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Presidents talk to Cap: Hendrick
My Son Capt Hendrick and my children the Delawares Mohiccons and Munsies.
I am glad to see you here, to receive your salutations, and to return them by taking you by the hand and renewing to you the assurances of my friendship. I learn with pleasure that the Miamis and Poughtewatamies have given you some of their lands on the White river to live on, and that you propose to gather there your scattered tribes and to dwell on it all your days.
The picture which you have drawn my Son, of the increase of our numbers and the decrease of yours is just, the cause are very plain and the remedy depends on yourselves alone. You have lived by hunting the Deer and buffalo, as these have been driven Westward you have sold out on the Sea board and moved Westwardly in pursuit of them. as they became scarce there, your food has failed you, you have been a part of every year without food except the roots and other unwholesome things you could find in the forest. Scanty and unwholesome food produce diseases and death, among your children, and hence you have raised fur & your numbers have decreased. frequent wars too and the abuse of spiritous liquors have assisted in lessening your numbers. The Whites on the other hand are in the habit of cultivating the earth, of raising stocks of cattle, hogs and other domestic animals in much greater numbers than they could kill of deer and buffalo. having always a plenty of food and clothing they raise abundance of children, they double their numbers every twenty years. the new swarms are continually advancing upon the country like flocks of pigeons, & so they will continue to do. Now my children, if we wanted to diminish our numbers, we would give up the culture of the Earth. pursue the Deer and Buffalo and be always at War. this would soon reduce us to be as few as you are, and if you wish to increase your numbers you must give up the deer and buffalo, live in peace and cultivate the Earth. You see then, my children, that it depends on yourselves alone to become a numerous and great people. Let me entreat you therefore on the lands now given you to begin to give every man a farm, let him enclose it.
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cultivate it, build a warm house on it, and when he dies let it belong to his wife and children after him. nothing is so easy as to learn to cultivate the earth. all your women understand it, and to make it easier; we are always ready to teach you how to make ploughs, hoes and other necessary utensils. if the men will take the labour of the earth from the women these will learn to spin and weave and to clothe their families. in this way you will also raise many children. you will double your numbers every twenty years and soon fill the land your friends have given you, and your children will never be tempted to sell the spot on which they have been born, raised, have laboured and called their own. when once you have property you will want laws and Majistrates to protect your property and persons, and to punish those among you who commit crimes. you will find that our laws are good for this purpose. you will wish to live under them, you will unite yourselves with us, join in our great councils and form one people with us and we shall all be americans. You will mix with us by marriage. Your blood will run in our veins and will spread with us over this great island, instead then my children. of the gloomy prospect you have drawn of your total disappearance from the face of the earth which is true, if you continue to hunt the deer and buffalo & go to war. You see what a brilliant aspect is offered to your future history. if you give up war and hunting adopt the culture of the Earth and raise domestic animials. You see how from a small family you may become a great nation by adopting the course which from the small beginning you describe has made us a great nation.
My Children, I will give you a paper declaring your right to hold against all persons, the lands given you by the Miamis and Poutewatamies, and that you never can sell them without their consent. but I must tell you that if ever they and you agree to sell, no paper which I can give you can prevent your doing what you please with your own. the only way to prevent this is to give to every one of your people a farm, which shall belong to him and his family and which the nation shall have no right to take from them & sell.- in this way alone can you ensure the lands to your descendants through all generations, and that it shall never be sold from under their feet.- It is not the keeping your lands which will keep your people alive on them after the deer and bufallo shall have left them. It
396 |
is the cultivating them alone which can do that. the hundredth part in corn & cattle will support you better than the whole in deer and buffalo.
My Son Hendrick, deliver these words to your people- I have spoken to them plainly, that they may see what is before them and that it is in their own power to go on dwindling to nothing, or to become again a great people it is for this reason I wish them to live in peace with all people, to teach their young men to love agriculture rather than War & hunting, let these words sink deep in their hearts, and let them often repeat them & consider them.- tell them that I hold them fast by the hand & that I will ever be their friend to advise and to assist them in following the true path to their future happiness.
|
December 1808. |
(Signed) Thomas Jefferson |
400/401 |
My Son, Little Turtle, Chief of the Miamis
It is always with pleasure that I receive you here and take you by the hand, and that to the assurances of friendship to your nation. I can add those of my personal respect and esteem for you-- Our confidence in your friendship has been the stronger as your enlarged understanding could not fail to see the advantages resulting to your nation as well as to us from a mutual good understanding. We ask nothing from them but their peace and good will and it is a sincere solicitude for their welfare which has induced us from time to time to warn them of the decay of their nation by continuing to rely on the chase for food, after the deer and buffalo are become too scanty to subsist them, and to press them before they are reduced too low, to begin the culture of the earth and the raising of domestic animals. a little of their land, in corn and cattle will feed them much better than the whole of it in deer and buffalo, in their present scarce state & they will be scarcer every year. I have therefore always beleived it an act of friendship to our red Brethren, whenever they wished to sell a portion of their lands, to be ready to buy whether we wanted them or not because the price enables them to improve the lands they retain and turning their industry from hunting to agriculture the same exertions will support them more plentifully.
