The Honourable _G E O R G E T H O M A S_, Esq; Lieutenant-Governor.
_James Logan_, }
_Clement Plumsted_, }
_Samuel Hasell_, }
_Abraham Taylor_, } Esqrs;
_Samuel Preston_, }
_Thomas Lawrence_, }
_Ralph Asheton_, }
_Robert Strettell_, }
The Chiefs of the _Six Nations_, with the Chiefs of the _Shawanese_.
_C A N A S S A T E E G O_, the _Onondago_ Chief, Speaker.
_C O N R A D W E I S E R_, Interpreter.
The Governor opened the Conference as follows.
'_B R E T H R E N_,
'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 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 lie 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.
'_B R E T H R E N_,
'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.
'_B R E T H R E N_,
'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 Warriors, 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 Warriors, and after examining and rebuking them
severely, we took away their two Strowds, and publickly censured
them for exposing us to our Brethren of _Pensylvania_, 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 _Pensylvania_, to any other but out 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:
'_B R E T H R E N_,
'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 Warriors 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:
'_B R E T H R E N_,
'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
Warriors 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:
'_B R E T H R E N of the Six Nations_,
'I 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 the _Twightwees_, in their Return from War, called and
staid some Time 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 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:
'_B R E T H R E N_,
'We take this Information kindly 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 C O U N C I L held at the Proprietor's House, _July_ 5, 1742.