Part 8
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 should come to reconsider that Matter, we should find that we had no Right to make any Complaint of the Governor of _Maryland_, and would 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 looked like a Design to terrify you; and you tell us further, that we must be beside ourselves, in using such a rash Expression as to tell you, We know how to do ourselves Justice if you 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 for our Lands, We, at the same time, desired him, in case you should disregard our Demand, to write to the Great King beyond the Seas, who would own us for his Children as well as you, to compel you to do us Justice: And, two years ago, when we found that you had 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 resolved to use such Expressions as would make the greatest Impressions on your Minds, and we find it had its Effect; for you tell us, "That your wise Men held a Council together, and agreed to invite us, and to enquire of our Right to any of your Lands, and if it should be found that we had a Right, we were to have a Compensation made for them: And likewise you tell us, that our Brother, the Governor of _Maryland_, by the advice of these wise Men, has sent you 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 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 our Land, we, on our Parts, do give you the strongest Assurances of our good Disposition towards you, and that we are as desirous as you to brighten the Chain, and to put away all Hindrances to a perfect good Understanding; and, in Token of our Sincerity, we give you this Belt of Wampum.
_Which was received, and the Interpreter ordered to give the_ Yo-hah.
_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 One 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 One 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. It is true, that above One Hundred Years ago the _Dutch_ came here in a Ship, and brought with them several Goods; such as Awls, Knives, Hatchets, Guns, and many other Particulars, which they gave us; and when they had taught us how to use their Things, and we saw what sort of People they were, we were so well pleased with them, that we tied their Ship to the Bushes on the Shore; and afterwards, liking them still better the longer they staid with us, and thinking the Bushes too slender, we removed the Rope, and tied it to the Trees; and as the Trees were liable to be blown down by high Winds, or to decay of themselves, we, from the Affection we bore them, again removed the Rope, and tied it to a strong and big Rock [_here the Interpreter said, They mean the_ Oneido _Country_] and not content with this, for its further Security we removed the Rope to the big Mountain [_here the Interpreter says they mean the_ Onandago _Country_] and there we tied it very fast, and roll'd Wampum about it; and, to make it still more secure, we stood upon the Wampum, and sat down upon it, to defend it, and to prevent any Hurt coming to it, and did our best Endeavours that it might remain uninjured for ever. 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 Parts of our Country, and 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 the _English_, an _English_ Governor came to _Albany_, and finding what great Friendship subsisted between us and the _Dutch_, he approved 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 passed between us, he found that the Rope which tied the Ship to the great Mountain was only fastened with Wampum, which was liable to break and rot, and to perish in a Course of Years; he therefore told us, he would give us a Silver Chain, which would be much stronger, and would last for ever. This we accepted, and fastened 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 would, by way of Reproach, be every now and then telling us, that we should have perished if they had not come into the Country and furnished us with Strowds and Hatchets, and Guns, and other Things necessary for the Support of Life; but we always gave them to understand that they were mistaken, that we lived before they came amongst us, and as well, or better, if we may believe what our Forefathers have told us. We had then Room enough, and Plenty of Deer, which was easily caught; and tho' we had not Knives, Hatchets, or Guns, such as we have now, yet we had Knives of Stone, and Hatchets of Stone, and Bows and Arrows, and those served our Uses as well then as the _English_ ones do now. We are now straitened, and sometimes in want of Deer, and liable to many other Inconveniencies since the _English_ came among us, and particularly from that Pen-and-Ink Work that is going on at the Table (_pointing to the Secretary_) and we will give you an Instance of this. Our Brother _Onas_, a great while ago, came to _Albany_ to buy the _Sasquahannah_ 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 would make an ill Use of it; and, pretending to be our good Friend, he advised us, in order to prevent _Onas_'s, or any other Person's imposing upon us, and that we might always have our Land when we should want it, to put it into his Hands; and told us, he would 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 safe for our Use; but, some Time after, he went 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 Lands, he told us we had sold the _Sasquahannah_ Lands already to the Governor of _New-York_, and that 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 generously 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 Assistances in our Wars with the _French_, who were no sooner arrived amongst us than they began to render us uneasy, and to provoke us to War, and we 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 valid, and that the _Conestogoe_ or _Sasquahannah 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 comprized in those Deeds; they are the _Cohongorontas_[6] Lands; those, we are sure, you have not possessed One Hundred Years, no, nor above Ten Years, and we made our Demands so soon as we knew your People were 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 provided with Goods, and do assure you of our Willingness to treat with you for those unpurchased Lands; in Confirmation whereof, we present you with this Belt of Wampum.
