THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
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Notes on the Gov. of Canada's
Letter of Aug. 10, 1751
(Aug. 27, 1751)
|
Alexander, James in: "The Letters and Papers of Cadwallader Colden, vol. IV, 1921, Collections of the New York Historical Society for the year 1920, pp. 288-291. |
(page 288)
James Alexander's Notes on the
Govr of Canada's Letter
of Aug 10 th1751
his Excellencys Letter of the 12th of june last if I remember right, represented to the Govr of Canada, the infractions of the 15th article of the Treaty of Utrecht in regard to the fortification building at Niagara on the Lands of the five nations & nearby in the midle of their Country, and in regard to four English Indian traders who were in time of peace Supposed to be taken prisoners upon Ohio river and plundered of their merchandize which his Excellency Supposed was without the Govr of Canada's knowledge or Consent, but requesting his Enquiry into these things & if found true to Desist from buildings to Set the prisoners at Liberty & to recompense them for their Damages
the Govr of Canada by his answer of Augt. 18th Confesses the things complained of to be true- does not deny them to be infractions of the treaty of Utrecht- but advances a number of facts groundless & false in themselves which (Says he) had they been known at the Treaty of Utrecht & Aix La Chapelle the Dominion of England over the five nations would not have been acknowledged by his master the King of France but rather that of his master says that the four prisoners are taken tradeing with the Indians at Ohio contrary to an ordnance of his forbidding the English to trade there tho that be a Country belonging to the five nations, and the Twightures & other Indians upon it who are not natives of the five nations have been long agoe received by this Government in to the Same Covenant claim with the five nations
This seems treating his Britannick Majesty and the Treatys of Utrecht & Aix La Chapelle with contempt and The Letter Seems (what he Says) beyond an answer for the very answering would it Seems be admitting Solemn treaties to be called in question- if any answer be thought of to him it aught to be with the utmost caution & deliberation & best advice possible
It would seem proper that one Coppy of the Letter be sent forth with to the Govr of Pensilvania, for his Sentiments upon it, as the prisoners belonged to that Government and a great part of Ohio river is actually within the Grant to the proprietarys of Pensilvania
it would Seem also proper that other Coppies be Laid before his Majesty's ministers for redress from the Court of France & that the Govr of Canada may be recalled & punished for the infractions of the treatys & Contempts Expressed in his Letter
So far on the Letter in general,
I shall now make Some remarks upon some of the paragraphs of the Letter
No. 1. to Deny that the five nations ever were Subjects of the King of Great Brittain when his Dominion over them as Expressly acknowledged by the 15th article of the Treaty of Utrecht is a piece of unparallelled Effrontery- The Sentiments which he there Says the five nations have are what the French have been impressing them with for many years with the utmost application and I wish they may not have prevailed too far, and if other measures be not Speedily taken as to Indian affairs, there's no Small probability they will prevail
No. 2. I do not believe it true that the french were the first white people that appeared upon the Lands of the five nations, its near 140 years agoe Since the Dutch Settled at Albany and Schenectady which places are part of the Countries that did then belong to five nations as appears by the registers of Indian affairs here & other authentick monuments, and I question if the five nations had then or for scores of years after ever made friendship with the french because of the assistance that the french from their first coming to America always gave to the Algonquins the most ancient & inveterate Enemies of the five nations
No. 3. I know of no possession that the french had of any part of the Country of the Five nations till long after their Submission to the Dominion of Great Brittain and Some five years before the revolution and the (page 290) first possession of the french of any part of their country was I believe at Cataracque, and that was no more at first than Leave from the five nations to build a tradeing house in their Country for their convenience but they afterwards having fortified that place the five nations took it from them twice, and tho at the peace they made with the french in 1694 (because not assisted in the war by any of the English Colonies but New York & found that they give them not sufficient assistance) the french insisted upon setleing again at Cataracque yet the five nations absolutely refused their Consent to it as appears by the Indian Registers here
The french possession at Detroit was not full after the peace of Reswick & it appears these Encroachments were generously complained of by the five nations to the Govr of New York and they insisted then that his Brittannick Majesty should apply to the french King for redress, for that the Converting these Setlements into fortifications they Saw might in time deprive them of their bever hunting Country which Extends from Cataracque Lake to the Northermost part of the Hurons Lake bounded on the Southward by Lake Erie & the Detroit, and I Suppose it was the many applications to the Court of Great Brittain after the peace of Reswick & during Queen Annes war against those encroachments of the french, that induced the Court of Great Brittain to insist at the treaty of Utrecht upon an absolute acknowledgement of the Dominion of Great Brittain over the five nations which was Conceded to by the 15th article as to the time of their setleing first near Niagara it was only about the year 1720.
& these 3 are the only setlements I know of that the French have in the Country of the 5 Nations how far these (complained of as before) will be from supporting that assertion of the Govr of Canada, I submit No. 4 the Setlement he is now makeing at Niagara into a fortification is done on the Sight & in defyance of the five nations & of the Treaty of Utrecht The Last Conference with the five nations at Albany in July last will show how far (page 291) they are from Consenting to it- they are too Sensible of the Consequence of it ever in their Senses to Consent- possibly the pretence he has in saying that its only for a place of refreshment for travellers, may with large presents have persuaded on some particular men of the five nations to Consent to it, as was done at their former Setlements of Cataracque Detroit & near Niagara, but by experience the five nations have found those refreshing places turned into Fortifications in Defyance of them and that they help them against the Treaty of Utrecht and all the applications that have been made for redress and by means of these they will before long if a proper remedy be not found not only Deprive the five nations of their bever hunting Country but Stop all intercourse between the English & the five nations of indians in allyance with the five nations, as Niagara is the Rout by which they come
As to the four prisoners it would Seem that the Governour of Pensilvania is the most proper person to make remarks on that part of the Letter that Concerns them
In the Extracts from the Indian Registers herewith
Made Augt 27th
sent one coppy to Govr
Clinton & another to
Dr. Mitchell
________________
James Alexander to John Mitchell
|
NEW YORK Augt 27th 1751 |
Sir
having yesterday on my arrival here from New jersey recd a packet from Dr Colden enclosing a Letter to you & the State of the indian affairs herewith inclosed, he Desired me to peruse that State and if any thing occurred to me thereon to be added or altered to make notes thereof to you, I have accordingly perused it again and again but find nothing that I think necessary to add to or alter in it nor Should I have troubled you with this had it not been that his Excy our Govr Sent me yesterday, a Letter to him from the Govr of Canada of Augt 10th instant for
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