We thank you for giving us Time to rest; we are come to you, and shall leave it intirely to you, to appoint the Time when we shall meet you again.

We likewise leave it to the Governor of Mary­land, by whose Invitation we come here, to ap­point [Page 3] a Time, when he will please to mention the Reason of his inviting us.

As to our Brother Assaraquoa, we have at this present Time, nothing to say to him; not, but we have a great deal to say to Assaraquoa, which must be said at one Time or another; but not be­ing satisfied, whether He or We shou'd begin fi [...]st, we shall leave it wholly to our Brother Onas, to adjust this between us, and to say which shall begin first.

Honourable Gentlemen, Commissioners for the Governments of Virginia and Maryland, and BRETHREN, Sachems or Chiefs of the Indians of the Six Nations,

At a Treaty held by me two Years ago, in be­half of the Government of Pennsylvania, with a Number of the Chiefs of the Indians of the Six Nations, I was desired by them to write to the Government of Maryland, concerning some Lands in the back Parts of that Province, which they [Page 4] claimed a Right to, from their Conquests over the antient Possessors, and which have been settled by some of the Inhabitants of that Government, without their Consent, or any Purchase made from them.

It was at that Time understood, That the Claim was upon Maryland only; but it has since appeared, by some Letters formerly wrote by Mr. President Logan, to the late Governor of Mary­land, that it related likewise, to some Lands in the back Parts of Virginia.

The Governors of those Colonies soon manifest­ed a truly equitable Disposition, to come to any reasonable Terms with the Six Nations, on ac­count of those Lands; and desired, that, for that End, a Time and Place might be fixed for a Treaty with them.

But before this cou'd be effected, an unfortu­nate Skirmish happened, in the back Parts of Virginia, between some of the Militia there, and a Party of the Indian Warriors of the Six Nations, with some Loss on both Sides. Who was the Aggressors, is not at this Time to be discussed, both Parties having agreed to bury that Affair in Oblivion; and the Government of Virginia, hav­ing, in Token of the Continuance of their Friend­ship, presented the Six Nations, through my Hands, with Goods to the Value of One Hundred Pounds Sterling, to prevent further Hostilities, and to heal this Breach.

I had, before the Present was given, made a Tender of my good Offices, which both Parties accepted, and consented, on my Instances, to lay down their Arms: Since which, the Faith pledg­ed to me has been mutually preserved, and a [Page 5] Time and Place has been agreed upon, through my Intervention, for accommodating all Differ­ences, and for settling a firm Peace, Union, and Friendship, as well between the Government of Virginia, as that of Maryland, and the Indians of the Six Nations.

The Honourable the Commissioners for these two Governments, and the Deputies of the Six Nations, are now met at the Place appointed for the Treaty.

It only remains therefore for me to say, that if my further good Offices shall be thought useful, for the Accomplishment of this good Work, you may rely most assuredly upon them.

^† But I hope, Honourable Gentlemen Com­missioners, it will not be taken amiss, if I go a little further, and briefly represent to you, how especially necessary it is, at this Juncture, for His Majesty's Service, and the Good of all His Colo­nies, in this Part of His Dominions, that Peace and Friendship be established between your Go­vernments, and the Indians of the Six Nations.

These Indians, by their Situation, are a Fron­tier to some of them; and from thence, if Friends, are capable of defending their Settlements; if E­nemies, of making cruel Ravages upon them; if Neuters, they may deny the French a Passage through their Country, and give us timely Notice of their Designs.

These are but some of the Motives for cultiva­ting a good Understanding with them, but from hence, the Disadvantages of a Rupture are abun­dantly [Page 6] evident. Every Advantage you gain over them in War, will be a Weakening of the Bar­rier of those Colonies, and consequently be, in Ef­fect, Victories over yourselves, and your Fellow Subjects. Some Allowances for their Prejudices and Passions, and a Present now and then, for the Relief of their Necessities, which have, in some Measure, been brought upon them, by their In­tercourse with us, and by our yearly extending our Settlements, will probably tye them more closely to the British Interest.

This has been the Method of New-York, and Pennsylvania, and will not put you to so much Expence in Twenty Years, as the carrying on a War against them will do, in One.

The French very well know the Importance of these Nations to us; and will not fail by Pre­sents, and their other usual Arts, to take Advan­tage of any Misunderstandings we may have with them.

But I will detain you, Gentlemen, no longer; your own superior Knowledge will suggest to you, more than I can say, on this Subject.

FRIENDS and BRETHREN, Sachems or Chiefs of the Indians of the Six Nations, These, your Brethren of Virginia and Mary­land, are come to enlarge the Fire which was almost gone out, and to make it burn clearer, to brighten the Chain which had contracted some Rust, and to renew their Friendship with you; which it is their Desire, may last so long as the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars shall give Light.

Their Powers are derived from the great King of England, your Father, and whatever Conclu­sions [Page 7] they shall come to with you, will be as firm and binding, as if the Governors of these Provin­ces were themselves here.

I am your Brother, and, which is more, I am your true Friend: As you know from Experience that I am so, I will now give you a few Words of Advice.

Receive these your Brethren with open Arms; unite yourselves to them in the Covenant Chain, and be you with them as one Body and one S [...]ul.

I make no Doubt, but the Governor of Cana­da has been taking Pains to widen the Breach between these, your Brethren of Virginia, and you; but as you cannot have forget the Hatred the French have always born to your Nations, and how kindly on the contrary you have been treated, and how faithfully you have been pro­tected by the great King of England, and his Subjects, you will not be at a Loss to see into the Designs of that Governor. He wants to divide you from us, the more easily to destroy you; which he will most certainly do, if you suffer your­selves to be deluded by him.

As to what relates to the Friendship, establith­ed between the Government of Pennsylvania, and your Nations, I will take another Day to speak to you upon it.

GENTLEMEN, the Honourable the Com­missioners of Virginia and Maryland, If, in the future Course of this Treaty, my good Offices shall be thought useful, you may most assuredly rely upon them.

BROTHER ONAS,

You spoke, in the Presence of Assaraquoa, and the Governor of Maryland, to us, advi [...]ng us to receive them as our Brethren, and to unite with them in the Covenant Chain, as one Body, and one Soul. We have always considered them as our Brethren, and as such, shall be willing to brighten the Chain of Friendship with them.

But since there are some Disputes between us, respecting the Lands possessed by them, which formerly belonged to us; we, according to our Custom, propose to have those Differences first adjusted, and then we shall proceed to confirm the Friendship subsisting between us, which will meet with no Obstruction, after these Matters are settled.

I receive your Belt with great Kindness and Affection; and as to what relates to the Govern­ments of Virginia and Maryland, the Honourable Commissioners now present, are ready to treat with you. I shall only add, that the Goods for the Hundred Pounds Sterling, put into my Hands by the Governor of Virginia, as a Token of his good Disposition to preserve Friendship with you, are now in Town, and ready to be delivered, in Consequence of what was told you by Conrad Weiser, when he was last at Onondago.

GENTLEMEN,

I have now finished what was incumbent upon me to say, by way of Introduction, to the Indi­ans; and as you have full Authority from your respective Governments, to treat with them, I shall leave the rest entirely to you, and either stay, or withdraw, as you shall think it most for your Service.

FRIENDS and BRETHREN, of the united Six Nations,

We who are deputed from the Government of Maryland, by a Commission under the Great Seal of that Province, now in our Hands, and which will be interpreted to you, bid you welcome; and, in Token that we are very glad to see you here as Brethren, we give you this String of Wampum.

When the Governor of Maryland received the first Notice, about Seven Years ago, of your Claim to some Lands in that Province, he thought our Friends and Brethren of the Six Nations, had little Reason to complain of any Injury from Ma­ryland; and that they would be so well convinc'd thereof, on further Deliberation, as he should hear no more of it: But you spoke of that Matter again to the Governor of Pennsylvania, about two Years since, as if you designed to terrify us.

