well obferved to the commiffioners from Virginia, Maryland, and Pensylvania, that what the Indians received of them were goods foon perishable, but what they received of the Indians were lands which endured for ever. * The Indians are fupplied by the English with provisions coming and going in all treaties. They have their guns, hatchets, and kettles mended gratis. In all congreffes the Indians approve of each article by a Yo hah, the English use a huzza, The Indians ufe peculiar appellations for the governors of the several provinces or colonies; for inftance, the governors of Virginia are called affarogoa; thofe of Pentyl vania, onas; those of Canada, onando; and lately they have fixed the name of tocarry hogan (fignifying excellent) for the governors of Maryland.. We may here observe the great variety in the humours of diftant nations; we fhail here inftance that of their fpeech or words: in the Eaft-Indies and China, their words are generally monofyllables; in the Weft-Indis their words are generally polyfyllables of an uncouth length; thus the Six nations at the Lancaster congrefs fay, all the world knows, that they had conquered (confequently their lands at our disposal) feveral nations on the back or weft fide of the great mountains of Virginia, viz. the Conoy-uch-fuch-roona, Coch-now-was-roonon, Tohoairough-roonon, and Conutskin-ough-roonaw. The Six nations by natural inclination are difpofed to warlike enterprizes, and are never at peace with all their neighbours. In a speech at a congrefs with the English, In the appendix to a late hiftory of the Five Indian nations, we have a pleasant or ludicrous ftory of this nature; in the Lancaster congrefs with the Indians, 1744, the commiffioners of Virginia, Maryland, and Penfylvania, having told the Indian delegates of the Six nations, that the king of Great-Britain had lately beat the French both by sea and land; the Indian delegates obferved, that in confequence, the English muft have taken a great deal of rum from the French, therefore you can the better fpare fome of that liquor, to make us rejoice with you in these victories.. they they faid, that if chriftians go to war against one another, they in time make peace together; but it is not fo with the Indians. The Indians when they pass by a friendly fort march in a fingle line, and falute the fort by a running fire. Nanandagues is a fecond fettlement of deferters from the Six nations; they live near Montreal. The British northern colonies are the frontiers and defence of all other British colonies, against the warlike robuft northern Indians; thus it has in all times been in Europe and Afia, the hardy robust Goths, (Getæ of Afia) Vandals, &c. from the northern climates, over-run the effeminate, indolent, relaxed foutherly people if not check'd; the Indians of the higher latitudes in North-America, and in Chili in South-America, make a much better stand against the European intrufions, than the Indians of Mexi co and Peru, who live between or near the tropicks. It is conjectured that fix hundred fighting men may be afforded by the Indian fettlements on Sefquahanna river and its branches. In all our northern colonies, there are or have been referved lands for feveral bodies or villages of intermixed Indians, Although the northern Indian tribes as to numbers are contemptible, when compared with the European nations, they ought to be kept in a political awe to prevent their fkulking incurfions and depredations upon our frontiers when pushed on by a rival European power; this cannot be done by ridiculous feints; for inftance, when we tell the Indians in fome congrefs, as it happened 1746, that all the united force of our colonies with thips of war and foldiers from Great-Britain, are to mufter to reduce Canada; but foon after nothing is done, or fo much as attempted: thus we lose our credit with the Indians, and in fact they have impune infulted us ever fince, in NovaScotia and New-England, at the inftigation of the Canada French. The Indians are a falfe but crafty people. In our late war with the French nation and their American colonies, feveral diftant tribes of Indians in expectation of prefents, faid they would, though really did not defign to relinquish the French intereft; fuch were the Shawanees town upon Ohio river, the Maffafegues near Les Etroits between lake Erie and lake Huron, confifting of five caftles or villages of about 800 men, and the Twightwees on the Oubeck river in a treaty at Lancaster, July 1748. The most noted congrefs with the Indian delegates for many years, was that in June 1744, held at Lancaster in Penfylvania, confifting of commiffioners from the three provinces of Penfylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, concerning a great variety of articles, fuch as quit-claiming of large tracts of lands to thefe governments refpectively, and receiving of presents upon their promise to affift the British intereft in the war lately commenced against the French. 