TO THOMAS POWNALL.* Indians regardless of their Treaty. · Six Nations. SIR, Philadelphia, 19 August, 1756. I have done myself the honor to write to you twice since my return, relating to the proposed road; but have as yet had no line from you. Enclosed I send you a copy of the late treaty, or conference, at Easton, with a letter from Bishop Spangenberg to Mr. Norris, by which you will see nothing is likely to come of the treaty. The Indians are preparing to continue the war, and we see of how little consequence Sir William Johnson's treaty has been in our behalf. For my own part, I make no doubt but the Six Nations have privily encouraged these Indians to fall upon us. They have taken no step to defend us, as their allies, nor to prevent the mischief done us. I look upon the application made through Sir William Johnson to these nations to procure us peace, as the Thomas Pownall, commonly called Governor Pownall, came first to America with Sir Danvers Osborn, Governor of New York, in 1753. His brother, John Pownall, was one of the secretaries to the Board of Trade; and Thomas Pownall had made himself well acquainted with American affairs. He returned to England in February, 1756, but came back to America again with the Earl of Loudoun, who landed at New York on the 23d of July following. In the next year, 1757, he succeeded General Shirley as governor of Massachusetts. At later periods he was lieutenant-governor of New Jersey, and governor of South Carolina, though it would seem that he remained but a short time in either of these two last stations. He was a member of Parliament from 1768 to 1780, and opposed with much boldness and ability the ministerial measures against the colonies. He wrote and published various tracts relating to America, the most valuable of which is his treatise entitled, “Administration of the Colonies," which passed through several editions. He died in 1805, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. VOL. VII. 16 K most unfortunate step we ever took; for we tied up the hands of our people, till we heard the result of that application. The affair was drawn out to great length of time, and in the mean while our frontier people were continually butchered, and at last either dispersed or dispirited. In short, I do not believe we shall ever have a firm peace with the Indians, till we have well drubbed them. Our frontiers are greatly distressed, as you will see by the enclosed letters. The people The people are also distressed by the enlisting of their servants; but, if Lord Loudoun would order the recruits, now near five hundred, to march up and take post on the frontiers, in the forts there, where they would find good barracks, and might be of great use to the inhabitants, it would be a most acceptable thing to the whole province. In this Mr. Norris joins with me, as well as in compliments to his Lordship and yourself. The Assembly are met, and in a very good disposition toward the service; but, the new governor being hourly expected, nothing can be done till his arrival. He is, we hear, on the road from York. I am, Sir, &c. B. FRANKLIN. TO GEORGE WASHINGTON.* Conveyance of the Mail for the Accommodation of the SIR, Army. Philadelphia, 19 August, 1756. I have your favors of July 23d and August 3d, but that you mention to have wrote by Mr. Balfour is not At this time commander-in-chief of the Virginia forces, raised to protect the frontiers from the Indians and French. His head-quarters come to hand. I forwarded the packet enclosed in that of July 23d, as directed, and shall readily take care of any other letters from you, that pass through my hands. The post, between this place and Winchester, was established for the accommodation of the army chiefly, by a vote of our Assembly. They are not willing to continue the charge, and it must, I believe, be dropped, unless your Assembly and that of Maryland will contribute to support it, which, perhaps, is scarce to be expected. I am sorry it should be laid down, as I shall myself be a loser in the affair of newspapers." * But the letters per post by no means defray the expense. If you can prevail with your Assembly to pay the rider from Winchester to Carlisle, I will endeavour to persuade ours to continue paying the rider from Carlisle hither. My agreement with the house was, to carry all public despatches gratis, to keep account of postage received for private letters, and charge the expense of riders and offices; and they were to pay the balance. I am, Sir, with great esteem and respect, &c. B. FRANKLIN. P. S. We have just received news, that the Delaware Indians, with whom we treated lately at Easton, have burnt the goods they received as presents, and resolved to continue the war.t were at Winchester. Franklin, in his capacity of deputy postmaster, or rather the postmaster-general for the colonies, had the year previous, during Braddock's march, arranged a post between Philadelphia and