SKETCH OF A SYSTEM FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF INDIAN AFFAIRS IN NORTH AMERICA UNDER ONE GENERAL DIRECTION 1

[New York, January 5, 1756.]

For the more distinct treating of this matter it may be proper to consider the Indians, to be comprehended in the propos'd System, as divided into four Districts, Vizt the Indians at first called the Five Nations, now the Six Nations, which Inhabit along the South side of the Mohawk's River, the Oneida Lake, the River Onondago, and the Lake Ontario; the Indians which inhabit along the North side of the Lakes Ontario and Erie and on Lake Huron, &c.; the Indians, which Inhabit the Rivers Delaware, Susquehanna, Ohio &c as far as Georgia; and the Indians which Inhabit to the Eastward of New England, and in the Service of Nova Scotia as far as the Southern Bank of the River St Lawrence.

The principal Articles, in which the proper management of these Indians, in order to fix them in the English Interest

1 P. R. O., C. O. 5, 887. This sketch is preceded by the following abstract of the letter in which it is inclosed :

Letter from Govr. Shirley dated Jan. 5, 1756, in answer to the Secretary's Letter, signifying the Directions of the Board, that the Governor should send them his Opinion, what may be a proper System... for the Management of Indian Affairs under one general Direction.

Read, March 11 1756.

and a Dependence upon the Crown of Great Britain consists are, Ist the affording their Old Men, Women and Children protection against the French and their Indians, whilst their Warriors were absent from them; 2dly a due Regulation of the Trade with them; 3dly a Regulation of the Sale of their Lands, and preventing Incroachmnets being made upon their Hunting Grounds; 4thly The expelling French Missionaires from among them, and Introducing English Protestant Ministers in their Room; 5thly the Convening them in General Councils among themselves Annually or oftner; 6thly the Establishing General Interviews between the Indians and the Kings Governours or Commissioners appointed by them at certain times, and making them Publick and private presents.

As to the 1st Article the building and maintaining small Forts and Garrisons in their Countries, with their Consent, is necessary; Besides the protection, this will afford to their Families, it will give us a constant inspection over them, and, if discreet Officers are posted in the Forts, will greatly Increase their Attachment to the English.

Great progress hath been lately made in this point in the Country of the Six Nations: At the desire of the two Castles of the Mohawks, a Fort was built at each of them by the Government of New York the last Summer, and Garrisons posted there during the Campaigne; The Onondago Indians requested of me at Oswego to build them a Fort near their Castle the next Spring; the Oneida Indians upon my proposal of it to them requested me, at the great carrying Place, on my return to their Country, to do the same thing as soon as possible, and send them some Soldiers for their protection; and upon my Arrival at Albany the Tuscarora Indians sent me a Message to the same effect; all which I accordingly promised them, and it seems highly probable that the Cayuga and Seneca Indians will soon follow their Examples.

As to the Second Article For the due Regulation of the Indian Trade so as to make it more beneficial to them than the French can do, which (as it is the most Interesting point with them, and universally striking in all their Nations), is

the most essential Article to be taken care of, I would recommend the Scheme establish'd in the Province of the Massachusets Bay: That Government hath erected Truck Houses within their several Forts near the head quarters of all the Neighbouring Tribes of Indians dependent upon it, which are supply'd at those Houses with such goods as they want, Arms, Ammunition and other Indian necessarys in exchange for their Furrs and Pelleterie; these goods are purchas'd with the Publick money at the best hand, by the Commissary General of Stores for the Province, an Officer annually chosen by the Assembly with the consent and appointment of the Governour, and distributed in every Truck House by him, to be sold by the truck Master there (an Officer chosen and appointed in like manner) at the prime Cost, with the Addition of so much per Cent as well pay the Expence of transporting the trade from Boston to the Truck Houses; and to prevent any Imposition upon the Indians in this Trade, the rates at which the Pelleterie is to be taken from them in truck for the English goods, are stated by the Government, and tables of the several prices, which the Indians are to pay for each species of goods sold to them, together with the Rates, which they are to be allowed for every species of their Pelleterie, distinguishing the several prices of their Spring and Fall Skins, and to be hung upon the truck House, and made known to the Indians; The truck Master is sworn to the due Execution of his Trust; allowed a Salary by the Government, and forbid to trade with them on his own or any other private account; and all private Trade with the Indians, particularly the Sale of Rum is prohibited under a penalty by a Law of the Province.

