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were made by the Six Nations to bring the Commissioners to a Council Fire on this River, even before the Confederacy deliberated on an answer to the speech (marked B.) and their attempts also to divide the nations by holding private councils with some of the Lake Indians; and their subsequent behaviour in withdrawing themselves to a Camp about a dozen miles below, where they said they proposed to meet the Commissioners.

The numerous Emissaries which have been sent to this place, with a view (as the Indians suppose) to divide the Nations, was an additional inducement to the Confederacy to resolve that they would not meet the Commissioners until the Boundary, which had been agreed to last Fall at a General Council (Vizt. the Ohio), should be first assented to by them.

The acknowledgement which the United States have at length made, that the Indian Nations possess the Property or Right of the Soil of all Indian Lands has convinced the Nations of the falsities, long propagated, that Great Britain had given away their Country at the Treaty of Peace, and left them in a much worse condition than they were before the War.

Those Nations who have not already sold their possessions will now enjoy without dispute all the lands belonging to them respectively; and these lands will form an extensive Barrier between the British & American Territory.

However conscious I may be of having used no improper influence in the Councils of the Confederacy, so as to prevent the attainment of peace, which I again assure your Excellency, would have afforded me a most sensible gratification; I nevertheless expect from the malevolent, disappointed & all ill disposed, to be blamed for the Opinions which the Indians have adopted for their Resolution which put an end to the Negociation I shall not, however, lament on account of their Animadversions while I continue to be honored with your Excellency's Approbation of my conduct.

J. G. S.

With the greatest respect, I have the honor to be,

Your Excellency's most obedient and faithful servant.

A. MCKEE.

ENDORSED;-A. McKee Esq.-to his Excellency Lt. Govr. Simcoe, Foot of the Rapids, 22nd. of August 1793.

SPEECH OF THE CHIEFS OF THE WESTERN NATIONS IN BEHALF OF THE INDIAN AMERICAN CONFEDERACY.

To His Excellency Governor Simcoe.

Spoken by Captain Johnny, a Shawanese.

Father,

I now hold in my hand the Belt which accompanied your Speech in answer to what was sent you from the Glaize last fall.

Father,

In that Speech you told us, that it would always give you pleasure to afford us all the assistance in your power, in promoting peace on just and equitable terms. You also promised us, Father, to send us such writings as would assert our just claims; and provisions for our support, during the Councils to be held, for effecting a peace upon a just & solid foundation.

Father,

Your promises to us have been faithfully complied with, and we thank you from our hearts for your great goodness to us.

Father,

Always considering that your Heart is placed in the centre of the Indian Confederacy, we must expect that our great dependance is still on you.

Father,

The business here is now over and no blame can rest on us, that the Peace of the Country is not restored. You have been informed that the terms on which we proposed to meet Commissioners from the United States were the restoration of our Country & the Ohio for the boundary. We were always in hopes that the Commissioners had come to meet us with a determination to make peace and to be reasonable with us, in which case that desirable end would have been accomplished. But they insisted on keeping possession of almost our whole Country, and offered us money which is useless to us, in payment. We have proposed peace to them three times, & have at last been told, they would not consent to our proposal, so that you must be sensible, Father, the fault is not ours as we required nothing of them but our just right & peace with the United States.

Father,

We expect now to be forced again to defend ourselves & our country. And we look up to the Great God who is a Witness to all that passes here, for his pity & his help. We need not we hope, again repeat the great reliance we have on you for your advice & assistance; and altho' many have united themselves with us at this Council fire, yet we can depend on nothing, so certainly as your protection & friendship; of this, Father you may be well assured that at no former period have we stood in so much need of both.

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I have this day duly received your letter of the 20th of February with its enclosure of printed Copies of His Majesty's Message to both houses of Parliament on the 11th of that Month, and at the same time I am to acknowledge your letter of the 3d of April containing the vote of the House of Commons for the sum of six thousand seven hundred Pounds for defraying the civil establishment of the Province of Upper Canada, from the 31st of Decr. 1792 to the 31st of December, 1793, with a Copy of the Estimate upon which that vote was founded.

