in token of peace. The next day being all assembled when the Indians were to reply, the Mohawks answered first by their speaker, saying "We must in the first place say something to the other Three Nations, by way of reproof for their not keeping the former chain as they ought; and therefore we desire you, great Sachem of Virginia, and your Corlear, and all here present, to give ear, for we will conceal nothing of the evil they have done." Then turning to the other nations: "You have heard yesterday all that has been said; as for our parts we are free of the blame laid on us; we have always been obedient to Corlear and have steadily kept our chain with Virginia, Maryland, and Boston: but ye are stupid and brutish, and have no understanding; we must thump understanding into you: let the new chain made yesterday (the proposition of peace by his Lordship) be carefully preserved for the future; this we earnestly recommend to you, for we are ready to cry for shame of you; let us be no more ashamed on your account, but be obedient and take this belt to keep what we say in your memory. Hear now, now is the time to hearken; the covenant chain had very near slipt by your not keeping it firmly; hold it fast now when all former evils are buried in the pit. "You Oneydoes, I speak to you as children; be no longer childish or void of understanding. You Onandagas, our brethren, you are like deaf people that cannot hear, your senses are covered with dirt and filth. "You Cayugas, do not return unto your former ways; there are three things we must all observe. "First. The covenant with Corlear. Secondly, the covenant with Virginia and Maryland. Thirdly, with Boston. We must thump understanding into you, that you may be obedient, and take this belt for a remembrancer." Then Cadeanne, the same Mohawk speaker turning to Lord Howard said, "We are very thankful to you, great Sachem of Virginia, that you are persuaded by Corlear, our governor, to forgive all former faults. We are very glad to hear you and see your heart softened. Take these three beavers as a token. We thank the great Sachem of Virginia for saying that the axe shall be thrown into the pit. Take these two beavers as a token of our joy and thanksgiving. "We are glad that Assarigoa,* will bury in the pit what is past; let the earth be trod hard over it, or rather let a strong stream run under the pit to wash the evil away out of our sight and remembrance, and that it may never be digged up again. Assarigoa, you are a man of knowledge and understanding, thus to keep the covenant-chain bright as silver, and now again to renew it and make it stronger:" (then pointing to the other three nations, he said) “ but they are chain breakers. I lay down this as a token that we Mohawks have preserved the chain intire on our parts." Puts down two beavers and a racoon. "The covenant must be kept; for the fire of love of Virginia and Maryland burns in this place, as well as in our's; and the house of peace must be kept clean." Gives two beavers. "We now plant a tree,† whose top will reach the sun and its branches spread far abroad, so that it shall be seen afar off: and we shall shelter ourselves under it, and live in peace without molestation." Here he gave two beavers. "You have not heard what expectation we have made to the other three nations. We have taken the hatchet out of their hands. We now, therefore, pray that both your hatchets may likewise be buried in a deep pit." Giving two beavers. "Assarigoa! some of us Mohawks are out against our enemies, that lie far off; they will do you no harm, nor plunder as the others do. Be kind to them, and if they shall happen to come to any of your plantations, give The name the Five Nations always give the Governor of Virginia them some tobacco and some victuals; for they will neither rob nor steal as the Oneydoes, Onondagas, and Cayugas have done. "The Oneydoes particularly thank you, great Sachem of Virginia, for consenting to lay down the axe; the hatchet is taken out of all their hands." Gives a belt of wampum. "We again thank Assarigoa that he has made a new chain; let it be kept bright and clean, and held fast on all sides: let not any one pull his arin from it. We include all the four nations in giving this belt, "We again pray Assarigoa to take the Oneydas into his favour, and keep the chain strong with them, for they are our children." Gives a belt. "The Oneydas give twenty beavers as a satisfaction for what they promised the Lord Baltimore, and desire they may be discharged of that debt.” The two governors having promised to use their endeavours with Lord Baltimore to forgive the remainder: Then the Indians desired that the hole might be dug