This method for supplying the Indians, who may be properly said to be dependent upon the English, with goods, is not practiced as far as I can learn, in any other Government besides the Massachusets Bay: As to the Province of Nova Scotia, it is not to be expected, that it should have been done within that as yet: I believe it is not practiced in the Southern and Western Governments; and I am sure it is not in the Government of New York, but the Introducing

of this method into the English Governments which Trade with the Indians, seems not difficult to be effected.

The opening and Establishing a Trade with the numerous Nations of Northern and Southern Indians Inhabiting the North side of the Lake Ontario, and as far Westward, as the Lakes Erie, the Detroit, and Lake Huron and &c. which is now wholly Engrossed by the French, and is the Chief Connexion between them and the Indians, may be attended with greater difficulty, but is I hope very practicable.

This I apprehend is to be done, at least to be begun, only at Oswego, as that is the only trading House in his Majesty's Colonies, which by its Situation will admit of such a Trade being carried on as is with those Indians: It was with this view that Mr. Burnet in the Year [1727] being then Governour of New York upon finding the French wholly in possession of that Trade, and foreseeing the many Evils, which the English Colonies have long experienced from the Attachment of those Indians to them on that Account first built Fort Oswego: but as he did not remain long after in his Government, his good intent hath been since wholly defeated by the Government of New York's having Burthened the Trade carried on with the before mentioned Northern and Western Indians at Oswego, whilst a Free Trade with the French Indians hath been left open at Albany, who have been carriers and Factors for the French, and supplyed them thro' that Channel with English Strouds and other goods necessary to Indians; by which means the French have furnished those Nations with English Woolens at as Cheap or Cheaper rates, at their Trading Houses in Canada and upon the great Lakes and Rivers, than the Indians could purchase them at Oswego itself.

To this pernicious Trade, carried on from Albany, in which the French have chiefly made use of the Cagnawaga Indians, who have been considerable gainers by it, it is the opinion of the best Judges here, must be due the continuance of those Indians in their defection from the English to the French; several Grievances flowing from this trade to the Neighbouring Colonies in time of a General Warr with the

French might likewise be pointed out; but that is beside my present purpose: what I would at present observe is that a prohibition of the Trade with the French carried on from Albany; and opening a free trade at Oswego with the Indians of the far Nations, would remedy these mischiefs, and lay a foundation not only for establishing a Trade with them, and bringing them into an Alliance with the English, but likewise of reclaiming the Cagnawagas, the most powerfull Tribe of Indians in Canada, to their antient Friendship with them.

As I look upon the opening of this Trade at Oswego, to be an object of the greatest importance to his Majesty's Service and the welfare of the Colonies, I used my utmost endeavours during my stay there, to engage the Indians of the Northern and Western Nations by messages to them to meet me there next spring, in order to consult with me and their Brethren of the Six Nations (most of whom there promised to meet me) upon opening a trade and Establishing a Friendship between them and the English: The success of my messages will appear by the inclosed Extract of a Letter from Lieutenent Colonel Mercer the Commanding Officer at Oswego to my Secretary: and I shall desire Sir Charles Hardy to recommend it to his Assembly to provide a Quantity of Goods proper for Indian Trade to be sent to Oswego, in time for their meeting me there; and to be sold to them at the prime cost free of the present duty as also to furnish me with some presents for them.

If this proposed meeting of the Indians at Oswego should take effect, and measures can be concerted there to Establish a Trade with the Northern and Western Indians, and an Annual meeting and Council between them and the Six Nations, I cannot but hope that it will contribute much to unite and fix them all in the English Interest.

Endorsed:

Sketch of a System for the Management of Indian Affairs in North America under one general Direction