USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. VIII > Part 77
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" Brethren :
" At the conclusion of this Treaty I propose to make you a pre- sent, part of which will consist of some good Guns, which I hope will please you.
" Brethren :
" I have heard attentively what you said to your Cousins, & to Teedyuscung in particular. Among other things you say you for- merly kindled a Fire at Shamokin for Allumapes, another at Wyo-
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ming for the Shawanese, and others at Wighalousin and Diahoga. You say to Teedyuscung that the English cast an Evil Eye on the Lands at Wyoming, & that he is to watch that Fire, & if any White people come there to tell them to go away, for that Land belongs to the Six Nations.
" Brethren :
"Some of you may remember that at the Treaty held last Year at Easton, the Six Nations complained to me that some English had settled upon their Lands, & desired me to assist them in preventing that Settlement, that they might not be wronged out of their Lands. They told me further that they hear the Land had been sold ; that the Six Nations never sold it, and that those who sold it stole it from them ; that it was Two Tuscaroras, one Oneida, and one Mo- hawk, who sold it, unknown to the Six Nations. To this request I answered that a number of people of Connecticut Government had settled at a place on the river Delaware called Cushietunck, about fifty miles north of the Blue Hills, being the Settlement complained of, and claimed all the Lands from thence quite up to Wyomink; that I had sent Messengers to them to inform them that those Lands belonged to the Six Nations, and ordered them to remove away, but they refused to do it, assuring me by the Messengers that they had purchased all those Lands of the Six Nations, and under that pretence had a right to hold them.
" As there are now many more of the Six Nations present than were at Easton last Year, I again request you to tell me plainly whether these Strangers are settled there by your consent or not, and why no measures have been taken, if, as some of you told me at Easton, the Lands were not sold by you, to oblige those private Indians who stole the Lands from you, to procure a Surrender of their unjust Deed from the people to whom they have made it, that it might be brought into the Onandagoc Council, & there cancelled or destroyed."
Upon which Thomas King, without consulting any of the other Chiefs, rose up and spoke :
" Brother :
"It is very well known that the Land was sold by the Six Na- tions ; some are here now that sold that Land ; it was sold for Two Thousand Dollars, but it was not sold by our Consent in publick Council ; it was as it were stolen from us. Some people said that my name was to it, on which I went down immediately to Connec- ticut to see whether it was or not, and found it was not ; I brought a paper back from Connecticut, which I shall shew to the Gover- nor. Had I not gone down to Connecticut, the Lands would have been all settled up to Wyomink as far as Awicka, Twelve miles on this side Chenango."
Thomas King being then asked whether those Lands at Cushie- tunck were a part of those Lands that were stolen from them ? He answered they had nothing to do with them, they belonged to the Delawares.
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Then the Governor asked whether the Lands above the Hills, and at Cushietunck in particular, belonged to the Six Nations or to the Delawares? This was asked of all the Six Nations present, and the Governor desired they would all give an answer to it, Thomas King having already said that those Lands belonged to the Delawares. They answered, that they would take it into Council, & give him an answer in writing.
Whereupon the Conference broke up for the present.
At a Conference with the Indians held at Lancaster, on Friday the 27th of August, 1762.
PRESENT :
The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire, &ca., &ca., as before.
The Governor continuing his Speeches to the Six Nations, spoke as follows :
" Brethren :
" By this String I inform you that a few days since your Cousins, the Western Indians, applied to me about our Trade with them, & told me that we sold our Goods very dear, and desired we would sell them Cheaper, on which I informed them that I had, for their Benefit, opened a large Store of Goods at Pittsburg, & had ap- pointed honest men there to deal justly with them, & made no doubt but they had done so; but that our Land Carriage was so long and made the Expenses so very high, that we lost money by the Trade every Year, and that I knew of no Method by which we could supply them cheaper than by your suffering us to go up the West Branch of the Susquehanna river, with Boats or Canoes, & to build some small Store Houses to put our Goods & skins in, as we went up and came down that river. This Liberty, I told them, I would apply to you for, & I now desire you will be free, and tell me whether you will consent that we should build such Store Houses there, being unwilling to do anything of that kind, without having first obtained your Approbation, or to give you the least reason to think we intend to settle any of the Lands there.
