THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Letter to Gage
(Johnson Hall, Nov. 18, 1772)
Johnson, Sir William in: The
Papers of Sir William
Johnson, vol. 8,
pp. 638-641.
TO THOMAS GAGE
Df.1
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[Johnson Hall Nov. 18th, 1772] |
To the H[ ]
[I have been favored with your letter of the 7th Ulto., and 8th of this Inst., and am now to acquaint You with the result of the Congress lately held here.- 2]
The first things Intro[duced by the Six Nations was a particular] Account of the proceedings of their Deputies [at Sioto] They Say that as the Ouabache Inds &ca did not [attend 'tho] waited for a Considerable time, & as their Negligence [was] attributed to their having lost some People in a Skirmish [with] a party of 6 Nations & Cherokees last Spring. The [Deputies] laid their Belts &c before those who attended charging them Severely with their past Conduct & directing them to Communicate the Whole to the Absent Tribes which they faithfully promised to perform. The Deputies also demanded those mischievous belts so often Spoken of & particularly those said to have been Sent from Agaustarax the Seneca Chief, on which all the neighbouring Nations collected & delivered up sevl. to the Deputies, but those from Agaustarax were not in the number having been Stopped in their progress by the Cherokees, however the Depys. received Assurances that they should be Collected & that all the Chiefs present as well as those of the Absent Tribes would bring them to a Genl Congress at Onondaga, where they wd. ratify all Transactions in the presence of the 6 Nations. The Deputies then delivered to me the Bad belts they had Collected one of which is as large as any I have ever seen, & at the first View convinced me of its being French. It appears to have been Sent by Monsr St. Ange, to stir them up, & was accompanied by a large [black one, or Hatchet Belt with four more which came from Missisipi.- The time for these Indians (page 639) attendance at Onondaga according to promise being then expired, I spoke pritty warmly to the Confederacy, advised them not to be imposed upon, but to see that these Nations imediately attended or that the remaining Belts were delivered into my Hands without farther delay, as an Instance of the veracity and fidelity of the Six Nations, all which they have promised to pay due regard to.- They then complained] much of the abuses in the Indian [Trade & the total] want of any regulation; That the Traders [now made] it a genl. practice to follow every Hunting party [wth. Cargoes] of Liquor which could not fail bringing on the [most fatal] Consequence as they assured me it was universally complained of by all the Nations, to this I made them the best [answer] in my power considering the little prospect there is of any such regulations.
Just before the departure of the Indians, I recd Letters from Lord Dartmouth, one of which contained the King's Order in Council, with his Majestys Commands that [I should] signify his Intentions to the 6 Nations on the Ohio or [Government,] which I took that opportunity of doing in the best manner I could & received a very Satisfactory Answer. Your own observation son that Subject in your Letter of the 7th Ulto are so Judicious, & in general so agreable to Mine, that I cannot help Expressing my Satisfaction at our accordation of Sentiments on that and many other Subjects. The truth is the 6 Nations never acknowledged themselves our Subjects according to the natural Sense of the Word; the Treatys often [quoted] on these occasions according to the intentions of the Indians [only] put themselves & Certain parts of their possessions under our protection, to prevent our people from settling thereon without [their] consent; so that however the contrary has appeared [in Manifesto's our Right depends on purchase, The Question then is, whether they have a right to Sell those Lands, on which You have expressed ye. General Ideas of the Indians very Justly, however with regard to the lands on Ohio, this much must be said that long before any public declaration of our Claims of Territory from Their Subjection, these Lands were considered (page 640) as the property of the Six Nations, who had conquered all, and actually extirpated Several of the Tribes there, placing the Shawanese Delawares &ca. on bare Toleration in their Stead, as sort of Frontier Dependants, the worst] circumstance is that their People have [of late become more] powerfull by alliances & the 6 Nations less, so that their [Authority begins to be] disputed at a distance, however it may be Expedient [rather to] Support their Authority than encourage the Title of [People, who] of late form such dangerous Alliances, & again as the People [from[] the back parts of Pennsylvania & Virginia have for some year past been continually going over the Mountains & are now as Considerable as they are lawless the Indians themselves must in a little time be Sensible that it is better the Settlers sinse they are there shod. be under some than under no Government as at present they can neither be restrained from settling or brought to punishment tho' guilty of many irregularities towards the Indians as well as others. No less than 500 of them having lately come to Bedford with design to carry an Election, but if the Powers of the new Government are impotent, The Case will not be mended. You have doubtless received Major Bassetts acct. of the Murder of Pond the Trader & his Servt. I am well Assured by a Mercht.at Albany3 that he was a Wild quarrelsome Man, & it appears that the Inds. advised him to leave them [when they began to drink] (which the Ottawas often do when they begin to drink). Upon the whole I believe that Ramsays affair Joined to their own unwillingness will prevent them from delivering up the Murderers, or the goods which it is not probable were burned, however should these persons be delivered up Major Basset is desirous I shd. acqt. him what step he shod take with the Indians, on which Subject I shall be glad of your Opinion for really all Circumstances considered it is a nice affair.-
I guessed that from the genl. sentiments of Juries, the Case wd. go against Mr. Roberts, & had anyone from me attended (page 641) it wd. most probably have been the same, and the powers of Government farther weakened in the Eyes of the Public. Mr. Wetherhead thinks that some Satisfaction might be obtained in Chancery, if there was a good prospect of this, I think it Should be pursued, because Success therein would be of some use to Government.- My Orders to Mr. Roberts were general to prevent to the utmost of his power, the carrying out Liquors beyond the Post; which, with your kind Assistance & direction as to the manner of applying to Government I would readily represent: the main part of Roberts' conduct therein being agreable to Instruction, & to Sound policy at that Post.-
I had much conversation with Kayashota & advised him & the 6 Nations, to withdraw their People from Ohio where they engaged in Interests foreign to, & often brought [reflections] on the Confederacy, of all which he & they appeared very sensible.
The Certificates I mentioned were to people [employed] in carrying up Presents, provisions &c for the Genl. Treaty at Fort Stanwix, some of them were paid by the Qr. Master Genl. & he then promised Mr Butler to Settle the whole, which he since declined doing. [I have paid everry thing of that kind myself Since you Issued a Proclamation for that Purpose in February, 1769.-]4
My Son Sir John going to pass some time in New York will have the pleasure of delivering you this, he is accompanied by my 2 Granddaughters who are to be sent to the Boarding School.
[His Excellency] LT GENL GAGE.
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INDORSED: |
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Novr. 18th,
1772 |
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1 In handwriting of Guy Johnson.
2 Lines burned off.
3 (1, p. 640) The manuscript letter reads: "by those who knew him."
4 (1, p. 641) This and other burned sections of the draft have been supplied from the manuscript letter in William L. Clements Library, Ann Arbor, Mich.
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