to bury the axes. One on behalf of Virginia and their Indians, another on behalf of Maryland and theirs, and three for the Onondagas, Oney does and Cayugas. The Mohawks said there was no need of burying any on their account, for the first chain had never been broken by them. Then the Three Nations spoke, by Onondaga, called Thanohjanihta, who said, "We thank the great Sachem of Virginia, that he has so readily forgiven and forgot the injuries that have been done, and we for our parts gladly catch at it, and lay hold of the new chain." Then each of them delivered an axe to be buried, and gave a belt. "I speak in the name of all Three Nations, and include them in the chain, which we desire may be kept clean and bright like silver. Gives a belt. "We desire that the path may be open for the Indians under Assarigoa's protection, to come safely and freely to this place in order to confirm the peace." Gives six fathoms of wampum. Then the axes we buried in the court-yard, and the Indian threw the earth upon them. Lastly, all the Oneydas, the Onnondagas, and the Cayugas, jointly sang the peace-song with joy, and thanked the Governor of New-York for his effectu mediation with the Governor of Virginia in their favou In the month of August, after the foregoing treaty, the following speech was delivered by the Onnondagas and Cayugas to the two Governors :-- "Brother Corlear, that "Your Sachem (meaning the king) is a great Sachem, and we are but a small people: when the English came in first to Manhattan,* Aragiske,† and to Yakokranogary, they were then but a small people, and we were great; then because we found you a good people, we treated you kindly and gave you land; we hope therefore now that you are great and we small, you will protect us from the French. If you do not we shall lose all our hunting and beavers, the French will our beavers. The reason they are now angry wit because we carry our beaver to our brethren, ia have put our lands and ourselves under the protection of the great Duke of York, the brother of your great Sachem, who is likewise a great Sachem. We have annexed the Susquehana river, which was won with the sword, to their government; and we desire it may be a branch of the great tree that grows in this place; the top of which reaches the sun, and its branches shelter us from the French and all other nations. Our fire burns in your houses, and your fire burns with us; we desire it may be so always. But we will not, that any of the great Penn's people settle upon the Susquehana River, for we have no other land for our children; our young men are soldiers, and when they are provoked they are like wolves in the woods, as you, Sachem Maryland * New York. + Virginia, Virginia, very well know. We have put ourselves under the great Sachem Charles, that lives on the other side the great lake (the Atlantic ocean :) we give these two white dressed deer-skins to send to the great Sachem, that he may write on them and put a great ed seal to them, to confirm what we now do, and put Fe Susquehana river and all the rest of our land under the great Duke of York, and give that land to none else. Our brethren, his people have been like fathers to our wives and children, and have given us bread when we were in need of it; we will not therefore join ourselves or our land to any other government but this. We desire Corlear, our Governor, may send this our proposition to the great Sachem Charles who dwells on the other side the great lake, with this belt of wampum, and this other small belt, to the Duke of York his brother, and we give you Corlear this beaver that you may send over the proposition. CO You great man of Virginia, we let you know that the Penn did speak to us here, in Corlear's house, by Som nts, and desired to buy the Susquehana river of but we would not hearken to him, for we had fastend it to this government. "We desire you therefore to bear witness of what we now do, and that we now confirm what we have done before; let your friend that lives on the other side the great lake, know this, that we being free people, though united to the English, may give our land to the Sachem we like best: we give this beaver to remember what we say." The Sennekas arrived soon after, and on the fifth of August, spoke to Lord Howard in the following manner: "We have heard and understood what mischief hath been done in Virginia; we have it perfect as if it were upon our fingers' ends. O Corlear! we thank you for having been our intercessor, so that the axe has not fallen on us; and you Assarigoa, great Sachem of Virginia, we thank for burying all evil in the pit. We are you informed that the Mohawks, Oneydoes, Onondagas, and VOL. II. L |