allies,. and they are preparing to come. The number I am not certain of ; But. all the Indians except the Chickasaws are for the French, and the Thousand Indians before mentioned had actually left the Fort before we, the Messengers, came away."
Then Scarroyady acquainted the Governor that he had a Message to deliver from the Sasquehanna Indians to the Governor, Wisemen,. and People of this Province, & desired to be heard in publick, and. that the Assembly might be present.
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The Governor sent a Message by the Secretary to give the As- sembly notice of this, and appointed three o'clock in the afternoon in the State House to hear the Indian Message.
The following Message to the Assembly was delivered by the Secretary at the Meeting of the House in the afternoon :
A Message from the Governor to the Assembly.
" Gentlemen :
" You have now been sitting six days, and instead of strengthen- ing my Hands and providing for the safety and defence of the people and Province in this Time of imminent danger, You have sent me a Message wherein you talk of regaining the Affections of the In- dians now employed in laying waste the Country and butchering the Inhabitants, and of inquiring what injustice they have received, and into the Causes of their falling from their alliance with us and taking part with the French. Such Language at this time and while the Province is in its present Circumstances seems to me very extraordinary, as no Complaint has ever to my knowledge been made by them of any Injury done them.
"I am sorry you should at this time send me the Bill I have just now received when I had heretofore refused my assent to one of the same kind, and in my message of the third instant informed you that I cou'd not give my assent to such a Bill.
" I shall not enter into a Dispute whether the Proprietaries ought to be taxed or not. It is sufficient for me that they have given me no power in that case, and I cannot think it consistent either with my Duty or Safety in matters of Government to exceed the Pow- ers of my Commission, much less to do what that Commission ex- pressly prohibits.
" Upon the repeated accounts I have had of the miserable situa- tion of the back Inhabitants, & the Disorder and Confusion among those that are assembled in their Defence, the Council have unani- mously advised me to go into the back Counties to put things into the best order possible, and to afford my countenance & Assistance to those that are willing to take up Arms in Defence of their Coun- try. This I declined doing till I knew what you would propose upon the present occasion; and having now received from You a Bill that you well knew I could not give my assent to, I dispair of your doing any thing, and shall, therefore, immediately set off for the Back Counties, and if they have not all the Assistance their present Distresses make necessary, it will not be for want of Incli- nation in me but Power.
"I shall take with me a Quorum of the Council, and if you shall have any Bills to propose that are consistent with the Duties
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PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
of my Station and the just rights of Government, I shall readily give my assent to them whenever they are brought to me.
" ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS.
" PHILADELPHIA, Novem" 8th, 1755."
At a Council held at the State House in Philadelphia, on Satur- day the 8th of November, 1755, P. M.
PRESENT :
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esqr-, Lieuten- ant Governor, &ca. Robert Strettell, Richard Peters. Lynford Lardner,
Esquires. Thomas Cadwalader,
Indians.
Scarrooyady, an Oneido, Jagrea, a Mohawk, Andrew Montour,
And Conrad Weiser, Esquire, Interpretor.
The Speaker and Members of Assembly, several Magistrates, Oficers, & Citizens.
The Governor ordered the Interpreter to tell the Indians that he, his Council, the Assembly, & the good People of the City, were met at their Instance and ready to hear them.
Scarrooyady addressing himself to the Governor and all present, made the following Speech :
"Brethren-
"I let you know I am returned from my Journey, which when I was last here I told you I intended to take. I went as far up the River Sasquehannah as where the Nanticokes live. I told them that I had undertaken that Journey purposely to alarm them, to apprize them of the approach of very heavy Storms and to warn them of imminent Danger. I bid them rouse and awake and hearken to the noise that was all about them, and that if they did not now awake the first noise they would hear would be the noise of the Tomahawk upon their Heads. I went in this manner to all the Indians and I know their Sentiments, I want to know Yours. I want you to open your hearts, I want to look into their Insides. I inust now know if you will stand by us; to be plain, if you will fight or not. You must be as sensible of Danger as the Indians, and therefore speak plain to us, We shall then know What to do. Be persuaded that we are determined to know the certainty of your Measures before we take any of our selves."
Then taking a double Belt of Wampum, one Black the other
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White, with a string tied to the end of the black Belt, He pro- ceeded to relate the particulars of what passed between him & the Nanticokes & other Indians on Sasquehannah, saying:
"I told them that the Defeat of General Braddock had brought about a great turn of affairs. It was a great Blow. But what then, tho' we were struck half way to the Ground I told them we had strength enough left to recover, and that tho' Onontio since that time was grown proud, exceeding proud, yet if they would exert themselves with us we might yet subdue the pride of Onontio, and then I gave them the Belt with the Hatchet in it, which they took readily and gave another Belt and tied it to mine in order to make the Hatchet the Sharper & give it the greater Weight.
