you Indians were not well disposed. Therefore it is our ardent wish that they may all remain among you, as your teachers and instructers in virtue, piety, and true religion; and we hope you may benefit and profit by their instruction.—(A belt.)

“Brothers: Before any Commissioners were appointed by the Twelve United Colonies, from the disagreeable condition of our country and the ancient friendship and alliance subsisting between us, commenced in the days of your ancestors and our forefathers we took upon us, as the representatives of the people of the City and County of Albany, to give you an invitation to pay us a friendly visit, that we might have an opportunity of seeing you here, at the place where the first fire was kindled, that we might rake up the old ashes, and not suffer it to extinguish, but renew the old covenant chain, and make it shine with brighter lustre.

“Brothers: We are happy to find from your speech that you still retain that affection for us which a well-founded friendship will naturally produce, and which we hope, from our conduct towards you, is not unmerited; and we rejoice to find that you feel for our distresses, and lament the unnatural quarrel of brethren, which you express so warmly by a desire of an amicable settlement.

“Brothers: Time will not permit us at present to mention to you how and on what occasion the first covenant was made between your and our forefathers. They have never deserted you, but kept their covenants and agreements with you; nor do we mean to act otherwise on our part.

“Brothers: This covenant, afterwards improved upon, was confirmed between you and us in the year 1665, one year after this Country went over to the Crown of England. Since this you have, from time to time, admitted into your chain the Tuscaroras, and most, if not all, the Twelve United Colonies.

“Brothers: There are five gentlemen, Commissioners, appointed by the Twelve United Colonies, at the Grand Council at Philadelphia; the management of the publick business in the Indian Department now belongs to them. These gentlemen have informed you of the nature of the dispute between Great Britain and this Country, and testified their desire of keeping up the council fire between us.

“Brothers: We know it is customary, at the renewal of any covenants between us, that a present should follow. We now make it known to you that the goods you will receive of the Commissioners of the Twelve United Colonies are partly ours. We pay our proportionable part towards them; so that what you receive from them is from us also. We are the same; there is no distinction.

“Brothers: If our memory does not fail, we think that when we invited two or three of each of our brethren, the Six Nations, to come down here, we also desired that you would acqüaint us what had passed in the Congress held at Oswego, which as yet we know nothing of. You say, indeed, that you are glad we are peaceably inclined, as well as Colonel Johnson; but you have told us nothing else that was transacted there, which we had expected, and do wish that our brothers conceal nothing from us, especially as you called God to witness for the truth of what you said.

“Brothers of the SIX NATIONS, and you the MOHAWKS in particular: We apprehend the bird Tskleleli has been busy again; he seems to be a mischievous bird, and ought not to be nourished or entertained. In your answers to the Commissioners you addressed yourselves to the inhabitants of Albany, complaining that they had taken from you two pieces of land, without giving the value of a pipe of tobacco for them, and that you desired they would restore you to the peaceable possession of them; and that the Commissioners would look into this matter, and afford you relief. The land you speak of we suppose to be Ticonderoga.

“Brothers: This is a matter foreign to the business we met upon, and we are not authorized or qualified to enter upon the subject; it is a business that belongs to the Corporation of Albany; yet, as we may be considered the representatives of the people at large, our entire silence may be construed into guilt of the heavy charge fixed upon us. For your satisfaction, as well as of the audience, we will endeavour to show that the accusation is groundless, by a few remarks. The lands alluded to are granted by the Charter of Albany; we never heard that any of your nation have been dispossessed or driven off those lands, but you hitherto have and still enjoy those lands, without the least interruption.

“Brothers: As we observed before, the matter cannot properly come before us, but belongs to another body, and therefore the application to us is improper. However, give us leave to say, that instead of complaining, we think the Mohawks, if they considered their own interest and that of their posterity, and would be candid, must acknowledge the truth of the fact, and rejoice at this day that they have had such faithful guardians and trustees; for if it had not been so, who would have enjoyed these lands now? There have been complaints concerning this matter before, and inquiries into it before proper tribunals; and for your information, and that of the curious, we refer to the proceedings of the House of Assembly of this Colony, and also to the minutes taken on a conference between the Corporation of this City and yourselves, at which Sir William Johnson was present; and therefore return you the belt.”

To which they returned the following Answer, by Abraham, Chief of the Mohawks, speaker:

“Brothers of ALBANY: We return you thanks for your speech, and that you have informed us that the Twelve United Colonies, by their Commissioners, have opened all the roads; and we now take for granted that the communication at Fort Stanwix is not to be shut up, and that the New-England people never will do it. This, brethren, has been the occasion of some anxiety in the minds of the Six Nations.

“Brothers of the SIX NATIONS, attend; you, also, the People of ALBANY; and you, the Twelve United Colonies, by your Commissioners:

“Last spring Colonel Johnson informed us that the New-England people were near him, to take him prisoner; upon which, we, like people intoxicated, took up our guns and ran to assist him, as he was our Superintendent. But, brethren, as it happened in the manner beforementioned, we hope you will look upon it in that light. We, the Six Nations, have now made and renewed our ancient covenants. The proceedings just now mentioned have brought me down. I have made a proper acknowledgment to the Six Nations, and now do the same to you; and I hope you will raise me up again. The news I was just speaking of came not from a bird, but from your own people.

“Brothers of ALBANY, further attend: I shall only make a short reply to your speech relating to the lands; many agreeable things are therein. You further say, that you never heard that any of us were drove off those lands. There is one thing which was not so agreeable; it is the Tskleleli. You, brothers, know how that matter is; and in case I was to answer that part of your speech, it might, perhaps, draw us into an argument; and as you are not, as you say, the proper body to which we ought to have applied, and as you have referred us to former proceedings, we shall close.

“Brothers of ALBANY: We, the Six Nations, now tell you that it is at your pleasure to call on us, and we will inform you of what passed in the Congress at Oswego.”

Abraham Yates, Jun., Chairman of the Committee, replied:

“Brothers of the SIX NATIONS: We are now ready to hear it, and should be glad you would inform us.”

Abraham, the Mohawk Chief, then proceeded:

“Brothers of ALBANY: You sent for us to inform you of what passed at Oswego, but you have not, since we have been down, desired it; we have always been ready; and as you have not asked us, we will now tell you, and think it our duty, as we look upon it that God will punish us, if we conceal any thing from you.

“Brothers: The transactions of that treaty were very publick; the Shawanese were there, and some from Detroit. Mr. Johnson told us that the fire kindled there was a fire of peace; that all the white people were the King’s subjects; and that it seemed they were intoxicated. Mr.