Excellency the movements of the Indians before the unlucky attack on Fort Grenville. Their obliging Capt. Elliot and all the traders at the Glaize to take the Field with them, and the intelligence Col. McKee received of a large reinforcement having crossed the Ohio, for General Wayne's Army. I detained the Ottawa a day extraordinary with the hopes of sending Your Excellency the result of the Council proposed to be held at the Glaize, which was to decide whether the Indians were to remain or return home, and late this evening the Felicity arrived at the mouth of this river from the Miamis, and sent up her letters. Among them I find two for Your Excellency from Col. McKee, who no doubt has explained all the particulars of his situation to you, but if I may judge by the number of Indians that every moment arrive here, I am apprehensive they have all separated. I would call them all together and endeavour to prevail on them to return, but imagine such Conduct would not be approved of in the situation both Countries are at present in, those I have spoken to blame the Mackinac Indians for their impetuosity in the attack, which occasioned the rest to go too close to the Fort, it has all the ill consequence of a defeat, without materially weakening the Americans. The prisoners all agree that General Wayne intended moving forward for this Post at the full of the present moon; say that he has received considerable reinforcements and that his army is in great spirits. The Fort at the Miamis is not yet in a situation to make a defence, and most of Lieut. Pilkington's artificers have quitted him. Lieut. Adye returns there tomorrow from hence, with such a reinforcement of artificers as this place affords. I have sent a large supply of provisions and other articles to Col. McKee, and he has wrote me for a hundred weight of Vermilion and some hundred weight of Tobacco, which he wishes me to purchase as there are not any in store, but the rigid adherence I am repeatedly directed to observe to the regulations established for the different departments, has hitherto prevented my sending him those articles, though I am sensible that this is not a time to restrict the Indians, and if you authorize me, will direct whatever the Col. wishes to be procured here. The articles he now writes for are scarce and extravagantly dear. Perhaps to remove difficulties you would be pleased to order some Vermilion and Tobacco to be borrowed from the Indian Store at Niagara and sent up in the first vessel, the same quantity may be returned when the supply arrives from Lower Canada. Captain Stiel has repeatedly sent to me for orders relative to the conduct he is to observe in case of General Wayne advancing in force, and should feel myself much obliged to you for any directions you may consider proper to give me for him. He states his situation at present very critical, and from circumstances is certain that the Chickasaw Indians and light Troops will shortly be in his neighbourhood. I have said what I conceive proper on the subject, but would be happy to know your orders. I will see the Indians to-morrow and will, if in my power with propriety, endeavour to prevail on them to return, or perhaps a few of them to give a counten ance. You shall hear from me as soon as anything worth communicating reaches me, and I have hopes that matters may shortly bear a brighter aspect, though Col. McKee and all his department seem in very low spirits. I am &c. Lt. Gov. Simcoe. R. G. ENGLAND. Sir: FROM ALEXANDER MCKEE TO R. G. ENGLAND. RAPIDS, July 10th, 1794. I am this moment honored with your letter of the 7th inst., and agreeably to your desire send the express man back without loss of time. The Mackinac and Saguina Indians and the Pottawatomies have gone home as I expected, notwithstanding their constant promises of remaining, and the other Lake Indians are following their example, yet I have hopes of their soon assembling again, at least the latter Nations, several of their principal Chiefs remaining here for the purpose of sending for them in the first alarm of the approach of the Enemy. The Nations above will I doubt not be alert and convey the earliest intelligence to them of the motions of General Wayne's Army. I conceive there would have been little difficulty in stopping all the Indians here, Provided I had been authorized for that purpose, but we must in that case have taken an active share in the contest and become at least auxiliaries in the War. The want of provisions and ammunition must necessarily occasion so large a body of Indians as was collected, to separate in a short time, these articles should therefore be conveyed to some convenient place within their reach if the security of the King's Posts require that the American force should be arrested in its progress, of this I have taken the liberty to give my opinion, both to the Lieut. Governor and the Commander in Chief. The steps you have taken on the present occasion to convey provisions to this place are extremely acceptable to me, and call for my best thanks, and you may be assured, Sir, I am sensibly impressed with such marks of your attention to this particular branch of His Majesty's Service. With the greatest respect, I am, &c. Lt