The Hon'ble GEORGE THOMAS, Esq; Lieut. Governor.
_James Logan_, _Samuel Preston_, }
_Clement Plumsted_, _Thomas Lawrence_, } Esqrs;
_Samuel Hasell_, _Ralph Asheton_, }
_Abraham Taylor_, _Robert Strettell_, }
The Chiefs of the SIX NATIONS, with the Chiefs of the SHAWANESE.
CANASSATEEGO, the _Onondago_ Chief, Speaker.
CONRAD WEISER, Interpreter.
The Governor opened the Conference as follows.
'_BRETHREN_,
'The Proprietor having purchased certain Lands from your Nations about
Six Years ago, a Moiety of what was agreed to be given in Consideration
of that Purchase was at that Time delivered to them, and the other being
at their own Desire left in the Proprietor's Hands, He pressed you by
_Shikalamy_, to send last Year for it, and would have been glad to have
seen you and taken you by the Hand before his Departure. But as the
Design of this Meeting is to hear your News, and converse together in a
free and friendly Manner, I shall say no more about the Goods than that
they lye ready at the Proprietor's House, and will be delivered when you
shall have sufficiently rested from the Fatigue of your Journey.'
The Chief of the _Onondagoes_ spoke,
'_BRETHREN_,
'We propose to rest four Days, and then come to the main Business. At
present we are at a private Conference about News, and have something of
this Sort to mention to our Brother ONAS.' And on the Governor's
signifying they would be glad to know what it was, the Chief proceeded.
'_BRETHREN_,
'It is our Way when we come to our Brethren, or any other Persons, whom
we live in strict Friendship with, to remove all Obstructions to a good
Understanding; with this View we are to inform you of a Piece of
disagreeable News that happen'd in our Journey.--Some White People
living at a Place called _Conegocheegoe_, whose Names we cannot tell,
nor whether they belong to this or the neighbouring Government, but one
of them, as we heard, had his House burnt over his Head some Years ago,
and he was brought down a Prisoner and committed to the Goal of this
City: These People lighting of our young Warriours, as they were
hunting, made some Proposals about the purchasing of Land from them, and
our young Men being indiscreet, and unacquainted with publick Business,
were foolish enough to hearken to them, and to receive five Duffil
Strowds for two Plantations on the River _Cohongoronto_. A _Conestogoe_
Indian, and a _French_ Indian, and some others that were in Company had
three Duffil Strowds, and went away with them; and our young Men carried
off the other two. As soon as this came to our Knowledge, we sent for
our Warriours, and after examining and rebuking them severely, we took
away their two Strowds, and publickly censured them for exposing us to
our Brethren of _Pensilvania_, in doing a Thing so inconsistent with our
Engagements to them; _You are_, said we aloud, that all our People might
hear and take Notice, _to know and remember, that the Six Nations have
obliged themselves to sell none of the Land that falls within the
Province of_ Pensilvania _to any other but our Brother_ ONAS, _and that
to sell Lands to any other is an high Breach of the League of
Friendship_. Brethren, this rash Proceeding of our young Men makes us
ashamed. We always mean well, and shall perform faithfully what we have
promised: And we assure you, this Affair was transacted in the Manner we
have related, without our Privity or Consent. And that you may be fully
convinced of this, and of the Sincerity of our Intentions, we have
brought you these Two Strowds [_here he presented two Red Strowds to the
Governor_] they are the very Strowds our foolish young Men received; we
took them from them, and we give them to you to return to those white
People who made the Bargain, and desire when the Strowds are returned to
them, they may be told what we now say, and that we shall not confirm
such Bargains nor any other that may interfere with our Engagements to
our Brother ONAS.'