" If you approve of this proposal I will send proper persons to view that river, & to see how far Boats or Canoes can go up it ; and I desire the people I shall send upon that service, may be under your protection, & treated as your Friends by any of your people they may happen to meet with in their Journey."
A String.
Then Kinderuntie, the Head Warrior of the Seneca Nation, sud- denly rose up and spoke as follows :
" Brother Onas :
" You have laid out two Roads already ; one you told me was a good one, the other leads from Potowmack, and now you want
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another Road to go by Water ; we cannot grant it to you, because our Chief's old men are not here ; we are chiefly Warriors here; I am almost as Chief a man as any among them, but we cannot grant it to you, because our Chief men are not present, and the matter has not been consulted in Council; I give you this answer now, because I have the care of those Lands, but if it is agreed upon in our Council, that will be another thing, but at present we deny you entirely.
" Brother :
" You may remember you told me, when you was going to Pitts- burgh, you would build a Fort against the French, & you told me you wanted none of our Lands; our Cousins know this, & that you promised to go away as soon as you drove the French away, & yet you stay there & build Houses, and make it stronger and stronger every day; for this reason we entirely deny your request ; you shall not have a road this Way."
A Belt.
To which the Governor answered :
" Brother :
" This request did not arise from me; I only mention it in order to oblige your Cousins, the Delawares, who desired a Trade with us, & I did it that they might have their Goods cheaper; but this is an indifferent matter to me, it particularly Concerns your Cousins, the Delawares, & the Western Indians, and since the Six Nations disapprove of our going up and down the West Branch, & building Store Houses there, I shall say nothing further upon this Subject."
To which the Seneca Chief made answer : " Brother :
" I am glad to hear you, as you say it did not come from you, but that it come from our Cousins; I thought it had been your own proposal ; I really quite wonder at my Cousins that they did not tell me this ; but since they have swallowed up all their own Land and live to the Westward, I believe they are growing proud; The Lands do belong to me were they live; I conquered it with my Sword; but they are grown proud, and will, I suppose, not own us for their Uncles."
The Governor answered that if he expressed himself in such a manner to them, as if the Application did come from himself, he was mistaken ; for that he meant to express himself, that he did it in consequence of the Delawares desiring a Trade with us, and that our Goods might come cheaper to them, & that he knew of no other method of rendering them so, but by means of a Water car- riage ; and, therefore, he told the Delawares that he would apply to their Uncles, the Six Nations, for Liberty to carry our Goods up the West Branch of Sasquehannah ; and he desired that they should not think the Delawares in Fault on this Account, as they did not propose this method to him, & that no Blame should be imputed to them at all in this affair ; and that as he found it disagreeable to the Six Nations, he would say nothing further about it.
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The Governor then proceeded to speak to the Six Nations, as follows :
" Brethren :
" By this Belt you desired that as there was no War now be- tween you and us, and the Fort at Shamokin stood upon your War- rior's path, the Soldiers might be removed from that Garrison, but that the trading House might still continue, that your Hunters and Warriors might be supplied with Goods, and further desired to know what prices we set upon our Goods.
" Brethren :
" You must be sensible that though an end be happily put to the War between the Indians and us, yet it still continues as warm as ever between us and the French, and, therefore, without His Ma- jesty's express Orders, at whose Instance you acknowledge it was built by your own Consent, I cannot remove the Soldiers from that Garrison ; I shall give particular Directions to the Commanding Of- ficer, that the Soldiers behave very well, both to your Warriors and Hunters, when they come there, and if the Warriors behave well on their parts, and keep sober, there can be no Differences between them
" Brethren :
" You further desire by this Belt, that the Person who has the Care of the Provincial Store, may be removed, and an honest man put in his place.
" Brethren :
" The Agent at Shamokin has, so far as I know, supported the Character of an honest Man, but as it seems he is not agreeable to you, I will consult with the Gentlemen who are joined with me in the Direction of that Store House, when I return to Philadelphia, and give you an answer at a proper Time.
