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however much owing to the Jealousy of French Traders, & to that lawless Colony of that nation on the Wabache, who are daily increasing in numbers, & whilst they particularly hate us as English, are really enemies to all Governmt These men shod If possible be removed, but possessing the esteem of the neighbours Indians and acquiring a Confidence from their remote Situation; I believe it will be a very difficult task to affect it completely, or in a proper manner. I understand that Gen1 Gage has this in View, and your Lordship may be assured that I shall most chearfully Obey his Majesties Orders by Cooperating with Gen1 Gage in this or any other measure which the Kings service may require.

The Complaints made daily by the Inds of the Abuses and Irregularity of Trade are many & Greivous & will doubtless be made use of by them in case of a defection in any Quarter, The Injuries which our own Traders sustain to the South Westward thro' the Superior Influence & Artifices of the French, who engross the Comerce of that Country is likewise worthy serious attention, for all which there appears no prospect of remedy, as the Commiss's did not meet last Dec' as was expected, neither according to the best accots that I have is there any likelyhood that they will do so, or if met that any thing effectual will be agreed to from the different Interests, & Systems of policy prevailing in each Colony which must ever prove an obstruct" to establishments that depend on a perfect union of Sentiments & on proportional Quota's of Expense, I am persuaded that such Negligence in a matter of Gen' Concern could not have been foreseen by Governmt And I am happy to find that my sentiments correspond with those of your Lordship in the Necessity there is for a redress of such Grievances as must endanger the public Tranquility.—I never Covetted, neither shall I ever wish for Authority, but where the public Service requires it, to reach abuses that may not otherwise be easily removed & The attention which the prest duties of my office requires wd rather Incline me to Wish that these Important points could be effected in any other Channell, of which I Express my doubts with real

concern.

The Event of the Public Negociations in wch the Inds propose to be Occupied the ensuing Season, are for many reasons as yet extremely doubtfull, they require to be strickly enquired into & I shall give them my whole attention, Highly encouraged by the favorable Sentiments with which yr Lordship has honored my proceedings, I cannot sufficiently express my Gratitude upon that occasion; but by a perseverance in my attention to his Majestys Interests & those Duties wch have procured me so flatterg a distinction.

I am also much obliged to your Lordship for the Confirmation of the most agreeable news of the Recovery of his Roy! Highness the D. of Gloucester, an Event which so nearly regards his Majesties domestic felicity, & which is so interesting to every faithfull Subject affords me the most sensible Satisfaction.

The Right Honble

The Earl of Hillsborough.

I have the honor to be,
My Lord &ca

THE SAME TO THE SAME.

Johnson hall June 29th 1772.

MY LORD,

Since I had the honor of writing to your Lordship my Letter No. 17. of the 4th of April concerning the Embassy to the Southward & death of Thos. King, Chief of the Deputies, The Six Nations have sent Delegates from every Nation to attend the second General Congress at Scioto, as mentioned in my last, where my Deputy is gone to be present, Whilst my Resident on the Ouabache has Instructions how to govern himself on any event that may arise from the intended Negociations, till when we were likely to have remaind in a state of suspence; but for a late unlucky Transaction the particulars of which (as it may be productive of very ill consequences) It is my duty to lay before your Lordship.

A certain man of the name of Ramsay who formerly lived amongst the Indians, and was by Capt Brown late Commands officer at Niagara sent away to Quebec, to prevent his doing farther mischief amongst them, has since found means to get a small cargo of goods upon Credit with which he went to Lake Erie where he Traded for some time with the Chipeweighs & Misisagas at a considerable distance from any Fort, or place of Inspection or Controul, but being of a disagreable Temper, and probably endeavoring to over reach them, they warned him to remove, otherwise they would maltreat him, of which however he took no notice but seemed to set them at defiance which shortly after occasioned a quarrel between him & some of them who were in Liquor, of whom he killed three; upon this he withdrew to another place on Lake Erie apprehensive of their Resentment, and last April a party of the Misisagas called at his Trading hut where they drank very plentifully, and as is usual with them on all such occasions quarelled, and threatened him as he says with Death to which he adds that they laid hands on him & bound him, however he freed himself, and killed three men, one woman, and an Infant, and as an aggravation of the same took off their scalps which he brought into Niagara, where he was imediately confined by order of the Commanding officer,-This accot is partly taken from his own confession to that officer, and from the accot given of it by his Brother and others, before the story was new modelled as it has been since to favor him,-To Excuse his having scalped them which with Indians is considered as a National Act, and Declaration of War he says he was told that War had been actually commenced between the English and Indians, and that in his hurry & confusion the Woman & Child were killed,—but it appears clearly to me, and it is likewise the opinion of his Excelly General Gage, that he has been guilty of these murders thro' Wantonness & Cruelty. For, in the first place the Indians whenever they meditate mischief carefully avoid Liquor, whereas it appears that they were very much disguised, and tho' apt to use Threats & quarrel at such times, yet incapable of putting them in execution, as is evilent from the number he killed of them, and in the next place he could have but little Temptation to kill the Woman, and not the least inducement to murder the Child but what has arose from sentiments of Barbarity superior to the most Cruel Savage, who seldom puts an Infant to death.-The General has directed him to be sent to Canada to be tryed, but, (as is usual on such occasions) the Interest which his Creditors will make with those who are his Jurors, and the prejudices of the Commonalty against Indians will probably prove the means of his being acquitted, altho' he makes use of threats that he will do much more mischief when enlarged. The nation imediately sent down 15 Deputies to lay the matter before me, & to assure me that they had given strict orders to prevent any sudden act of Resentment, and that they relied on our Justice in affording them such satisfaction as the Case required, as well as in preventing the like for the future, to which end they (after complaining much of the want of any Regulation for Trade) requested that Traders might not be suffered to go where they pleased but confined to the Posts and there duly Inspected.-I enlarged

