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but as to what lies beyond the Mountains, we conquered the Nations residing there, and that Land, if the Virginians ever get a good Right to it, it must be by us; and in Testimony of the Truth of our Answer to this Part of your Speech, we give you this String of Wampum.

Which was received with the usual Cere mony.

Brother Assaragoa,

We have given you a full Answer to the first Part of your Speech, which we hope will be satisfactory. We are glad to hear you have brought with you a big Chest of new Goods, and that you have the Key in your Pockets. We do not doubt but we shall have a good Understanding in all Points, and come to an Agreement with you.

We shall open all our Hearts to you, that you may know every thing in them; we will hide nothing from you; and we hope, if there be any thing still remaining in your Breast that may occasion any Dispute between us, you will take the Opportunity to unbosom your Hearts, and lay them open to us, that henceforth there may be no Dirt, nor any other Obstacle in the Road between us; and in Token of our hearty Wishes to bring about so good an Harmony, we present you with this Belt of Wampum.

Which was received with the usual Ceremony.

Brother Assaragoa,

We must now tell you what Mountains we mean that we say are the Boundaries between you and us. You may remember, that about twenty Years ago you had a Treaty with us at Albany, when you took a Belt of Wampum, and made a Fence with it on the Middle of the Hill, and told us, that if any of the Warriors of the Six Nations came on your Side of the Middle of the Hill, you would hang them; and you gave us Liberty to do the same with any of your People who should be found on our Side of the Middle of the Hill. This is the Hill we mean, and we desire that Treaty may be now confirmed. Afer we left Albany, we brought our Road a great deal more to the West, that we might comply with your Proposal; but, tho' it was of your own making, your People never observed it, but came and lived on our Side of the Hill, which we don't blame you for, as you live at a great Distance, near the Seas, and cannot be thought to know what your People do in the Back-parts: And on their settling, contrary to our own Proposal, on our new Road, it fell out that our Warriors did some Hurt to your People's Cattle, of which a Complaint was made, and transmitted

to us by our Brother Onas; and we, at his Request, altered the Road again, and brought it to the Foot of the Great Mountain, where it now is; and it is impossible for us to remove it any further to the West, those Parts of the Country being absolutely impassable by either Man or Beast.

We had not been long in the Use of this new Road before your People came, like Flocks of Birds, and sat down on both Sides of it, and yet we never made a Complaint to you, tho' you must be sensible those Things must have been done by your People in manifest Breach of your own Proposal made at Albany; and therefore, as we are now opening our Hearts to you, we cannot avoid complaining, and desire all these Affairs may be settled, and that you may be stronger induced to do us Justice for what is past, and to come to a thorough Settlement for the future, we, in the Presence of the Governor of Maryland, and Brother Onas, present you with this Belt of Wampum.

Which was received with the usual Ceremony.

Then Tachanoontia added:

That he forgot to say, that the Affair of the Road must be looked upon as a Preliminary to be settled before the Grant of Lands; and, said he, either the Virginia People must

be obliged to remove more Easterly, or, if they are permitted to stay, our Warriors, marching that Way to the Southward, shall go Sharers with them in what they plant.

In the Court-House at Lancaster, June 28, 1744. A.M.

PRESENT,

The Honourable GEORGE THOMAS, Esq; Governor, &c.

The Honourable the Commissioners of Virginia.

The Honourable the Commissioners of Maryland.

The Deputies of the Six Nations.

Conrad Weiser, Interpreter.

The Governor spoke as follows.

Friends and Brethren of the Six Nations,

I

AM always sorry when any thing happens

that may create the least Uneasiness between us; but as we are mutually engaged to keep the Road between us clear and open, and to remove every Obstruction that may lie in the Way, I must inform you, that three of the Delaware Indians lately murdered John Armstrong, an Indian Trader, and his two Men, in a most barbarous Manner, as he was

travelling to Allegheny, and stole his Goods of a considerable Value. Shick Calamy, and the Indians settled at Shamokin, did well; they seized two of the Murderers, and sent them down to our Settlements; but the Indians, who had the Charge of them, afterwards suffered one of them to escape, on a Pretence that he was not concerned in the bloody Deed; the other is now in Philadelphia Goal. By our Law all the Accessaries to a Murder are to be tried, and put to Death, as well as the Person who gave the deadly Wound. If they consented to it, encouraged it, or any ways assisted in it, they are to be put to Death, and it is just it should be so. If, upon Trial, the Persons present the Murder are found not to have done any these Things, they are set at Liberty. Two of our People were, not many Years ago, publickly put to Death for killing two Indians; we therefore expect you will take the most effectual Measures to seize and deliver up to us the other two Indians present at these Murders, to be tried with the Principal now in Custody. If it shall appear, upon their Trial, that they were not advising, or any way assisting in this horrid fact, they will be acquitted, and sent home to their Towns. And that you may be satisfied no Injustice will be done to them, I do now invite you to depute three or four Indians to

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