1. They confirmed to the proprietors of Penfylvania all the lands each fide of Sefquahanna river fo far north as the Blue mountains. They fettled the affair of fome Delaware Indians killing and robbing of Mr. Armstrong, a trader, and his two fervants. 2. The Indians complain, that the Maryland and Virginia people had fettled fome land back of Virginia and Maryland, without confent of the Six nations, or of any purchase made from them, which lands belong to the Six nations by their conqueft over the ancient Indian poffeffors. Hereupon the Indians by an inftrument in writing released all their lands in Maryland + to the Maryland commiffioners for 300l. in goods va-. lued in Pensylvania currency; we fhall here give this + About 100 years fince, the Sequahanna or Conastagoe Indians, by treaty granted all the land now poffeffed by the people of Maryland to them and their heirs from Pataxen river on the weft fide of Chesapeak-Bay, and from Choptank river on the eaft fide of faid bay. as as an instance of the advance generally put by the Eng lifh upon the English prime cofts of goods. 95. -18s. Vermilion Strouds from 5 to 71 Shot Guns I S. 40 s. Barrel gunpowder 261. 3. The commiffioners of Virginia gave the Indians 2001. Penfylvania currency in goods, and 200 l. in gold, as a confideration for their deed, recognizing the king of Great-Britain's right to all the lands that are or fhall be by his majesty's appointment in the colony of Virginia; and the Indians defire that they may have a further confideration when the fettlements increased much further back, which the commiffioners agreed to. The Six Indian nations complain, the treaty above 20 years fince made at Albany was not observed, viz. the middle or ridge of the hill on the back of Virginia was fixed as a boundary between the Indians who live upon reserved lands in Virginia, and the Indians of the Six nations. Another article was to fettle an Indian road to pass fouthward on the back of Virginia. Another article was to bury in oblivion, a fkirmish which happened in in the back parts of Virginia, between fome of the Virginia militia there, and a party of the Indian warriors of the Six nations; upon this account the commiffioners of Virginia prefented the Indians with goods to the value of 1001. fterl. 4. As the French about this time were declaring war against Great-Britain; to retain the Six nations in the British intereft; after a proper fpeech to the Indians, Penfylvania made them a present in goods value 300l. Penfylvania currency: Virginia gave them goods to the value of 100l. fterl. and 100l. in gold, with a defire that they would fend fome of their children to be educated in Virginia, who might ferve as interpreters. in times to come; the Indians answered, that they were not not inclined to bring their children up to learning the commiffioners of Maryland prefented the Indians with 100 l. in gold. There are frequent congreffes of the British provin ces with their neighbouring tribes or nations of Indians, especially of the provinces of New-York and Penfylvania with the Six nations of Iroquois or Mohawks, to retain the Indians in the British intereft; these have a good effect, though generally they are only a piece of formality with this conclufion, that the Indians were pleased with their prefents and promifed fidelity; fometimes affairs of confequence are tranfacted; thus at Albany in Auguft and September 1746, there was a treaty between governor Clinton and council of the province of New-York, with commiffioners from the province of Maffachuffetts-Bay, on the one part, and the Six united nations of Indians depending upon the province of New-York on the other part; to engage thefe Indians in the British intereft, against our enemies the French, to be affifting in the expedition against Canada, to be furnished with arms, ammunition, cloathing, and provifions, and in their abfence their wives and children to be taken care of. 1749, middle of Auguft, there arrived in Philadelphia the deputies of many different nations, in order to tranfact fome affairs with the government. The deputies were of the Mowhawks, Oneides, Onondagues, Cayugas, Tufcaroras, Senecas, Shawanees, Nanticokes, Delawares, Mohagins, and Turlos; the whole number of Indians arrived in Philadelphia, women and children included, were about 260. Concerning the city and port of Philadelphia, the num bers of the Inhabitants in the province and territo ries of Penfylvania. Mr. Penn's charter erecting Philadelphia (laying between Delaware and Schuyl-kill rivers,) into a corpo |