USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. VII > Part 21
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had fallen to the share of his people, should be forthwith Deli- vered up.
" I presented the warr Belt, which was accepted by both these Chiefs, who sung the warr song (which is a sacred Engagement among the Indians) with Singular Zeal & Warmth.
"I think it Proper to loose no time in Acquainting your Excel- lency with the happy Issue of this Important Affair, in which I have been Successfull beyond my Expectations,
" The Delaware Chief who was the principal Object, has also promised to use his utmost Endeavours to withdraw those of his Nation whom the French have seduced to go & live in the Neighbourhood of Fort Duquense.
" As I see by the Publick Prints, the Governor of New Jersey hath Published a Declaration of Warr against the Delaware In- dians, which, as he could not but Know, they were Expected at the Onondaga meeting, with the hopes of bringing matters to an accommation, was in my Humble Oppinion a premature & very unadvised measure ; & the Governor of Pennsylvania, he must Also have known, had upon this Account suspended any Hostilities in Consequence of his Declaration of warr, some time ago published; if from these or any of these Colonies, any hostilities should be first Committed against the six Nations, will in a Body Resent it, and all our Indian Affairs be put into a fatal Confusion, which, I believe, no Person will be Able to Compose. I hope, therefore, your Excellency will Judge it Proper to Communicate with the ut- most Dispatch the General Account I have now given you, to the Southern Governments.
" I would have sent the same to Sir Charles Hardy, in order that he might have transmitted it to the Neighbouring Governments to the Southward, but as that would have taken up more time, I thought it best to Refer it to your Excellency, who I hope will, if your Sentiments Correspond with mine, enforce them with your own Oppinion ; I shall only add, that there Appears every Kind of Moral Evidence to beleave the uprightness and Sincerity of the Promises & engagements of these Chiefs in behalf of their People, and that as soon as a Copy of the Particular proceedings of this Congress can be got Ready, I shall transmit one to Sir Charles Hardy to forward to the Southern Governments.
" I hope some day this week to have the pleasure of waiting on you, and am most Respectfully,
"Sir, Your Excellency's most Obedient Humble Servant, "WM. JOHNSTON."
And there was Likewise Read the following Extract of a Letter from Sir William Johnston, of the 2nd Instant, to Mr. Wraxall,
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Secretary of Indian Affairs, which Sir Charles Hardy has Enclosed in a Letter of his, Received the last Post :
" Extract from Sir William Johnston's Letter to Peter Wraxall, Secretary for Indian Affairs, bearing date from his Camp in the woods, between Onondago & Tuscarora, Friday evening, 2nd July, 1756.
"'Last night I finished all matters with the Six Nations, to my great Satisfaction ; I have a Number of the Shawonese and Dela- wares with me, whom I intend to take down to my House and Settle all Affairs there with them, as I could not here, the meeting being broke up before they all Arrived; the King of the Delawares came here After the Meeting was broke up, he Accompanys me also, they will be about thirty in Company, of Both nations. The King of the Delawares tells me, that he on Receiving a Message sent him by me from Oneida, sent immediately to the Delawares on the Ohio to Come to the Onongada Meeting; he thinks there will Come about one Hundred of them, which is a good sign; I doubt not settling that Unhappy Affair as soon as I get home; I hope you are quite Recovered, & that I shall have the Pleasure of meeting you at my House Tuesday or Wednesday next, at furthest.'
" A true Extract-Examined By " LAMBT. MOOR, Dy. Secretary."
The Governor Informed the Council that Yesterday two Mem- bers waited on him to Aquaint the House were met, pursuant to his writs, and that he had Delivered to the said Members the fol- lowing Message, with a Copy of the Act passed in the Lower Coun- ties for Prohibiting the Exportation of Provisions, &c .:
" Gentlemen :
. " At your Instance I called the Assembly of the Lower Counties & pressed them to Continue the Prohibition of Provisions and Warlike Stores to the time limited by the Laws of New York & Jersey, but they Chuse only to continue it till the twentieth Instant, and from Thence for so long a time as the Legislature of this Pro- vince shou'd pass or continue a Law for the Like Purposes ; provided the same did not exceed the twenty-Second day of October next. I am, thereby, laid under the disagreeable Necessity of Calling you together at this Busy Season in order to have the Embargo con- tinued for the same time that it is in the Provinces of New York & Jersey; & as the Acts of Assembly passed for the Prohibition of Provisions & Warlike Stores will Expire with to-morrow, I hope you will Immediately enter upon the matter, & give it all the Dis- patch the Nature of the thing Requires. The Secretary will lay before you a Copy of the Act of the Lower Counties. You will, by Proper Chauses in the Law you may think it Necessary on this Oc- casion to propose, leave me at liberty to send Supplies to such of
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the King's Ships & forces as may be Employed in any part of America; & to put the trade of this Place, while the Embargo lasts, upon the same footing it is in the other Bread Colonies.