" At the same time they told me that they had heard a noise of Guns, but did not know where it came from, and that they thank'd me for coming to let them know their danger; & from what Quarter the noise came; that they hated Onontio, and would chearfully assist against him, whoever sent to them first they would go to first, whether it should be their Brethren the English or the Six Nations, whoever sent first should be first assisted, and that it was further agreed by all the nations of Indians on Sasque- hannah that I should go to Philadelphia and apply immediately to the Government and obtain an Explicit answer from them whether they would fight or no."
Scarrooyady then threw the Belts upon the Table and proceeded : . " Brethren :
"I must deal plainly with You, and tell you if you will not fight with us we will go somewhere else. We never can nor ever will put up the affront. If we cannot be safe where we are we will go somewhere else for protection and take care of ourselves.
"We have more to say, but will first receive your answer to this, and as the times are too dangerous to admit of our staying long here, we therefere entreat you will use all the Dispatch possi- ble, that we may not be detained."
" Brethren :
" We are charged with having been concerned in a late Engage- ment that the Enemy had with your people. We absolutely deny it. We hate Onontio as much as you do, & cannot help taking it very much amiss to be thus Charged by your people.
" For a proof of our Innocence we let you know that as soon as we had the news of your people being attacked we went imme- diately, we did not stay two Minutes, to the place of attack; we found no Enemy there, but we found an Indian that was killed by your people, a French Indian, we did not kill him but we scalped him, and have brought you the Scalp, which we would not have done if he had been of the number of our Friends. Brethren, I have done for the present."
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PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
The Governor after conferring with his Council gave this answer. " Brethren :
"In behalf of the Government & People of Pennsylvania I give you thanks for this friendly visit.
" We are obliged to you for the Journey you took to the Nanti- cokes and for waking and warning them of their Danger. They are our Friends, and in doing a good Office to them you do a kind- ness to us.
" We also thank you for coming down & giving us warning of our Danger at this Time of Trouble.
"From the nature of our Government it is not in my power nor the power of any one man to say what the whole people shall do. I therefore cannot give you a positive answer to that part of your Speech wherein you desire to know whether we Will fight or not ; but as the several men who have a right to determine that point now met, they are considering the present State of the Country and will consider what you have now said, and when we have agreed what shall be done you may depend on knowing it.
" The Government and Govering part of the People of this Pro- vince have never accused the Six Nations of any Breach of Faith ; they ever did and still do esteem them their fast Friends and Allies ; but as our people are numerous & scatered all over the Country, & not under the immediate eye of the Government, it is impossible to keep every Mouth in order. We, therefore, hope you will not take amiss any idle Tales that foolish chattering People may utter, or attribute any thing to the Government that they may say to your prejudice, but regard only what you hear from the Government, as that alone is to be depended upon as the true sense of the People of this Province."
Then the Governor applying himself to the Speaker said,
" Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Assembly :
" You have heard what the Indians have said ; Without Your aid I cannot make a proper answer to what they now propose and expect of us. I therefore desire you will return to your House, consider well of it, and whenever you will strengthen my Hands and enable me to give them a full and proper Answer I shall most readily do it.
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MINUTES OF THE
At a Council held at Philada. Saturday Night, 8th November, 1755.
PRESENT :
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esquire, Lieu- tenant Governor, &c.
Robert Strettel,
Lynford Lardner,
John Mifflin,
Richard Peters,
Thomas Cadwalader, r Esqrs.
The Governor directed the Secretary to lay before the House the Copy of the Indian Treaty which they had requested in their Mess- age of the Fifth Instant, and demanded the Papers that had been last sent to them.
He returned and acquainted the Governor that the House was ad- journed, but having met the Speaker he delivered the Indian Treaty to him and demanded the Papers, and the Clerk was directed to deliver them.
The Governor informed the Council that he proposed to set out immediately to the back Counties ; Whereupon the Board went into the Consideration of the several matters necessary to be done before the Governer's Departure. The first thing that occurred was to send for Mr. Weiser and the Indians and to acquaint them with the Governer's Journey, which being done they conferred together and made the following Speech :
" Brother the Governor-
" It gives us concern to see you preparing to go out of Town, being apprehensive that when you are gone our Business will be neglected ; indeed if you go we shall take all for lost, and there- fore We request you in the most pressing terms not to go, but to stay with your Council and Assembly and come to a Determination on the important Point we have spoke to you upon. We declare if we fail in this present Application we will not come here again nor trouble ourselves further with the Province, but leave it to its own Destruction and provide for our own safety in some other place and in the best manner we can. Be so good, therefore, as to grant our request and stay in Town. We shall then have some hopes of Suc- cess, otherwise we shall have none."