_Which was received with the usual Ceremonies._
_C A N A S S A T E G O_ added, that as the three Governors of _Virginia, Maryland_, and _Pensylvania_, had divided the Lands among them, they could not, for this Reason, tell how much each had got, nor were they concerned about it, so that they were paid by all the Governors for the several Parts each possessed, and this they left to their Honour and Justice.
[Footnote 6: _Cohongorontas_, i. e. _Potomack_.]
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In the C o u r t-H o u s e at _Lancaster, June_ 27, 1744, _A. M._
P R E S E N T,
The Honourable _G E O R G E T H O M A S_, 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 Commissioners of_ Virginia _ordered the Interpreter to let the_ Indians _know the Government of_ Virginia _was going to speak to them, and then they spoke as follows:_
_Sachems and Warriors 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; we are very glad to see you; we give you this String of Wampum.
_Which was received with their usual Approbation._
_Brethren,_
In the Year 1736, four of your Sachems wrote a Letter to _James Logan_, Esq; then President of _Pensylvania_, 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 _New-York_ to enquire of you about it. He sent his Interpreter to you in _May,_ 1743, who laid this before you at a Council held at _Onandago_, to which you answer, "That if you had any Demand or Pretensions on the Governor of _Virginia_ any way, you would have made it known to the Governor of _New-York_." This corresponds with what you have 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 Nations of _Indians_ you conquered any Lands from in _Virginia_, how long it is since, and what Possession you have had; and if it does appear, that there is any Land on the Borders of _Virginia_ that the _Six Nations_ have a Right to, we are willing to make you Satisfaction.
_Then laid down a String of Wampum, which was accepted with the usual Ceremony, and then added,_
We have a Chest of new Goods, 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 Light; in Confirmation whereof, we give you this Belt of Wampum.
_Which was received with the usual Ceremony_.
_T A C H A N O O N T I A_ replied:
_Brother_ Assaragoa,
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.
* * * * *
In the C o u r t-H o u s e at _Lancaster, June_ 27, 1744, _P. M._
P R E S E N T,
The Honourable _G E O R G E T H O M A S_, Esq; Governor, &c. The Honourable the Commissioners of _Virginia_. The Honourable the Commissioners of _Maryland_. The Deputies of the _Six Nations_. _Conrad Weiser_, Interpreter.
_T A C H A N O O N T I A spoke as follows_:
_Brother_ Assaragoa,
Since you have joined with the Governor of _Maryland_ and Brother _Onas_ in kindling this Fire, we gladly acknowledge the Pleasure we have in seeing 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.
_Which was received with the usual Ceremonies_.
