from the sheriff) all the goods belonging to the said George and William were taken out, and the cabin being quite empty, I took possession thereof for the Proprietaries; and then a conference was heid, what should be done with the empty cabin; and after great deliberation, all agreed that if some cabins were not destroyed, they would tempt the trespassers to return again, or encourage others to come there, should these trespassers go away; and so what was doing would signify nothing, since the possession of them was at such a distance from the inhabitants could not be kept for the Proprietaries; and Mr. Weiser also giving it as his opinion, that if all the cabins were left standing, the Indians would conceive such a contemptible opinion of the government, that they would come themselves in the winter, murder the people, and set their houses on fire. On these considerations the cabin, by my order, was burnt by the under sheriff and company.

Then the company went to the house possessed by David Hiddleston, who had entered into bond as aforesaid, and he having voluntarily taken out all the things which were in the cabin, and left me in possession, that empty and unfurnished cabin was likewise set on fire by the under sheriff, by my order.

The next day being the 24th of May, Mr. Weiser and Mr. Galbreath, with the under sheriff and myself, on our way to the mouth of Juniata, called at Andrew Lycon's, with intent only to inform him, that his neighbors were bound for his appearance and immediate removal, and to caution him not to bring himself or them into trouble by a refusal. But he presented a loaded gun in the magistrates and sheriff; said he would shoot the first man that dared to come nigher. On this, he was disarmed, convicted, and committed to the custody of the sheriff. This whole transaction happened in the sight of a tribe of Indians, who by accident had in the night time fixed their tent on that plantation; and Lycons' behavior giving them great offence, the Shickcalamies insisted on our burning the cabin or they would burn it themselves. Whereupon, when every thing was taken out of it (Andrew Lycon all the while assisting) and possession being delivered to me, the empty cabin was set on fire by the under sheriff, and Lycan was carried to jail.

Mr. Benjamin Chambers and Mr. George Croghan had about an hour before separated from us; and on my meeting them again in Cumberland county, they reported to me they had been at Sheerman's creek, or Little Juniata, situate about 6 miles over the Blue mountain, and found there James Parker, Thomas Parker, Owen M'Keib, John M'Clare, Richard Kirkpatrick, James Murray, John Scott, Henry Gass, John Cowan, Simon Girtee and John Kilough, who had settled lands and erected cabins or log houses thereon; and having convicted them of the trespass on their view, they had bound them in recognizances of the penalty of one hundred pounds, to appear and answer for their trespasses on the first day of the next county court of Cumberland, to be held at Shippensburgh, and that the said trespassers had likewise entered into bonds to the proprietaries in five hundred pounds penalty, to remove off immediately, with all their servants, cattle and effects, and had delivered possession of their houses to Mr. George Stevenson for the proprietaries use; and that Mr. Stevenson had ordered some of the meanest of those cabins to be set on fire, where the families were not large, nor the improvements considerable.

On Monday the 28th of May we were met at Shippensburg by Samuel Smith, William Maxwell, George Croghan, Benjamin Chambers, Robert Chambers, William Allison, William Trent, John Finley, John Miller, Hermanns Alricks and James Galbreth, Esqrs., justices of Cumberland county, who informing us that the people in the Tuscarora Path, in Big Cove, and at Aucquick, would submit, Mr. Weiser most earnestly pressed that he might be excused any further attendance, having abundance of necessary business to do at home; and the other magistrates, though with much reluctance, at last consenting, he left us.

On Wednesday the 30th of May, the magistrates and company, being detained two days by rain, proceeded over the Kittochtinny mountains, and entered into the Tuscara Fath or Path Valley, through which the road to Alleghany lies. Many settlements were formed in this valley, and all the people were sent for, and the following persons appeared, viz; Abraham Slach, James Blair, Moses Moore, Arthur Dunlap, Alexander McCartie, David Lewis, Adam McCartie, Felix Doyle, Andrew Dunlap, Robert Wilson, Jacob Pyatt, Jacob Pyatt, jr., William Ramage, Reynolds Alexander, Samuel Patterson, Robert Baker, John Armstrong and John Potts, who were all convicted by their own confession to the magistrates, of the like trespasses with those at Shearman's creek, and were bound in the like recognizances to appear at court, and bonds to the Proprietaries to remove with all their fami lies, servants, cattle and effects, and having all voluntarily given possession of their houses to me, some ordinary log houses, to the number of eleven, were burnt to the ground; the trespassers most of them cheerfully and a very few of them with reluctance, carrying out all their goods. Some had been deserted before, and lay waste.

At Aucquick, Peter Falconer, Nicholas De Long, Samuel Perry and John Charleton, were convicted on the view of the magistrates, and having entered into the like recognizances and executed the like bonds, Charlton's cabin was burnt and fire set to another that was just begun, consisting only of a few logs piled and fastened to one another. The like proceedings at Big Cove (now within Bedford co.) against Andrew Donnaldson, John Macclelland, Charles Stewart, James Downy, John Macmean, Robert Kendell, Samuel Brown, William Shepperd, Roger Murphy, Robert Smith, William Dickey, William Millican, Wm. Macconnell, Alexander Macconnell, James Campbell, Wm. Carrell, John Martin, John Jamison, Hans Patter, John Maccollin, James Wilson and John Wilson; who coming before the magistrates, were convicted on their own confession, of the like trespasses as in former cases and were all bound over in like recognizances and executed the like bond to the Proprietaries. Three waste cabins of no value were burnt at the north end of the Cove by the persons that claimed a right to them.

