+BRITISH QUEEN A TREATY WITH THE INDIANS OF THE SIX
NATIONS.
In the COURT-HOUSE in the Town of
Lancaſter, on Friday, the Twenty Second of June, 1744,
PRESENT,
The Honourable GEORGE THOMAS, Eſq;
Lieut. Governor of the Province of Pennſylvania, and Counties of Newcaſtle,
Kent and Suſſex, on Delaware.
Commiſſioners of Virginia
The Honourable Thomas Lee, Eſq;
Colonel William Beverly,
Commiſſioners of Maryland.
The Honble Edmund Jennings, Eſq;
Philip Thomas Eſq;
Colonel Robert King,
Colonel Thomas Colville,
The Deputies of the Onandagoes,
Senecas, Cayogoes, Oneidas and Tuſcaroraes.
Conrad Weiſer, Interpreter.
THE Governor and the Commiſſioners
took ſome of the Indian Chiefs by the Hand, and, after they had ſeated
themſelves, the Governor bid them welcome into the Government; and there being
Wine and Punch prepared for them, the Governor and the ſeveral Commiſſioners
drank. Health to the Six Nations; and Canaſſatego, Tacbanoontia, and ſome other
Chiefs, returned the Compliments, drinking the Healths of [*] Onas, [+]
Aſſaragoa, and the Governor of Maryland.
AFTER they were all ſerved with Wine,
Punch, Pipes and Tobacco, the Governor told the Indians, that as it was
cuſtomary, and indeed neceſſary,
*. Onas, the Governor of
Pennſylvania. [back]
+. Aſſaragoa, the Governor of
Virginia [back]
they ſhould have ſome Time to reſt
after ſo long a Journey, and as he thought three Days would be no more than
ſufficient for that Purpoſe, he propoſed to ſpeak to them on Monday next; after
which, the honourable Commiſſioners would take their own Time to deliver what
they had to ſay.
CANASSATEGO anſwered the Governor: 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 came here, to
appoint a Time when he will pleaſe to mention the Reaſon of his inviting us.
As to our Brother Aſſaragoa, we have at this
preſent Time nothing to ſay to him; not but we have a great deal to ſay to
Aſſaragoa, which muſt be ſaid at one Time or another; but not being ſatisfied
whether he or we ſhould begin firſt, we ſhall leave it wholly to our Brother
Onas to adjuſt this between us, and to ſay which ſhall begin firſt.
In the COURT-HOUSE at Lancaſter, June
25, 1744. A. M.
P R E S E N T,
The Honourable GEORGE THOMAS, Eſq;
Governor, &c.
The Honourable the Commiſſioners of
Virginia.
The Honourable the Commiſſioners of
Maryland.
The Deputies of the Six Nations.
Conrad Weiſer, Interpreter.
The GOVERNOR ſpoke as follows:
Honourable Gentlemen, Commiſſioners
for the Governments of Virginia and Maryland, and Brethren, Sachims, 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 Governor of
Maryland concerning ſome Lands in the back Parts of that Province, which they
claim a Right to from their Conqueſts over the ancient 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 could be
effected, an unfortunate Skir- miſh happened in the back Parts of Virginia,
between fome of the Militia there, and a Party of the Indian Warriors of the
Six Nations, with ſome Loſs on both Sides. Who were 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 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
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 is 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 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 tie them more cloſely to the Britifh
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.
*. This was allowed, at a Conference
had by the Governor with the Commiſſioners, to be a juſt State of the
Tranſactions preceding the Treaty. [back]
✝. The two preceding Paragraphs
were allowed by the Commiſſioners of Virginia, whilſt they were at Philadephia,
to be very proper to be ſpoken by the Governor of Pennſylvania at the Opening
of the Treaty; but taking up an Opinion, from what paſſed at the firſt friendly
Interview with the Indians, that they would not make any Claim upon Lands
within the Government of Virginia, the Governor conſented to decline ſpeaking
them in the Presence of the Indians.
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