A
T R
E A T Y,
Held at the
Town of
In
By the Honourable the
Lieutenant-Governor of the Province,
And the Honourable the Commissioners of
the Provinces
Of
With
the I N D
I A N S of the S I X N A T I O N S, in JUNE, 1744.
* * *
The
focus of this treaty is a land dispute between
The
treaty includes a number of important elements for the upcoming November treaty
council in
Despite
the forceful counterclaims of
For
clarity, I have parsed this treaty into four parts. This structure does not
follow the exact chronology of the treaty, but it does clarify some of the
issues and much of the procedure. In Part
I the Lt. Governor of
* * *
In the COURT-HOUSE in the Town of
P R E S E N T,
The Honourable GEORGE THOMAS, Esq., Lieut. Governor of the
Province of Pennsylvania, and the
Counties of Newcastle, Kent and Sussex, on Delaware.
The Honourable
Commissioners of
The Honble
Commissioners of
The Deputies of
the Onandagoes,
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 several Commissioners drank Health to
the Six Nations; and Canassatego, Tachanoontia, and
some other Chiefs, returned the Compliments, drinking the Healths
of Onas, Assaragoa, and
the Governor of Maryland.[2]
AFTER they were all served with Wine,
Punch, Pipes and Tobacco, the Governor told the Indians, that as it was customary, and indeed necessary, 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 entirely to you to appoint the Time when we shall
meet you again. We likewise leave it to the Governor of
In the COURT-HOUSE at
The
GOVERNOR spoke as follows:
Honourable Gentlemen, Commissioners for the
Governments of
Friends and Brethren, Sachims,
or Chiefs of the Indians of the Six Nations:
THESE,
your Brethren of
To enforce what had been said, the GOVERNOR
laid down a Belt of Wampum; upon which
the Indians gave the Yo-hah.
In the COURT-HOUSE at
Cannassatego’s
Answer to the Governor’s Speech delivered
in the Morning.
YOU spoke in the
Presence of Assaragoa and the Governor of
Here they presented the GOVERNOR
with a Belt of Wampum, in return for the Belt
given them in the Morning by the GOVERNOR; and the Interpreter was ordered to return the Yo-hah.
Then the GOVENOR,
in Reply, spoke as follows:
I receive your Belt with great Kindness
and Affection; and as to what relates to the Governments of
PART
II.
The Commissioners of
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.
Upon which the Indians
gave the Yo-hah.
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 good Friends and Brethren of the Six
Nations had little Reason to complain of any Injury from Maryland, and that they would be so well
convinced thereof, on farther 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 have entirely dissolved the Chain of Friendship subsisting,
not only between us, but perhaps 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 coolly your rash Expressions, 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.
On which the Indians
gave the Yo-hah.
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 saying 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 Sasquahannah Indians, by
a Treaty above ninety Years since (which is on the Table, 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 Lands
we possess, from Patuxent River, on the Western, as well as the Choptank River, on the Eastern Side of the Great
Bay of Cheassapeak. And, near Sixty Years ago, you
acknowledged to the Governor of New-York at
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
BY these Treaties we became Brethren; we
have always lived as such, and hope always to continue so.
WE have this further to say, that altho’ we are not satisfied of the Justice of your Claim to
any Lands in
FOR this Purpose we have brought hither
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 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.
Which was received with the Yo-hah.
After a little Time Canassatego spoke as follows:
Brother,
the Governor of
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
shall take what you have said into Consideration, and return you our Answer
some Time to Morrow. He then sat down, and after some Time he spoke again.
In the COURT-HOUSE at
CANASSATEGO spoke as follows:
Brother,
the Governor of
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
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, and 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
Misunderstanding, 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
Forefather 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 have had several Wars with them; during all which we constantly received
Assistance form 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 comprised in those Deeds; they are the Cohongorontas[4]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.
CANASSATEGO
added, that as the three Governors of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania,
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.
In the COURT-HOUSE at
The Commissioners [of
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, and also of the
Place where they lie. Altho’ 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 Currency, 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
notwithstanding 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 our Hearts agree, we give you this Belt
of Wampum.
On presenting of which the Indians
gave the usual Cry of Approbation.