much on the circumstance alledged by Ramsay, that the Inds. threatened his Life In which case I observed that not only the English Laws, but the Laws of Nature justified his defending himself, and after adding every thing I thought prudent or necessary I covered (according to Custom) the Graves of the 8 Persons whom he killed, and dismissed the Deputies with a large & handsome present, and with proper messages & belts to their Nation.-The Indians at parting expressed themselves very favorably and I am willing to hope that the affair may be accommodated, nevertheless I am so sensible of their Resentments that I have judged it necessary to be thus particular, because the Chipeweighs and Misisagas, are by far the most numerous & powerfull nation with whom we have any connection in North America, being second only to the Sioux in numbers, and from their situation capable of affording great Encouragemt. to Trade, or putting an entire end to it, nor could it be expected that others wod, enter warmly into our alliance when they considered the Cause of their defection,-The Traders are all come into Niagara &ca to avoid the Resentment they apprehend from the Indians, I have allready described what may reasonably be apprehended, whilst I use every endeavor in my power, to prevent its being realized; but I leave your Lordship to judge how difficult a task it is to Calm the passions of Incensed Savages, and to keep them faithfull to engagements, whilst they find themselves exposed to the Licentious outrages of our own people against which no remedy is as yet provided.

The Rt. honble

The Earl of Hillsborough.

LORD HILLSBOROUGH TO SIR WM. JOHNSON.

Whitehall, July 1st 1772.

SIR,

I have recd your Dispatch No 17 and have laid it before the King. Had any thing of moment been transacted at the great Congress at Sioto, the Deaths of the Principal Indian Chiefs, upon whom you relied for a faithful Report of the Proceedings at that Congress, would have been unfortunate; but, if the Accounts given by Nicaroondase are true, very little of Importance was transacted, and the whole seems to have ended, as such Meetings generally have done, with Excuses on the part of the Indians for past Irregularities, and with Promises, which are seldom or never kept, of behaving better for the future.

I must confess to you that, after the very full Assurances I had received, that all the Indians concerned in the Treaty at Fort Stanwix had fully pledged themselves for the Cession to His Majesty of the Lands in Virginia to the West and South West of the Allegany Mountains, it is a very great Surprise to me now to find that the Shawanese are at least dissatisfied with, if not disposed to disavow that Cession, so far as it regards the Lands on the Ohio above the Kanawah.

Every Day discovers more and more the fatal Policy of departing from the Line prescribed by the Proclamation of 1763; and the Extension of it on the ground of a Cession made by the Six Nations, of Lands, their Right to which, is denied by other Nations equally powerful and more numerous, instead of being attended with Advantage to this Kingdom and Security to the Colonies, is now likely to have no other Consequence than that of giving a greater Scope to distant Settlements, which I conceive to be inconsistent with every true Principle of Policy, and which I clearly see from your last Letter, will most probably have the Effect to produce a general Indian War, the Expense whereof will fall upon this Kingdom.

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The King's Commands have been already signified to General Gage for the Removal of the French and other vagabond Traders on the Ouabache, and His Majesty having also approved of an Indian Officer being established in that part of the Country, you will probably before this reaches you have received General Gage's Instructions to you for that purpose.

You well know, Sir, what are my sentiments with regard to the Regulation of the Indian Trade, but as the plan which I had the Honor, in Conjunction with the rest of my Brethren at the Board of Trade, to suggest for that purpose (and which I am vain enough to think would have operated as a Remedy to the Enormities which have been complained of,) was not adopted, it must depend upon each Colony to take care of its own interests in that respect.

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WHEREAS there was this day read at the Board a Report from the Right Honourable the Lords, of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs dated the first of last month in the words following Viz.

