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^ A T R E A T Y BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT and COUNCIL OF THE Province of PENNSYLVANIA, AND THE INDIANS of OHIO, Held at PHILADELPHIA,­Nov. 13. 1747. P H I L A D E LP H I A : Printed and Sold by B. FRANKLIN, at the New Printing-Office, near the Market. MDCCXLVIII. A TREATY, &c. At a Council held at Philadelphia, the 13th of November, 1747. PRESENT, The Honourable ANTHONY PALMER, Esq; President. Thomas Lawrence, Samuel Hassell, William Till, Abraham Taylor, Robert Strettell, Benjamin Shoemaker, Joseph Turner, William Logan, Esqrs. THE IndianWarriors from Ohio, having arriv’d in Town on Wednesday, the President sent them a Message Yesterday, by Mr. Weiser, the Interpreter, to bid them welcome : And understanding that they were desirous to be heard To-day, he summon’d the Council for this Purpose. Mr. Weiser attending, he was sent to tell the Indians the Council was sitting,and ready to receive them.They immediately came.The President inform’ d them, the Council were glad to see their Brethren, took their Visit very kindly, and desired to know what they had to communicate. After a Pause, the principal Warrior rose up, and spoke as follows: Brethren, the English, the Governor of York, the Commissioners at Albany,1 the Governor and Councellors of Pennsylvania, WE who speak to you are Warriors, living at Ohio, and address you on Behalf of ourselves, and the rest of the Warriors of the Six Nations. You will, perhaps, be surprized at this unexpected Visit; but we cou’d not avoid coming to see you, the Times are become so critical and dangerous. We are of the november 1747 143 Six Nations, who are your ancient Friends,having made many Treaties of Friendship with the English, and always preserv’d the Chain bright.You know when our Father, the Governor of Canada, declar’d War against our Brethren, the English, you the Governor of New-York, the Commissioners of Indian Affairs at Albany, the Commissioners for this Province, sent to inform the Council at Onondago of it, and to desire that they wou’d not meddle with the War; that they wou’d only look on, and see what wou’d be done; that we,the Indians, wou’d let you fight it out by yourselves, and not pity either Side; and that we would send to all the Nations in Alliance with us, to do the same: And accordingly the Indians did send to all their Friends and Allies, and particularly to the Indians about the Lakes, and in the Places where we live, requesting they wou’d not engage on either Side; and they all stood Neuters, except the French Praying Indians, who, tho’ they promis’d, yet were not as good as their Words. This is the first Thing we have to say to our Brethren, and we hope they will receive this in good Part, and be willing to hear what we have further to say. Brethren, When the Indians received the first Message from the English, they thought the English and French would fight with one another at Sea, and not suffer War to be made on the Land: But some Time after this, Messengers were sent by all the English to Onondago, to tell us that the French had begun the War on the Land in the Indian Countries, and had done a great deal of Mischief to the English, and they now desired their Brethren, the Indians, would take up the Hatchet against the French, and likewise prevail with their Allies to do the same. The old Men at Onondago however refus’d to do this, and would adhere to the Neutrality; and on their declaring this, the English sent other Messengers again and again, who pressed earnestly that the Indians would take up their Hatchet, but they were still denied by the old Men at the Fire at Onondago, who,unwilling to come into the War,sent Message after Message to Canada and Albany, to desire both Parties would fight it out at Sea. At last the young Indians, the Warriors, and Captains, consulted together, and resolved to take up the English Hatchet against the Will of their old People, and to lay their old People aside, as of no Use but in Time of Peace.2 This the young Warriors have done, provoked to it by the repeated Applications of our Brethren the English; and we now come to tell you, that the French have...

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