MR. Weiser acquainted the Indians, they
might now look over the several Goods placed on a Table in the Chamber for that
Purpose; and the honourable Commissioners bid him
tell them, if they disliked any of the Goods, or, if they were damaged, the
Commissioners would put a less Price on such as were either disliked or damnified.
THE Indians
having viewed and examined the Goods, and seeming dissatisfied at the Price
and Worth of them, required Time to go down into the Court-House, in order for
a Consultation to be had by the Chiefs of them concerning the said Goods, and
likewise that the Interpreter might retire with them, which he did. Accordingly
they went down into the Court-House, and soon after returned again into the
Chamber.
|
|
L. |
s. |
d. |
|
Four Pieces of Strowds, at 7 L. |
28 |
00 |
00 |
|
Two Pieces Ditto, 5 L. |
10 |
00 |
00 |
|
Two Hundred Shirts, |
63 |
12 |
00 |
|
Three Pieces Half-Thicks |
11 |
00 |
00 |
|
Three Pieces Duffle Blankets, at 7 L. |
21 |
00 |
00 |
|
One Piece Ditto, |
6 |
10 |
00 |
|
Forty Seven Guns, at 1 L. 6 s. |
61 |
2 |
00 |
|
One Pound Vermillion, |
00 |
18 |
00 |
|
One Thousand |
00 |
18 |
00 |
|
Four Dozen Jews Harps, |
00 |
14 |
00 |
|
One Dozen Boxes, |
00 |
1 |
00 |
|
One Hundred Two Quarters Bar-Lead, |
3 |
00 |
00 |
|
Two Quarters Shot, |
1 |
00 |
00 |
|
Two Half Barrels of Gun-Powder, |
13 |
00 |
00 |
|
L. |
220 |
15 |
00 |
WHEN the Indians had agreed to take these Goods at the Rates above
specified, they informed the Interpreter, that they would give an Answer to the
Speech made to them this Morning by the honourable the
Commissioners of Maryland, but did
not express the Time when such Answer should be made. At
In the COURT-HOUSE at
… Canassatego
spoke as follows, looking on a Deal-board,
where were some black Lines, describing the Courses of Potowmack
and Sasquahanna:
Brethren,
YESTERDAY you spoke to
us concerning the Lands on this Side Potowmack River,
and as we have deliberately considered 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
WE earnestly desire to live with you as
Brethren, and hope you will show us all Brotherly Kindness; in Token whereof,
we present you with a Belt of Wampum.
Which was received with the usual
Ceremony.
SOON after the Commissioners and Indians departed from the
In the COURT-HOUSE at
THE honourable
the Commissioners ordered Mr. Weiser to tell the
Indians that a Deed, releasing all
their Claim and Title to certain Lands lying in the Province of Maryland, which by them was agreed to be
given and executed for the Use of the Lord Baron of Baltimore, Lord Proprietary of that Province, was now on the Table,
and Seals ready fixed thereto. The Interpreter acquainted them therewith as
desired, and then gave the Deed to Canassatego, the Speaker,
who made his Mark, and put his Seal, and delivered it; after which, thirteen
other Chiefs or Sachims of the Six Nations executed it in the same Manner, in the Presence of the honourable the Commissioners of Virginia, and divers other Gentlemen of that Colony, and of the
Provinces of Pennsylvania and Maryland.
PART III.
In the COURT-HOUSE at
The Commissioners of Virginia ordered the Interpreter to let the Indians
know the Governor of Virginia was going to speak to them, and they spoke
as follows:
Sachims
and Warriors of the Six United Nations, our Friends and Brethren,
AT our Desire the
Governor of Pennsylvania 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.
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.
TACHANOOTIA 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 COURT-HOUSE at
TACHANOONTIA 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 is 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,
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
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[6]
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,[7]
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 of 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:
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 that either the Virginia People
must be obliged to remove more Easterly, or, if they are permitted to stay,
that our Warriors, marching that Way to the Southward, shall go Sharers with
them in what they plant.
In the COURT-HOUSE at
The Commissioners of Virginia
desired the Interpreter to let the Indians
know, that their Brother Assaragoa was now going
to give his Reply to their Answer to his first Speech, delivered them the Day
before in the forenoon.