" As to the Trading House it shall continue for your Conveni- ence & Accommodation ; but it is not in my power to fix any cer- tain price upon our Goods. You know we dont make the Goods ourselves ; they are made in England, and the Transporting them over the Seas is dangerous in time of War and very expensive, so that they must come much dearer now than in time of Peace, and their prices change, as the risque and demand for them is greater or less, but I am told, that they are sold to you as cheap as they can be afforded, and cheaper than they can be purchased from pri- vate Traders, & care will be taken that they be good in their Quality.
A Belt.
" Brother :
" By this Belt you give it as your Opinion, that John Harris's House, standing on your Warriors' Path, would be a good place for a Trading House, for the Accommodation of your Warriors & Hun- ters, & desire one may be erected there, and recommend John Harris to be Storekeeper.
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" Brethren :
" By the relation you gave me at Easton, in 1758, when you was relating the Causes of the War, it appears that you were of Opinion, one of the principal reasons which made you join the French against us, was owing in a great measure to the ill Treat- ment your Warriors met with in Virginia, in those places where your War path passes through the settled part of that Colony ; and you have now desired me to write to the Governor of Virginia, that as there are settlers on your War path, whereby it is stopped, he would cause it to be opened.
" Now Brethren, I must acquaint You, that all the way from Harris's Ferry to Potowmack, the White people are settled very thick, so that should your Warriors now use that Path, frequent Differences between them and the Inhabitants might probably arise, by means whereof the peace so lately established between us, may be endangered. And I must desire you, for this reason, to use your best Interest with the Warriors in case they are determined to go to War, that they would pursue the old War path from Shamokin, which lies along the Foot of the Allegheny Hills, & which is the nearest Way they can go to their Enemie's Country. A Belt.
" Brethren :
" As you tell me you intend to apply immediately to Sir William Johnson, to give orders that the Warriors be Supplied with neces- saries, through Mr. Croghan at Rays-Town, I must refer you to him, that the same may be done in other of the King's Garrisons along the War path.
" Brethren :
"As John Harris's House is a great deal out of the Way, if more Trading Houses shall thereafter be thought necessary, than there are at present, which we shall consider of, we shall take care to fix them at the most convenient places, for the accommodation of our Indian Brethren, and appoint honest men to take the Direc- tion of the Trade, who will deal justly and kindly with all the In- dians. ...
A Belt.
" Brethern :
.. " By this Belt you desire a Trading House may be erected on Potowmack, at Daniel Cressip's House, & that he may have the care of it, for the Supply of your Warriors, and that I will send your request to the Governor of Maryland.
" Brethren :
" Your Belt, & all you have said upon it, shall be carefully sent to Governor Sharpe.
" Brethren :
"I shall also, agreeable to your Request, transmit your Belt, & what you have said upon it to the Governor of Virginia, and shall , VOL. VIII .- 49.
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lose no time in doing it, as your Warriors, you tell me, are now ready to set out."
A String.
" Brethren :
"Some red paint, or Vermillion, is provided for you, and shall be delivered to you.
" Brethren :
" Agreeable to your Request, the persons whom I shall appoint to attend you on your return home, will have Orders to furnish you with provisions, as far as Shamokin. I have received several Com- plaints of great mischief being done by the Indians in their coming here, and therefore must insist upon it, that you restrain your Young Men from committing any further Violence, or from taking any thing from the Inhabitants, in their return, for this must have a natural Tendency to raise ill Blood in the minds of the people."
A String.
" Brethren :
"The little Boy, Kisheta's Son, is, I hope, on his way here, · having sent for him to Philadelphia.
" Brethren :
"Since you spoke to me, I am told Samuel Curtis is informed where his Daughter is, & if he pleases to go and see her, & desires my Passports, he shall be furnished with them."
A String.
" Brethren :
" A Horse shall be delivered to Tokahaion for the use of his two Daughters.
" Brethren ;
" A Horse will likewise be given to Robert White, in lieu of the one that died.
