stances, which will be presently explained, while they evinced the absence, for a time, of the usual tact and sagacity of the French, had admirably opened the way for Christian Post's mission, while they had the effect of at once relieving Sir William Johnson from his embarrassing position in regard to the equivocal attitude of three of the Six Nations. It has been seen that Sir William had interposed, not only directly but through the means of some of his Indians, in producing the partial peace with the Delawares and Teedyuscung. The baronet had also succeeded in forming an alliance with the Cherokees, some of whom had gone upon the war-path in the neighbourhood of Fort Du Quesne. They were likewise exerting themselves to detach the western Indians, as far as might be, from the French.*

It was in this posture of affairs that, late in the year 1757, a war-party of the Twightwees, (Miamies,) in a frolic close by the fortress of Du Quesne, killed a number of the cattle belonging to the French in the fort. In a moment of exasperation, without pausing to reflect upon the consequences, the French fired upon the aggressors, and killed some ten or twelve of their number. The Twightwees were deeply incensed at this outrage, and the western Indians sympathized at the loss of their braves. It was not long, probably, before their resolution was taken, not only to

* MSS. of Sir William Johnson.

withdraw from the French service, but to avenge the untimely fall of their warriors.*

While the Twightwees were thus brooding over this wrong, the Delawares intercepted a French despatch, in which the project was proposed and discussed, of cutting off and utterly exterminating the Six Nations-forming, as they did, so strong a barrier between the French and English colonies. The Indians found some one among them to read the document, and they no sooner understood its full purport, than they repaired to the fortress in a body, and charged the project home upon the commander. That officer was either confused, or he attempted to dissemble. He likewise tried, but without success, to obtain the document from them. They kept it, and its contents were the occasion of wide-spread consternation among the Indians. But this is not all. In March, 1758, a deputation of the Senecas waited upon Sir William Johnson, with a message from the Delawares, the purport of which was, that the French had recently convened a great council of the northwestern Indians at Detroit, at which the same project of exterminating the Six Nations was proposed and discussed. The pretext urged upon them by the French was, that the Six Nations were wrongfully claiming the territory of their western brethren, and were they to be crushed and extinguished, there would be no more diffi

* MSS. of Sir William Johnson.

culty upon the subject. The western Indians would come into the full enjoyment of their own again, without question as to jurisdiction. They therefore proposed that all the Indians should join them "in cutting off the Six Nations from the face of the earth." This proposition startled the Delawares, who, after the council, determined to apprize the Senecas of the plot, and send to them the hatchet which they had received from the French to use against the English. They desired the Senecas to keep the hatchet for them, as they were determined not to use it again, unless by direction of their cousins. Having received the message and the hatchet, the Senecas called a council to deliberate upon the subject. The hatchet they had resolved to throw into deep water, where it could not be found in three centuries, and they now came to Sir William with the information, and for counsel. It was a favourable moment for the baronet, and the opportunity was not suffered to pass unimproved. It so happened that the information was in full confirmation of the predictions which Sir William had many times uttered to the Indians, in his efforts to prevent any friendly intercourse between them and the French. These predictions the Senecas, in their present troubles, remembered with lively impressions of the baronet's sagacity; and the result of the interview was an entire alienation of the Senecas and Cayugas from the French.*

*MSS. of Sir William Johnson.

On the 19th of April following, the Shawanese and Delawares of Ohio, sent a message of peace to Sir William. A council of the Mohawks was immediately convened, at the suggestion of the superintendent, and it was determined, in the event of war, that the Shawanese and Delawares should find an asylum from the French at Venango and Fort Du Quesne, once more in the valley of Wyoming. But the evacuation, by the French, of the Ohio country, soon afterward, as already mentioned, rendered no such formal removal necessary.* Meantime another and much larger council was holden at Easton, late in the autumn of 1758, at which all the Six Nations, and most of the Delaware tribes, the Shawanese, the Miamies, and some of the Mohickanders were represented. The number of Indians assembled was about five hundred. Sir William Johnson was present, and the governments of Pennsylvania and New-Jersey were likewise represented. Teedyuscung assumed a conspicuous position as a conductor of the discussions, at which the Six Nations were disposed for a time to be offended-reviving again their claim of superiority. But the Delaware chief was not in a humour to yield the distinction he had already acquired, and he sustained himself throughout with eloquence and dignity.†

The object of this treaty was chiefly the adjustment of boundaries, and to extend and brighten the chain of friendship, not only between the

* MSS of Sir William Johnson.

+ Chapman.

Indians themselves, but between their nations collectively and the whites. It was a convention of much harmony toward the close, and after nineteen days' sittings, every difficulty being adjusted, they separated with great cordiality and good will.*

*There was yet another council of the Indians held at Easton, in 1761, in which Teedyuscung took an active and eloquent part. He was dissatisfied at Wyoming, although the government of Pennsylvania appear to have fulfilled their contract to build houses for the Indians at considerable expense. Teedyuscung, however, threatened to leave the place, against which resolution he was strongly urged. The proceedings of this council, at length, are among Sir William Johnson's manuscripts. The results were of but little importance.