_Brother_ Assaragoa,
In your Speech this Morning you were pleased to say we had wrote a Letter to _James Logan_, about seven Years ago, to demand a Consideration for our Lands in the Possession of some of the _Virginians_; that you held them under 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 _Onandago_, which he did; and, as you say, we in Council at _Onandago_ did declare, that we had no Demand upon 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 Right appear, and tell you what Nations 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 should be obliged to you, if you would let us see the Letter, and inform us who was the Interpreter, and whose Names are put to that Letter; for as the whole Transaction cannot be above a Year's standing, it must be fresh in every Body's Memory, 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. Could we, so few 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 as this Matter can be easily cleared up, we are anxious it should be done; for we are positive no such thing was ever mentioned to us at _Onandago_, nor any where else. All the World knows we conquered the several Nations living on _Sasquahannah_, _Cohongoronta_, and on the Back of the Great Mountains in _Virginia_; the _Conoy-uch-such-roona_, _Coch-now-was-roonan, Tohoa-irough-roonan_, and _Connutskin-ough-roonaw_, feel the Effects of our Conquests, being now a Part of our Nations, and their Lands 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 _Sachdagughroonaw_, and drove back the _Tuscarroraws_, 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 the _Virginians_ ever get a good Right to it, it must be by us; and in Testimony of the Truth of our Answer to this Part of your Speech, we give you this String of Wampum
_Which was received with the usual Ceremony_.
_Brother_ Assaragoa,
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 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, if there be any thing still remaining in your Breast that may occasion any Dispute between us, you will take the Opportunity to unbosom your Hearts, and lay them open to us, that henceforth there may be no Dirt, nor any other Obstacle in the Road between us; and in Token of our hearty Wishes to bring about so good an Harmony, we present you with this Belt of Wampum.
_Which was received with the usual Ceremony_.
_Brother_ Assaragoa,
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 be now confirmed. 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 observed it, but came and lived on our Side of the Hill, which we don't blame you for, as you live at a great Distance, near the Seas, and cannot 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 People's Cattle, 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 Mountain, 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 those 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 stronger induced 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.
_Which was received with the usual Ceremony_.
_Then_ Tachanoontia _added_:
That he forgot to say, that the Affair of the Road must be looked upon as a Preliminary to be settled before the Grant of Lands; and, said he, either the _Virginia_ People must be obliged to remove more Easterly, or, if they are permitted to stay, our Warriors, marching that Way to the Southward, shall go Sharers with them in what they plant.
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In the C o u r t-H o u s e at _Lancaster, June_ 28, 1744. _A. M._
P R E S E N T,
The Honourable _G E O R G E T H O M A S_, 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.
_Friends and Brethren of the_ Six Nations,
I am always sorry when any thing happens that may create the least Uneasiness between us; but as we are mutually engaged to keep the Road between us clear and open, and to remove every Obstruction that may lie in the Way, I must inform you, that three of the _Delaware Indians_ lately murdered _John Armstrong_, an _Indian_ Trader, and his two Men, in a most barbarous Manner, as he was travelling to _Allegheny_, and stole his Goods of a considerable Value. _Shickcalamy_, and the _Indians_ settled at _Shamokin_, did well; they seized two of the Murderers, and 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 concerned 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 who gave the deadly Wound. If they consented to it, encouraged it, or any ways assisted in it, they are to be put to Death, and it is just it should 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 way 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 four _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 restored to the Wife and Children of the Deceased. That what I have said may have its due Weight with you, I give you this String of Wampum.
_Which was accepted with the_ Yo-hah.
The Governor afterwards ordered the Interpreter to tell them, he expected a very full Answer from them, and that they might take their own Time to give it; for he did not desire to interfere with the Business of _Virginia_ and _Maryland_.
They said they would take it into Consideration, and give a full Answer.
Then the Commissioners of _Virginia_ let them know, by the Interpreter, that they would speak to them in the Afternoon.
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In the C o u r t-H o u s e Chamber at _Lancaster_, _June_ 28, 1744, _P. M._
P R E S E N T,
The Honourable the Commissioners of _Maryland_. The Deputies of the _Six Nations_. _Conrad Weiser_, Interpreter.
_The Commissioners desired the Interpreter to tell the_ Indians _they were going to speak to them_. _Mr._ Weiser _acquainted them herewith_. _After which the said Commissioners spoke as follows_:
_Our good Friends and Brethren, the_ Six _united_ Nations,