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intention of the French in this part of the Country to render the Indians discontented & confound their Council but we imagine these may be sufficient. It is well known to us who have lived among the Indians some years that they have been led astray by the insinuations of the French & some others, which has occasioned you Sir in particular a great deal of trouble to keep them in the Interest of Great Britain.

We have the honor to be, &c.,

GEO. IRONSIDE.
RANALD MACDONELL.1

Colonel McKee.

Father:

GLAIZE, 3d May, 1794.

In addition to what my two friends have wrote to you I must also tell you that the story about the harbour of Quebec being blocked up by a french Fleet was told by Francois Lafontaine to Kiwathana one of my people. The above Lafontaine & the other French traders who live among the Miamis are those who have rendered the Miamis, the Ouiattanons, & the Poutawatamies so backward and lukewarm by such reports as these. Since the above report & others have been circulated among the Miamis who no doubt take them for truth, they are not so strong in the cause as they used to be.

Witness:

T. Alex. Clarke.

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FROM JAMES MONROE TO THOMAS JEFFERSON.

(Extract.)

PHILA, May 4, 1794.

Since my last the proposition of Mr. Clarke for prohibiting the importation of British goods until the posts shall be surrendered & compensation made for the depredation on our trade was rejected in the Senate. Upon the question on the first section wh. determined the fate of the bill, Jackson and Bradley withdrew which left us 11 only against 14; in consequence of wh. every section was negatived, yet a question was notwithstanding taken whether the bill sho'd be read a 3d time and in favor of which these gentn. voted, & Ross the successor of Gallatin taking it into his head now to withdraw, the house was equally divided & the casting vote given by V. President agnst it. Thus the bill was lost, the most mature and likely to succeed of all the propositions respecting G. Britn. wh have been presented before the Legislature during the session. Its fate may be ascribed to an executive manoeuvre; for whilst it was depending in the Rep. branch & obviously a great majority in its favor; the nomination of Mr. Jay was introduc'd, as Envoy Extry. for the British court. From that moment it was manifest the measure wo'd be lost, and altho' it

1 Formerly Lieutenant and Adjutant in the 1st Battalion of the 84th Regiment and afterward a Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Volunteers. He served in the army 32 years and 7 months; 6 years and 6 months in the 17th Regiment; 12 years in the 60th; 8 years and 4 months in the 84th; and 5 years and 9 months in the 2nd Battalion, R.C.V. At the time this letter was written he was trading among the Indians.

passed the other branch & perhaps with a greater vote than would have been the case, had not the sense of the Senate been clearly indicated by the approbation of the nomination, yet it was plain the prospect of success was desperate. An Extry mission was a measure of conciliation, it was urged; prohibitory regulations were of a different character & wo'd defeat its object. Thus you find nothing has been carried agnst that nation, but on the contrary the most submissive measure adopted that co'd be devised, to court her favor & degrade our character.

Tis said the Envoy will be armed with extry powers, & that authority to form a commercl treaty will likewise be comprised in his instructions. Under a similar power upon a former occasion, granted too by implication only, this person had well nigh bartered away the Mississippi. What then may we not expect from him upon the present crisis, when the power is expressly granted and the fortune of the party whose agent he is, may be considered as hazarded in the success of his mission? After degrading our Country by shewing to the world, that they were more willing to confide in retribution &c. from their justice & favor than from the strength of our union & the decision of our councils, will this man return baffled in the enterprize, & seek to atone for himself & those who sent him, to the community, by owning his and their folly which had exposed us to such humiliation? And when it is considered that Britain contemplates the conquest of the French & perhaps afterwards of the Sph Islands, & the downfall of the Sph power in this region of the world-a course of policy which will part her not only from Spn. but perhaps from the present combination of powers, is it not probable she will be disposed to seek an alliance here as well for the purpose of aiding her in these projects as detaching us from France? Some symptoms of discontent have already appeared in the Sph cabinet, and these it is probable will be increased when the conquest of Britn in the Islands is attended to, and her views become further developed. The circumstance of sending an envoy to negotiate with Engld at the time that the Minister of France, on the ground & cloathed with similar powers, is only amused with acts of civility, shews that a connection with the former power is the real object of the Executive.

