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.
Minutes of the Provincial
Council of Pennsylvania
(Philadelphia, Dec. 4, 1759)
In: Pennsylvania Colonial
Documents, vol. 8,
pp. 415-421.
At a Council held at Philadelphia, in the State House, on Tuesday, the 4th of December, 1759.
Present:
The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor.
|
Robert Strettle, |
Benjamin Shoemaker, |
|
|
Joseph Turner, |
William Logan, |
} Esquires. |
|
Richard Peters, |
|
|
|
Teedyuscung, |
|
|
Evans, |
} from Wioming. |
|
Daniel, |
|
|
Tangoocqua, or Catfish, |
|
|
Joshua, |
} Messengers from the Ohio. |
|
Moses Tattamy, |
} Interpreter. |
|
Lewis Montour. |
|
The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approved.
The Governor acquainted the Council, that on Saturday Teedyusing had visited him and informed him that he had conducted to Town two Messengers of the Delaware Nation from Allegheny; That he had brought four prisoners, two elderly Women and two Young Boys, which he then delivered up; and further, that he had with him Six Horses, which had been taken from the White People living on the borders.
On Teedyuscung's intimating that he had something of consequence to communicate, and desiring he might be dispatched as soon as possible, he was told the Council would meet on Monday at twelve o'clock, to hear it. But he not attending (tho' the Council met purposely at the time fixed) the Council was again called, and the Governor let him know that he was ready to hear what he had to say.
Teedyuscung desired, as what he was going to say was of Consequence, he might have his clerk, And the Governor told him We had no Objection to his having his Clerk; And as he was in Liquor, he said he thought it was best to postpone Business till to-morrow, and then he might bring his Clerk; and recommended it to him to keep Sober. But Teedyuscung in an abrupt manner arose, and taking a String from Daniel, spoke as follows:
Brother:
At former Treaties held with this Government it was Strongly pressed upon me to return all the English prisoners, and I can truly say I have done my utmost endeavours in this matter, and have now brought you four of them, which were carried off towards the Heads of the Sasquehannah.
The last time I was in Town complaint was made that some of my Young people made a practice of stealing Horses from the Borderers, and I was desired to reprove them and bring back the (page 416) Horses. This I thought right, and have now with me six Horses, which may be returned to their Owners.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brother:
I shall not blind-fold you, I shall open your Eyes, and relate all I know. You may remember that at Easton we several times sat together face to face, about the good Work of Peace, and at last brought it to an happy Conclusion; as soon as this was done, you desired I would lift up my voice thro' all the Indian nations and get them to Join in this good work. This I likewise did with all my might, and all have heard the Halloo, to the very setting of the sun; this will be declared to you by these two Indians, who are Messengers sent to me by the Delawares on the Ohio. Eleven Nations have heard my Halloo, and acquainted these Ohio Delawares that they were delighted to hear of this good work of peace, and would join in it. You shall hear what they say for themselves.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brother:
There has been, this Year, a great Meeting of Indians at Assunsing, on the Cayuga Branch of the Sasquehannah; these Messengers were there, I was present also at it, and so were my deputys from many Nations, who live as far as the sun Setting; all there present were heartily disposed towards the good work of peace except the minisink; But as to him he put his Hand to ours, and he drew it out again, and at last would not join with us; We think there is something bad in his Heart, which We desire you will get out; We leave this entirely to you; We have done with him; you know he has joined himself to the Senecas, and will do what they bid him do; The way to succeed with the Minisinks, is to talk first with the Senecas; We leave them to you to Treat for yourselves.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brother:
You have often desired me to go myself among the Indian Nations, and use my Interest to turn them from assisting your Enemies; In compliance with your request, I have gone among them, and in my Travelling this Summer, I met with one that told me, that Eleven Nations had heard of my Setting Face to Face with the Governor of Pennsylvania at Easton; and that in these Conferences peace was at last Concluded by our joint endeavours, of which they were glad, and approved it mightily.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brother:
It only remains to tell you, that these two Indians came to me from Allegheny, and as they brought Good News, I took them by (page 417) the Hand, and conducted them to You, and now let them speak for themselves.
Tingoocqua, alias Catfish, arose, and taking four strings of Wampum held two of them in his Fingers separate, and spoke:
Brother:
I have not much to say; I am only a messenger; I came from Kuskuskes; The Nation I belong to, as well as many others to the West of us, as far as the setting of the sun, have heard that you and Teedyuscung sat often together in Council, and at length agreed upon a Peace; and We are glad to hear that the Friendship and Harmony which, of old, always subsisted between our and your ancesters, was raised up again and established once more. This was very agreeable to us, and We came here to see if what was related was true; and We find it is true, which gives us great Satisfaction.
