Country and it was more fit that the far Nations should resort to their home, and take Law from them, than that they should go out of their own Territories to meet those Nations; I design'd (in the Indian Phrase) to kindle a new fire there, for them to have General Councils and meetings Annually or at other set times in order to Cultivate a good understanding among themselves, and peace and trade with the English, and to Consult upon every thing that might promote their own Interests.

This the leading Castles among them promis'd me to do, and Yesterday I had the pleasure to receive the Inclos'd Letter from Lieutenant Colonel Mercer,1 whom I left Commanding Officer at Oswego, acquainting me with the Success of my Messages to the Messasague's and other Indians on the North side of the Lake Ontario etc: and I can't but hope if every one of those Measures are closely pursu'd and discreetly manag'd, and the Trade put under proper Regulations, they will go far towards Compassing that great Object, the drawing over all the Indians in General except perhaps, what the French call les Sauvages Domicilies (those Inhabiting Villages within Canada) to the English Interest.

A beneficial Trade to them will certainly be the greatest and most Extensive Attraction, and of much more Effect than the Richest of presents; though presents and small pensions properly plac'd among them at right times must be made use of too; But when the Trade is Settled, those need be made use of much more sparingly than at present: The keeping up Forts within the Territories of every one of the five Nations must have a great Effect to keep them united in a firm dependence upon the Crown of Great Britain; And if an Annual meeting of the far Nations with those of Oswego can be establish'd, it will give the five Nations a great figure and increase their Influence among the Castles of the far Nations and both together must greatly Contribute towards restoring them to their Antient Power among all the Indians, and their former Close Connections with the English.

1 See letters of Mercer to William Alexander, Shirley's secretary, Nov. 30 and Dec. 11, ante, pp. 335 and 340.

66

1

I am now oblig'd to acquaint you, Sir, that General Braddock, upon his Arrival at Alexandria, gave the then Colonel Johnson, whom I had before appointed Commander in Chief of the Provincial Troops Employ'd in the Expedition against Crown Point, a Commission 1 Constituting him Sole Superintendant and Manager of the Affairs of the Indians of the Six Nations, and Strictly requiring and enjoining all Persons to whom the direction of the Affairs of the said Nations or their Allies have been heretofore Committed, and all others whatsoever, to cease and forbear Acting or Intermedling therein"; and by the said late General's 6th Instruction to him he is directed to use every Expedient to prevail upon the Six Nations to declare themselves, and to take up Arms as well to Act in Conjunction with himself at the Attack of Crown point, to March with those Troops, which are destin'd for the Reduction of Niagara; and also to prevail upon them to Engage their Allies to join the General to the Southward.

Soon after my Return from Alexandria to Boston I wrote a Letter to Colonel Johnson by an Officer, to whom I had given the Chief Command of the Indians,who should proceed with me to Niagara, desiring he would assist him in procuring me some Indians to go in that Service, and ordering the officer to Act under Colonel Johnson's Direction; This Letter was delivered to him, but had a Contrary effect to what I hop'd.

The Construction, which Colonel Johnson made of his Indian Commission, was that it Excluded me from Employing any Person whatever to Engage any Indians to go with me to Niagara: one Instance, among others, of this is that he forbids one Captain Staats, who told him he should carry some Stockbridge Indians to Niagara in the Expedition under

1 On Sept. 12 Shirley had written Johnson, asking, among other matters, for a copy of the latter's instructions and commission received from General Braddock (Johnson Manuscripts, 2, 213). This letter was answered by Johnson Sept. 22, 24, but the copy desired does not appear to have been sent (ibid. 2, 237). See Johnson to Shirley, Dec. 16 (ante, p. 342), where receipt of commission is denied.

my Command, to presume to take one of them into it; and what makes this more Extraordinary is, that these Indians are no part of the Six Nations, but Chiefly Inhabit within my own Government, and are dependent upon it; and were rais'd at first by Captain Staats1 at the request of Colonel Johnson, to proceed to Crown Point with him, but afterwards refus'd by him on Account, I suppose, of his not much wanting them; and I have very great reason to believe from what pass'd between me and some of the Indians, that he Secretly Endeavour'd to prejudice them against going with me; nor had I one with me Except those Stockbridge Indians whom I Engag'd at Albany, and a few from every Castle, which I pick'd up as I pass'd thro' the Mohawk's, Oneida's and Onondaga's Country in my March to Oswego.

Since my Return from Oswego, I have receiv'd Complaints from two Mohawk Indians of the lower Castle, who were with me at Oswego, that in their absence their Families were deny'd by Colonel Johnsons Agent the Provisions which he allow'd to the Families of those Indians of the same Castle, who were in the Expedition against Crown Point with him.