" ROBT. H. MORRIS.
" Philadelphia, July 20th, 1756."
Two Members from the House waited on the Governor with the Following Message, and at the same time delivered a Bill to his Honour for Striking the sum of Four Thousand Pounds in the Bills of Credit, & to Provide for Sinking the same by yearly payments to be made by the Proprietaries' Receiver General, and Acquainted him that the House thought it Highly Necessary that there should be some preamble to the said bill, least it should be Imagined that the Proprietaries had given Four thousand Pounds over & above the Five Thousand Pounds Specified in the Act for Granting Sixty Thousand Pounds to The King's Use, and that the House proposed, since the Governor is averse to having it mentioned in the Preamble, that the said five Thousand Pounds was Given by the Proprietaries in Consideration of their being Exempt from the Payment of their Taxes towards Raising the Aforesaid sum of Sixty Thousand Pounds, altho' the same is Expressly declared in that Act without any Ob- jection having been there to made by the Governor at the time it was passed to leave out the first Clause of the Preamble, namely from the word (whereas) to the word (use) :
" Whereas, the Honourable Proprietaries of this Province has been Pleased to make a free gift of the sum of Five Thousand Pounds for the Purpose, & in the manner Particularly set forth by an Act of General Assembly of this Province, passed in the twenty-Ninth year of his Majesty's Reign, Entitled 'An Act for granting the Sum of Sixty Thousand Pounds to the King's use.'"
The Governor was Pleased to Inform the Members that he be- leaved the House had Misunderstood his Message ; that he had no Intentions of Disoblidging them, and that he was Sorry to see they had taken Offence; however, as he was about to leave the Go- vernment, he should not Return any Answer to it; and that as to the Bill for Striking Four Thousand Pounds to be Replaced by the Proprietaries' receiver General, he thought the House gave a good reason why there should be some Preamble to the said Bill, & that he would take the one proposed into Consideration, and let the House know the Result thereupon.
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A Message to the Governor from the Assembly.
" May it Please Governor :
" On the 4th of May, 1756, the Legislature of New York passed an Act to Revive an Act more Effectually to Restrain the Exportation of Provision & Warlike Stores from that Colony, to be Enforce for twenty-one days, and After that time to such time
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as the Legislature of New Jersey & Pennsylvania should pass Acts for like purposes, provided those Acts did not Exceed three months from the passing of an Act, which was from the fourth of May to the 4th of August next ensuing.
" Sir Charles Hardy having Recommended to our Governor, that he should lay before the Assembly of this Province the Necessity of enacting a Law of the same Tenour Within this Government, & the House being convinced that such an Act would be totally useless, unless the Three Lower Counties of New-Castle, Kent & Sussex (not Subject to our laws) were Included, passed an Act on the thirteenth of May of the same Tenor, & nearly in the same words, with an Act of New York, to be in force till the seventh of June, & from thence for so long a time as the Legislatures of the Colony of New Jersey & the Counties of New Castle, Kent, & Sussex, upon Delaware, should Respectively pass laws for the like Purposes, Provided they exceeded not the Limitted time by the Law of New York Government.
" On the twenty-ninth of May, the Legislature of New Jersey passed an Act to be in force from the first day of June to the first day of August, & from thence for so long a time as the Legisla- tures cf the Colonies of New York & Pennsylvania should Re- spectively pass laws for the like Purposes, provided they did not Exceed three months from the said first day of August.
