hour of delay, nor to wait for my confent to receive orders from your governor; he can give none within the dominions of the king my mafter; thofe I have received from my general are my laws, fo that I cannot depart from them. If, on the contrary, Sir, you have not got orders, and only come to trade, I am forry to tell you, that I cannot avoid feizing you, and to confifcate your effects to the ufe of the Indians, our children, allies, and friends; as you are not allowed to carry on a contraband trade. It is for this reafon, Sir, that we ftopped two Englishmen, laft year, who were trading upon our lands. Moreover, the king my mafter afks nothing but his right; he has not the leaft intention to trouble the good harmony and friendship, which reigns between his majefty and the king of Great-Britain. proof of having done The governor of Canada can his utmost endeavours, to maintain the perfect union, which reigns between two friendly princes; as he had learned that the Iroquois and Nepiflingues of the lake of, the two mountains, had ftruck and deftroyed an English family, towards Carolina, he has barred up the road, and forced them to give him a little boy belonging to the family, which was the only one alive, and which Mr. Wlerick, a merchant of Montreal, has fince carried to Bofton; and what is more, he has forbid the favages from exercising their accustomed cruelty upon the English our friends. I could complain bitterly, Sir, of the means taken, all laft winter, to inftigate the Indians to accept the hatchet, and ftrike us, while we were ftriving to maintain the peace, I am well perfuaded, Sir, of the polite manner in which you will receive Mr. Le Mercier, as well out of regard to his bufinefs, as his diftinction and perfonal merit. I ex-, pect you will fend him back with one of your officers, who will bring me a precife anfwer. As you have got fome Indians with you, Sir, I join with Mr. Le Mercier an interpreter, that he e may inform them of my intention upon that fubject. I am, with great regard, Sir, your moft humble and moft obedient fervant, CONTRECOEUR. Done at our camp, April 16th, 1754 Philadelphia, 6 May, 1754. A true copy, examined by Richard Peters, fecretary, SPEECH FROM THE HALF KING TO THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA AND PENNSYLVANIA, REFERRED TO IN MAJOR WASHINGTON'S LETTER. From the fort on Ohio, April the 18th, 1754. A Speech fent by the Half King* Seruniyattha, and the belt of wampum to the governor of Virginia and governor of Pennfylvania. BROTHERS the English, the bearer is to let you know how we were used by the French. We have been waiting this long time for the French to strike us; now we fee what they defign to do with us, we are ready to ftrike them now, and wait for your affiftance. Be ftrong, and come as foon as poffible you can, and you fhall find us your true brothers, and fhall find us as ready to ftrike them as you are. We have fent thofe two young men to fee when you were ready to come, and then they are to come to us, and let us know where that you are we may come and meet you; and we would defire, if you could, that the men from both provinces would meet at the forks of the road. And now, if you do not come to our relief, we are gone entirely, and fhall never meet I believe, which grieves my heart. To confirm this to be m this to b truth, here is my wampum I have fent. Gave a ftring of wampum. The Half King made this fpeech to me; now I depend upon you to go with thofe two young men to both gov ernors yourself; for I have no dependence on those that are gone fo long, and have never returned nor fent any word. Delivered to me by John Davifon, an intrepreter. Philadelphia, 6 May, 1754. A true copy, examined by Richard Peters, fecretary. *The Name of the Indian chief. 10 A LIST A LIST OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE COLONY OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS, UNDER THE FIRST CHARTER; AND OF THE GOVERNORS, UNDER THE SECOND CHARTER, COLLECTED FROM THE PUBLIC RECORDS. FOR 'OR the year 1647 John Coggefhall, Prefident, 1648 Jeremiah Clarke, 1649 John Smith, This year, 1651, William Coddington went to England, and procured from the council of ftate a commiffion, conftituting him governor of Rhode-Ifland, and the illands belonging to the fame; with which he returned in the fall of the year 1651. This caufed very great uneafinefs and confufion in the colony, all the inhabitants upon the main refufing fubmiffion to Coddington's government. The colony appointed Mr. Roger Williams and Mr. John Clarke to go to the court of London, to procure Coddington's commiffion to be vacated, which they effected in the year 1653; after which, Mr. Williams returned, and on the 12th of September, 1654, was chofen prefident, agreeable to the charter and the laws of the colony. Mr. Clarke remained in England as the colony's agent, until he obtained the laft ample charter from Charles II. in 1663. For the year 1655 Roger Williams was chofen prefident, 1656 ditto, 1657 Benedict Arnold, 1658 ditto, 1659 ditto, 1660 William Brenton, 1661 ditto, 1662 Benedict Arnold, This year, on the 8th of July, king Charles II. figned the last charter, whereby Benedict Arnold was conftituted governor. The following is a lift of the governors, chofen annu ally ally on the firft Wednesday in May, agreeable to this charter; where the years are not specified, the fame governfor was continued in office. Nicholas Cooke, 1775 William Greene John Collins, Arthur Fenner, Efq. our prefent governor, Newport, 1800. LETTER FROM HIS EXCELLENCY GOVERNOR JAY, CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TO ITS CORRESPONDING SECRETARY, SIR, Albany, 8th October, 1799. N reading the collections of the Maffachufetts Hif torical Society for the year 1798, which you was fo obliging as to fend me, I obferve a mistake, which I will take the liberty of mentioning. The report of the committee of the board of corref pondents of the Scots Society for propogating chriftian knowledge, who vifited the Oneida and Mohekunuh Indians, in 1796, is one of the papers published in this volume of collections. The report contains twenty-four queries, with the anfwers of the committee. The following are among them. Query 18-Are any of them under the guardianfhip of the state of New-York? The answer contains, among others, the following paragraph. The Brothertown Indians are more particularly under the guardianfhip of the ftate, as may be feen by a late act of affembly, a copy of which accompanies this report.' 99 Query 19-What fums of money or quantities of goods do they receive from the state; how are they di vided, and what ufe do the Indians make of them? The answer contains, among others, the following paragraph, viz. "The Brothertown Indians receive an annuity of 2160 dollars, which fum is partly appropriated to the purpose of maintaining a fchool, partly to the payment of an attorney to tranfact their bufinefs, and the remainder to be applied to their benefit as he fhall judge proper." The |