(Printed in the "Writings of James Monroe," edited by S. L. Hamilton, Vol. I., pp. 292-5.)

My Lord:

FROM J. G. SIMCOE TO LORD DORCHESTER.

YORK, May 4th, 1794.

I do myself the honor of enclosing to Your Lordship an extract from a letter from Capn. Schoedde, commanding at Ontario, to Major of Brigade Littlehales. In addition to my communications of the 29th of April, I take this opportunity of stating to Your Lordship that I had an interview with the Corn Planter at Niagara. That Chief renewed his promises to Mr. Johnson' that no Post should be established at Presqu'Isle by the people of the States.

The Onondagas mean privately to quit their Country and to proceed by Oswego to Buffaloe Creek. This movement will certainly occasion considerable alarm in the Genesee, and particularly to Mr. Danforth, who, as Your Lordship will see by the map, lives in their reservation. He is the most virulent enemy of Great

1 William Johnston of the Indian department.

Britain in that Country. I have received a letter from Mr. Hammond, requesting me to send some confidential person to him. This request is dated a few days prior to Capn. Littlehales setting off for Philadelphia. I think it probable that Gentleman will be charged by Mr. Hammond with dispatches for Your Lordship. I have transmitted Lt. Muller's leave of absence, agreeable to Capn. Schoedde's request. I have the honor to remain, &c.

Rt. Honble. Lord Dorchester.

J. G. SIMCOE.

THE THREE NATIONS AT THE GLAIZE TO COLONEL MCKEE.

Father:

GLAIZE 6th May, 1794.

Some days ago we sent off some young men to bring us a prisoner that we might know what the big knives were doing-Twenty Shawanese were sent in different parties, one of which has now returned & has brought us what we wanted-Some of our Grandfathers are also gone on the same business, but we know not the number; We must now send the prisoner to you that you may know the NewsFather,

We are happy to know the present situation of the Virginians, and we are all now getting ready to drive them out of our Country & hope you will come and join us

We send the prisoner by the three men who took him; we hope you will use them well & give them a little clothing.

Father: We imagined the Governor had put a stop to the sale of rum, but we see it every day brought up from the Rapids: Why is it not stopped there?

Father: Last fall when Skepukanissica came from the Rapids he saw John Kenzie' give Wells a letter, which we suppose contained some intelligence: this Wells has now four times done us mischief & we blame John Kenzie in a great measure as being the occasion of it.—

Father: If you have any Vermillion Day will bring us up some, as the young men have nothing to paint themselves with.-Two of our young men also have no Guns. Pray send us two by Day.

Strings of White Wampum.

A. McKee, D.A.I.A.

Big knives is the name they Call the Virginians by.

1 John Kinzie, born at Quebec in 1763, became a silversmith and Indian trader; settled at Chicago in 1804; captain of militia in 1812; taken prisoner by Indians after evacuation of that place August 15, 1812; died at Chicago, 6 January, 1828.

2 Probably William Wells, an adopted son of Little Turtle, afterwards Indian agent for the United States at Fort Wayne; killed in action near Chicago, August 15, 1812.

SPEECHES OF THE WESTERN INDIANS AT THE MIAMIS RAPIDS. MIAMIS RAPIDS, May 7th, 1794.

Two Deputies of the 3 Nations of the Glaize arrived here yesterday with a Speech from the Spaniards, brought by the Delawares residing near their Posts which was repeated in a Council held this day to the following Nations now at this place viz.

Wyandots.
Ottawas,

Grand Children & Brothers:

Mingoes,
Munseys.

We are just arrived from the Spanish Settlements upon the Mississippi and are come to inform you what they said to us in a late Council; these are their words;

Children, Delawares:

6 Strings White Wampum.

"Pointing to this Country"

When you first came from that Country to ask my protection and when you told me, you had escaped from the heat of a great fire that was like to scorch you to death I took you by the hand, and under my protection, and told you to look about for a piece of land to hunt on and to plant, for the support of yourselves and families in this Country, which the Great Spirit had given for our mutual benefit and support. I told you at the same time that I would watch over it and if anything threatened us with danger, that I would immediately speak to you, & that when I did speak to you it would behoove you to be strong and listen to my words.