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“YOUR MAJESTY having been pleased by Your Order in Council of the 24th of May 1770 to refer unto "this Committee the humble Memorial of Thomas Walpole Benjamin Franklin John Sargent and Samuel "Wharton on Behalf of themselves and their Associates, Setting forth that the Memorialists and others "presented a Petition to your Majesty in Council praying a Grant of Lands in America (parcel of the "Lands purchased by the Government of the Indians) in Consideration of a price to be paid in purchase "of the same; that the said Petition was referred by Order of Council to the Lords Commissioners for "Trade and Plantations; that the memorialists in pursuance of a Suggestion, which arose upon "Consideration of the said Petition at that Board, of making a Purchase of a larger Tract of Land "sufficient for a Separate Government were directed to apply to the Lords Commissioners of the "Treasury in respect to the Price to be paid for the purchase of such Tract and the Quit Rent to be "reserved thereon; that the Memorialists in Consequence thereof did on the 4th day of January last "present to the said Lords Commissioners of the Treasury a memorial and Paper containing a "description of the Lands they were desirous of Purchasing as follows, Vizt

66.66 66 Beginning on the South side of the River Ohio opposite to the mouth of Sioto, thence Southerly ""through the pass in the Ouasioto Mountains, to the South side of the said Mountains, thence along ""the side of the said Mountains North Easterly to the Fork of the Great Kenhawa, made by the ""junction of Green Briar and new River, thence along the said Green Briar River, on the Easterly ""side of the same unto the Head or termination of the North Easterly branch thereof, thence Easterly "" to the Allegheny mountains, thence along the said Allegheny mountains, to Lord Fairfax's Line, thence "along the same to the Spring head of the North Branch of the River Powtomack, thence along the

""Western Boundary Line of the Province of maryland to the Southern Boundary Line of the Province ""of Pensilvania, thence along the said Southern Boundary Line of the Province of Pensilvania to the ""End thereof, thence along the Western Boundary Line of the said province of Pensilvania until ""the same shall strike the River Ohio, Thence down the said River Ohio, to the place of beginning " "And for which they offer to pay the Sum of £10,460-7-3 being the whole of the money paid by "Government for all the Lands purchased of the Six Nations at Fort Stanwix; and the Memorialists "did further offer to pay a quit rent of 2 Shillgs for every 100 acres of cultivatable Land within the said “tract, praying an exemption from the payment of the said Quit rent for the space of 20 years, but "offering to pay the said purchase money to the order of the Treasury; That the said Lords Com"missioners of the Treasury, after long & full deliberation had thereupon, did on the 7th day of April "last acquaint the Memorialists that the Board had no objection to accepting the proposition made by "the Memorialists for the said tract of land with respect to the purchase money & quit rent to be paid "for the same, if it should be thought adviseable by those Departments of Government to whom it belongs to judge of the propriety of the Grant both in point of policy & justice, that the Grant should ❝be made-In consequence whereof the Memorialists humbly renew this application to your Majesty "that a Grant of the said Lands may be made to them, reserving therein to all persons their just & legal rights to any parts or parcel of said Land which may be comprehended within the tract prayed "for by the Memorialists

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“THE LORDS of Committee in obedience to your Majesty's said order of reference this day took the "said Memorial into consideration, & having received the opinion of the Lords Commissioners for “Trade & Plantations, & heard what the Memorialists had to offer thereupon, do agree humbly to "" Report to your Majesty that it appears to this Committee, upon full & mature consideration of the "Evidence which the petitioners have produced in support of their petition to your Majesty for a Grant "of Lands in America (parcel of the Lands purchased by the Government of the Indians) the most "material part of which evidence was not produced at the Board of Trade

1st. "THAT the Lands in question have been for some time past, & now are in an actual state of "settling, numbers of families to a very considerable amount removing thither continually from your "Majesty's other Colonies:

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2a. “THAT the Lands in question do not lye beyond the reach of advantageous intercourse with "this Kingdom, it appearing from divers policies of insurance laid before this Committee that sundry "commodities the produce of those Lands are exported from thence to a considerable amount, & Evidence "having been likewise produced of a person being employed to collect & ship from hence a cargo of "British Merchandize for the use & Consumption of the said Settlers and the natives: And it is the "opinion of this Committee, in case your Majesty shall be graciously pleased to make a Grant of any part of these Lands, that the petitioners are best intitled to such mark of your Majestys Royal “Favour, in regard they are the first who have made proposals for the purchase from Government of "Lands in your Majesty's Plantations in North America, and have agreed to take the whole expence "of the Civil Government on themselves: But the Lords of the Committee submit it as their opinion, "at the same time that they recommended to your Majesty to comply with the prayer of the Petitioners "that orders should be sent to the Superintendant for Indian affairs to apprize the Tribes of the Six Nations and their Confederates of such intended Settlement; and that the Lords Commissioners for "Trade & plantations should be directed to prepare a proper Clause or Clauses to be inserted in the "Grant, saving & reserving to the respective Occupiers all prior claims to Lands within the limits of "the said Grant, whether derived from equitable or legal titles; and further strictly prohibiting the "petitioners & their associates, & their & each & every of their heirs & assigns from settling, occupying or improving any part of the lands lying between the Line which has been settled by Treaty as well

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