I am surprized in a Conversation I have had with Mr. Justice Powell to find

that there are any difficulties on the Part of Government of settling the rate of Fees to be granted by those who become Patentees of land in this Province.

Upon the erection of New Brunswick the Government adopted the Fees of Nova Scotia and I believe the arrangement was sanctioned by Government.

I have desired that Governor Wentworth would have the goodness to transmit the same fee table to Mr. Dundas that I may be authorized by his direction to fix upon the same fees, unless in his Opinion there should be any difference of circumstances which render it inapplicable to the Province of Upper Canada.

The Royal Word is pledged that Loyalists of a defined description are to have their lands without any paying of Fees; the Officers of Government who bona fide find the materials for such title deeds appear to me to be entitled to the price of their parchment or paper but no other Person. All other Patentees of Land are certainly under the necessity of paying a certain fee-Lord Dorchester and General Haldimand publicly refused theirs-I am of a very different Opinion-I must beg therefore, Sir, that this matter may be submitted to Mr. Dundas's immediate decision as it is impossible for me to ascertain to the Emigrant what his Expences will be; and Mr. Hamilton a member of the Legislative Council, has not scrupled to say, what He, in his folly, may attempt to perform, that He could carry a bill through both Houses to give titles to present possessors of land.

I have the honor to be with great respect,
Sir, Your most obt. & most humble St.
J. G. SIMCOE.

To John King, Esqr.

Under Secretary of State.

Endorsed:-York (late Toronto) Upper Canada, 22d August, 1793. R. 12 Decr.

FROM JOSEPH CHEW TO ALEXANDER MCKEE.

My Dear Sir,

On the 10th of July, I received your letter of the 25th of June, and immediately sent an extract of it to Head Quarters, and enclosed you have Mr. Coffin's answer respecting the purchase of the lands mentioned in your letter of the 9th of April, which had been regularly forwarded to him, but no answer sent to me before this I now send you.

My son William was at Niagara when Capt. Brant and the Deputation from the nations assembled at Miami arrived there, and was present when they delivered their messages, or speeches to the Commissioners from the States, and by means of Capt. Brant got the purport of them, and a copy of the Commissioners' answer, had not this been the case no account of this transaction would have been Rec'd. at the Superintendent General's Office. I cannot account for Colonel Butler's omissions. I am perfectly sure the Superintendt. General from what he writes to me, expected every information respecting Indian matters will be transmitted to his office as early as possible, and will on his return be displeased if it is not so, I have given him all the matters you have communicated to me, and let him know how very attentive you have been. I still hope to see him this Fall, if not it will be early in the Spring.

The late arrival of the ships and contrary winds, has been a vexatious business to the merchants & Captains. The Indian goods are not all landed. I hope they

may be in a few days, and as soon as they are got to La Chine, and surveyed, for which I have a warrant, such deficiency in your requisition, as can be made up from this supply, shall be forwarded to you, when I shall give you every intelligence in my power.

I earnestly wish the American Commissioners may make such offers of a Boundary Line, that may be just and equitable, and such an one as may be agreeable to the indians. I confess I have no doubts, by a letter published in a Philadelphia paper from an officer at Ft. St. Clair, dated the latter of April, it appears they were supplying their Posts & very alert, which makes me believe the indians had good reasons to suspect them of taking advantage of the intended treaty to strengthen those Posts, and I think it will be the case. There is also a publication in a Philadelphia paper of the 20th of June last, for supplying rations for the year 1794, at all the Posts and passes in the Indian Country, in which the Field of Action November 1791, the Miami Village, the Rapids, and where the Miami falls into Lake Erie, are mentioned, this does not look as if they expected to relinquish any part of that Country.