The Governor then spoke:
'_BRETHREN_,
'I thank you for this Piece of News; you have taken this Matter
perfectly right. All Bargaining for Land within this Province, is, to be
sure, a manifest Breach of your Contract with the Proprietors, and what
we know you will not countenance. We have hitherto found the _Six
Nations_ faithful to their Engagements, and this is a fresh Instance of
their Punctuality. You could not help these Mistakes of your young Men;
they were not done in your Presence: But as several Inconveniencies may
arise from these kind of clandestine Sales, or from any such loose Sales
of Land by your People, we desire you will, on your Return home, give
publick Notice to all your Warriours not to bargain for any Land; or if
they do, that you will not confirm such Bargains; and that this very
Affair, together with what you have done therein, may be particularly
reported to all your Nation assembled in Council.'
The _Onondago_ Chief promised to give such publick Notice; and desiring
Liberty to mend his former Speech, he proceeded:
'_BRETHREN_,
'I forgot one Circumstance: Our People who pretended to sell the Land,
demanded a Belt of _Wampum_ of the Buyers to carry to their Chiefs; and
on their declaring they had no _Wampum_, our Warriours said, they would
not answer that their Chiefs would confirm this Bargain, since they
never did any thing of this Nature without _Wampum_.'
The Governor, after a short Pause, spoke:
'_BRETHREN of the Six Nations_,
'I shall take this Opportunity to relate to you a Piece of disagreeable
News I received some Days ago in a Letter from _Le Tort_ the Indian
Trader, at _Allegheny_, who says, _That in_ May _last some_ Indians _of
the_ Taway _Nation, supposed by us to be_ Twightwees, _in their Return
from War, called and stayed sometime with the_ Shawanese; _who being
asked, and denying they had brought either Scalps or Prisoners, the_
Shawanese _suspecting them, had the Curiosity to search their Bags, and
finding two Scalps in them, that by the Softness of the Hair did not
feel like_ Indian _Scalps, they wash'd them clean, and found them to be
the Scalps of some_ Christians. _On this Discovery, the_ Twightwees _were
so much ashamed, that they stole away from their Town in the Night-time;
and coming, as they afterwards understood, to a little Village belonging
to the_ Shawanese, _they told our People that their Hearts were full of
Grief; for, as they came along the Road, they found it all bloody; and
having good Cause to believe it was made bloody with the Blood of some
of the White Brethren, they had very sorrowfully swept the Road; and
desired them to inform the Governor of_ Pensilvania _of their (the_
Twightwees) _Grief; and how they had swept the Road clean.' Le Tort_
adds, on Behalf of the _Shawanese, 'That they were much troubled and
grieved at this unfortunate Accident; and prayed as they had no Concern
in it, more than by being Instruments to discover it, their Brethren
would not blame them, nor suffer a Misunderstanding to arise between
them on this Account: They would sweep the Road clean, and wipe all the
Blood away; and desired their Brethren would be satisfied with this, and
not weep too much for a Misfortune that might not happen again as long
as the Sun and Moon shone.'_
'The Person who delivered me _Le Tort's_ Letter, brought this Bundle of
Skins as a Present to me; but I told the Messenger, I would not meddle
with it; he might leave it if he pleased: The Affair appear'd to me in
a bad Light, and I would represent it to the _Six Nations_, who were
expected in Town every Day. This is the Fact as I have it from _Le
Tort_: I desire to be inform'd if you know any thing of this Matter; and
if you do not, that you will make diligent Enquiry who committed the
Murder, and who are the unhappy Sufferers, and assist us to obtain
Satisfaction, if it shall appear to be any of our Fellow-Subjects that
have been treated in this Manner.'
_To inforce this Request, I present you with this String of_
Wampum.
The _Onondago_ Chief, in Reply, said:
'_BRETHREN_,
'We take this Information kind at your Hands; we will take this String
of _Wampum_ home with us to our Lodgings, and there consult about the
most regular and proper Steps to be taken by us to answer your
Expectations; and when we have duly considered the Matter, we will
return you an Answer.'
Upon this the Governor put an End to the Conference; and calling for
Wine and other Liquors, according to the _Indian_ Custom, after a decent
and chearful Entertainment, the _Indians_ withdrew.
* * * * *
At a COUNCIL held at the PROPRIETOR'S HOUSE, _July_ 5. 1742.