" This being the state of the Laws laying an Embargo on the Exportation of Provisions & warlike Stores ; first by the Colony of New York on the fourth, then by this Government on the 13th, & by New Jersey on the 29th of May last, it is most unkind, and give us leave to say, in our Oppinion, Unbecoming the Dignity of Government, that, in the Governor's last Message he should not take the least Notice of any Law being ever passed by us for lay- ing any Embargo within this Port, but Only mentions his having pressed the Assembly of the Lower Counties to Continue the Pro- hibition of Provisions & warlike Stores to the time limitted by New York & Jersey, as if no such law had ever been passed by himself within this Province. What Purpose such a Conduct to- wards us is to Answer, the Governor best knows; but when he Proceeds in his Message to propose to us to have the Embargo Con- tinued for the same time that it is in the Provinces of New-York and Jersey, we must Confess we are Entirely at a loss to know what the Governor wou'd mean; our Act coming Precisely within the Governor's Recommendation, being made in Compliance with the law of New-York ; if the lower Counties have not Complied with those terms, it is not to be Imputed to the Assembly of this Province, who have fully Discharged their Part to make the Em- bargo Effectual.
" We Entreat the Governor to Consider & Reflect on the share he has had in the Laws of the Lower Counties passed by himself which
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sum Calculated to give this house unnecessary Trouble to no good Purpose whatever, for now when he has thought fit to Call us together in the Heighth of our Harvests, our servants generally taken from us, & the Country in want of Labourers, what has the Governor been pleased to Propose but to pass an Act to Continue the Embargo for the same time that it is in the Provinces of New York & Jersey, which is the Tenor and Limitation of our Present Act, it being to have Continued, had the Lower Counties passed their Acts in Conformity with the laws of New York and this Province, and New Jersey had (Already done) to the 4th day of August, and as New York had not extended their Act, that we know of (which will Probably become Unnecessary on the Proclamation of warr against France, now Daily Expected), any new Act we could make would only Continue the Act of this Province to the time it was to Continue, which is such an absurdity as we presume on reflection, the Governor will not Insist Upon.
" But that no time might Intervene, whereby the French might be Supplied with Provisions or Warlike Stores from this Province, we, at our last Meeting, put into the Governor's Hands a Bill to Con- tinue the Act for Preventing the exportation of Provisions, Naval or Warlike Stores from this Province to Cape Breton, or to any other of the Dominions of the French King, or Places at Present in Possession of any of his Subjects, to Prevent as much as lay in our Power, any Defficiencies which might arise from the Conduct of the Assembly of the Three Lower Counties, if they should think fit to Invalidate the Acts of the other Colonies, for Laying a General Embargo.
" At the same time we also sent up a Bill Entitled, 'a Supple- mentary Act to a law of this Province, Entitled ' An Act for the more Effectual Obstructing the Exportation of Provisions and Warlike Stores from this Province," which Bill, if the Governor had passed it at the time it was sent to him by the House, or if he should hereafter be pleased to give his Assent thereto, would pre- vent all doubts, and give full Liberty to send supplies to such of the King's Ships & forces as may be employed in any part of America ; & we have never endeavoured to put the trade of this Place, where the Interest or Dignity of the Crown is Concerned, on any other footing than it is in the Other Colonies.
"Signed by order of ye House. "ISAAC NORRIS, Speaker."
Captain New Castle having Come to town last night, and brought with them some of the Diahoga Indians, the Governor sent for them to Council, and After he had bid them welcome and paid them the Usual Compliments in the Indian manner, New Castle Delivered him a Message with a String of Wampum from Tedeuscung, the Deleware King, who he said had Accompanied him as far as Beth-
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leham, and there waited with some other Indians the Governor's Coming to them. The Message was Read in these Words :
" At Timothy Horsfield's, Esquire.
" PRESENT :
" Major Parsons, Captain Insly,
" King Teedeuscung,
Captain New Castle,
"Taspecawen, Councellor,
John Pumpshire, Intr., & others.
" At the desire of the King Teedeuscung and Captain Newcastle, for to Remember the Words Accompanying this String, they were wrote down from the King's Mouth :
"' Brother, the Governor of Pennsylvania :
"' I have Received the word by your Messenger kindly. Upon it I have come, as you have given me good words, which is Called Council fire ; at the forks of Delaware we will sit down and wait there, and shall be ready. I am Exceeding glad that there are such thoughts & methods taken in Respect to our women and Children. I shall, I hope, be Ready to let you know a little further when we shall see one Another ; this what I have now in Short Spoke is not only from me but Also from my Uncle, the Mohawk, and five other Nations, which in all makes ten, and they have but two heads of Kings between them.'
" Bethleham, July 18th, 1756."