You inform, me, my Son, that your nation claims all the land on the Wabash and the Miami of the Lake and their waters: and that a small portion of that which was sold to us by the Ottaways, Wiandots and other tribes of Michigan belonged to you: my Son, it is difficult for us to know the exact boundaries which divide the lands of the several Indian tribes: and indeed it appears often that they do not know themselves, or cannot agree about them. I have long thought it desirable that they should settle their boundaries with one another and let them be written on paper and preserved by them and by us, to prevent disputes among themselves. The tribes who made that sale certainly claim the lands on both sides of the Miami some distance up from the mouth as they have since granted us two roads from the rapids of the Miami, the one Eastwardly to the line of the treaty of Fort Industry and the other South Westwardly to the line of the treaty of Greenville. I observe moreover that in the late conveyance of
401/402 |
lands on the White River branch of the Wabash, to the Delawares, the Poutewatamies join you in the conveyance, which is an acknowlegement that all the lands on the waters of the Wabash do not belong to the Miamis alone. If however the Ottaways & others who sold to us had no right themselves they could convey none to us, and we acknowledge we cannot acquire lands by buying them of those who have no title themselves this question cannot be determined here, where we have no means of enquiring from those who have no knolege of the facts. We will instruct Governor Hull to collect the evidence from both parties and from others and to report it to us, and if it shall appear that the lands belonged to you and not to those who sold them, be assured we will do you full justice we ask your friendship and confidence no longer than we shall merit it by our justice. on this subject therefore, my Son, your mind may be tranquil. You will have an opportunity of producing before Govr Hull all the evidences of your right and they shall be fairly weighed against the opposite claims.
My Son, I salute your nation with constant friendship & assure you of my particular esteem.
|
December 1808 |
(Signed) Thomas Jefferson. |
428 |
|
War
Department |
John Johnston Sir
The President of the U S has deemed it expedient to appoint you Indian Agent at Fort Wayne in the place of William Wells whose letter of discharge is enclosed to you,-- which you will please to deliver to him-- The duties attached to the Indian Agency are so fully known to you as to supercede the necessity of giving particular instructions. Mr Wells has been directed to deliver over to you all the public property in his hands and such general instructions as he may have received from this department in regard to the duties of his Agency: you will please to receipt for them and to take charge of them accordingly. You will let it be known to the Indians generally that you are the Agent: and it may be prudent to use some address with the Little Turtle and such others as may feel any particular attachment to Mr Wells.
Your compensation under the commission of Indian Agent which is enclosed, will be four hundred and fifty dollars (in addition to what you now receive as Agent to the Trading house) with allowance of $150 annually for subsistence.
A young man by the name of John Shaw who has been employed by the Society of friends in your neighborhood the last year is appointed an assistant to you with the pay of three hundred and fifty dollars per annum and one ration per day or seventy two dollars a year. he will be ordered on to join you as soon as practicable.-- he will occasionally assist you in the trading house as well as aid the Indians in the improvement of agriculture &c.
429 |
Captain Hendricks of the Stockbridge tribe, who has been for some time with the Delawares has received an appointment as assistant Agent at a compensation of two hundred and fifty dollars a year he will reside with the Delawares. one hundred dollars will be placed in your hands to be laid out by Hendricks with your advice for utensils for husbandry and two hundred dollars for the purchase of provisions, grass seed &c, for such families as shall be faithfully employed in agriculture the ensuing season.
You will please to aid Hendricks by your advice and the assistance if necessary, of Shaw, in making the purchases in the adjoining parts of Ohio.
|
I am, Sir &c. |
P.S. You will please to draw on the department for the two last mentioned sums.
435 |
|
War Department 1 May 09 |
John Johnston Sir
The Annuities for the Miamies, Delawares and
Eel river Indians for the present year, will be paid as follows. viz
The Miamies $1600 in goods
Delawares --750 do-
& $850 in Cash.
Eel Rivers --500 do-
& 250 do
The goods will be forwarded to you at Fort Wayne; for the Cash you will draw on this Department.
You will also receive $500 in goods to be distributed to the Puttawattamies in the vicinity of Fort Wayne being the amount of Annuity due that Nation for 1809, under the Treaty of Grouseland. The other annuities due them for the present year, will be sent to Mr Jouett & to Gov. Hull for distribution
|
I am &c |
2-3 |
* * * *
|
War Department, July 15th 1809. |
Excy Wm H. Harrison Sir,
The President of the United States authorises and instructs you to take advantage of the most favorable moment for extinguishing the Indian Title to the Lands lying to the east of the Wabash and adjoining South on the Lines of the Treaties of Fort Wayne and Grouseland.- The compensation to be paid for this extinguishment should not exceed the rate heretofore given for the Indian title to Land in that quarter; to prevent any future dissatisfaction, Chiefs of all the Nations who have or pretend right to these Lands, should be present at the Treaty;- and, if practicable, the cession should be obtained without leaving any reservations. It is discretionary with you to stipulate in maner the consideration shall be paid; whether in a gross Sum payable after the ratification of the Treaty by installments or in an annuity for years or perpetuity, or partly in both these modes, as you may deem most expedient. The payment by installments is preferred.
For the expenses attending the Treaty or Treaties, you will draw on this Department, except for the provisions, which you will require of the Contractor, unless some other person will agree to furnish them below Contract price.
Besides reasonable expenses, you will be allowed six dollars per day and the Secretary to the Commission, should one be necessary, three dollars per day, while actually employed.
A Diary of the proceedings should be kept by the Commission or the Secretary and a certified Copy thereof forwarded with the Treaty to this Department.-
|
I am, Sir, respectfully, &c. |
* * * *
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