" Brethren :
" As to the Application made by your Friends at Wighalousin, with respect to lands they lay claim to beyond the Mountains, I am surprized this should be mentioned to me by Tokahaion, after what passed at Easton in the year 1758, between me and the Six Nations, respecting those Lands. Their Deed to the Proprietaries for those Lands was then produced, and was acknowledged to have been executed by the Six Nations, some of whom were then present. They further added, that they had sold the Land in Question, & were honestly paid for it, and that the Land was theirs, and they would justify it; these were their Expressions. This being the case, and we being unacquainted with any Rights they have, must refer them to you, & desire you will settle this matter among your- selves."
A String.
" Brethren :
"By this Belt you tell me that your Grandfathers advised you to keep fast hold of the Chain of Friendship, & that you, the Mohawks,
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Oneidas, Senecas, Onondagoes, Cayugas, & Tuscaroras, have brought about the peace; that you have more Brothers, Friends, and Allies to the Westward, as far as the Sun sets; so many that you cannot tell their numbers, & in behalf of them & yourselves, who now make up fourteen Nations, you make our old Friendship new again, and brighton the Covenant Chain.
" Brethren :
. "You know that when the peace was concluded first between us, at Easton, as well as in several Friendly Conferences held after- wards, we both of us took great pains to send the peace Belt among all your Nations, and among your Friends & Allies, to the most distant parts; and we have heard you say with pleasure, & we have ourselves likewise received Messages from several Indian Nations, that they were glad to hear we had made peace together, & joined heartily in it. " Brethren :
"We thank you for renewing your old Friendship; we very heartily join with you in it, and in brightening the Covenant Chain, and confirm our words with this Belt. When you return home, we desire you will shew this Belt to your own people, and to all the Nations in your Alliance, & let them know how friendly your Bro- thers have received you; advise them not to hearken to any Stories that bad people may tell them to our Prejudice; desire them to stop their Ears to all such Stories, & assure them that we shall on all Occasions preserve our Friendship with our Indian Brethren & their Allies. And we hope that both you and We shall be so care- ful as not to give the least occasion of Difference, so long as the World lasts."
A very large peace Belt.
" Brethren :
" As I have now finished all my Business with you, I inform you that as the good people of this Province think you may want some Cloathing and other necessaries, they have, from the regard they have for you, put into my hands a considerable present of Goods, which I shall deliver to such persons as you shall appoint to receive and divide them, and I desire that in the dividing them you will pay particular regard and give an handsome present to such Indians who have been at any Expence and Trouble in bringing down the prisoners."
Thomas King desired that the Governor would stay a little longer, for that they had something further to say to him.
Then the Onondagoe Chief, Deogwanda, rose up, and addressing himself to the Governor, said :
" Brother Onas :
"I mentioned to you the other day my desire that there should be a Store House kept at John Harris's, & that he might have the care of the Store for the Warriors. I desired, at the same time, that the Road might be opened for the Warriors to pass through
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the back Settlements to the Southern Indians; you know we are & have always been at War with them, and I shall now begin to strike them. ' You told me, in answer, that you thought it best that that road should be stopt up, lest any Differences should arise between your people and our Warriors, and desired, if any Warriors did go to War, they would take the old road that led to the Southward, under the mountains; and I now tell you, that as you desired that road should be stopt, it shall be so, and I will take the old road. We don't now desire a Store House should be kept at John Har- ris's for the Warriors, but that he may be supplied with provisions & other necessaries for our Chiefs & old Men, as they pass to and fro about about the good work of peace. We know John Harris, and he is known among all the Indian Nations, & we desire he may be the Man appointed for the care of this matter."
A String.
At a Conference at Mr. Slough's House, after the Publick Con- ferences, August 27, 1762.
PRESENT :
The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire, Lieutt Gover- · mor, &ca.
William Logan, Richard Peters, Esquires.