Col. England. A. MCKEE. FROM J. G. SIMCOE TO LORD DORCHESTER. NAVY HALL, July 10th, 1794. My Lord: I enclose to Your Lordship the result of the Mission, in which, by the desire of the Six Nations, Captn. Johnson accompanied Genl. Chapin, the Superintendent of the United States, to Le Boeuf, for the purpose of preventing the People of the United States from settling at Presqu' Isle. I must remark that the insinuations in the Speech which was delivered from Genl Wayne, that the Chiefs of the Six Nations who died last year at the council held at the Miamis, had been poisoned by the Western Indians, were received with threats to Rosencrantz, the messenger, by some of the Warriors, and with contempt by all. It is with great surprise that Chapin and the people of the States find the Corn Planter so determined to prevent their encroachments: Brant says, that if they advance, the Six Nations will consider it their Answer, and immediately do their best to repel them. From various considerations, both of my own apprehension, and from the suggestion of those who are well qualified to judge, I have promised the Corn Planter a pension, and have directed some expences to be incurred in presents to other principal leaders. Your Lordship may easily suppose that it is with particular anxiety that I wait for accounts from the Western Indians; the last information is that they had assembled at least to the number of 1700 fighting men, and are continually increasing. All those who know them are sanguine of their success against Mr. Wayne. Should such be the case, and should he either be defeated or compelled to abandon his Post from the difficulty of subsistence, from all that I gather of their strength and disposition it appears to be most probable that a very few weeks would suffice to drive back the Post of Le Boeuf, to force the Inhabitants of the Genessees to abandon that Country, and to establish a Post in such force at Oswego, or in advance of it, as would enable with safety to this Province, a portion of the Troops of this Colony to be posted on the St. Lawrence so as to be ready instantaneously to fall down into Lower Canada, if Your Lordship should deem it necessary. I enclose for Your Lordship's information the extract of a letter from Captain Schoedde, commanding at Oswego. I have intimated to the Speaker, Mr. McDonnell, whom I have offered to Your Lordship as Major (or Lieut. Colonel) of the Canadian Corps, that it would not be improper could he wait upon Your Lordship-In conversation he might explain many circumstances relative to the Province that cannot be dilated upon in correspondence. In particular, his residence and influence with the St. Regis Indians may at the present become serviceable; and in respect to the raising of Troops, I have but little doubt, but that the Highlanders will follow him in numbers, and it might appear to me that as Your Lordship in a particular manner turns your views to the defence of the Communication, somewhere near the County of Glengarry, where the McDonnells reside, would be a very proper station for the Quarters of part of the Provincial Corps, which is to be established. In case Your Lordship should approve of Captns. Johnson and Elliot for Companies, It would among other requests be of service that by their Influence they would procure many people to serve under them, who are accustomed to the Indian life, and who otherwise would attach themselves to the Indians, as a species of volunteers, which on all accounts would be injurious to the public service. I enclose to Your Lordship a communication which I lately made to Mr. Hammond, of such particulars as I thought might elucidate the discussion in which he is engaged with Mr. Randolph, on the Subject of the Post at the Miamis.-It is with great satisfaction that I enclose to Your Lordship a Gazette of this Province by which you will see that the Legislature has amended the Militia Bill so as to enable me to embark them on board of the Shipping, Gun Boats, or small craft for the defence of the Lakes and Communications. In consequence of some Troops from the State of Pennsylvania taking post at Fort Le Boeuf near Presque Isle, the Six Nations held a Council at Buffaloe creek, at which Mr. Johnston was ordered to attend their proceedings at that place, together with their proceedings at le Boeuf, on a speech from General Wayne to the Six Nations I now enclose to you. We have had no certain accounts from the Westward lately, reports from the States say that Genl Wayne had detached parts of his Army to Kentucky in order to stop an expedition the people of that State were setting on Foot against the Spanish Settlements. I have also heard that the force of the Confederate Indians to the Westward consists of Upwards of 1500 men, if this is true, I have not the least doubt but they will defeat Mr. Wayne should he leave his Garrisons. Mr. William Macomb who left New York the 17th last Month says two English Frigates were there, and seven were on the Coast who were hourly expected in that Harbour, but that no word had arrived from Mr. Jay.