The Little Cove (in Franklin co.) and the Big and Little Conolloways, being the only places remaining to be visited, as this was on the borders of Maryland, the magistrates declined going there and departed for their homes."

About the year 1740 or 1741 one Frederick Star a German with two or three more of his countrymen made some settlements at the very place where we found William White, the Galloways and Andrew Lycon (on Big Juniata, situate at the distance of twenty miles from

the mouth thereof and about ten miles north of the Blue Hills, a place much esteemed by the Indians for some of their best hunting ground.Votes Assem. vol. iv. p. 138.) which (German settlers) were discovered by the Delawares at Shamokin, to the deputies of the Six Nations as they came down to Philadelphia in the year 1742 to hold a treaty with this government; and they were so disturbed at, as to enquire with a peculiar warmth of governor Thomas if these people had come there by the orders or with the privity of the government; alledging that if it was so, this was a breach of the treaties subsisting between the Six Nations and the Proprietor William Penn, who in the most solemn manner, engaged to them not to suffer any of the people to settle lands till they had purchased them from the Council of the Six Nations.The Governor, as he might with great truth, disowned any knowledge of these persons' settlements; and on the Indians insisting that they should be immediately thrown over the mountains, he promised to issue his proclamation and if this had no effect, to put the laws in execution against them. The Indians in the same treaty publicly expressed very severe threats against the inhabitants of Maryland for settling Iands for which they had received no satisfaction; and said, if they would not do them justice they would do justice to themselves; and would certainly have committed hostilities if a treaty had not been on foot between Maryland and the Six Nations under the mediation of Governor Thomas; at which the Indians consented to sell lands and receive a valuable consideration for them, which put an end to the danger.

The Proprietaries were then in England, but observing, on perusing the treaty, with what asperity they had expressed themselves against Maryland, and that the Indians had just cause to complain of the settlements at Juniata, so near Shamokin, they wrote to their governor. in very pressing terms, to cause those trespassers to be immediately removed; and both the Proprietaries and governor laid their commands on me to see this done, which I accordingly did in June, 1743; the governor having first given them notice by a proclamation served on them.

At that time none had presumed to settle at a place called the Big Cove-having this name from its being enclosed in the form of a basin by the southernmost range of the Kittochtinny Hills and Tuscarora Hills, which last end here, and lose themselves in other hills. This Big Cove is about 5 miles north of the temporary line and not far west of the place where the line terminated. Between the Big Cove and the temporary line lies the Little Cove, so called from being likewise encircled with hills; and to the west of the Little Cove, towards Potowmec, lie two other places called the Big and Little Conollaways, all of them situate on the temporary line, was it to be extended toward Potowmec.

In the year 1741 or 1742 information was likewise given that people were beginning to settle in those places, some from Maryland and some from this Province. But as the two governments were then not on very good terms, the Governor did not think proper to take any other notice of these settlements, than to send the sheriff to serve his proclamation on them, thought it ample occasion to lament the vast inconveniences which attend unsettled boundaries. After this the French war came on, and the people in those parts taking advantage

of the confusion of the times, by little and little stole into the Great Cove; so that at the end of the war it was said 30 families had settled there; not however without frequent prohibitions on the part of the government, and admonitions of the great danger they run of being cut off by the Indians, as these settlements were on lands pot purchased of them. At the close of the war, Mr. Maxwell, one of the justices of Lancaster county, delivered a particular message from this government to them, ordering their removal, that they might not occasion a breach with the Indians; but it had no effect.

These were to the best of my remembrance all the places settled by Pennsylvanians in the unpurchased part of the Province till about three years ago when some persons had the presumption to go into Path Valley or Tuscarora Gap, lying to the east of the Big Cove and into a place called Aucquick, lying to the northward of it; and likewise into a place called Shearman's creek, lying all along the waters of Juniata, and is situate east of the Path Valley through which the present road goes from Harris' Ferry to Allegheny; and lastly they extended their settlements to Big Juniata; the Indians all this while repeatedly complaining that their hunting ground was every day more and more taken from them; and that there must infallibly arise quarrels between their warriors and these settlers which would in the end break the chain of friendship and pressing in the most importunate terms their speedy removal. The government in 1748 sent the sheriff and three magistrates with Mr. Weiser unto these places to warn the people but they notwithstanding continued their settlements in opposition to all this; and as if those people were prompted by a desire to make mischief, settled lands no better, nay not so good, as many vacant lands within the purchased parts of the Province.

The bulk of these settlements were made during the administration of president Palmer; and it is well known to your honor, though then in England, that his attention to the safety of the city and lower counties would not permit him to extend more care to places so

remote.

Finding such a general submission, except the two Galloways and Andrew Lycon and vainly believing the evil would be effectually taken away, there was no kindness in my power which I did not do for the offenders; I gave them money where they were poor and telling them they might go directly on any part of the two millions of acres lately purchased of the Indians; and where the families were large, as I happened to have several of my own plantations vacant, I offered them to stay on them rent free, til! they could provide for themselves; then I told them that if after all this lenity and good usage, they would dare to stay after the time limited for their departure, no mercy would be shewed them but that they would feel the rigor of the law.

It may be proper to add, that the cabins or log houses which were burnt, were of no considerable value; being such as the country people erect in a day or two and cost only the charge of an entertainment. July 2d, 1750. RICHARD PETERS.