It was very inconsiderately said by you, That you would do yourselves Justice, by going to take Payment yourselves. Such an Attempt would [Page 12] have intirely dissolved the Chain of Friendship, subsisting not only between us, but perhaps be­tween the other English and you.

We assure you, our People, who are numerous, courageous, and have Arms ready in their Hands, will not suffer themselves to be hurt in their Lives and Estates.

But however, the old and wise People of Ma­ryland, immediately met in Council; and upon considering, very cooly, your rash Expression, a­greed to invite their Brethren, the Six Nations, to this Place, that they might learn of them, what Right they have to the Land in Maryland; and, if they had any, to make them some reason­able Compensation for it.

Therefore, the Governor of Maryland has sent us to meet and treat with you, about this Affair, and the brightening and strengthening the Chain, which hath long subsisted between us; and as an Earnest of our Sincerity and good Will towards you, we present you with this Belt of Wampum.

Our great King of England, and his Subjects, have always possessed the Province of Maryland, free and undisturbed from any Claim of the Six Nations, for above One Hundred Years past; and your not saving any Thing to us before, convin­ces us, you thought you had no Pretence to any Lands in Maryland. Nor can we yet find out, to what Lands, or under what Title, you make your Claim.

For the Susquehannah Indians, by a Treaty a­bove Ninety Years since, which is on the Table, [Page 13] and will be interpreted to you, GIVE and YIELD, to the English Nation, their Heirs and Assigns for ever, the greatest Part, if not all, of the Land we possess, from Patuxent River, on the Western, as well as from Choptank River, on the Eastern Side of the great Bay of Chesapeak: And near Sixty Years ago, you acknowledged to the Governor of New-York, at Albany, That you had given your Lands, and submitted yourselves, to the King of England.

We are that great King's Subjects, and we pos­sess and enjoy the Province of Maryland, by Vir­tue of his Right and Sovereignty thereto: Why then will you stir up any Quarrel between you and ourselves, who are as one Man, under the Protection of that great King?

We need not put you in Mind of the Treaty, which, we suppose, you have had from your Fa­thers, made with the Province of Maryland, near Seventy Years ago; and renewed and confirmed twice since that Time.

By these Treaties, we became Brethren: We have always liv'd as such, and hope always to continue so.

We have this further to say, that altho' we are not sati [...]fied of the Justice of your Claim to any Lands in Maryland; yet we are desirous of shewing our brotherly Kindness and Affection, and to prevent, by any reasonable Way, every Mis­understanding between the Province of Maryland and you, our Brethren of the Six Nations.

For this Purpose, we have brought with us a Quantity of Goods, for our Brethren the Six Na­tions, and which will be delivered you, as soon as we shall have received your Answer, and made [Page 14] so bright and large a Fire, as may burn pure and clear whilst the Sun and Moon shall shine.

We have now freely and openly laid our Bo­soms bare to you; and that you may be the bet­ter confirmed of the Truth of our Hearts, we give you this Belt of Wampum.

BROTHER, the Governor of Maryland, We have heard what you have said to us; and as you have gone back to old Times, we cannot give you an Answer now; but we shall take what you have said into Consideration, and return you an Answer some Time To-morrow.

BROTHER, the Governor of Maryland, If you have made any Enquiry into Indian Af­fairs, you well know, that we have always had our Guns, Hatchets, and Kettles mended, when ever we come to see our Brethren: Brother Onas, and the Governor of New-York, always do this for us; and we give you this early Notice, that we may not thereby be delayed, being desirous, as well as you, to give all possible Dispatch to the Business, to be transacted between us.

BROTHER, the Governor of Maryland, When you invited us to kindle a Council-Fire with you, Conedogrvanict was the Place agreed upon; but afterwards, you, by our Brother Onas, on second Thoughts, considering that it wou'd be difficult to get Provisions, and other Accommoda­tions, where there were but few Houses or Inha­bitants, desired we wou'd meet you our Brethren at Lancaster, and at his Instance we very readily agreed to meet you here, and are glad of the Change: For we have found Plenty of every Thing, and as yesterday you bid us welcome, and told us you were glad to fee Us; we likewise assure you, we are glad to see you, and in Token of our Satisfaction, we present you with this String of Wampum.

[Page 16]

BROTHER, the Governor of Maryland, You tell us, That when about seven Years ago, you heard by our Brother Onas, of our Claim to some Lands in your Province, you took no Notice of it; believing as you say, That when we shou'd come to re-consider that Matter, we shou'd find we had no Right to make any Complaint of the Governor of Maryland, and wou'd drop our De­mand: And that, when about two Years ago, we mentioned it again to our Brother Onas, you say we did it in such Terms, as look'd like a De­sign to terrify you: And you tell us further, That we must be besides ourselves, in using such a rash Expression, as to tell you, We know how to do ourselves Justice, if you shou'd still refuse. It is true we did say so, but without any ill De­sign: For we must inform you, That when we first desired our Brother Onas to use his Influence with you, to procure us Satisfaction to our Lands, we at the same Time desired him, in case you shou'd disregard our Demand, to write to the great King beyond the Seas, who wou'd own us for his Children, as well as you, to compel you to do us Justice: And two Years ago, when he had found you paid no Regard to our just Demand, nor that Brother Onas had convey'd our Complaint to the great King over the Seas, we were res lv'd to use such Expressions as wou'd make the greatest Impressions on your Minds; and we find it has had it's Effect: For you tell us, that Your wise Men held a Council together, and agreed to invite us, and to enqui [...]e of our Right to any of your Lands, and if it shou'd be found that we had a Right, we were to have a Compensation made for them. And likewise you tell us, that Our [Page 17] Brother the Governor of Maryland, by the Advice of these wise Men, has sent up to brighten the Chain, and to assure us of his Willingness to remove whatever impedes a good Understanding between us. This shews, that your wise Men understood our Expressions in their true Sense.

We had no Design to terrify you, but to put you on the doing us the Justice you had so long delayed: Your wise Men have done well, and as there is no Obstacle to a good Understanding be­tween us, except this Affair of the I and, we, on our Parts, do give you the strongest Assurances of our good Dispesition towards you; and that we are as desirous as you, to brighten the Chain, and to put away all Hinderances to a perfect good Understanding: And in Token of our Sincerity, we give you this Belt of Wampum.

BROTHER, the Governor of Maryland, When you mentioned the Affair of the Land Yesterday, you went back to old Times, and told us, you had been in Possession of the Province of Maryland, above One Hundred Years; but what is a Hundred Years, in Comparison of the Length of Time since our Claim began? Since we came out of this Ground? For we must tell you, that long before a Hundred Years, our Ancestors came out of this very Ground, and their Children have remained here ever since.

You came out of the Ground in a Country that lies beyond the Seas; there you may have a just Claim, but here you must allow us to be your elder Brethren, and the Lands to belong to us long before you knew any Thing of them.

During all this Time, the New-comers the Dutch, acknowledged our Right to the Lands, and sollicited us from time to time, to grant them part of our Country, to enter into League and Covenant with us, and to become one People with us.

After this, the English came into the Country, and as we were told, became one People with the Dutch: About two Years after the Arrival of [Page 19] the English, an English Governor came to Albany; and finding what great Friendship subsisted be­tween us and the Dutch, he approv'd it mightily, and desired to make as strong a League, and to be upon as good Terms with us, as the Dutch were, with whom he was united, and to become one People with us; and by his further Care in looking into what had pass'd between us, he found, That the Rope which tied the Ship to the great Mountain, was only sast'ned with Wampum, which was liable to break and rot, and to perish in a Course of Years: He therefore told us, that he would give us a Silver Chain, which wou'd be much stronger, and wou'd last for ever: This we accepted, and saft'ncd the Ship with it, and it has lasted ever since.

