Part 15 (2/2)

_Friends and Brethren_,

Altho' we have been disappointed in our Endeavours to bring about a Peace between you and the _Catawbas_, yet we desire to speak to you something more about them. We believe they have been unfaithful to you, and spoke of you with a foolish Contempt; but this may be only the Rashness of some of their young Men. In this Time of War with our common Enemies the _French_ and _Spaniards_, it will be the wisest way to be at Peace among ourselves. They, the _Catawbas_, are also Children of the great King, and therefore we desire you will agree, that we may endeavour to make a Peace between you and them, that we may be all united by one common Chain of Friends.h.i.+p. We give you this String of Wampum.

_Which was received with the usual Ceremony_.

_Brethren_,

Our Friend, _Conrad Weiser_, when he is old, will go into the other World, as our Fathers have done, our Children will then want such a Friend to go between them and your Children, to reconcile any Differences that may happen to arise between them, that, like him, may have the Ears and Tongues of our Children and yours.

The Way to have such a Friend, is for you to send three or four of your Boys to _Virginia_, where we have a fine House for them to live in, and a Man on purpose to teach the Children of you, our Friends, the Religion, Language and Customs of the white People. To this Place we kindly invite you to send some of your Children; and we promise you they shall have the same Care taken of them, and be instructed in the same Manner as our own Children, and be returned to you again when you please; and, to confirm this, we give you this String of Wampum.

_Which was received with the usual Ceremony_.

_Then the Commissioners of_ Maryland _spoke as follows_:

_Friends and Brethren, the Chiefs or Sachems of the_ Six _united_ Nations,

The Governor of _Maryland_ invited you hither, we have treated you as Friends, and agreed with you as Brethren.

As the Treaty now made concerning the Lands in _Maryland_ will, we hope, prevent effectually every future Misunderstanding between us on that Account, we will now bind faster the Links of our Chain of Friends.h.i.+p, by a Renewal of all our former Treaties; and that they may still be the better secured, we shall present you with one hundred Pounds in Gold.

What we have further to say to you is, Let not our Chain contract any Rust; whenever you perceive the least Speck, tell us of it, and we will make it clean. This we also expect of you, that it may always continue so bright as our Generations may see their Faces in it; and, in Pledge of the Truth of what we have now spoken, and our Affection to you, we give you this Belt of Wampum.

_Which was received with the usual Ceremony._

_C A N A S S A T E G O, in return, spoke as follows_:

_Brother_ Onas, a.s.saragoa, _and_ Tocarry-hogan,

We return you Thanks for your several Speeches, which are very agreeable to us. They contain Matters of such great Moment, that we propose to give them a very serious Consideration, and to answer them suitably to their Worth and Excellence; and this will take till to-morrow Morning, and when we are ready we will give you due Notice.

You tell us you beat the _French_; if so, you must have taken a great deal of Rum from them, and can the better spare us some of that Liquor to make us rejoice with you in the Victory.

The Governor and Commissioners ordered a Dram of Rum to be given to each in a small Gla.s.s, calling it, _A French Gla.s.s_.

In the C o u r t-H o u s e at _Lancaster, July 4, 1744, A. M._

P R E S E N T,

The Honourable _G E O R G E T H O M A S_ Esq; Governor, &c.

The Honourable the Commissioners of _Virginia_.

The Honourable the Commissioners of _Maryland_.

The Deputies of the _Six Nations_.

_Conrad Weiser_, Interpreter.

_C A N A S S A T E G O Speaker._

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