who had not Engag'd to proceed with General Johnson, to go with me in the Service under my Command, and in my passage from thence to Oswego I sent Messages to the Sachems of the Oneida's Cayuga's, Onondago's and Seneca's to meet me there with some of the Warriors of their respective Nations.

Soon after my Arrival at Oswego Several of the Sachems and Warriors of the Oneida's met me, as did, a few days after, almost all the Onondago Sachems, and a Considerable Number of their Warriors; and I had reason to Expect a large Number of the Seneca's, untill two of their Chief Sachems came to me to apologize for their Staying so long and to let me know it was owing to an Albany Trader having brought in among their Young Men a great quantity of Rum, which kept them continually drunk; that part of their Errand was to acquaint me, that the party I had sent after the Albany Trader to take away his Rum pursuant to the Power given by a Province Law of New York to the Commandant at Oswego for the time being, could not Execute their orders, and to assure me it was not the fault of the Sachems, and to Complain of this practice, as what was the ruin of their Young Men; I had however the Satisfaction to hear soon after, that the Seneca's had oblig'd Mr. Jonquiere,' who had been at their Castles two or three Months Endeavouring to Engage their Warriors in the French Service, and he actually Engag'd 15 of them, to take away the French Colours from among them, that the 15 Young Men had refus'd to go with him and that those Castles had promis'd to take up the Hatchet for the English.

A few days after one of the Indians, whom I had sent to gain Intelligence of the State of the French Fort and Garrison at Niagara brought me a Message from the Outowaias

1 Chaubert Joncaire, son of Jean François Joncaire, is probably the person to whom reference is here made. He was a great power among the Seneca Indians, being the son of a French officer and a Seneca squaw. His name is given also as Chabert Jancour and Jan Coeur. See Johnson Manuscripts. Parkman, "Montcalm and Wolfe," appears uncertain whether the father or the son was the influential factor among the Indians at this time,

Indians who had been concern'd in the Action at the Monongahela against General Braddock that if I should come against Niagara and would Inform them of it, they would be out of the way [not use the Hatchet against the English] and I understood by the same Indians, that they had Encourag'd the Seneka's whose Castle is more Inclin'd to the French than any other of the five Nations, to take up the Hatchet with their Brethren against them, which was a great motive for useing Jonquiere as.they did.

At my Conferences with the Indians at Oswego, the Onondago's desir'd me to build them a Fort at their said Castle, which I promis'd to do next Spring; the Oneida's have desir'd the same with a Garrison, and some pieces of Artillery; and in return they have given me leave to Fortify the great Carrying Place in their Lands at Oneida, as I should think proper during the Expedition, for Securing our Magazines of Stores and Provisions at each end of it, and for keeping open the Communication between Oswego and Albany. The Cayugas desir'd I could send them two or three Men to Plough their Lands, and all of them Gunsmiths, which I have promis'd.

At other Conferences I acquainted them, that I had sent Messages to the Messasagaes, Chippowees, Outowaias, and other Western Castles, to meet me and the Brethren of the five Nations at Oswego next Spring, there to Consult in a General Council upon the best Measures for Settling a mutual Friendship and alliance, opening a free Trade and Commerce between the Indians and English, at such Trading Houses upon the Lakes as they should Choose and which, I propos'd to build for them, and for Engaging all the Western Indians to lay down the Hatchet against the English, and by that means establish a General Peace among all their Castles and putting an End to the destructive War, which the French were perpetually Engaging them in against the English, and against each other.

For this purpose I propos'd to the five Nations to send some of their Sachems to meet me in the Spring at Oswego, at which place I told them, that as it is the Center of their

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.

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 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 Staats 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,