Indeed, we have had some small Differences with the English, and during these Misunderstand­ings, some of their young Men wou'd, by way of Reproach, be every now and then telling us, that we shou'd have perished, if they had not come into the Country, and furnished us with Strowds, Hatchets, Guns, and other Things necessary for the Support of Life: But we always gave them to understand, that they were mistaken; that we liv'd before they came amongst us, and as well or better, if we may believe what our Fore-fathers have told us: We had then Room enough, and Plenty of Deer, which was easily caught; and tho' we had not Knives and Hatchets, and Deer, such as we have now, yet we had Knives of Stone, and Hatchets of Stone, and Bows and Arrows, and these serv'd our Uses, as well then, as the English ones do now: We are now straightned, and sometimes in want of Deer, and liable to [Page 20] many more Inconveniences, since the English came among us, and particularly from that Pen and Ink Work, that is going on at the Table; and we will give you an Instance of this.

Our Brother ONAS, a great while ago came to Albany, to buy the Susquehannah Lands of us; but our Brother the Governor of New-York, who, as we suppose, had not a good Understanding with our Brother Onas, advised us not to sell him any Land, for he wou'd make an ill Use of it; and pretending to be our good Friend, he advised us, in order to prevent Onas, or any other Per­sons imposing upon us, and that we might always have our Land when we shou'd want it to put it into his Hands; and told us, he wou'd keep it for our Use, and never open his Hands, but keep them close shut, and not part with any of it, but at our Request.

Accordingly, we trusted him, and put our Land into his Hands, and charged him to keep it sase for our Use: But some Time after, he went away to England, and carried our Land with him, and there sold it to our Brother Onas, for a large Sum of Money; and when, at the Instance of our Brother Onas, we were minded to sell him some Land, he told us, we had sold the Susquehannah Lands already, to the Governor of New-York, and he had bought them from him in England; tho' when he came to understand, how the Go­vernor of New-York had deceived us, he very generonsly paid us for our Lands over again.

Tho' we mention this Instance of an Imposi­tion put upon us, by the Governor of New-York, yet we must do the English the Justice to say, We have had their hearty Assistance, in our Wars [Page 21] with the French; who were no sooner arriv [...] amongst us, then they began to render us uneasy, and to provoke us to War; and we have had several Wars with them; during all which, we constantly received Assistance from the English; and by their Means, we have always been able, to keep up our Heads against their Attacks.

We now come nearer home: We have had your Deeds interpreted to us, and we acknow­ledge them to be good and valed; and that the Conestogo or Susquehan [...]ah Indians, had a Right to sell those Lands to you, for they were then theirs; but since that Time we have conquered them, and their Country now belongs to us, and the Lands we demanded Satisfaction for, are no Part of the Lands compris'd in those Deeds, they are the Cohongoronta Lands; those, we are sure you have not possessed One hundred Years; no, nor above ten Years, and we made our Demand, as soon as we knew your People was settled in those Parts; these have never been sold, but remain still to be disposed of; and we are well pleased to hear you are well provided with Goods, and do assure you, of our Willingness to treat with you, for these unpurchas'd Lands: In confirmation whereof, we present you with this Belt of Wam­pum.

SACHEMS and Warriours of the Six united Nations, our Friends and Brethren,

At our Desire, the Governor of Pensylvania in­vited you to this Council-Fire; we have waited a long Time for you; but now you are come, you are heartily welcome, and we are very glad to see you: We give you this String of Wampum.

BRETHREN, In the Year 1736, four of your Sachems wrote a Letter to James Logan Esq then President of [Page 23] Pennsylvania, to let the Governor of Virginia know, that you expected some Consideration for Lands, in the Occupation of some of the People of Virginia.

Upon seeing a Copy of this Letter, the Gover­nor with the Council of Virginia, took some Time to consider of it: They found, on looking into the old Treaties, that you had given up your Lands to the great King, who has had Possession of Virginia above One Hundred and Sixty Years; and under that great King the Inhabitants of Virginia hold their Land; so they thought there might be some Mistake.

Wherefore they desired the Governor of New­York to inquire of you about it: He sent his In­terpreter to you in May 1743, who laid this be­fore you, at a Council held at Onondago; to which you answer,

That if you had any Demand or Pretensions upon the Governor of Virginia, any Way, you wou'd have made it known to the Governor of New-York.

This corresponds, with what you said to Go­vernor Thomas, in the Treaty made with him at Philadelphia, in July 1742; for then, you only make your Claim to Lands in the Government of Maryland.

We are so well pleased, with this good Faith, of you our Brethren of the Six Nations, and your Regard to the Treaties made with Virginia, that we are ready to hear you, on the Subject of your Message, eight Years since.

Tell us what Nation of Indians you conquered any Lands from in Virginia, how long it is since, and what Poss [...]ssion you have had? And if it does appear, that there is any Lands on the Borders [Page 24] of Virginia, that the Six Nations have a Right to, we are willing to make you Sa [...]is [...]ion: To confirm which we give you this String of Wam­pum.

We have a Chest of new Goods for you, and the Key is in our Pockets: You are our Brethren, the Great King is our common Father, and we will live with you as Children ought to do, in Peace and Love.

We will brighten the Chain, and strengthen the Union between us, so that we shall never be di­vided; but remain Friends and Brethren, as long as the Sun gives us Light.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

You have made a good Speech to us, which is very agreeable; and for which, we return you our Thanks: We shall be able to give you an Answer to every Part of it, some Time this Af­ternoon; and we will let you know when we are ready.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

Since you have join'd with the Governor of Maryland, and Brother Onas, in kindling this Fire, we gladly acknowledge the Pleasure we have, in feeing you here, and observing your good Dispositions, as well to confirm the Treaties of Friendship, as to enter into further Contracts about Land, with us: And in Token of our Satisfaction, we present you with this String of Wampum.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

In your Speech this Morning, you were plea­sed to say, We had wrote a Letter to James Lo­gan, about Eight Years ago, to demand a Consi­deration for our Lands, in the Possession of some of the Virginians; that you held them, under [Page 26] the great King, for upwards of One Hundred and Sixty Years, and that we had already given up our Right; and that therefore, you had desired the Governor of New-York to send his Interpreter to us last Year, to Onondago, which he did; and, as you say, we, in Council at Onondago, did de­clare, That we had no Demand on you for Lands; and that if we had any Pretensions, we should have made them known to the Governor of New-York.

And likewise, you desire to know if we have any Right to the Virginia Lands; and that we will make such a Right appear, and tell you what Nation of Indians we conquered those Lands from.

Now we answer.

We have the Right of Conquest, a Right too dearly purchased, and which cost us too much Blood, to give up, without any Reason at all, as you say we have done, at Albany. But we shou'd be oblig'd to you, if you would let us see that Letter, and inform us, who was the Interpreter, and whose Names are put to the Letter; for as the whole Transaction can't be above a Year's Standing, it must be fresh in every Bodies Memo­ty, and some of our Council would easily remem­ber it.

But we assure you, and are well able to prove, that neither we, nor any Part of us, have ever relinquished our Right; or ever gave such an An­swer, as you say is mentioned in your Letter.

Cou'd we, so many Years ago, make a formal Demand by James Logan, and not be sensible of our Right? And hath any Thing happened since that Time, to make us less sensible? No: And [Page 27] as this Matter can be easily cleared up, we are anxious it shou'd be done; for we are positive, no such Thing was ever mentioned to us at Onondago, nor any where else.