Then taking hold of the other two Strings, he proceeded:
Brother:
Now that Teedyuscung and you have, thro' the goodness of providence, brought about a peace, we entreat you to be strong; don't let it slip; don't omit anything to render it quite secure and lasting; hold it fast; consider our aged Men, and our young Children; and for their sakes be strong and never rest till it be thoroughly confirmed. All the Indians at Allegheny desire you to do so, and they will do all they can likewise.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brother:
We make eleven Nations of the West of Allegheny, who have heard what you and Teedyuscung have concluded at the Treaty of Easton, and as we all heartily agree to it, and are determined to join in it, we have opened a Road to where Teedyuscung lives; and we, the Messengers, have travelled much to our satisfaction on the Road which he has made from his Habitation to this Town. We have found it a very good Road, and all our Nations will use this Road for the time to come. We say nothing of the Six Nations; We do not reckon them among the Eleven Nations. We leave you to Treat with them yourselves. We make no Road for them; This is your own affair. We only tell you we do not include them in anything We say. I have done.
Gave Four Strings of Wampum.
Teedyuscung then arose and spoke:
Brother:
Remember what you told me at Easton; you said you was abler than I am. It is the truth. I acknowledge it; And as you have greater abilities than I, pray now mind what these Messengers have said; it is a very serious matter; don't Slacken your endeavours; persevered to the end; put forth your utmost strength. Be assured (page 418) that according to your Ability I shall join with you. Both together may make a firm peace that shall last forever.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brother:
It may promote the General Service very much if you take a kind notice of these Messengers. The better appearance they make when they return to their Friends, they will think the better of your regard for their Nation and Judge that you are well disposed. Whatever you do on this occasion, will not be thrown away.
The Messenger observing one Sarah Gladdin amongst the people that were present, addressed the Governor and told him "That he had in his House a son of this Woman's a prisoner at Kuskuskes, and that he would take care he should be delivered in the Spring.
A List of the Names of the Eleven Nations, mentioned by the Indian Messengers:
|
Telamatinoo, |
Cateogh, |
|
Taway, |
Wewyashtanoos, |
|
Puteomy, |
Keekapoo, |
|
Chippaway, |
Ooshaashihock, |
|
Muskoking, |
Leonopy, and |
|
Tawatawee, or Twigtwee, |
Shawonese. |
|
Pelagoshyoth, or Tapichtawee, |
|
The Governor's Answer to the Indian speeches.
Brother Teedyuscung:
I am glad I have an opportunity of seeing you so soon after my arrival. I have a just sence of the kind part you have taken in promoting the Good Work of peace, and shall be ready at all times to do you any service in my power. I desire if at any time you shall meet with uneasiness you will immediately come and let me know it, and I assure you by this string, that my Ear shall always be open to you.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brother:
I laid what was said to me at our last meeting before the Assembly, who were then setting; and what I shall now speak in answer thereto, you are to consider as spoke not only by me, but by them and all the good People of the province, and hearken to it.
Brother:
The sight of our Flesh and Blood, after a tedious Captivity, gives us great pleasure, and I thank you for the return of the Four prisoners, and expect you will continued to do your utmost that all be returned to us as soon as possible.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brother:
You have acted a just part in bringing the six Horses that have been Stolen from the poor people on the borders by some of your unthinking young men. The Inhabitants are now Returning to their Plantations in full confidence that they shall not be injured either in their persons or propertys. You must be sensible that most of their Work cannot be carried on without Horses, and therefore the taking them away will ruin the Farmers. This practice must be put an end to, and the persons guilty of it be brought to Justice, or it will endanger the peace which you and I have taken so much pains to establish. We give you this String to encourage you to reprove your young Men, and to be careful that all the Horses they have taken away may be returned to their right owners.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brother:
By our Treaties it is our duty to inform each other of every thing that may be of use to us; We are neither of us to keep the other blind-folded, but to be open and unreserved on all necessary Occasions; We thank you for your Intelligence as to the good dispositions of the Indians and for the pains you have taken in publishing the Peace far and wide, and for promoting this good disposition.
Brother:
We thank you for leting us know that you attended at a great Meeting of Indians, which was held this summer at Atsunsing.