Sachims
and Warriors of the united 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 the 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 lived
on the West-side of the
THE next Treaty was
also at Albany, above 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. 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, “Brethren, you tell
us the King of England is a very
great King, and why should not you join with us in a very just Cause, when the French join with our Enemies in an
unjust Cause? O Brethren, we see the Reason of this; for the French would fain kill us all, and when
that is done, they would carry all the Beaver Trade to Canada, and the Great King of
ENGLAND would lose the Land likewise; and therefore, O Great Sachim, 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
AND what Right can you
have to Lands that you have no Right to walk upon, but upon certain Conditions?
It is true, you have not observed this Part of the Treaty, and your Brethren of
Virginia have not insisted upon it
with a due Strictness, which has 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 Sachims and
Warriors signed some Years after the same Governor Spotswood, in the Right of the Great King, had been, with some
People of Virginia, in Possession of
these very Lands, which you have set up your late Claim to.
Brethren,
THIS
Dispute is not between Virginia and
you; it is setting 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 they will be confirmed in their
Possessions.
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 Expense to our Great King, which you confirmed at
HOWEVER, if you desire a Road, we will
agree to one on the Terms of the Treaty you made with
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
WE are desirous to live with you, our
Brethren, according to the old Chain of Friendship, to settle all these Matters
fairly and honestly; and, as a Pledge of our Sincerity, we give you this Belt
of Wampum.
Which was received with the usual
Ceremony.
In the COURT-HOUSE at
Gacharadodow,
Speaking for the Indians, in Answer to the Commissioners Speech at the
last Meeting, with a strong Voice, and proper Action, spoke as follows:
THE World at the first was made on the other Side of the Great Water
different form 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 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 Assaragoa,
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 been employed by the 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 Conestogoes, and that the second time we were at
War with them, we carried them all off.
Brother Assaragoa,
YOU charge us with not acting agreeable
to our Peace with the Catawbas, we will repeat to you truly what was
done. The Governor of New-York, at Albany, in Behalf of Assaragoa, gave us several Belts of Wampum from the Cherikees and Catawbas, and we agreed to a Peace, if those
Nations would send some of their great Men to us to confirm it Face to Face,
and that they would trade with us; and desired that they would appoint a Time
to meet at Albany for that Purpose,
but they never came.
Brother Assaragoa,
WE then desired a Letter might be sent
to the Catawabas and Cherikees, to desire them to come and confirm the Peace. It was long before
an Answer came; but we met the Cherikees, and
confirmed the Peace, and sent some of our People to take care of them, until
they returned to their own Country.
THE Catawbas refused to come, and sent us word, That we were but Women, that they
were Men, and double Men, for they had two Penises; that they could make Women
of us, and would be always at War with us. They are a deceitful People. Our
Brother Assaragoa is deceived by them; we don’t blame him
for it, but are sorry he is so deceived.
Brother Assaragoa,
WE have confirmed the Peace with the Cherikees, 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 Assaragoa,
WE will now speak to the Point between
us. You say you will agree with us as to the Road … It is always a Custom among
Brethren or Strangers to use each other kindly; you have some very ill-natured
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, and are
by them 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 desirous to come to some
Conclusion. We have been sleeping here these ten Days past, and have not done
any thing to the Purpose.
THE
Commissioners told them they should see the Goods on Monday.
In the COURT-HOUSE at
The Indians begin told, by the Interpreter, that their
Sachims
and Warriors, 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 on the Table, we
will give you, our Brethren of the Six
Nations, upon Condition that you immediately make a Deed 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 Regulation is in Paper, which
the Interpreter now has in his Custody to show 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.
THE Indians
agreed to what was said, and Canassatego desired
they would represent their Case to the King, in order to have a further Consideration
when the Settlement increased much further back. To which the Commissioners
agreed, and promised they would make such a Representation faithfully and
honestly; and, for their further Security that they would do so, they would
give them a Writing, under their Hands and Seals, to that Purpose.
THEY desired that some Rum might be
given them to drink on their Way home, which the Commissioners agree to, and
paid them in Gold for that Purpose, and the Carriage of their Goods from Philadelphia, Nine Pounds, Thirteen
Shillings, and Three-pence, Pennsylvania Money.