All the World knows, we conquered the seve­ral Nations living on Susquehanna, Cohongaronta, and on the Back of the great Mountains in Virgi­nia: The Conoy-uch-sugh-roonoa, Coch-naw-was­roonaw, Tohod-irough-roonow, and Canuts-hin­ough-roonaw, feel the Effects of our Conquest, be­ing now a Part of our Nations, and their Land at our Disposal.

We know very well, it hath often been said, by the Virginians, That the great King of Eng­land, and the People of that Colony, conquered the Indians who lived there; but it is not true: We will allow, they have conquered the Sachdag­ugh-roonaw, and drove back the Tuscaroras; and that they have, on that Account, a Right to some Part of Virginia: But as to what lies beyond the Mountains, we conquered the Nations residing there; and that Land, if ever the Virginians get a good Right to it, it must be by us. And in Testimony of the Truth of our Answer to this Part of our Speech, we give you this String of Wampum.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

We have given you a full Answer to the first Part of your Speech, which we hope will be satis­factory: We are glad to hear you have brought with you a big Chest of new Goods, and that you have the Key in your Pockets. We do not doubt but we shall have a good Understanding in all [Page 28] Points, and come to an Agreement with you. We shall open all our Hearts to you, that you may know every Thing in them; we will hide nothing from you. And we hope, that if there be any Thing still remaining in your Breast, that may occasion any Dispute between us, you will take this Opportunity to unbosom your Hearts, and lay them open to us; that henceforth, there may be no Dirt or any other Obstacle in the Road between us. And in Token of our hearty Wishes to bring about so good a Harmony, we present you with this Belt of Wampum.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

We must now tell you what Mountains we mean, that we say are the Boundaries between you and us. You may remember, that about Twenty Years ago, you had a Treaty with us at Albany, when you took a Belt of Wampum and made a Fence with it on the Middle of the Hill, and told us, that if any of the Warriors of the Six Nations came on your Side of the Middle of the Hill, you would hang them; and you gave us Liberty to do the same with any of your Peo­ple, who should be found on our Side of the Middle of the Hill: This is the Hill we mean; and we desire that Treaty may now be confirm'd.

After we left Albany, we brought our Road a great deal more to the West, that we might comply with your Proposal; but tho' it was of your own making, your People never observ'd it, but came and lived on our Side of the Hill; which we don't blame you for, as you live at a great [Page 29] Distance, near the Seas, and can't be thought to know what your People do in the back Parts: And on their settling, contrary to your own Pro­posal, on our new Road, it fell out, that our War­riors did some Hurt to your Peoples Castle; of which a Complaint was made, and transmitted to us by our Brother Onas; and we, at his Request, altered the Road again, and brought it to the Foot of the great Mountains, where it now is: And it is impossible for us to remove it any further to the West, those Parts of the Country being ab­solutely impassable, by either Man or Beast.

We had not been long in the Use of this new Road, before your People came like Flocks of Birds, and sat down on both Sides of it; and yet we never made a Complaint to you, tho' you must be sensible, these Things must have been done, by your People, in manifest Breach of your own Proposal, made at Albany.

And therefore, as we are now opening our Hearts to you, we cannot avoid complaining, and desire all these Affairs may be settled: And that you may be the stronger induc'd to do us Justice for what is past, and to come to a thorough Set­tlement for the future, we, in the Presence of the Governor of Maryland, and Brother Onas, present you with this Belt of Wampum.

FRIENDS and BRETHREN, of the Six Nations,

I am always sorry, when any Thing happens, that may give you or us the least Uneasiness; but as we are mutually engag'd, to keep the Road between us clear and open, and to remove every Obstruction that may lye in the Way: I must in­form you, That three of the Delaware Indians, lately murdered John Armstrong and Indian Trader, and his two Men, in a most barbarous Manner, as he was traveling to Alligany, and stole his Goods of a considerable Value.

Shikalamy, and the Indians settled at Shomockin, did well, they seized two of the Murders, and [Page 31] sent them down to our Settlements; but the In­dians, who had the Charge of them, afterwards suffered one of them to escape, on a Pretence, that he was not concern'd in the bloody Deed; the other is now in Philadelphia Goal.

By our Law, all the Accessaries to a Murder, are to be tried and put to Death, as well as the Person that gave the deadly Wound; if they con­sented to it, encouraged it, or any otherwise as­sisted in it, they are to be put to Death; and it is just, it shou'd be so.

If upon Trial, the Persons present at the Mur­der, are found not to have done any of these Things, they are set at Liberty.

Two of our People were, not many Years ago, publickly put to Death, for killing two Indians. We therefore expect, you will take the most ef­fectual Measures, to seize, and deliver up to us, the other two Indians, present at these Murders, to be tried with the Principal now in Custody. If it shall appear, upon their Trial, that they were not advising, or any ways assisting in this horrid Fact, they will be acquitted and sent home to their Towns: And that you may be satisfied, no In­justice will be done to them, I do now invite you, to depute Three or more Indians, to be present at their Trials.

I do likewise expect, that you will order strict Search to be made, for the Remainder of the stolen Goods, that they may be restor'd to the Wife and Children of the deceas'd.

That what I have said, may have it's due Weight with you, I give you this String of Wampum.

Our good FRIENDS and BRETHREN the Six united Nations,

We have considered what you said, concerning your Title to some Lands now in our Province, [Page 33] and also of the Place where they lye: Although we cannot admit your Right, yet we are so resolved to live, in brotherly Love and Affection with the Six Nations, that upon your giving us a Release in Writing, of all your Claim to any Lands in Maryland, we shall make you a Compensation, to the Value of Three hundred Pounds Current; for the Payment of part whereof, we have brought some Goods, and shall make up the rest, in what Manner you think fit.

As we intend to say something to you, about our Chain of Friendship, after this Affair of the Land is settled: We desire you will now examine the Goods, and make an End of this Matter.

We will not omit acquainting our good Friends the Six Nations, That not withstanding we are likely to come to an Agreement, about your Claim of Lands; yet your Brethren of Maryland, look on you to be as one Soul and one Body with themselves: And as a broad Road will be made between us, we shall always be desirous of keep­ing it clear, that we may from time to time take Care, that the Links of our Friendship be not rusted. In Testimony, that our Words and Hearts agree, we give you this Belt of Wampum.

[Page 36]

SACHEMS and Warriours of the Six Nations,

We are now come to answer what you said to us Yesterday, since what we said to you before, on the Part of the great King our Father, has not been satisfactory.

You have gone into old Times, and so must we: It is true, that the great King holds Vir­ginia by Right of Conquest, and the Bounds of that Conquest to the Westward, is the great Sea.

If the Six Nations have made any Conquest over Indians, that may, at any Time have liv'd, on the West Side of the great Mountains of Vir­ginia; yet they never possessed any Lands there, that we have ever heard: That Part was altoge­ther deserted, and free for any People to enter upon, as the People of Virginia have done, by order of the great King, very justly, as well by an antient Right, as by it's being freed from the possession of any other; and from any Claim, even of you the Six Nations our Brethren, until within these eight Years.

The first Treaty between the great King, in behalf of his Subjects of Virginia, and you, that we can find, was made at Albany, by Colonel Henry Coursey, seventy Years since; this was a Treaty of Friendship, when the first Covenant Chain was made, when we and you became Bre­thren.

The next Treaty was also at Albany, about Fifty eight Years ago, by the Lord Howard Governor of Virginia; then you declare your­selves Subjects to the great King our Father; and gave up to him all your Lands, for his Pro­tection.