"The Governor considering that to-morrow was Sunday & the Assembly had adjourned themselves, & therefore to stay for their answer would occasion a long Delay that might prove prejudicial to the back Inhabitants, desired the advice of his Council on this new Difficulty, & they fearing least the suffering these Indians to go away without receiving a full and proper Satisfaction might occasion the loss of them and all our Friendly Indians, which would be of the last Consequence, Unanimously advised the Governor to stay and use his utmost Endeavors with his Assembly to strengthen his
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PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
Hands and enable him to engage these and the other Indians and take other vigorous Measures at the same Time.
Then the Governor acquainted the Indians that at their Instance he would put off his Journey, for which they returned him Thanks, and entered into a very serious Conference, wherein they declared they were reduced to the last Extremity. They could not even stay at Shamokin, which might have been prevented if the Government had paid a proper regard to their repeated Solicitations for a supply of Arms and Ammunition for their Warriors & of necessaries for their Wives and Children. That in particular they pressed this after the return of Scarroyady from his Journey up Sasquehannah, assuring the Governor that all those Indians had agreed to come together and live nearer to the English Settlements that they might be within call, and all they desired besides a supply of Necessaries for the Support of their Wives and Children was to be provided with Arms & Ammunition at the Publick Expence, and to see some of the English Young Men among them who might be witnesses of their Conduct be trained up to fight as they did, and go out to War with them. Let this be done even now, said they, and you shall see we will take some French Scalps and send them by your own Young men to this City for you to see with your own Eyes that we hate and will destroy the French as much as you do.
Scarrooyady being asked what number of Indians lived on the Sasquehannah, said "about Three hundred, who were all hearty in the English Interest, and waited with Impatience and to know the Success of his application."
At a Council held at Philadelphia, Sunday the 9th Novem". 1755.
PRESENT.
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esq"., Lieu- tenant Governor, &ca.
Robert Strettel,
Lynford Lardner, Joseph Turner, Benjamin Shoemaker, 2 Esqrs.
Richard Peters,
The Minutes of the Three Councils of Yesterday were read and approved, and the Governor drew up a Message to the Assembly to be delivered as soon as they should meet to-morrow Evening, which was agreed to in the these words :
The Message from the Governor to the Assembly.
" Gentlemen :
" After the Indians had in publick demanded the Assistance of this Government and desired to know what we intended to do, & VOL. VI .- 44.
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whether they were to depend upon us for Protection or take care of themselves, They came to me in Council & informed me by Mr. Weiser, the Provincial Interpreter, that they and their Brethren living upon the Sasquehannah, who were about three hundred fighting men, were now the only Indians in this part of the Conti- nent besides the Six Nations that remained firm to the English In- terest, the French having, at a great Expence and by variety of Ar- tifices, gained to their Alliance not only the Delawares & Shawanese, but other very numerous Nations to the Westward, compared to whom they were but a Handful; that the French & those their Al- lies were coming down against the English and had given them notice to get out of the way; That the Body of the Six Nations were employed in protecting their own Country and assisting the English to the Northward, and could not, therefore, afford them any help at so great a Distance, wherefore they declared that they and their Brethren were willing to act in Conjunction with the English against the French and their Allies, but that in their present Situa- tion and Circumstances they could not take the weight of the War upon themselves.
" What they desire from us at present is, that we would put the Hatchet into their Hands; that we would send a number of our Young Men to act in Conjunction with their Warriors and furnish the necessary Arms, Ammunition, & Provisions; That we would build some strong Houses for the Protection of their old men, Wo- men, and Children, and that they may be supplied from time to time with necessaries.
"They further insist upon knowing the resolutions of this Gov- ernment as to these matters, & upon having an explicit answer with- out further Delay, that they may prepare to act with us or take the necessary measures for their own Security. They have assured us in a very solemn and peremptory manner that this is the last appli- cation they intend to make, in which, if they do not succeed, they can have no longer any Dependance upon us, but must leave us an infatuated People to the Mercy of our Enemies.
"I must observe, Gentlemen, that I cannot but look upon this as one of the most important matters that ever came under your Con- sideration. You know your own critical Situation, and cannot be strangers to theirs. The Enemy is daily laying waste our Country, & it cannot be expected that these Indians will expose themselves, for us to the fury of nations far more powerful than themselves unless we vigorously support and assist them. Indians are of a martial Spirit, and in such a Season as this must be in Action. If, therefore, they find that we continue to refuse either to act in de- fence of ourselves or them, they must necessarily leave us and throw themselves for protection into the hands of the French, our busy Enemy, who will spare no Expence or Trouble to gain such an advantage, & are at this time using every Artifice to corrupt & alienate them from our Interest.
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PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
" How fatal this must prove to us and all the English Colonies You, Gentlemen, cannot be ignorant. The effects of our last Dis- putes have already been too severely felt, and it is to be feared if the present Politicks and Pacific Measures are persisted in the Con- sequences will be still more dreadful. Let me, therefore, earnestly recommend it to you that you will enable me to put the Hatchet into their Hands and afford them the Assistance of the Province in such a manner as they desire.
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