over them or if those should prove ineffectual by taking up the Hatchet against them. Inclosed I send your Honour a Copy of the Minutes of a Council of War composed of Governors and Field officers according to his Majestys Instructions held at this Place the 12th and 13th Instant upon the operations of the next years Campaign, at which your Honour assisted,1 I doubt not but you will recommend to the Assembly within your Government in the Strongest Terms to Contribute their Just Quota by Men and Money towards carrying so Salutary a Plan into Execution; which if done with Vigour and in its proper Season, they must be Sensible will lay the most lasting foundation for the future Safety and Tranquility of their Province and I can't but hope that the Outrages and Devastations lately committed by the Enemy more or less within all his Majestys Western Colonies will Convince the Assembly of Maryland how essential it is for the welfare of his Majestys Subjects within their Province that they should heartily join in the Execution of this Plan which your Honour will be Pleased to Communicate either in part or in the whole as your Honour shall judge Proper and how loudly their Duty to their King and Country calls upon them to do it. Upon this occasion I cant but hope that the Province under your Honours Government will consider how deeply it is Interested in the event of the next years Campaign. I will not omit returning your Honour my thanks for the Journey you took from Annapolis at so late a Season of the year, and long attendance at this Place upon his Majestys Service and acknowledging my obligations to you for the great assistance I have had in my Consultations with you upon the most Essential and difficult points of it; which hath put it into my power to promote it further than 1 The Minutes of this Council were sent to various governors in America, and a copy was inclosed to Sir Thomas Robinson in Shirley's letter of Dec. 19. They are printed in N. H. Prov. Papers, 6, 463-467, and Arch. of Md. 31, 92. See Jonathan Belcher to Shirley of Dec. 26 regarding the Council and in appreciation of Shirley's commendation of Col. Peter Schuyler, 1 N. J. Arch. 8, pt. 2, 203. I am perswaded I should have been able to have done without it. I beg leave to assure you, Sir, that I shall ever esteem it an happiness and Honour to me to maintain the Closest Correspondence with you in the future Course of his Majestys Service, and to give you proofs with what an unfeigned Esteem and regard. I am Sir Your Honours Most Humble and Most Obedient Servant W. SHIRLEY 1 P.S. Inclosed are the Proportions according to the Plan Settled by the Commissioners at Albany; which though not perfectly Equal, are the only ones that can be made use of untill more exact can be formed; which cant be done in time for the Present purpose. All inequalitys must be Equitably Adjusted, and afterwards Set right upon the first Opportunity of doing it. Your Honour must be Sensible that the Success of the next years operations depends upon an early Campaign. I must desire your Honour to prevail on your Assembly to raise their Inclosed Proportion of 1000 men towards the Expedition against Crown Point in the first place, before you recomend to them to Raise their proportion towards the Expedition against Du Quesne. Proportions of the 10,000 Men proposed to be rais'd for the Crown Point Expedition according to the Plan Settled by the Commissioners at Albany. Maryland 1,000 1,750 1,500 1 Much the same letter was sent by Shirley to Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia, and the question of the rank of Capt. John Dagworthy was taken up with him. See Dinwiddie's reply of Jan. 24 (Dinwiddie Papers, 2, 328), and Sharpe to Dinwiddie therein referred to (Jan. 4, 1756, Arch. of Md. 6, 333). See also Shirley to Sharpe, Mar. 5, 1756 (Arch. of Md. 6, 347), the extract of Dinwiddie's letter of Jan. 23 (ibid. p. 348), and Shirley's order of Mar. 5, 1756, post, p. 412. SKETCH OF A SYSTEM FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF INDIAN [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 |