We are impatient for an arrival from London, what European news we have by way of New York, is vague, and contradictory from every thing we hear from the States, and from their publications, I really apprehend their unlimited, & great partiality, to the French, will make them be considered as a party in the dispute, and not as a Neutral Nation. In a little time, we shall be able to form a better judgment of their proceedings, be assured that I am

Col. Alex McKee.

My Dear Sir,
Yours faithfully.

JOSEPH CHEW.

ENDORSED;-(Without date) Joseph Chew Esq. Rec'd. 13th Sept. 1793,

answered 20th Oct.

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FROM JAMES MONROE TO JOHN BRACKENRIDGE.

(Extract.)

ALBEMARLE, Augt. 23, 1793.

The monarchy party among [us?] has seized a new ground whereon to advance their fortunes. The French minister has been guilty, in the vehemence of his zeal, of some indiscretions, slighting the President of the U. States, and instead of healing the breach, this party have brought it to the publick view & are labouring to turn the popularity of this respectable citizen, against the French revolution, thinking to separate us from France & pave the way for an unnatural connection with Great Britain.

Jay & King have certified the indiscretion charged on the minister & handed it to the publick printers. I have only time to suggest the idea, to enable you to understand what you may see in violation to this object & to put the friends of republican government on their guard.

(Printed in the "Writings of James Monroe," edited by S. L. Hamilton, Vol. I. pp. 272-3.)

No 16.

Sir,

FROM J. G. SIMCOE TO HENRY DUNDAS.

YORK (LATE TORONTO) UPPER CANADA,
Augt. 23d, 1793.

I do myself the honor of acknowledging the receipt of your dispatch of the second of May, 1793, at this place.

On the 22d of this month I received your dispatch of the 2d of April informing me of the successes of Europe against the aggression of the French Nation; this joyful news had reached this Province thro' the United States and could not fail of giving the greatest pleasure to all His Majesty's loyal subjects.

I am happy, Sir, that you will take into your early consideration such measures as may appear to you to be necessary for the welfare of this Province, and which the general circumstances of the times shall render practicable and expedient.

The great saving which will result to the State from a certain number of military Artificers being employed in this infant Colony will, I trust, fully appear upon the slightest investigation.

The Salt Springs, I hope, will be sufficiently productive to enable this Country to cure its own provisions.

I hope Lord Dorchester will think it proper to place the naval arrangements under my controul.

The Acting Surveyor General is directed to make out such Plans as may evince how closely as possible, the Government of the Province have complied with his Majesty's instructions; they will be transmitted by the first opportunity.

I have informed Captain Shaw of his Majesty's having been graciously pleased to approve of his Appointment to the Seat at the Executive Council Board, vacant by the resignation of Mr. Robertson.

The necessity of a resident Quorum to perform the duties which the Land granting business alone renders Constantly necessary and very burthensome, suggested to me the Idea, that as it is likely a Solicitor General of adequate Character may not easily be found to fill that Office for some years, that it may for the present be suppressed, and the Salary being the same, the Council might be increased on whom the business is at present very oppressive.

Mr. Hammond's dispatches, Sir, will doubtless have informed you of the general result of Indian Events, so far as they relate to the United States, and that they had declined the request of the Indian Confederacy that the King's Officers might mediate at the treaty presumed to be held at Sandusky.

I have felt it my duty to Co-operate as far as possible with the views of Mr. Hammond and have for this purpose constantly had an intercourse with that Gentleman-I am sorry to understand that there is not likely to be any accomodation between the Contending Parties; and in compliance with your directions I shall lose no time in stating to Mr. Hammond such evil consequences as may flow from the Ideas the Indians may entertain of the duplicity or inactivity of this Government.

It will give me sincere pleasure should a Protestant Bishop of the Church of England be established in Upper Canada.

I beg leave to enclose the Addresses of both Houses of the Legislature of this Country to his Majesty expressing their Loyalty and Abhorrence of those fatal principles which have forced Him into a War with the People who exercise Authority in France: I also transmit my Speech at the end of the Session.

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