You know that you were appointed at Easton to be a Counsellor and Agent on the part of this Province; in consequence of your excepting this place of Trust, it is expected by us that you attend at all meetings of Indians where you think you can promote our service, and We thank you for your attendance at that Council, and for acquainting us of the good disposition of the Indians present at it.
We are informed that there is to be, in the Spring, a very great Council at some Town beyond the Ohio, and that you have received a very king Invitation to be present; we think you may be of very great service in communicating all the matters that have been agreed to by us in our Conferences at Easton, and, therefore, desire you will not fail to go there and let them know how sincerely we are disposed for Peace, and that We shall use our utmost endeavours to establish it in such a manner as it may last as long as the Sun gives Light. We must insist on your attendance at the general meeting, as we have a reliance on your council, and a Right to your assistance; and for your Encouragement, if you think proper, We shall send Mr. Frederick Post and Isaac Stille with you.
Gave a Belt of Wampum.
Brother:
We observe what you say as to the Minisink Indians; you know that at the last Treaty, at Easton, they joined heartily in the Peace, and promised to deliver us all the Prisoners. We thank you for your advice and shall follow it, both with respect to the Minisinks and Six Nations.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brother:
You have done very well in conducting these two messengers to us. I shall speak to them now, in answer to what they said to me.
Brethren, the Messengers:
You informed us that you heard that Teedyuscung had had several Conferences with this Government, and that We had consulted a Peace together, which was made known to all the Indians, and with which they were all pleased.
Brethren:
When Friends by any accident fall out together and return to their old Friendship, it is natural for them to feel a particular joy. We are glad to hear this is the case with you. We assure you that We are very sincere and hearty in this good work, and shall, according to your good advice, do everything in our power to make the peace universal, and as lasting as the Sun and Moon.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brethren:
You informed us that you have opened a Road to Teedyuscung's Habitation at Wyoming, and that you found a good Road made by him from thence to this city.
Brothers:
We are glad to hear of this, and when we meet the Indians in Council, as We hope to do next Summer, We shall join in Clearing this Road, sop as it may be travelled with the greatest safety.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brother Teedyuscung:
You joined with the Messengers in desiring us to be strong and reminded us of our abilities. We will not only be strong ourselves, but enable you to be strong, and if you should want our assistance before you go up to the Great Council over the Ohio, or to any other Meeting of Indians, you may apply to us for it.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brethren:
You are come a great way to see us, and in a very Friendly manner. We are glad to hear you say you have found everything true that has been said to you respecting our good dispositions.
You have a great way to go before you can get home, and the season is severe; We beg your acceptance of this little matter, which We give as a Testimony of our regard for you.
Brother:
We cannot help acquainting you that at the several Treaties at Easton, it was solemnly promised that our Prisoners among you should be collected and delivered to us. We give you this String to encourage you to speak to every Nation as you go thro' their Country to perform this part of your Engagement.
Gave a String of Wampum.
Brothers:
Your Friends may enquire what News you bring from us; be pleased to inform them that Providence has favoured His Majesty's Arms with great success; the principal Fortifications at Louisburg, belonging to the French King, situate at the mouth of the River St. Lawrence, was taken last Year, and this Year not only their Forts of Niagara, Crown Point, and Ticonderoga were conquered and are now in the possession of the King of Great Britain; but the Capital City of all Canadie, Quebec, is reduced, their great Warriors killed, and his Troops carried Prisoners of War to England.
Teedyuscung, after some pause, arose, and made the following reply:
Brothers, and all present, take notice of what I am going to say.
I am to put you in mind that when I speak, I not only speak for myself, but being chosen for some other Tribes, I speak for them also.
Brother:
I am not going to lay out any other Road, or to allow it, but only to make the Road plain, that you or any one who shall Travel it, may observe what we are doing.
Whenever I speak to you, I always say it in publick; I always desire every one may hear us, for the Unamie Nation and I, we join fast together. To confirm the good Work, I said I would give an halloo, that every Body who pleases, may hear it.
Now, Brothers, I thank you heartily for what you have said; I am well pleased with it.
Brethren:
You know We have made a firm Peace and good Road between you and me. We shall see if there is any body who is minded to spoil this good Road between you and me, and we will both join Hands together and cast them out; he must not hurt or Children.
Teedyuscung added, that he was pleased to the heart with what the Governor had sayd.
And the Messenger likewise, declared it gave him the greatest satisfaction, and he would declare it to all the head Men of his Country, who would be as well pleased as he was.
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