Winchester, in consequence of a vote of the Pennsylvania Assembly. * At this time, Franklin printed and published a newspaper in Philadelphia. Though Franklin was actively engaged in these important affairs, which had an immediate claim upon his exertions, he took a not less zealous or liberal part in promoting objects of general utility; as is TO MRS. DEBORAH FRANKLIN. Conference with the Indians at Easton. MY DEAR CHILD, Easton, 13 November, 1756. I wrote to you a few days since by a special messenger, and enclosed letters for all our wives and sweethearts; expecting to hear from you by his return, and to have the northern newspapers and English letters per the packet; but he is just now returned without a scrap for poor us. So I had a good mind not to write to you by this opportunity; but I never can be ill natured enough even when there is the most occasion. The messenger says he left the letters at your house, and saw you afterwards at Mr. Duché's, and told you when he would go, and that he lodged at Honey's, next door to you, and yet you did not write; so let Goody Smith give one more just judgment, and say what should be done to you. I think I won't tell you that we are well, nor that we expect to return about the middle of the week, nor will I send you a word of news; that 's poz. manifest by the following extract from a letter written to him by Mr. William Shipley, dated London, September 1st, 1756. Mr. Shipley was secretary to the society, in whose behalf he wrote. "Sir; I am ordered to acquaint you that the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce have unanimously elected you a corresponding member; and it gives the Society a singular pleasure to place upon their list a gentleman, whose public spirit and uncommon abilities are so universally known, and so deservedly esteemed. They are glad to find their plan approved by you, and will always give great attention to what you shall judge most proper for their encouragement in America, which they hope from time to time you will please to let them know. They return you thanks for your generous present of twenty guineas, which their treasurer has received by the hands of Mr. Collinson. They earnestly desire your correspondence, information, and advice." My duty to mother, love to the Miss Betsey and Gracy, &c. &c. husband, children, and to I am your loving P. S. I have scratched out the loving words, being writ in haste by mistake, when I forgot I was angry. * When the above letter was written, the author was at Easton in Pennsylvania, attending a conference with the Indians. The successes of the French on the frontiers, and the disasters which followed Braddock's defeat, had excited the Indians to hostilities; and murders and other outrages had been committed by them even in the heart of the province. To counteract the influence of the French, and bring the Indians to a better temper, it was deemed expedient to hold an amicable conference with some of their chiefs. Governor Denny was present in person; and also William Logan and Richard Peters, on the part of the Council; and Benjamin Franklin, Joseph Fox, William Masters, and John Hughes, as delegates from the Assembly. The conference was opened at Easton, on the 8th of November. Teedyuscung, a king of the Delawares, residing at Wyoming, was the principal speaker for the Indians. He explained the reasons of the recent hostilities, but said, he was now at peace and wished to remain so. He promised to return all the prisoners, and demanded that the Indians, who had been taken, should likewise be sent back to him. He also complained of wrongs, which he had suffered. "I do not want," said he, "to compel any of the Indians to return or to stay against. their will. If they are inclined to stay and live among the English, I am quite willing they should go back again; but I want that they should come and see me, that thereby I may convince their relations, and the other nations afar off, that they are not servants, but free people." "The kings of England and France," he added, wrought this land, so as to coop us up as if in a pen. "have settled or This very ground that is under me" (striking it with his foot) "was my land and inheritance, and is taken from me by fraud; when I say this ground, I mean all the land lying between Tohiccon Creek and Wyoming on the River Susquehanna. The Proprietaries, who have purchased their lands from us cheap, have sold them too dear to poor people, and the Indians have suffered for it. It would have been more prudent for the Proprietaries to sell the lands cheaper, and to have given it in charge to the people, who bought from them, to use the Indians with kindness on that account." The governor asked him what he meant by fraud. Teedyuscung replied; "When one man had formerly liberty to purchase lands, and he took the deeds from the Indians for it, and then died; after his death the children forge the deed for the true one, with K* |