I have the further Mortification to find that I have great reason to be persuaded, that Colonel Johnson is Supported by the Governour of New York in the wrong Notions, he hath Entertain'd of the Effect of his Indian Commission from General Braddock, with respect to its Excluding me from any Superintendency of Indian affairs by Virtue of my Commission: The Inclos'd Extract of my Letter to the Governour and his Answer to me,2 both dated since it was known that I had the Honour of the Lords Justices Commission to Succeed the late General Braddock in his Command, will 1 Joachim Staats.

2 See Shirley to Hardy, Nov. 8, and reply of Hardy, Nov. 9, ante, pp. 324-5. Lieutenant Governor DeLancey appears to have sided with Johnson against Shirley during their disagreement. In a letter of Johnson to the Lieutenant Governor of July 30, 1755, the former denounced Shirley's mischievous Indian measures, to which DeLancey replied sympathetically on Aug. 3. Encouraged by this reply, Johnson, in his letter of Aug. 8 to the Lieut. Governor,

shew this in a very material Instance: And I understand that Sir Charles Hardy assumes to himself a power of sending Colonel Johnson directions for the Execution of his Trust, with regard to the Indians; which Colonel Johnson follows, and both of them without first communicating with me; and this they have done in a very essential Article Vizt. the Disposition of the French Prisoners, concerning which I have his Majesty's Express orders to send them to France. And I hear they have taken upon them to give one or more of them to one of the Castles of the five Nations, a proceeding in my opinion, far from being adviseable at this Conjuncture.

Sir Charles Hardy observes, in his Inclos'd Answer to me "that General Braddock had in Consequence of Instructions from home, and with the unanimous Opinion of the Council at Alexandria given General Johnson a Commission to take upon him the Management and care of Indian Affairs;" I can undertake to say that not one of the Council at Alexandria ever imagin'd that the Effect of that Commission was to exclude the King's General, who gave it, or his Successor from Executing the Trust Committed to them by the King, for Cultivating a Friendship with the Indians and Engaging them to take part and Act with his forces in such operations as either of them should think it Expedient for the Indians to take. If any one particular Member hath advis'd Sir Charles Hardy in this Affair, it proceeds, I have reason to believe, from that Member's fondness to bring back by this means in the End the Indian Affairs to the Management of the Commissioners for them at Albany, whose long misconduct in that Trust, and the pernicious Consequences of it to his Majesty's Service and the Interest of his Subjects in General with the Six Nations are too well known to need being particularly mention'd.1

spoke of the scandalous conduct of Shirley's Indian agents and censured the commander who succeeded Braddock most roundly. See also Johnson to the Lords of Trade, Sept. 3, ante, p. 243.

1 Among others in opposition to Shirley and friendly to Johnson in this matter Goldsbrow Banyar may be mentioned. His letter

To remove the foundation of these obstacles to me in Executing his Majesty's orders relative to the Indians, I have revok'd General Braddock's Commission to General Johnson, and sent him one founded upon the intent of his Majesty's Inclos'd Instruction without the Words Sole Superintendent, which are mention'd in his former Commission and accompany'd with a Letter to him a Copy of which is Inclos'd.1

Whether he will Act under this Commission, or at least follow my Instructions (which last will satisfy me) I know not yet if he will do either, as he hath press'd for an acceptance of the Surrender of his Military Commission with all the Governments concern'd in the Expedition against Crown Point, as Interfering too much with his Attention to his Indian Commission, he will not be under his former Temptation to prevent me from having a Suitable proportion of the Indians to proceed with me in the Service under my Immediate Command, and may duely Execute the trust repos'd in him. If he refuse to do either I shall be under a necessity, in order to Enable me to do my own Duty in this Article of Appointing another in his Stead, which will be the Noted Conrad Weiser, who besides being a Person of the most Universal Influence over, and knowledge of all the Indians of the five Nations, of any one upon this Continent, is an adopted Sachem among them, and Constituted a Member of their General Council at Onondago.2

With regard to my Execution of that part of his Majesty's Inclos'd Instructions, which relates to the Southern Indians,

of Aug. 6, 1755, was an encouragement to Johnson (Johnson Manuscripts, 2, 158). The Indian Superintendent had endeavored to win Robert Orme also to his side (Aug. 1, 1755, Johnson Manuscripts, 2, 141). See also Johnson to Thomas Pownall, July 31 and Aug. 25 (ibid. 2, 140, 189).

1 See Letter and Commission, Shirley to Johnson Dec. 7, ante, pp. 336-7, and Instructions, Dec. 10 and 24, ante, p. 338, and post, p. 367. 2 Conrad Weiser had represented Pennsylvania in practically all her Indian negotiations for the previous decade. No better substitute for Johnson could have been selected if a change was

necessary.