[Page 37] This you own in a Treaty, made by the Go­vernor of New-York with you, at the same Place, in the Year 1687, and you express yourselves in these Words:

O Brethren, you tell us, the King of England is a very great King; and why shou'd you not join with us in a just Gause, when the French join with our Enemies in an unjust Cause? O Brethren, we see the Reason of this: For the French would kill us all, and when that is done, they wou'd carry all the Beaver Trade to Canada; and the great King of England wou'd lose the Land likewise: And therefore, O GREAT SACHEM beyond the great Lakes, awake, and suffer not those poor Indi­ans that have given themselves, and their Lands, under your Protection, to be destroyed by the French without a Cause.

The last Treaty we shall speak to you about, is that made at Albany by Governor Spotswood, which you have not recited as it is; for the white People, your Brethren, of Virginia, are in no Ar­ticle of that Treaty, prohibited to pass and settle to the Westward of the great Mountains: It is the Indians, tributary to Virginia, that are re­strained, as you, and your tributary Indians are, from passing to the Eastward of the same Moun­tains, or to the Southward of Cohongoronta; and you agree to this Article in these Words:

That the great River Potomack, and the high Ridge of Mountains, which extend all along the Frontiers of Virginia, to the Westward of the pre­sent Settlements of that Colony, shall be, for ever, the established Boundaries between the Indians, sub­ject to the Dominion of Virginia, and the Indians belonging to, and depending on the Five Nations: [Page 38] So that neither our Indians shall not, on any Pre­tence whatsoever, pass to the Northward or West­ward of the said Boundaries, without having to produce a Pasport, under the Hand and Seal of the Governor or Commander in Chief of Virginia; nor your Indians pass to the Southward or Eaftward of the said Boundaries, without a Pasport in like Man­ner, from the Governor or Commander in Chief of New-York.

And what Right can you have to Lands that you have no Right to walk upon, but on certain Conditions? It is true, you have not observed this Part of the Treaty, and your Brethren of Virgi­nia have not insisted on it with a due Strictness; which have occasioned some Mischief.

This Treaty has been sent to the Governor of Virginia, by Order of the great King, and is what we must rely on; and being in Writing, is more certain than your Memory: That is the Way the white People have, of preserving Trans­actions of every Kind, and transmitting them down to their Childrens Children for ever; and all Dis­putes among them are settled by this faithful kind of Evidence, and must be the Rule between the great King and you.

This Treaty your Sachems and Warriors sign'd: Some Years after the same, Governor Spotswood, in the Right of the great King, had been, with some of the People of Virginia, in Possession of these very Lands, which you have set up your late Claim to

The Commissioners for Indian Affairs at Albany, gave the Account we mentioned to you Yester­day, to the Governor of New-York, and he sent it to the Governor of Virginia; their Names will be given you by the Interpreter.

[Page 39] BRETHREN,

This Dispute is not between Virginia and you; it is sitting up your Right against the great King, under whose Grants the People you complain of are settled: Nothing but a Command from the great King can remove them: They are too pow­erful to be removed by any Force of you, our Bre­thren; and the great King, as our common Fa­ther, will do equal Justice to all his Children: Wherefore we do believe, that they will be con­firm'd in their Possession.

As to the Road you mention, we intended to prevent any Occasion for it, by making a Peace between you and the Southern Indians, a few Years since, at a considerable Expence to our great King; which you confirmed at Albany: It seems, by your being at War with the Catawbas, that it has not been long kept between you.

However, if you desire a Road, we will agree to one, on the Terms of the Treaty you made with Colonel Spotswood; and your People, be­having themselves orderly, like Friends and Bre­thren, shall be used, in their Passage thro' Vir­ginia, with the same Kindness as they are, when they pass thro' the Lands of your Brother Onas.

This, we hope, will be agreed to, by you, our Brethren; and we will abide by the Promise made to you Yesterday.

We may proceed to settle what we are to give you, for any Right you may have, or have had, to all the Lands to the Southward and Westward of the Lands of your Brother the Governor of Maryland, and of our Brother Onas.

Tho' we are inform'd, that the Southern Indi­ans claim these very Lands that you do.

[Page 40] We are desirous to live with you, our Brethren, according to the old Chain of Friendship, to set tle all these Matters fairly and honestly: And as a Pledge of our Sincerity, we give you this Belt of Wampum.

BRETHREN,

Yesterday you spoke to us, concerning the Lands on this Side Potomack River; and as we [Page 41] have deliberately considered of what you said to us on that Matter, we are now very ready to set­tle the Bounds of such Lands, and release our Right and Claim thereto.

We are willing to renounce all Right to Lord Baltimore, of all those Lands lying Two Miles above the uppermost Fork of ' Potomack, or Cohon­goronta River, near which Thomas Crissup has a hunting or trading Cabbin, by a North Line, to the Bounds of Pennsylvania: But in case such Li­mits shall not include every Settlement or Inhabitant of Maryland, then such other Lands and Courses, from the said Two Miles above the Fork, to the outermost Inhabitants or Settlements as shall include every Settlement and Inhabitant in Maryland; and from thence, by a North Line to the Bounds of ' Pennsylvania, shall be the Li­mits.

And further, If any People already have, or shall settle, beyond the Lands now described and bounded, they shall enjoy the same, free from any Disturbance of us, in any Manner whatever; and we do, and shall accept those People, for our Brethren, and as such, always treat them.

We earnestly desire to live with you as Bre­thren, and hope you will shew us all brotherly Kindness: In Token whereof, we present you with a Belt of Wampum.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

The World at the first, was made on the other Side the great Water, different from what it is on this Side, as may be known from the different Colours of our Skin, and of our Flesh; and that which you call Justice, may not be so amongst us: You have your Laws and your Customs, and so have we: The great King might send you over to conquer the Indians, but it looks to us, that God did not approve of it; if he had, he would not have placed the Sea where it is, as the Limits between us and you.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

Tho' great Things are well remembered among us, yet we don't remember that we were ever conquered by the great King; or that we have [Page 43] been employed by that great King to conquer others: If it was so, it is beyond our Memory. We do remember we were employed by Maryland, to conquer the Conostogas; and that the Second Time we was at War with them, we carried them all off.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

You charge us with not acting agreeable to our Peace with the Catawbas; we will repeat truly to you what was done. The Governor of New­York, at Albany, in Behalf of Assaraquoa, gave us several Belts from the Cherrokees and Cataw­bas; and we agreed to a Peace, it those Nations would send some of the great Men to us, to con­firm it Face to Face; and that they wou'd trade with us; and desired, that they would appoint a Time to meet at Albany, for this Purpose: But they never came.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

We then desired a Letter might be sent to the Catawbas and Cherrokees, to desire them to come and confirm the Peace: It was long before an Answer came; but we met the Cherrokees and con­firm'd the Peace, and sent some of our People to take Care of them, until they returned to their own Country.

The Catawbas refus'd to come, and sent us Word that we were but Women; that they were Men, and double Men, for they had Two ^* P—ks; [Page 44] that they could make Women of us, and wou'd be always at War with us. They are a deceitful People; our Brother Assaraquoa is deceived by them; we don't blame him for it, but are sorry he is deceived.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

We have confirm'd the Peace with the Cherro­kees, but not with the Catawbas; they have been treacherous, and know it, so that the War must continue till one of us is destroyed: This we think proper to tell you, that you may not be troubled at what we do to the Catawbas.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

We will now speak to the Point between us: You say you will agree with us as to the Road; we desire that may be the Road which was last made the Waggon Road. It is always a Custom, among Brethren or Strangers, to use each other kindly: You have some very ill-natur'd People living up there; so that we desire the Persons in Power may know, that we are to have reason­able Victuals when we are in Want.