The Governor Expressed great Satisfaction at the Contents, en- quired how long since Teedeuscung had been made King of the Delewares, and where he had Chiefly lived, and was told that the Six Nations had made him King about a Year ago, and that he lived at Wiomink.
The Indians were then made acquainted with the small Pox being in Town, and that it was of a bad sort, and they were offered Springitsberry, where they might Escape the Infection & be well Entertained.
And whilst they were a Considering of this New Castle ad- dressed the Governor in a very Serious manner.
" Brothers, the Governor and the Council :
" As I have been intrusted by you with matters of the Highest Concern, I now Declare to you that I have used all the Abilities I am master of in the Management of them, & that with the greatest Chearfulness. Itell you in General Matters look well. I shall not go into Particulars. Teedeuscung will do this at a Public meet- ing, which he expects will be soon. The times are Dangerous ; the swords drawn and Glittering all Around you ; Numbers of Enemys in your Borders. I beseech you, therefore, not to give any delay to this Important Affair ; say where the Council fire is to be kindled ;
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come to a Conclusion immediately ; let us not wait a moment least what has been done should prove ineffectual."
The Governor expressed in warm terms how sensible the Peo- ple of the Province were of the Skill and diligence used by him in the transacting this business, and of their Obligations to him on that Account; thanked him for his advice, & Assured him that he would make all the Dispatch possible, and asked him his sentiments as to what Place might be the best & most proper for the Council fire to be kindled at, to which he answered he would except the Governor's Confidence and let him know his mind, and after a pause said :
" Brother :
" The times are very Precarious ; not a moment is to be lost without the utmost danger to the good cause we are engaged in. The Delaware King wants to hear from your own mouth a confirma- tion of the assurances of Peace and good will given him by me in your name; he comes well Disposed to make you the same Declara- tions. The Forks is believed to be the place of Meeting; what need of any Alteration ? let it be there ; tarry not but Hasten to him."
The Governor told him in Reply that what he had said was Agreeable to him and the Council ; that the Assembly was setting before whom he would lay all that had passed, and as soon as he should Receive their Answer, he would immediately send for them and take his measures accordingly.
After the Council were gone, Cap". Newcastle, by Pumpshire, desired a private Conference with the Governor and Mr. Peters, and it being granted him, he informed the Governor that as soon as he came to Diahoga, he communicated to such of the Indians as he knew were sincere friends to Pennsylvania, the substance of the Several Matters given him in Charge, and desired their Assistance, which they afforded him. All was soon settled in private Confer- ences, except the Article about the Prisoners, which they advised him to drop, alledging that as the Governor had proposed to Kindle a Council Fire in Pennsylvania, and had invited the Indians to it, promising them safety in the Road leading to it, and Protection whilst in his Government, it was much more proper for him at such Council to mention this, and to insist upon it then ; but in these preparatory Conferences it would answer no Purpose, nor was it agreeable to Indian Forms. That on their giving him this Advice and these Reasons in Support of it, he did accordingly keep back that part of his Instructions, and he hoped the Governor would excuse him. As to all other Matters, he faithfully delivered them, and they were well received, and had so good an Effect as to induce the Indians to Tedyuscung's coming to Council, and taking with him such of the Indians as should incline to accompany him.
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The Governor said he was sorry this Article was not particularly mentioned, having it principally in view by this to obtain from them some thing explicit on that head previous to the Council, whence he might judge of their Sincerity. However, as Newcastle had taken the best Advice he could get, he would not blame him; but he could not help telling him that unless this Article should be complied with, and that without hesitation or Fraud, he would never consent to a Peace. And then Newcastle delivered to the Governor the Belt sent on this occasion and the rest of the Wampum that he had not disposed of.
MEMORANDUM.
On the Twenty-First Instant the Governor by the Secretary sent to the House the Bill for striking Four Thousand Pounds in Bills of Credit, and to provide for sinking the same by yearly Payments to be made by the Proprietaries' Receiver General, with the follow- ing amendment proposed to be inserted in the Bill, instead of the Three first Clauses therein, that is to say from the Word Whereas in the Preamble to the Word otherwise inclusive.