Canassatego further
said, That as their Brother Tocarry-hogan[8] sent them Provision on the Road here,
which kept them from starving, he hoped their Brother Assaragoa would do the same for them back, and have the Goods he gave them
carried to the usual Place; which the Commissioners agreed to, and ordered
Provisions and Carriages to be provided accordingly.
AFTER this Conference the Deed was
produced, and the Interpreter explained it to them; and they, according to
their Rank and Quality, put their Marks and Seals to it in the Presence of
several Gentlemen of Maryland,
Pennsylvania and Virginia; and
when they delivered the Deed, Canassatego delivered
it for the Use of their Father, the Great King, and hoped he would consider
them; on which the Gentlemen and Indians then
present gave three Shouts.
PART
IV. CONCLUSIONS
In the COURT-HOUSE at
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 wiser; 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 Virginia and Maryland;
and we persuade ourselves, that you, on your Parts, will always remember it as
an Instance of our Goodwill and Affection for you. … I now proceed, with the
Consent of the honourable Commissioners for
Which was received with a loud Yo-ha.
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
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 passed 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 Father 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
Which was received with the usual
Ceremony.
Then the Commissioners of Maryland
spoke as follows:
Friends and
Brethren, the Chiefs or Sachims of the Six
united Nations,
THE Governor of
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 of 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 Generation 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.
CANASSATEGO, in return, spoke as follows:
Brother Onas, Assaragoa,
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. …
In the COURT-HOUSE at
CANASSATEGO Speaker.
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 to clear the Road;
and, in Token of our Gratitude, we present you with this String of Wampum.
Which was received with the usual
Ceremony.
…
Brother Assaragoa;
YOU told us Yesterday that all Disputes
with you being now at an End; you desired to confirm all former Treaties
between
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 dispute about the Land is now
entirely over, and we perfectly reconciled, we hope, for the future, we shall
not act towards each other but as becomes 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 last 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.
Which
was received with Yo-hah from the Interpreter and all the Nations.
Brother Assaragoa;
YOU did let us know
Yesterday, that tho’ you had been disappointed in
your Endeavors to bring about a Peace between us and Catawbas, yet you would still do
the 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 Catawbas;
we believe what you say to be true, that there are, notwithstanding, some
amongst them who are wiser and better; and, as you say, they are your Brethren,
and belong 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.
Which was received with the usual
Ceremonies.
Brother Assaragoa;
YOU told us
likewise, you had a great House provided for the Education of Youth,[9]
and there were several white People and Indians
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 our Children too well to send them so great a way, and the Indians are not inclined to give their
children Learning. We allow it to be
good, and we thank you for your Invitation; but our customs differing from
yours, you will be so good as to excuse us.
WE hope Tarachawagon[10]
will be preserved by the good Spirit to a good old Age; when he is gone under
Ground, it will then be time enough to look out for another; and no doubt but
amongst so many thousands as there are in the World, one such man may be found,
who will serve both Parties with the same Fidelity as Tarachawagon does; while he lives
here, there is no Room to complain. In
Token for our Thankfulness for you Invitation, we give you this String of
Wampum.
Which was received
with the usual Ceremony
Brother
Tocarry-hogan,
YOU told us yesterday that since there
was now nothing in Controversy between us, and the Affair of the Land was
settled to you Satisfaction, you would now brighten the Chain of Friendship
which hath subsisted between you and us ever since we became Brethren; we are
well pleased with the Proposition, and we thank you for it; we also are
inclined to renew all Treaties, and keep a good Correspondence with you. You told us further, if ever we should 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 everything to
preserve a good Understanding, and to live in the same Friendship with you as
our brother Onas
and Assaragoa;
in Confirmation whereof, we give you this Belt of Wampum.
On which the usual cry of Yo-hah was given.
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 Onas, Assaragoa,
and Tocarry-hogan,
AT the close of your respective Speeches
Yesterday, you made us very handsome Presents, and we should return you
something suitable to your Generosity; but, alas, we are poor, and shall ever
remain so, as long as there are so many Indian
Traders among us. Theirs and the white
Peoples Cattle have eat up all the Grass, and made Deer scarce. However, we have provided a small Present for
you, and tho’ some of you gave us more than others,
yet as you are all equally our Brethren, we shall leave it to you to divide it
as you please—and then presented three Bundles of Skins, which were received
with the usual Ceremony from the three Governments.
