SIR THOMAS ROBINSON TO THE GOVERNORS IN NORTH AMERICA1

SIR,

Whitehall, 28th August, 1755. The Lords Justices having thought it necessary to appoint without Loss of Time, a Commander in Chief of his Majesty's Forces in North America, in the room of the late Major General Braddock, who was killed in the unfortunate affair of the 9th of last month on the Mononghela; I am to acquaint you that Major General Shirley is ordered to take upon him, till His Majesty's farther Pleasure shall be signifyed, that Command, with like Powers, with which Major General Braddock held the same, and as Mr. Shirley is furnished with Copies of every order, Letter and Instruction that has been sent from hence, at any Time, to, or received from his Predecessor; you may correspond with him, and apply to him upon every occasion, and upon all points, in such manner as you was empowered to do, to Major General Braddock, and you will not only regularly observe such Directions as you shall receive from him thereupon, But will also transmit to Him forthwith Copies of your whole Correspondence with the late Major General Braddock since his first arrival in North America. I am, Sir,

Your most obedient,
humble servant,

T. ROBINSON.

WILLIAM JOHNSON TO THE LORDS OF TRADE

MY LORDS,

[Extract] 2

Lake George, Sept. 3d, 1755. As I left all those papers which were not necessary to the Military undertaking I am now engaged in behind me I can

1 P. R. O., C. O. 5, 211. Inclosed in the preceding letter and printed: 1 Penna. Arch. 2, 764, with date 1756.

Johnson Manuscripts, 2, 199. Printed: Docts. rel. Col. Hist. of N. Y. 6, 993.

not be exact as to the date when I had the honour to write your Lordships with a Copy of my Proceedings at the late meeting with our Indians. I think it was about the middle of July.

Governor Shirley soon after his arrival at Albany on his Way to Oswego, grew dissatisfied with my proceedings Employed one Lydius of that place, a man whom he knew and I told him was extreamly obnoxious to me, and the very man whom the Indians had [at] their public meeting, so warmly complained of, to oppose my Interest and management with them. Under this man several others were employed. These persons went to the Indian Castles, and by bribes, keeping them constantly feasting and drunk, calumniating my character, depreciating my commission, authority and management, in short by the most Licentious and abandoned proceedings, raised such a confusion amongst the Indians particularly the Two Mohock Castles, that their Sachems were under the utmost consternation, sent Deputies down to me to know what was the occasion of all these surprising Proceedings, that I had told them I was appointed Sole Superintendent of their affairs which had given an universal satisfaction thro' all their Nations, but that now every Fellow pretended to be vested with Commissions and authority &c. I sent several Messages and the Interpreters up to quiet their minds, for my military department would not suffer me to leave Albany, as I was marching with the troops under my command, or I would have gone up and should have soon overset all these violent measures. I have at Albany a great number of Letters and Papers which give particular relations of the Behavior and villainous Conduct of these Agents of Govr. Shirley, but if I had them here I would not trouble your Lordships with a Detail which tho' very shocking would be extreamly tedious.1

1 These complaints are based in part on information from Daniel Claus to Johnson as to movements of Lydius and Fisher, the agents of Shirley, among the Indians. Johnson Manuscripts, 3, 17.

I shall only say in general, that a complication of more Scurrilous Falsehoods, more Base and Insolent Behaviour, more corrupt, more Destructive measures to overset that Plan of general Harmony which I had with infinite Pains and at a great expense to the public so lately established, could not have taken place than did in the conduct of these Agents of Govr. Shirley's. I spoke of it to Govr. Shirley, I wrote to him of it, but without Remedy. They pleaded his authority for all they did, and said they had his Commissions, and I can't but presume it must have been done with his knowledge and consent, in which I am confirmed by his letters to me.

The reason or the pretended reason which Govr. Shirley gives for his opposing my Indian management and employing these Persons, is, that I would not get some Indians to escort him from Schenectady to Oswego. I had indeed mentioned it to some of their Sachems, who told me that, as his way to Oswego lay through their severall countries. and Oswego itself is in the Senecas Country, they could not conceive there was any occasion for their escorting him, and that when he came to Oswego there was no fear but many of the Six Nations would according to my desire meet him there and assist him. Numbers of the Troops had gone up without any molestation not the least Interruption had been given to any one, the Traders to Oswego were daily going and returning with single Battoes, those who are acquainted with Indian Affairs well know that it would have been the worst of policy for the French at that time to violate the tranquility of the country of the Six Nations. Tis true some small parties of enemy Indians had been discovered between Schenectady and my house, but they are looked upon as a set of free Booters and Govr. Shirley's Body Guard

Johnson was very fearful lest in some way his supremacy with the Indians should be interrupted. An indication of his increasing jealousy of Shirley is his neglect to report to him in full regarding the battle of Lake George or Fort William Henry. See Shirley's rebuke of this lack of discipline in his letter to Johnson of Sept. 19, post, p. 270.