Kinderuntie, in Company with some other Six Nation Indians, having, agreeable to the Governor's desire, brought Peter Weese, one of the Captives mentioned to him in the old Lutheran Church, the Governor took Peter into a private room from the Indians, to confer with him respecting his inclination to stay among the In- dians, lest he should be under any fear of speaking his mind freely in their presence, when, after a free Conference, Peter desired he . might not now be detained among the White people, but left to his Liberty to return with the Indians, & that on his way he would call on his Brother, who lived near Pittsburgh, and speak with him, and return to the Governor in the Spring; and gave several reasons for his staying with them this Winter. On which the Governor con- sented to his request, & went with him to the Indians, & then ac- quainted the Six Nation Chiefs present, that as he had now con- sented that the Prisoner, Peter Weese, should. stay among them, agreeable to his Inclination, and their Desire, he hoped they would be as honourable on their part, in delivering up the other Prisoner, who was a Deserter, from the Army, and now in their Camp, and that they would do every thing in their power, on their return to their own Country, to collect every Prisoner among them, & deliver them up faithfully, agreeable to their promises.
Kinderuntie answered:
""That he was well pleased with what the Governor had done; that he would now deliver up the Deserter to him, & that he should
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¿nake it his particular Business when he returned home, to make a Thorough Search every where in their Towns for all the Prisoners hat are among them; that the Governor might rely upon these en- leavours, & that as soon as he had done this, he would faithfully deliver them all up, & use his Interest with all others to do the same.
The Deserter was brought soon after, to the Governor, who as- sured him of receiving him with Kindness, and he would grant him his Protection if he would consent to come among the English. He answered, that as he confided in the Governor's Assurances, he was very willing to return among the English again, and if he would grant him a pass, he would go down into Maryland, to his Parents and relations there.
Kinderuntie then said :
"Brother :
"As both you and we are in a great hurry to have the business of the Treaty finished, that we may all return home, I shall not de- tain you, and shall only at this time, request you to grant to Toti- niontonah a rifle Gun of your own make, & a Saddle for my Friend, this Young Man here."
A String.
The Governor said he would consider of what they said, & return them an answer to-Morrow Morning, and should be glad at that time to see all the Chief Men of the Six Nations, that he might deliver them the presents, & take his Leave of them, as it is now growing late.
Saturday, the Twenty-eighth of August, 1762.
Early in the Morning, Deogwanda & Kinderuntie, waited on the Governor, at his Lodgings, and told him that they had agreed in Council, not to say any thing further about Lands, but would take what the Governor had said to them on Thursday, respecting the Lands above the Hills, and at Cushietunck, and also, what he said the next day respecting the Lands claimed by the Minisink Indians at Wighalousin, to the Onondagoe Council, to be there considered.
On the same day, in the afternoon, the following Indians waited on the Governor at his Lodgings, viz' :
Kinderuntie, the Seneca Chief; Totiniontonah, a Cayuga ; John Sakalamy, and two Seneca Warriors.
PRESENT :
William Logan, Richard Peters,
Esquires.
Who complained against Nathaniel Holland, at Fort Augusta, as a Man who always treats the Indians who come there with ill usage,
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& bad Language, insomuch that they are very often so provoked as to do him Violence ; and as the publick business is now over, they . intreat the Governor to remove him, & put a more quiet man in his place. They further say, that as the Governor has acquainted them that the War has occasioned a rise in the price of Goods they hope the Governor will give Orders that they may be paid :' higher price for their Skins and Furs in proportion.
The Governor made answer, that he would take this matter inte Consideration, & do in it whatever was thought reasonable ; an further acquainted them, that the small presents they had requeste. of him the day before, should be granted them.
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August the Twenty-ninth, Sunday Morning.
The Governor having ordered all the Goods intended as a present . to the Six Nations, to be taken to Mr. Hambright's Malt House, and appointed this Morning for those Indians to meet him there to receive them; they accordingly came, when being seated, and the Goods divided into Four different parcels, in proportion to the num- bers of the different Tibes, The Governor, in the presence of William Logan, Esqr., Member of the Council, Joseph Fox, Samuel Rhoads, Esquires, of the Assembly, and some Gentlemen from Philadelphia, acquainted them that, agreeable to what he told them on Friday last, he had now provided a handsome present of Goods, and desired they would accept of them, as a mark of the affection and regard of the good people of this Province for them ; and having laid aside a parcel of the same, to a considerable value, by themselves, he told the Indians that that particular parcel was to be divided among such Indians as had been at any expence or Trouble in bringing down the Captives.
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