" Whereas, The Honourable the Proprietaries of this Province have been pleased to make a free Gift of the sum of Five Thousand Pounds to be applied towards the Publick Charges, which Sum by an Act of General Assembly of this Province passed in the Twenty- Ninth Year of His Majesty's Reign, intituled ' An Act for grant- ing the Sum of Sixty Thousand Pounds to the King's Use, and for striking Fifty-Five Thousand Pounds thereof in Bills of Credit, and to provide a Fund for sinking the same,' is directed and ap- pointed to be paid by the Receiver General into the Hands of Isaac Norris, James Hamilton, John Mifflin, and Benjamin Franklin, Esquires, and Joseph Fox, John Hughes, and Evan Morgan, Gen- tlemen, to be laid out for his Majesty's Use in the Manner therein prescribed."
And on the same Day the Governor received a Message from the House by two Members that they did not incline to agree to the Governor's proposed Preamble to the Bill, but were willing to pass the same into a Law with the Preamble sent him yesterday ; And further, they desired to know if he had come to any Determination upon the Bill for continuing the Excise, and the Bill for granting Forty Thousand Pounds to the King's Use. His Honour returned for Answer to the Members that he could not recede from his Amendments to the Excise Bill; and that in the Afternoon he would send to the House respecting the Bill for striking Forty Thousand Pounds ; and accordingly the Governor by the Secretary returned the said Bill to the House with sundry proposed Amendments.
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At a Council held at Philadelphia, Friday the 23d July, 1756. PRESENT :
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esquire, Lieu- tenant Governor.
Richard Peters,
John Mifflin,
Benjamin Chew,
Thomas Cadwalader, Esquires.
A Petition was presented to the Governor by Mr. William Grant on behalf of a Master of a Sloop from Bermudas, praying Liberty to ship off a small cargo of Indian corn, Bread, and Flower, for the Use of the Inhabitants of that Island, and a Certificate was produced under the Hand of Governor Popple, and the Great Seal of the said Government, declaring the said Provisions to be greatly wanted ; and it was agreed that Captain Grant should have a Permission to ship 1,500 Bushels of Indian corn, 300 Barrels of Flower, and 200 Barrels of Bread to the Governor of Bermudas, for the Use of his Majesty's Inhabitants of the Summer Islands.
A Petition was read of Rees Meredith, Samuel Neave, and others, praying a Permission to Ship off to Madeira, for the use of the In- habitants there, to be consigned to Hill and Company, a Cargo of Provisions on Board the Snow Betsy, Mathew Drason, Master. It was a long while debated in Council if the Petitioners should have such Permission, and at length the Governor being convinced in Favour of the Petitioners by the many arguments that had been offered, gave a Permission for the shipping of 244 Barrels of Flower, 2,949 Bushels of wheat, 1,257 Bushels of Indian Corn, 13 Barrels of Gammons, 109 Bushels of Pease, and 30 Cags of Bread.
The Governor laid before the Council a message he had sent to the House on the Twenty-First, with a Copy of the Indian Minutes of the Twentieth; and likewise acquainted them that the House, by two Members, had desired to know what Sum he thought would be sufficient to discharge the Expences of the proposed Treaty with the Indians now at Bethlehem; and that he had told the Members less than Five Hundred Pounds he thought would be insufficient, espe- cially as he should be obliged to have a Body of Soldiers to guard him.
A Message from the Governor to the Assembly. " Gentlemen :
"You will see by the Indian Minutes, which the Secretary will lay before you, that our good Friend & faithful messenger, Capt. Newcastle, is Returned from Diahoga, & has brought to Bethleham a Number of Susquehanna Indians & the Delaware King Teedeus- cung, from Whom I have Received a message expressing his Satis- faction with what has been transacted by Capt". Newcastle, & telling him that he waits my Coming to him.
"You will Observe by Sir William Johnston's Letter to General
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Abercrombie giving an account of his Proceedings at Onondago, which I laid before you, that by means of Six Nations, such of the Delawares as Attended that Meeting have Already laid down the Hatchet, and Engaged to follow the Example of the Six Nations and Assist us Against the French.
" As there is the Greatest Reason to think, as well from Sir Wm. Johnston's transactions & the message from Teedeuscung, as from what Capt. New Castle has Communicated in Council, that the Dele- ware King & People living on the River Susquehanna are in a good Disposition to Return to their Alliance & former friendship with us, I think so favourable an Opportunity of fixing those people in our Interest should not be neglected. I, therefore, Recommend it to you to make Provision for the Expence that will Attend the Con- ferences upon this Occasion, & for fulfilling such Engagements as the Present Exigences may make it Necessary for me to enter into, in which you may be Assured I shall have a particular Regard to the Honour & Safety of this Province.
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