is not already remitted to them in Specie, or paid to their Agents in England, the Several Sums of thirty thousand pounds, ten thousand pounds, and three thousand pounds, mention'd in this Letter to be advanc'd to the Governments of the Massachusetts Bay, Connecticutt, and New Hampshire, may be deducted out of their respective Shares in the parliamentary Grant, without being issu'd out of the Treasury. I am with the highest Respect, In the absence of the Governor who went last Week to the Frontier Counties, the Council opened your Excellency's Letter of the 2d Instant, inclosing one of the 24th April, from Sir William Johnson to you finding great fault with Governor Morris for issuing his Proclamation 2 declaring the Delawares, tho' they were carrying on a most destructive and ruinous War against this Province, Enemies to his Majesty and offering a Reward for their Scalps — and on 1 - 1 Johnson Manuscripts, N. Y. State Library, 23, 213; 1 Penna. Arch. 2, 651. See Col. Rec. of Penna. 7, 210, also I Penna. Arch. 2, 654, Peters's Letter to Governor Morris. 2 See Col. Rec. of Penna. 7, 88. considering this Letter together with what your Excellency is pleased to say vizt.: that if there shoud appear any thing to governor Morris, "which upon a Reconsideration of this matter may make it adviseable for him to suspend Hostili"ties against the Indians affected by his Declaration until "the result of Sir William Johnson, Meeting the Indians at "Onondago is known, You did not doubt but he woud think "it a prudent Measure." And on likewise considering the Several Letters from Sir Charles Hardy Copys of some of which are inclosed, the Council have unanimously resolved to advise the Governor to Publish a Cessation of Hostilities against the Susquehannah Delawares, until further order, and have directed me to acquaint you with their having done so; and that they woud likewise have advised a general Cessation of Hostilities against the Delaware Tribe, was it not a matter of Fact that those from Ohio have but lately appeared in large Bodys on our Western Frontiers, and killed and carried away great Numbers of our Inhabitants over Susquehannah, and by the last post from Annapolis it is expressly wrote by the Post Master there that these Delaware Indians were then murdering twelve miles within Winchester, having destroy'd the settlements at Conegochege and the Conollaways and other places, as well in our Province as in Maryland and Virginia, and in several Depositions taken of Prisoners, who have from time to time made their Escape from these Delawares, it is positively declared that they were meditating a grand attack on the Inhabitants of this and the neighbouring Provinces and that we may expect them as soon as their Indian Corn is Planted to the number of two thousand Indians of different nations all embodied against us by the Influence of the French and these Delawares, the Council therefore cannot think it prudent, the Province being in such Circumstances, that these Indians shoud be included within the cessation of hostilities. As Sir William Johnson has before this time received from Governor Morris one of the Printed Proclamations and his Letter accompanying it, sent by Mr. Claus, who had the charge of Conducting Scarroyday and his Company to Fort Johnson, and likewise heard the Accounts these Indians would give of the most miserable Condition of the Back Counties, it is hoped he sees the measure in another light than he did when he wrote his Letter, and will have considered the Reasons for it as set forth by the Governor in that Letter, a copy of which is here inclosed whereby it will appear that when that Declaration was published, the Enemy Indians were greatly encreased in their numbers, and appeared in more formidable Bodies upon every fresh descent. That the Frontier Counties were near being abandoned. That the Six Nation Indians to a Man who were Parties at the late Treaty thought the measure absolutely necessary, advised it, and assured us it would be agreeable to the Six Nations and even promised to engage some of their Warriors to assist us against them that the formality of a Declaration tho' necessary to animate our own People coud make no manner of difference as to the Enemy, Delawares who had been for some time before and then were butchering the Kings Subjects like Beasts, appointed for Slaughter or driving them before them bound with Cords and Naked into a Shameful Captivity, the Council say when these matters come to be considered together with the Restrictions in the Proclamation and the Distinctions between. those in Open war, and those who have not joined them no one can with Justice censure the Declaration but impute the Faults where it does in truth lye at the Door of the Delawares for they and they only not the Shawanese, who are included in the Declaration. The Council desire further to inform your Excellency that the Governor by their Advice has sent four Indians, two of the Six Nations and two friendly Delawares to Wiomink the Principal place of Residence of the Susquehannah Delawares, to notify them and the neighbouring Indians of the Transactions between the Deputies of the Six Nations and the Chiefs and Warriors of these Susquehannah Indians at Otsaningo as Communicated to him by Sir Charles Hardy from Sir William Johnson, and that these messengers had further in Charge to assure those Indians that if the Treaty took full effect, and their future actions corresponded to the Professions made to the Deputies of the Six Nations, they shoud find a ready Disposition in this Government to return. to their old Friendship, on their giving up the English Prisoners and acknowledging their Faults. The Council requests of your Excellency that you will be pleased to make Sir William Johnson acquainted with these matters that they may be properly mentioned at the Treaty at Onondaga and if this be done they apprehend no ill consequences can attend the Declaration of war but that it will appear that this Government tho' reduced to the necessity of making it and offering rewards for such, as woud go out against such a Destructive Enemy, has paid a due regard to the Mediation of the Six Nations, and will still do it, nor do the council think that Sir William Johnson shoud blame, but rather justify this step, especially as during the time of the meeting at Otsaningo, the Delawares from the Ohio, were doing their greatest mischief both in this and the neighbouring Provinces, and do still vow not to leave an English. Man alive, which shoud stir up these very Susquehannah Indians, in conjunction with the Six Nations to assist us in bringing them to terms of Peace, and to consider this Declaration as made against these implacable and obstinate Enemies and not against any that now are or hereafter may be disposed to hearken to the Six Nations mediating in our favour. The Council doubts not but the Governor will concur with them in these Sentiments and supply what is wanting of his Authority in this letter, but in the mean time till he can signify this himself, as he is at a Distance they thought it their duty to lay these matters before your Excellency, and request they may be communicated to Sir William Johnson, with all possible dispatch to take off any prejudice that may arise in his mind or with the Indians, on occasion of this Declaration, and least any accident shoud have befallen Mr. Claus, and the Letters sent by him miscarry they further desire you will furnish Sir William Johnson, with one of the Printed Proclamations and the Copy of the Governor's Letter to him, of the 24th April. In this Letter I have the Honour to transmit you an Account of the Progress made in the Preparations for executing that part of the plan of Operations contain'd in the Council of War held at New York the 12th and 13th of December, which is there propos'd to be carry'd on this Year upon the Great Lakes and River Ohio. In my Letter of the 6th Instant I observ'd that his Majesty's Service both at Lake George, and Oswego had suffer'd the last Year for Want of a sufficient Number of Waggons, Horses, and Battoe-men's being furnish'd by the then Governor of New York, for transporting the Men, Provisions, Artillery and Military Stores necessary to be employ'd in those two Expeditions; and acquainted you with the Measures, I had taken for preventing his Majesty's Service from suffering in the same Manner this Year in the present Expedition against Crown-point; and am now to inform you, Sir, that to prevent it from suffering in this Article at Oswego, and to secure the transportation of a sufficient Quantity of Provisions and Stores to that place for 6000 Men during the whole Campaigne, I gave Orders for engaging 2000 Battoe-men to be dispos'd into Companies of 50 Men each under the Command 1 1P. R. O., C. O. 5, 46. A transcript is in the Library of Congress, and another among the Parkman Papers in the Mass. Hist. Society. 2 Ante, p. 433. |