The History of the Five Indian Nations of Canada Part 15

In the C o u r t-H o u s e at _Lancaster, Tuesday_, _July_ 3, 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,

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 confirmed 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 Opportunity of seeing you sooner than perhaps we should otherwise have done; and, as we are under mutual Obligations by Treaties, we to hear with our Ears 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 fought, one by Land, and the other by Sea. The _great King of_ England commanded the Land-Army in Person, and gained a compleat Victory. Numbers of the _French_ were killed and taken Prisoners, and the rest were forced to pa.s.s a River with Precipitation to save their Lives. The Great G.o.d 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_ joined their Ships together, and came out to fight us. The brave _English_ Admiral burnt one of their largest Ships, and many others were so shattered, 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 own Harbours. Had the Weather proved fair, he would, in all Probability, have taken or destroyed 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 experienced 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 a.s.sembly of _Pensylvania_. The Sons of _William Penn_ are all now in _England_, and have 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 thus 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.

_Which was received with the_ Yo-hah.

As your Nations have engaged themselves by Treaty to a.s.sist us, your Brethren of _Pensylvania_, 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 declared, and we expect that 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.

_Which was received with the_ Yo-hah.

_After a little Pause his Honour, the_ Governor, _spoke again_:

_Friends and Brethren of the_ Six Nations,

What I have now said to you is in Conformity to Treaties subsisting between the Province of which I am Governor and your Nations. I now proceed, with the Consent of the honourable Commissioners for _Virginia_ and _Maryland_, to tell you, that all Differences having been adjusted, and the Roads 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 Behalf of the Province of _Pensylvania_, 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.

_Which was received with a loud_ Yo-hah.

The Governor further added, The Goods bought with the one hundred Pounds Sterling, put into my Hands by the Governor of _Virginia_, are ready to be delivered when you please. The Goods bought and sent up by the People of the Province of _Pensylvania_, 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.

_After a little Pause the Commissioners of_ Virginia _spoke as follows_:

_Sachems and Warriors of the_ Six Nations,

The Way between us being made smooth by what pa.s.sed 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 the Sun, that it may not contract any more Rust for ever; that our Childrens Children may rejoice 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.

_Which was received with the usual Ceremony_.

_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 we may be all united by one common Chain of Friendship. We give you this String of Wampum.

_Which was received with the usual Ceremony_.

_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.

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 we promise you they shall have the same Care taken of them, and be instructed in the same Manner as our own Children, and be returned to you again when you please; and, to confirm this, we give you this String of Wampum.

_Which was received with the usual Ceremony_.

_Then the Commissioners of_ Maryland _spoke as follows_:

_Friends and Brethren, the Chiefs or Sachems of the_ Six _united_ Nations,

The Governor of _Maryland_ invited you hither, we have treated 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 secured, 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; whenever you perceive the least Speck, tell us of it, and we will make it clean. This we also expect of you, that it may 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.

_Which was received with the usual Ceremony._

_C A N A S S A T E G O, in return, spoke as follows_:

_Brother_ Onas, a.s.saragoa, _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 will give you due Notice.

You tell us you 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 Liquor to make us rejoice with you in the Victory.

The Governor and Commissioners ordered a Dram of Rum to be given to each in a small Gla.s.s, calling it, _A French Gla.s.s_.

In the C o u r t-H o u s e at _Lancaster, July 4, 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.

_C A N A S S A T E G O Speaker._