The Treaty Held with the Indians of the Six Nations at Philadelphia, in July 1742 | Page 5

receive five Duffil Strowds for two Plantations on the River
Cohongoronto. A Conestogoe Indian, and a French Indian, and some
others that were in Company had three Duffil Strowds, and went away
with them; and our young Men carried off the other two. As soon as
this came to our Knowledge, we sent for our Warriours, and after
examining and rebuking them severely, we took away their two
Strowds, and publickly censured them for exposing us to our Brethren
of Pensilvania, in doing a Thing so inconsistent with our Engagements
to them; You are, said we aloud, that all our People might hear and take
Notice, to know and remember, that the Six Nations have obliged
themselves to sell none of the Land that falls within the Province of
Pensilvania to any other but our Brother ONAS, and that to sell Lands
to any other is an high Breach of the League of Friendship. Brethren,
this rash Proceeding of our young Men makes us ashamed. We always
mean well, and shall perform faithfully what we have promised: And
we assure you, this Affair was transacted in the Manner we have related,
without our Privity or Consent. And that you may be fully convinced of
this, and of the Sincerity of our Intentions, we have brought you these
Two Strowds [here he presented two Red Strowds to the Governor]
they are the very Strowds our foolish young Men received; we took
them from them, and we give them to you to return to those white
People who made the Bargain, and desire when the Strowds are
returned to them, they may be told what we now say, and that we shall
not confirm such Bargains nor any other that may interfere with our
Engagements to our Brother ONAS.'
The Governor then spoke:

'BRETHREN,
'I thank you for this Piece of News; you have taken this Matter
perfectly right. All Bargaining for Land within this Province, is, to be
sure, a manifest Breach of your Contract with the Proprietors, and what
we know you will not countenance. We have hitherto found the Six
Nations faithful to their Engagements, and this is a fresh Instance of
their Punctuality. You could not help these Mistakes of your young
Men; they were not done in your Presence: But as several
Inconveniencies may arise from these kind of clandestine Sales, or
from any such loose Sales of Land by your People, we desire you will,
on your Return home, give publick Notice to all your Warriours not to
bargain for any Land; or if they do, that you will not confirm such
Bargains; and that this very Affair, together with what you have done
therein, may be particularly reported to all your Nation assembled in
Council.'
The Onondago Chief promised to give such publick Notice; and
desiring Liberty to mend his former Speech, he proceeded:
'BRETHREN,
'I forgot one Circumstance: Our People who pretended to sell the Land,
demanded a Belt of Wampum of the Buyers to carry to their Chiefs; and
on their declaring they had no Wampum, our Warriours said, they
would not answer that their Chiefs would confirm this Bargain, since
they never did any thing of this Nature without Wampum.'
The Governor, after a short Pause, spoke:
'BRETHREN of the Six Nations,
'I shall take this Opportunity to relate to you a Piece of disagreeable
News I received some Days ago in a Letter from Le Tort the Indian
Trader, at Allegheny, who says, That in May last some Indians of the
Taway Nation, supposed by us to be Twightwees, in their Return from
War, called and stayed sometime with the Shawanese; who being asked,
and denying they had brought either Scalps or Prisoners, the

Shawanese suspecting them, had the Curiosity to search their Bags,
and finding two Scalps in them, that by the Softness of the Hair did not
feel like Indian Scalps, they wash'd them clean, and found them to be
the Scalps of some Christians. On this Discovery, the Twightwees were
so much ashamed, that they stole away from their Town in the
Night-time; and coming, as they afterwards understood, to a little
Village belonging to the Shawanese, they told our People that their
Hearts were full of Grief; for, as they came along the Road, they found
it all bloody; and having good Cause to believe it was made bloody
with the Blood of some of the White Brethren, they had very
sorrowfully swept the Road; and desired them to inform the Governor
of Pensilvania of their (the Twightwees) Grief; and how they had swept
the Road clean.' Le Tort adds, on Behalf of the Shawanese, 'That they
were much troubled and grieved at this unfortunate Accident; and
prayed as they had no Concern in it, more than by being