The History of the Five Indian Nations of Canada Part 3

_Cadwallader Colden_.

To this it may not be improper to add the following Original Letter.

_From_ J. A. _Esq; to Mr_. P. C. _of_ London, _shewing the Success of the Measures taken at that Time_.

_New-York_, 1740.

_S I R_,

If you should be at the Pains to read these printed Papers, it will be a Pleasure to you to hear of the Success of the Measures taken by Governor _Burnet_ for redeeming the _Indian_ Trade out of the Hands of the _French_. He has succeeded far above our Expectations.

Governor _Burnet_, through his earnest Application, and at first chiefly with his Money, Credit, and Risque, erected a Trading-House and Fortification at the Mouth of the _Onondagues_ River, called _Osneigo_, where the Province of _New-York_ supports a Garrison of Soldiers, consisting of a Lieutenant and twenty Men, which are yearly relieved.

At this Place a very great Trade is carried on with the remote _Indians_, who formerly used to go down to the _French_ at _Monreal_, and there buy our _English_ Goods, at second Hand, at above twice the Price they now pay for them at _Osneigo_; whilst, at the same time, the _French_ were chiefly supplied by one Gentleman at _New-York_, who almost entirely engrossed the _Indian_ Trade of this Province, and thereby acquired a very great Estate and Influence. But the prudent Steps taken by our late worthy Governor, to open a free Trade, was the Cause of the Engrosser's losing his.--The Probability of doing this, was the princ.i.p.al Motive of our applying to the King, which is shown by these printed Papers.

The _Indian_ Trade, to the great Advantage of this Province, is now divided into several hundred Hands, and there have been for many Years past upwards of one hundred young Men of this Province, who have gone yearly among the _Indians_, to supply them with our Goods.

By this means, at a modest Estimate, I am a.s.sured, that the _Indian_ Trade of this Province is now far above five times as much as when Governor _Burnet_ began to put his Scheme in execution.

And this is not all the Advantages reaped thereby, but a much more considerable one to this, and all the other _English_ Colonies is, that not only our own six Nations, but also many far and remote _Indian_ Nations are drawn off from their Dependance on the _French_, and made, by Trade and Intercourse, dependant on the _English_; by this means a great Security and Protection is acquired by the _English_, in case of a War with _France_; and by this Trade our Settlements in this Province are extended up to the _Onondagues_ Carrying-place, which is now well attended with Waggons, for the more commodious transporting of Goods to trade in the Lakes.

And they are now settling on the Branches of _Sasquehanah_ River; and from the western Branches of this River, there is but a small Land-Carriage to _Allegheny_, a Branch of that great River _Misissippi_; which Branch extending a thousand Miles from its Mouth, where it enters the said River; and which joins so near to our Settlements, as is above taken notice of, opens us a Trade to that vast Country, called by the _French Louisiana_, which they possess on the _Misissippi_.

I am,

S I R,

_Your humble Servant_,

J. A.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

T H E

=T R E A T Y=

H E L D W I T H T H E

_I N D I A N S_

O F T H E

S I X N A T I O N S,

A T

_P H I L A D E L P H I A_,

In _J U L Y_, 1742.

T H E T R E A T Y, &c.

The Deputies of the six Nations having, at their last Visit, agreed to release their Claim to all the Land on both Sides of the River _Sasquehanah_, as far South as this Province extends, and to the Northward to those called the _Endless Mountains_, or _Kittochtinny Hills_; in Consideration whereof, they then received a large Quant.i.ty of valuable _Indian_ Goods for the Lands situate on the Eastern Side of the said River, but declined at that Time to receive any for those on the Western Side of the said River, chusing to defer the same till another Visit; a large Number arrived from these Nations at _Philadelphia_, on _Wednesday_ the 30th of _June_, with Deputies duly impowered to receive the said Goods; and acquainted the Governor, that being weary from the Fatigue of their long Journey, they should crave three or four Days to rest themselves before they proceeded to their Business: In the mean time they would wait on the Governor to discourse, according to their usual Method, about News and other Occurrences; which the Governor readily agreed to, and ask'd them when they would chuse to pay their first Visit; which they desiring might be on _Friday_ the 2d of _July_, in the Afternoon, the Council was accordingly summon'd, and met at Mr.

_Logan_'s House, where were

P R E S E N T,

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 _s.h.i.+kalamy_ 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 Friends.h.i.+p 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 Friends.h.i.+p." 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 a.s.sure 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 a.s.sembled 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 Circ.u.mstance: 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.'