— I am, &c. J. Chew, Esqr. EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM MR. THOMAS DUGGAN OF THE INDIAN DEPARTMENT AT DETROIT TO JOSEPH CHEW S.I.A. DATED DETROIT 10TH JULY 1794. "Since my last to you by Mr. Molloy I have had official Accounts of the Indians having had an Engagement at Fort Recovery, that they had taken and killed 325 horses and thirty head of Oxen, and about fifty men including the Mountain Leader, the Chickesaw Chief, Wells & May two Spies, Captain Gibson the Commandant of the Fort and two other Officers, the Mackinaw & Lake Indians by their inclination to go home again seem to think they have made a good Campaign, When in Reality their services are more Wanted than Ever, no less than a hundred and fourteen Mackinac Indians besides Numbers of other Indians from Saguinaw, the Pinery and River La Tranch, arrived here yesterday from the Miami Country, in my next you shall know whether or not we can Persuade them to return to the Glaize, in the Engagement above mentioned the Indians had Seventeen killed, and about the same number wounded, in attempting to Possess themselves of the Fort, not one of them was killed by Gibson's Party, they were killed by the Garrison in attempting to Rush into the Fort after the pursued." Sir: MONTREAL 4th August 1794. a True Extract. JOSEPH CHEW S.I.A. FROM LORD DORCHESTER TO J. G. SIMCOE. QUEBEC, July 11, 1794. I can learn nothing concerning the French Emigrants at Albany, nor of the Mr. des Jardins, who solicited your permission to purchase provisions in Upper Canada for a Settlement in that part of the Indian Country called the Genesee. I am inclined to think something insidious was concealed under that application, as well as under the request made by Mr. Williamson. If your information respecting this Gentleman's vigilance and activity in providing arms for the people on the Sodus are true, his conduct will appear the more suspicious and extraordinary as they report him to be Agent for Mr. Pulteney in those parts, and that he formerly was a Captain in the 25th Regiment. Notwithstanding our speedy and full Execution of the Treaty of Peace, on the side of the Atlantic, it soon became evident that the States were not disposed to comply with it where it bound them to certain conditions which they conceived to be contrary to their Interests. We therefore found it necessary to suspend that part of it which related to the Indian Country and the Posts therein, where of course the King's pre-eminence (according to the Laws and Usages established in such cases amongst European Nations) remains as previously, and will continue till the complete Execution of the Treaty by the Government of the United States; when no doubt proper orders will be issued for delivering over, on this side also, whatever they may justly claim in consequence of it. But those gentlemen, urged on by their impatience, and presuming on our desire of Peace, have advanced to put themselves in possession, and now pretend to call the Indian Country their Country, and the privileges granted on conditions which they never performed, their undoubted rights, and the Line designated by the Treaty, their acknowledged Boundary, affecting to consider our re-occupying a Post at the Rapids of the Miamis as War itself. But having nothing to support this language but Force and their own assertions, they want, it would seem, by oblique applications, to draw some of the King's Officers into unguarded Acts or Expressions, which they may hold out as an acknowledgement of their claims, and a justification of their conduct. It was therefore with great propriety that you refused the requests made for Provisions to forward such purposes. Should they persevere in forming an Establishment on any of the Lakes, or near any of our Posts, you will send an intelligent person to make a demand by what Authority the establishment is ordered, and to require them to desist from such Aggressions-In case of refusal, a formal Protest in writing, signed by the Person you send, should be left with the Officer who commands, stating that the parties concerned in these measures will be considered as violating the King's Rights in the Indian Country, and as aiming by these Acts to destroy the Amity and good understanding which has hitherto subsisted between the King of Great Britain and the United States of America. For further information concerning my Ideas, and in Answer to your desire to have my orders on this head, I must refer you to My letter No. 1, which is all I can say in the present condition of things. But if after all our forbearance towards the United States, the influence of French intrigue should draw them into a War with us, which is more than probable, I shall be glad to know the extent of your combined powers in Upper Canada, and what force you may be able to assemble for your own defence and preservation; also, how far you may have it in your power not only to repel, but to retaliate any hostile attempts. I am, with regard, Sir, &c. DORCHESTER. PROTEST BY LORD DORCHESTER. I am commanded to declare that during the inexecution of the Treaty of Peace between Great Britain and the United States and until the existing differences respecting it shall be mutually and finally adjusted, the taking possession of any part of the Indian Territory, either for the purposes of War or Sovereignty, is held |