You know very well when the white People came first here, they were poor; but now they have got our Lands, they are become rich, and we are now poor: What little we have had for the Land goes soon away, but the Land lasts for ever. You told us you had brought with you a Chest of Goods, and that you have the Key in your Pockets; but we have never seen the Chest, nor the Goods that are said to be in it; it may be small, and the Goods few; we want to see them, and are as desirous to come to some Conclusion as [Page 45] you are: We have been sleeping here these Ten Days past, and have not done any Thing to the Purpose.

As there is a Company of great Men now as­sembled, we take this Time and Opportunity to publish this Matter, that it may be known Tocarry­bogan is our Friend, and that we are ready to ho­nour him; and, that by such Name, he may be al­ways called and known among us; and we hope, he will ever act towards us, according to the Ex­cellence of the Name we have now given him, and enjoy a long and happy Life.

BROTHER ONAS,

The other Day, you was pleas'd to tell us, you was always concern'd, when ever any thing hap­pened, that might give you or us Uneasiness, and that we were mutually engag'd, to preserve the Road open and clear between us; and you in­form'd us, of the Murder of John Armstrong and his two Men. by some of the Delaware Indians, and of their stealing his Goods to a considerable Value: The Delaware Indians, as you suppose, are under our Power. We join with you in your Concern, for such a vile proceeding; and to testi­fy, that we have the same Inclinations with you, to keep the Road clear, free and open; we give you this String of Wampum.

[Page 50]

BROTHER ONAS,

These Things happen frequently, and we de­sire you will consider them well, and not be too much concerned. Three Indians have been kill'd at different Times at Tohio, and we never men­tioned any of them to you, imagining it might have been occasioned by some unfortunate Quar­rels, and were unwilling to create a Disturbance: We therefore desire you will consider these Things well; and to take the Grief out of your Heart, we give you this String of Wampum.

BROTHER ONAS,

We had heard of the Murder of John Arm­strong, and in our Journey hither, we had a Con­ference with our Cousins the Delawares about it, and reprov'd them severely for it; and charg'd them to go down to our Brother Onas, and make him Satisfaction, both for the Men that were kill'd, and for the Goods.

We understood by them, that the principal Actor in these Murders, is in your Prison, and that he had done all the Mischief himself; but besides him, you had accus'd and demanded two others, who were in his Company, when the Murder was committed.

We promise faithfully, in our Return, to renew our Reproofs, and to charge the Delaware's to send down some of their Chiefs, with these two young Men, but not as Prisoners, to be examined by you; and as we think, upon Examination, you will not find them guilty, we rely on your Justice, not to do them any Harm, but to permit them to return home in Safety: We likewise un­derstand, [Page 51] that Search has been made for the Goods, belonging to the deceas'd, and that some have been already return'd to your People, but that some are still missing: You may depend upon our giving the strictest Charge to the Delaware's, to search again with more Diligence, for the Goods, and to return them, or the Value of them in Skins: And to confirm what we say, we give you this String of Wampum.

BROTHER ONAS,

The Canoy Indians have inform'd us, that they sent you a Message some Time ago, to advise you, that being ill used by the white People, in the Place where they have their Land, and that they had come to a Resolution of removing to Shomcc­kin, and requested some small Satisfaction for their Lands: And as they never have received any Answer from you, they have desired us to speak for them: We heartily recommend their Case to your Generosity; and to give Weight to our Re­commendation, we present you with this String of Wampum.

BRETHREN,

I am glad to find, that you agree with me, in the Necessity of keeping the Road between us, clear and open; and the Concern you have ex­press'd, on account of the barbarous Murders [Page 52] mentioned to you, is a Proof of your brotherly Affection for us.

In Crimes of this Nature, be not strictly in­quir'd into, and the Criminals severely punished, there will be an Fnd of all Commerce, between us and the Indians; and then you will be alto­gether in the Power of the French; they will set what Price they please on their Goods, and give you what they think fit for your Skins: So it is for your own Interest, that our Traders should be safe in their Persons and Goods, when they travel to your [...].

BRETHREN,

I considered this Matter well, before I came from Philadelphia, and I advised with the Coun­cil there upon it, as I have done here, with the Honourable the Commissioners of Virginia and Maryland; I never heard before, of the Murder of three Indians at Hohio: Had Complaint been made to me of it, and it had appear'd, to have [...]en committed, by any of the People under my Government, they should have been put to Death, as two of them were, some Years ago, for killing two Indians.

You are not to take your own Satisfaction, but to apply to me, and I will see that Justice be done you; and shou'd any of the Indians rob, or murder, any of our People; I do expect, that you will deliver them up, to be tried and punished in the same Manner, as white People are: This is the Way to preserve Friendship between us, and will be for your Benefit, as well as ours.

I am well pleased with the Steps you have al­ready taken, and the Reproofs you have given, to [Page 45] your Cousins the Delawares; and I do expect, you will lay your Commands on some of their Chiefs, to bring down the two young Men that were present at the Murders: If they are not brought down, I shall look upon it as a Proof of their Guilt. If, upon Examination, they shall be found not to have been concerned in the bloody Action, they shall be well used and sent home in Safety: I will take it upon myself, to see that they have no Injustice done them.

An Inventory is taken of the Goods already restor'd, and I expect Satisfaction will be made for such as cannot be found, in Skins, according to their Promise

I well remember the coming down of one of the Canoy Indians, with a Paper, setting forth, that the Canoys had come to a Resolution, to leave the Land reserved for them by the Proprietors; but he made no Complaint to me of ill Usage from the white People: The Reason he gave for their Removal was, that the Settling of the white People all round them, had made Deer scarce; and that therefore, they chose to remove to Joni­atta, for the Benefit of Hunting. I ordered what they said to be entered into the Council-Book: The old Man's Expences were born, and a Blan­ket given him at his Return home.

I have not heard from the Proprietors yet on this Head; but you may be affur'd, from the Fa­vour and Justice they have always shewn to the Indians, that they will do every Thing that can be reasonably expected of them, in this Case.

SACHEMS and Warriours, our Friends and Brethren,

As we have already said enough to you, on the Subject of the Title to the Lands you claim from Virginia; we have no Occasion to say any Thing more to you on that Head, but come directly to the Point.

We have opened the Chest, and the Goods are now here before you: They cost Two Hundred Pounds Pennsylvania Money, and were bought by a Person recommended to us by the Governor of Pennsylvania, with ready Cash: We ordered them to be good in their Kinds, and we believe they are so. These Goods, and Two Hundred Pounds in Gold, which lie now on the Table, we will give you, our Brethren of the Six Nations, upon Condition, that you immediately make a Deed, [Page 41] recognizing the King's Right to all the Lands that are, or shall be, by His Majesty's Appointment, in the Colony of Virginia.

As to the Road, we agree you shall have one; and the Regulations are in a Paper, which the In­terpreter now has in his Custody to shew you: The People of Virginia shall perform their Part, if you and your Indians perform theirs: We are your Brethren, and will do no Hardships to you, but, on the contrary, all the Kindness we can.

FRIENDS and BRETHREN of the Six Nations.

At a Treaty held with many of the Chiefs of your Nations, Two Years ago, the Road between us was made clearer and wider; our Fire was en­larged, and our Friendship confirm'd, by an Ex­change of Presents, and many other mutual good Offices.

We think ourselves happy, in having been in­strumental to your Meeting with our Brethren of Virginia and Maryland; and we persuade our­selves that you, on your Parts, will always re­member it, as an Instance of our good Will and Affection for you: This has given us an O [...]r­tunity of seeing you sooner than perhaps we [...] otherwise have done; and as we are und [...]r [...] Obligations by Treaties, we to hear with our [...] [Page 54] for you, and you to hear with your Ears for us, we take this Opportunity to inform you of what very nearly concerns us both.