WE have one thing
further to say, and that is, We heartily recommend
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 neighboring 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 befals
you, never fall out with one another.
The GOVERNOR replied:
THE honourable
Commissioners of Virginia and Maryland have desired me to speak for
them; therefore I, in Behalf of those Governments, as well as the Province of Pennsylvania, return you Thanks for the
many Proofs you have given in your Speeches of your Zeal for the Service of
your Brethren the English, and in particular
for your having so early engaged in a Neutrality the several Tribes of Indians
in the French Alliance. We do not doubt that 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 upon them. We are obliged to you for recommending Peace
and 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 that we bear to each other, as
well as from a Regard to our own Interest, we shall always be inclined to live
in Friendship.
THEN the Commissioners of Virginia
presented the Hundred Pounds in Gold, together with a Paper, containing a
Promise to recommend the Six Nations
for further Favor to the King; which they received with Yo-hah, and the Paper was given by them to Conrad Weiser to keep for them. The Commissioners likewise promised that
their public Messengers should not be molested in their Passage through
THEN the Commissioners of Maryland presented their Hundred Pounds
in Gold, which was likewise received with the Yo-hah.
Canassatego said, We mentioned to
you Yesterday the Booty you had taken from the French, and asked you for some of the Rum which we supposed to be
Part of it, and you gave us some, but it turned out unfortunately that you gave
us it in French Glasses, we now
desire that you give us some in English
Glasses.
THE Governor made answer, We are glad to
hear that you have such a Dislike for what is French. They cheat you in
your Glasses, as well as in everything else.
You must consider we are at a Distance from Williamsburg, Annapolis, and Philadelphia,
where our Rum Stores are, and that altho’ we brought
up a good Quantity with us, you have almost drunk it out, but notwithstanding
this, we have enough left to fill our English
Glasses, and will show the Difference between the Narrowness of the French, and the Generosity of your
Brethren the English towards you.
THE Indians gave, in their Order, five Yo-hahs; and the
honorable Governor and commissioners calling for some Rum, and some
middle-sized Wine Glasses, drank health to the Great King of ENGLAND and the Six
Nations, and put an end to the Treaty by three loud Huzza’s,
in which all the Company joined.
IN the Evening the governor went to take
his Leave of the Indians, and,
presenting them with a Sting of Wampum, he told them, that was in return for
one he had received of them, with a Message to desire the Governor of Virginia to suffer their Warriors to go
through Virginia unmolested, which
was rendered unnecessary by the present Treaty.
THEN, presenting them with another String
of Wampum, he told them, that was in return for theirs, praying him, that they
had taken away one Part of Conrad Weiser’s Beard, which frightened their Children, he
would please to take away the other, which he had ordered to be done.
The Indians received these two Strings of Wampum with
the usual Yo-hah.
THE Commissioners of Virginia gave Canassatego a Scarlet Camblet Coat; and took their Leave of them in Form, and at
the same time delivered the Passes to them, according to their Request.
THE Commissioners of Maryland presented Gachradodow with a broad
Gold-laced Hat, and took their Leave of them in a similar Manner.
A true Copy, compared by RICHARD PETERS, Secry.
T H E
E N D
Source: Indian Treaties Printed by Benjamin Franklin, 1736-1762 (Philadelphia:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1938). There is some formatting for brevity
– I have omitted the list of attendees for each phase of the negotiation
because, with the exception of the two noted talks with the Maryland
Commissioners in the Court-House, those in attendance remained quite constant.
I have also removed the discussion of several peripheral issues and some
procedural elements. In addition, I silently corrected typographical errors,
and in a few cases modernized spelling, but only for clarity.
[1] All of the nations of the Iroquois League save the Mohawks.
[2] Onas is the proprietary of
[3] The “big rock” refers to the Oneida Country. The “big Mountain” refers to Onondaga, the seat of the Grand Council of the Iroquois League.
[4] Another name for the Potomack Indians.
[5] This
refers to the threat that the Iroquois conveyed through
[6] “The road” is an Iroquois path to the south, which was customarily used by parties going to make war on their traditional enemies the Catawba and Cherokee.
[7] Probably the Alleghenies.
[8] The
Governor of
[9] The
[10]