Delivered 6 Strings White Wampum.

The Spaniard then addressing himself to all the Nations who were present said, Children:

These were my words to all the Nations who are now present as well as to your Grand Fathers the Delawares. Now Children I have called you together to communicate to you certain Intelligence of a large force assembling on the Shawanoe River to invade our Country, it has given me very great satisfaction to observe the very strong confederacy formed among you, and I have no doubt of your ready assistance to repel this force.

them.

Children: You see me now on my feet and grasping the Tomahawk to strike

Children: We will strike them together, I do not desire you to go before me in the front-but to follow me-these people have too long disturbed our Country and have extinguished many of our Council Fires-they are but a trifling People compared to the White People who are now combined against them, and determined to crush them for their evil deeds, they must by this time be surrounded with enemies, as all the white nations are against them.

Your French Father also speaks thro' me to you that those of his subjects who have joined the Big Knives, are only a few of his disobedient children which have joined the disobedient in this country, but as we are strong and unanimous, we hope by the assistance of the Great Spirit to put a stop to their mischievous designs.

Delivered a bunch of Black Wampum.

232

THE SIMCOE PAPERS

Children: Now I present you with a War Pipe, which has been sent in all our names to the Musquahkies, and all those Nations who live towards the setting of the sun, to get upon their feet, and take hold of our Tomahawk, and as soon as they smoked it, they sent it back with a promise to get immediately on their feet to join us and strike the enemy, their particular answer to me was.

Father: "We have long seen the designs of the Big Knives against our country, and also some of our own colour particularly the Kaskaskies, who have always spoke with the same tongue as the Big Knives, they must not escape our revenge, nor must you, Father, endeavour to prevent us from extirpating them, when this is accomplished, Father, we shall still have to go to two other tribes of our colour the Pi-an-ki-shaws and the Cayaughkias, who have been strongly attached to our enemies, the Big Knives-they shall share the same fate as the Kaskaskies."

Now Children: You hear what these distant nations have said to us so that we have nothing further to do but put our designs in immediate execution, and to forward this Pipe to the three warlike Nations, who have so long been struggling for their Country, and who now sit at the Glaize, tell them to smoke this pipe & forward it to all the Lake Indians, and their Northern Brethren, then nothing will be wanting to compleat our general union from the rising to the setting of the sun, and all Nations will be ready to add strength to the blow we are going to make. Delivered a War Pipe.

Children: I now deliver to you a message from the Creeks, Cherokees, Choctaws and Chickasaws, who desire you to be strong in uniting yourselves, and tell you it has given them pleasure to hear that you have been so unanimous in listening to your Spanish Father and they acquaint you that their Hearts are joined to ours, and that there are eleven Nations of the Southern Indians now on their feet, with the Hatchet now in their Hands ready to strike them.

The Deputies from the 3 Nations at the Glaize after repeating the above Speeches from the Spaniards, addressed themselves to the several Nations in Council in the following manner.

Brethren:

You have now heard the speeches brought to our Council at the Glaize a few days ago from the Spaniards, and as soon as they heard them and smoked the pipe, their hearts were glad and they determined to step forward and put into execution the advice sent them, they desire you to forward the pipe as has been recommended to all our Northern Brethren, not doubting but as soon as you have smoked it you will follow their example and they will hourly expect you to join them, as it will not be many days before the nearness of our Enemies will give us an opportunity of striking them.

Delivered the Pipe.

Brothers: Our Grand Fathers the Delawares, spoke first in our late Council at the Glaize on this piece of painted Tobacco, and this painted black wampum, and expressed their happiness at what they had heard from their Spanish Father and their Brethren to the Westward, and desired us to tell you to forward this Tobacco and Wampum to the Wyandots to be sent to all the Lake Indians and inform them that in eight days they would be ready to go against the Virginians who are now so near us; and that according to the number of Indians collected, they would either engage the Army or cut off their supplies. The Delawares also directed us to say to the Wyandots that as they are our Elder Brethren, and took the lead in all our affairs last summer, it was thought strange that none of them were now there, to put the resolutions then formed in execution, it is true some of them went last fall when it was thought too late, and the assembling the Nations was put

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