The Great King of England, and the French King, have declared War against each other: Two Battles have been sought, one by Land and the other by Sea; the Great King of England commanded the Land Army in Person, and gain'd a compleat Victory; Numbers of the French were kill'd and taken Prisoners, and the rest were sorc'd to pass a River with Precipitation, to save their Lives: The Great God covered the King's Head in that Battle, so that he did not receive the least Hurt; for which you, as well as we, have Rea­son to be very thankful.

The Engagement at Sea was likewise to the Advantage of the English: The French and Spani­ards join'd their Ships together, and came out to sight us: The brave English Admiral burnt one of their largest Ships, and many others were so shatter'd, that they were glad to take the Op­portunity of a very high Wind and a dark Night to run away, and to hide themselves again in their Harbours. Had the Weather prov'd sair, he wou'd, in all Probability, have taken or destroy'd them all.

I need not put you in Mind how much Wil­liam Penn, and his Sons, have been your Friends, and the Friends of all the Indians; you have long and often experienc'd their Friendship for you: Nor need I repeat to you how kindly you were treated, and what valuable Presents were made to you, Two Years ago, by the Governor, the Coun­cil, and the Assembly of Pennsylvania. The Sons of William Penn are all now in England, and have [Page 55] left me in their Place, well knowing how much I regard you, and all the Indians: As a fresh Proof of this, I have left my House and am come this far to see you, to renew our Treaties, to brighten the covenant Chain, and to confirm our Friend­ship with you. In Testimony whereof, I present you with this Belt of Wampum.

As your Nations have engaged themselves, by Treaty, to assist us, your Brethren of Pennsylva­nia, in Case of a War with the French, we do not doubt but you will punctually perform an En­gagement so solemnly entered into. A War is now declar'd, and we expect you will not suffer the French, or any of the Indians in Alliance with them, to march through your Country to disturb any of our Settlements; and that you will give us the earliest and best Intelligence of any Designs that may be formed by them to our Disadvantage, as we promise to do of any that may be to yours. To enforce what I have now said to you, in the strongest Manner, I present you with this Belt of Wampum.

FRIENDS and BRETHREN of the Six Nations,

What I have now said to you, is in Conformi­ty to the Treaties subsisting between the Province of which I am Governor, and your Nations: I [Page 56] now proceed, with the Consent of the Honourable Commissioners of Virginia and Maryland, to tell you That all Differences having been adjusted, and the Road between us and you made quite clear and open, we are ready to confirm our Trea­ties with your Nations, and establish a Friendship that is not to end but with the World itself: And in [...]half of the Province of Pennsylvania, I do, by this fine Belt of Wampum, and a Present of Goods, to the Value of Three Hundred Pounds, confirm and establish the said Treaties of Peace, Union, and Friendship; you, on your Parts, do­ing the same.

The Goods bought with the Hundred Pounds Sterling, put into my Hands by the Governor of Vuginia, are ready to be delivered when you please: The Goods bought and sent up by the Peo le of Pennsylvania, according to the List which the Interpreter will explain, are laid by themselves, and are likewise ready to be delivered to you at your own Time.

SACHEMS and Warriours of the Six Nations,

The Way between us being made smooth by what pass'd Yesterday, we desire now to confirm all former Treaties, made between Virginia and you our Brethren of the Six Nations, and to make our Chain of Union and Friendship as bright as [Page 57] the Sun, that it may not contract any more Rust for ever; that our Childrens Children may rejoyce at, and confirm what we have done: And that you and your Children may not forget it, we give you One Hundred Pounds in Gold, and this Belt of Wampum

FRIENDS and BRETHREN,

Altho' we have been disappointed in our En­deavours to bring about a Peace between you and the Catawbas, yet we desire to speak to you something more about them: We believe they have been unfaithful to you, and spoke of you with a foolish Contempt; but this may be only the Rashness of some of their young Men.

In this Time of War, with our common Ene­mies, the French and Spaniards, it will be the wisest Way, to be at Peace among ourselves; they the Catawbas, are also Children of the great King, and therefore we desire you will agree, that we may endeavour to make a Peace between you and them, that so we may be all united, by one common Chain of Friendship; therefore we give you this String of Wampum.

BRETHREN,

Our Friend Conrad Weiser, when he is old, will go into the other World, as our Fathers have done; our Children will then want such a Friend, to go between them and your Children, to recon­cile any Differences, that may happen to arise between them, that like him, may have the Ears and Tongues, of our Children and yours.

[Page 58] The way to have such a Friend is, for you to send three or four of your Boys to Virginia, where we have a fine House for them to live in, and a Man on purpose, to teach the Children of you, our Friends, the Religion, Language, and Cus­toms of the white People.

To this Place we kindly invite you to send some of your Children; and promise you, that they shall have the same Care taken of them, and be instructed in the same Manner, as our own Chil­dren; and be return'd to you again when you please: And to confirm this, we give you this String of Wampum.

FRIENDS and BRETHREN, the Chiefs or Sachems of the Six united Nations, The Governor of Maryland invited you hither; we have treated with you as Friends, and agreed with you as Brethren.

As the Treaty now made, concerning the Lands in Maryland, will, we hope, prevent effectually, every future Misunderstanding between us, on that Account; we will now bind faster the Links of our Chain of Friendship, by a Renewal of all our former Treaties: And that they may still be the better secur'd, we shall present you with One Hundred Pounds in Gold.

What we have further to say to you is, let not our Chain contract any Rust; when ever you perceive the least Speck, tell us of it, and we will make it clean; This we also expect from you, that it may [Page 59] always continue so bright, as our Generations may see their Faces in it. And in Pledge of the Truth of what we have now spoken, and our Affection to you, we give you this Belt of Wampum.

BROTHER Onas, Assaraquoa, and To­carry-hogan,

We return you Thanks for your several Speeches, which are very agreeable to us; they contain Mat­ters of such great Moment, that we propose to give them a very serious Consideration, and to an­swer them suitably to their Worth and Excellence: And this will take till To-morrow Morning, and when we are ready, we shall give you due Notice.

You tell us you have beat the French; if so, you must have taken a great deal of Rum from them, and can the better spare us some of that hot Liquor, to make us rejoice with you in the Victory.

BROTHER ONAS,

Yesterday you expressed your Satisfaction, in having been instrumental to our meeting with our Brethren of Virginia and Maryland; we, in Re­turn, assure you, that we have great Pleasure in this Meeting, and thank you for the Part you have had in bringing us together, in order to cre­ate a good Understanding, and clearing the Road: And in Token of our Gratitude, we present you with this String of Wampum.

BROTHER ONAS,

You was pleased Yesterday to inform us, That War had been declared between the Great King of England, and the French King; that Two great [Page 65] Battles had been sought, one by Land, the other at Sea, with many other Particulars: We are glad to hear the Arms of the King of Great-Bri­tain were successful, and take Part with you in your Joy on this Occasion.

You then came nearer home, and told us, you had left your House and was come this far, on Be­half of the whole People of Pennsylvania, to see us, to renew your Treaties, to brighten the Covenant Chain, and to confirm your Friendship with us: We approve this Proposition, we thank you for it. We own with Pleasure, that the Covenant Chain between us and Pennsylvania, is of old standing, and has never contracted any Rust; we wish it may always continue as bright as it h [...]s done hitherto: And in Token of the Sincerity of out Wishes, we present you with this Belt of Wampum.

BROTHER ONAS,

You was pleased Yesterday to remind us of our mutual Obligation to assist each other, in Case of a War with the French, and to repeat the Sub­stance of what we ought to do, by our Treaties with you; and that as a War had been already entered into with the French, you called upon us to assist you, and not to suffer the French to march through our Country, to disturb any of your Set­tlements.

In Answer, we assure you we have all these Particulars in our Hearts; they are fresh in our Memory; we shall never forget that you and we have but one Heart, one Head, one Eye, one Ear, and one Hand: We shall have all your [Page 66] country under our Eye, and take all the Care we can, to prevent any Enemy from coming into it; and in Proof of our Care we must inform you, that before we came here, we told ^* Onantio, our Father, as you are pleased to call him, That nei­ther he, nor any of his People, shou'd come through our Countries to hurt our Brethren the English, or any of the Settlements belonging to them; there was Room enough at Sea to sight, there be might de what be pleased; but he should not come upon our Land to [...]o any Damage to our Brethren. And you may depend upon our using our utmost Care to see this effectually done: And in Token of our Sin­cerity, we present you with this Belt of Wampum.

The Six Nations had a great Authority and Influence over sundry Tribes of Indians in Alli­ance with the French, and particularly over the Praying Indians, formerly a Part of ourselves, who stand in the very Gates of the French; and to shew our further Care, we have engag'd these very Indians, and other Indian Allies of the French, for you: They will not join with the French a­gainst you; they have agreed this with us before we set out: We have put the Spirit of Antipathy [Page 67] against the French in those People; our Interest is very considerable with them, and many other Na­tions; and as far as ever it extends, we shall use it for your Service.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

You told us Yesterday, that all Disputes with you being now at an End, you desired to confirm all former Treaties between Virginia and us; and to make our Chain of Union as bright as the Sun.

We agree very heartily with you in these Pro­positions; we thank you for your good Inclina­tions; we desire you will pay no Regard to any idle Stories that may be told to our Prejudice; and as the Disputes about the Land is now entirely over, and we perfectly reconcil'd, we hope, for the fu­ture, we shall not act towards each other but as becometh Brethren and hearty Friends.

We are very willing to renew the Friendship with you, and to make it as firm as possible, for us and our Children, with you and your Children, to the latest Generation: And we desire you will imprint these Engagements on your Hearts in the strongest Manner: And in Confirmation that we shall do the same, we give you this Belt of Wam­pum.

[Page 68]

BROTHER Assaraqu [...]a,

You did let us know Yesterday, that tho' you had been disappointed in your Endeavours, to bring about a Peace between us and the Cataw­bas, yet you would still do your best to bring such a Thing about: We are well pleased with your Design, and the more so, as we hear you know what Sort of People the Catawbas are; that they are spiteful and offensive, and have treated us contemptuously: We are glad you know these Things of the Catabas: We believe what you say to be true, that there are some amongst them, who are wiser and better; and as you say, they are your Brethren, and belong also to the great King over the Water, we shall not be against a Peace on reasonable Terms, provided they will come to the Northward to treat about it. In Confirmation of what we say, and to en­courage you in your Undertaking, we give you this String of Wampum.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

You told us likewise, you had a great House provided, for the Education of Youth, and that there were several white People and Indian's Chil­dren there, to learn Languages, and to write and read and invited us to send some of our Children amongst you, &c.

We must let you know, we love out Children too well, to send them so great a Way, and the Indians are not inclin'd to give their Children Learning: We allow it to be good, and we thank you for the Invitation; but our Customs differing from yours, you will be so good as to excuse us.

[Page 69] We hope ^* Tarauchia Waggon, will be pre­served by the good Spirit, to a good old Age; and when he is gone under Ground, it will be then Time enough for us to join with you to look out for another; and no doubt, but among so many Thousands, one fit and proper Man, such as he may be sound; and while he is alive, we have no Reason to complain.

BROTHER Tocarry-bogan,

You told us Yesterday, that since there was now, nothing in Controversy between us, and the Affair of the Land settled to your Satisfaction; you wou'd now brighten the Chain of Friendship, which had subsisted between you and us, ever since we became Brethren: We are well pleased with the Proposition, and we thank you for it: We are also inclin'd to renew all Treaties, and keep good Correspondence with you. You told us further, if ever we shou'd perceive the Chain had contracted any Rust, to let you know, and you would take Care to take the Rust out, and preserve it bright: We agree with you in this; and shall on our Parts, do every Thing to preserve a good Understanding, and to live in the same Friendship with you, as with our Brother Onas and Assaraquoa: In Confirmation whereof, we give you this Belt of Wampum.

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BRETHREN,

We have now finished our Answer, to what you said to us Yesterday, and shall now proceed to Indian Affairs, that are not of so general a Concern.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

There lives a Nation of Indians, on the other Side of your Country, the Tuscarora's, who are our Friends, and with whom, we hold Correspon­dence; but the Road between us and them, has been stop'd for some Time, on account of the Misbehaviour of some of our Warriours: We have open'd a new Road for our Warriours, and they shall keep to that Road; but as that would be very inconvenient, for Messengers, going to the Tuscaroro's, we desire, they may go the old Road: We frequently send Messengers to one another, and shall have more Occasion to do so, now that we have concluded a Peace with the Cherrokees: To enforce our Request, we give you this String of Wampum.

BROTHER Assaraquoa,

Among these Tuscaroro's there lives a few Families of the Conoy Indians, who are desirous to leave them, and to remove to the rest of their Nation, among us; and the straight Road from them to us, lyes through the Middle of your Country: We desire you will give them free Passage through Virginia, and furnish them with Passes; and to enforce our Request we give you this String of Wampum.

We have one Thing further to say, and that is; we heartily recommend Union and a good Agreement between you our Brethren: Never disagree, but preserve a strict Friendship for one another, and thereby, both you as well as we, will become the stronger.

Our wise Forefathers, established Union and Amity between the Five Nations; this has made us formidable, this has given us great Weight and Authority, with our neighbouring Nations: We are a powerful Confederacy; and by your observ­ing the same Methods, our wise Forefathers have taken, you will acquire fresh Strength and Power: Therefore, whatever besals you, never fall out one with another.

The Honourable Commissioners of Virginia and Maryland, having desired me to speak for them; I, on the Part of those Governments, as well as on behalf of the Province of Pennsylvania, return you Thanks, for the many Proofs you have given in your Speeches, of our Zeal for the Service of your Brethren the English; and in particular, for your having so early engag'd in a Neutrality the several Tribes of Indians in the French Alliance: We don't doubt but you will faithfully discharge your Promises.

As to your Presents, we never estimate these Things by their real Worth, but by the Disposi­tion of the Giver: In this Light we accept them with great Pleasure, and put a high Value on them. We are oblig'd to you for recommending Peace and a good Agreement amongst ourselves: We are all Subjects, as well as you, of the Great King beyond the Water, and in Duty to His Ma­jesty, and from the good Affection we bear each other, as well as from a Regard to our own In­terest, we shall always be inclin'd to live in Friend­ship.

We mentioned to you Yesterday, the Booty you had taken from the French, and ask'd you for some of the Rum which, we suppos'd to be a Part of it, and you gave us some; but it turn'd out unfortunately, that you gave it us in French Glasses: We now desire you will give us some in English Glasses.

We are glad to hear you have such a Dislike for what is French; they cheat you in your Glasses, as well as in every Thing else: You will consider, we are at a Distance from Williamsburg, Annapolis and Philadelphia, where our Rum Stores are, and that, though we brought up a good Quantity with us, you have almost drank it out; but notwithstanding this, we have enough lest to fill our English Glasses, and this will serve to snew the Difference between the narrow Incli­nations of the French, and generous Dispositions of your Brethren the English towards you.

We have been hindered by a great deal of Bu­siness, from waiting on you, to have some private Conversation with you; chiefly to enquire after the Healths of Onas beyond the Water; we de­sire you will tell them, we have a greatful Sense of all their Kindnesses for the Indians.

Brother Onas told us, when he went away, he would not stay long from us; we think it is a great While, and want to know when we may ex­pect him; and desire, when you write, you will recommend us heartily to him; which the Go­vernor promised to do, and then took his Leave of them.