V c o I I . •'‘rvv r t SERIOUS \ CONSIDERATIONS O N T H E Prefent State of the Affairs O F T H E NORTHERN COLONIES. By ARCHIBALD KENNEDY, Efq;' Author of TTje Importance of Gaining and Preferving the Friem^ip of the Indians of the Six Nations, to the British Intereji, confdered, ^ . \ NEW-YORK, Printed:' LONDON, Reprinted for R. Griffiths, at tha Dimeiad, in Pater-nojier Row, . *Jufi Publi/hed, Price is, S OME Account of the "North-America Indians ; their Genius, Chara£iers, Cujloms, and Difpo- fitions towards the French and Englijh Nations. To which are added, JNDIA N M 1 S C E L ANIE S, viz. I. The Speech of a Creek- Indian, againft the immoderate Ufe of Spirituous Liquors, delivered in a National AlTembly of the Creeks, upon the breaking out of the late War. 2. A Lette.r from Tariza, an Indian Maid of the Royal Line of the Mohawks, to the principal Ladies of New-Tork. 3. Indian Songs of Peace, 4. An American FA Collefted by a learned and ingenious Gentleman in .. the Province of Penfylvania, . Viri Ninivita, (sf Regina Aujiri, exfurgent in judicU cum viris hujus gentis, condemnabunt (os, • ——-Nec longum tempus, £3* ingens Exist ad caelum, ramis felicibus, arhos. LONDON, Printed for R. Griffiths, Book- feller, at the Dunciad, in Pater-nojier Row, 1754. SERIOUS I CONSIDERATIONS, &’c. S France has hitherto, by the Means of Great-Britain chiefly, been prevent¬ ed from enflaving the World and Mankind, they are become of Courfe our implacable and moft inveterate Enemies, and of late every where our Competitors in Trade, and, as one of the Links of their grand Syftem, Encroachers upon our Territories ; re- gardlefsof all Faith, Oaths, or Treaties, their na¬ tional Polity being one continued Train of Chicane and Deceit; witnefs, the late audacious Infult of an abandoned Crew of his Majefty’s own Subjcils, inftigated and fupported by that grand Monarch, upon the Liberties of Great-Britain itfelf. Their late Encroachments upon his Majefty^s Rights and Territories, in the Eajt and Weft-Indies^ in Africa^ and in Hudfon's-Bayy with the moft pro¬ voking Circumftances, are fo well known, that I believe I need not mention them. And now they feem avowedly, and with much Aflfurance, to open the fame Ihameful Scene upon this Continent, which they have indeed been long praftifing under¬ hand. Thus by Syftem they are become the Di- fturbers of the Peace of Mankind, and worfe than a Peft, for there is no End of it to every conti¬ guous Society j we are not the only Objedts of their Refentment. A 2 That [ 4 ] . That vaft Sums have been expended upon their royal Geographers, and Hydrographers, in Order that their Maps and Sea-Charts may quadrate with their political Syftem of Encroachments upon the Territories of other Nations, is apparent to the whole World *, and thus by eftabliihing their ima¬ ginary Rights by Pen and Ink, they are determined ^0 confirm their Accuracy by a forcible Poffeflipn. Another Piece of Finefle, or French Policy, is that of burying Leaden Plates up and down this Conti¬ nent, with certain Infcriptions, in order to form new Pretenfions *, but in this, I am told, they were difeovered by fome of our Indians, who, tho* not pleafed, were diverted with the Whim, as I am confident the World mull be with their other Pro¬ ject, being equally ridiculous. What Figure we are like to make in this Difpute; we, I fay, who are fo nearly concerned in the Event, and who muft become in all Probability, the firft Sacrifice; we, to whom, in a great Meafure, all this Impertinence is owing, who by an ill-judged Frugality meanly neglefted the preventing their firft Intrufions at Crown-Point, and that important Pafs at Niagara, and fome more of the like Kind, together with a total Negleft of Indian Affairs, I fhall not take upon me to determine; nor lhall I enter into a Difeuflion of the Reafons of that Neglecft, or to whom owing, at this Time ; this is not the Time to retrofpe6t, we muft now look forward. Our Cafe at prefent is neither more nor lefs than this, viz. That the French are now drawing a Line along the Bor¬ ders of our Settlements in every Province, from the Mouth of St. Lawrence, to the Mouth of MiJJi- Jippi, and building Forts to fecure the moft conve¬ nient PaflTes on the Lakes, that form the Communi¬ cation; by which they will effcdlually cut off all Intercourfe and TrafRck, between us and the In¬ dians [ 5 ] dians inhabiting the inland Countries j and likewifc compel thofe who are Neighbours and Allies, by reafon of the abfolute Dependance they muft have on the French for every Thing they want, as well as for their Liberty of Hunting and Filhing, to fall under their Subjedion, or ftarve. It therefore be- hoveth us at this Time to exert our utmoft En¬ deavours, by all the Means in our Power, to pre¬ vent fo bad a Neighbourhood. It- is a Maxim in England, to avoid, if poflible, the Neighbour¬ hood of a great Lord ; by the fame Parity of Reafon, what ought we then not to do, to avoid that of an ambitious, all-grafping Monarch, whofe Will, often the Caprice of a Mifs, or a Fovourite, is the Law ; For fuch is our Plsajure, is their whole Corpus Juris. One great Step, if not the greateft to this grand Monarch’s univerfal Syftem, is that of being pofleffed of this Northern Continent of America, a Territory boundlefsas is his Ambition: In which he has made not a little Progrefs. The vaft Anxiety the Court and Kingdom of France were under on the Lofs of Cape-Breton, efteemed the Key and Dunkirk of JSorth America, and which I doubt will be equally baneful to us as ever the other was to Britain, together with other numerous Circumftances, and indeed from every Step taken, may convince us, that the Plan for ex¬ tirpating the Subjeds of Great-Britain out of Ame^ rica, has been long in Agitation-, the French lay their Plans of this Kind at a Diftance, but feldom lofe the Point in View. They have for many Years been indefatigable In their Endeavours to feduce our Indians 5 we on the other Side, have been as indolent as they could wifh; and if ever they fucceed in this Point effec¬ tually, they will have little elfe to do. [ 6 ] Regular Troops are of little Ufe here, further than to fight from behind Walls; it is by Means of the Indians^ and by them only, that any Stop can be put to thofe wicked Encroachments. And this is as yet very far from being either impoflible or im-'' pradicable, if all Hands fet heartily about it j the very French themfelves openly upbraid us with our Indolence and Divifions, which they acknowledge to be their greateft Security. It is evident therefore I think to a Demonftration, that if we continue to neglect our Indians much longer, or, if this Plan of a Congrefs for a Confederacy Aould prove abor¬ tive through the Caprice of any Man, or Number of Men, or by any ill-judged Frugality, that we may from thence date the Commencement of the Diflblution and Deftrudlibn of thefe Colonics: As for my own Part I fincerely believe the Indians will go off in a Body, and in that Cafe we lhall moft certainly be the firft undone, Great-Britain will fuffer, and all Europe will fooner or later feel the Effects of it. Thofe therefore, who are more immediately concerned, and with whom we have entrufted the Security of our Lives and Fortunes, have not a little to anfwer for to the prefent Gene¬ ration, as well as to thofe who are to come after us, for their Conduft upon this critical Occafion. Let us for once fuppofe the French., by their Fortifications and Lines of Communication, abfo- lutely Matters, either by Force, or Friendfhip of the Indians ; how eafy a Matter would it be for them, with a fmall naval Force, to put us between two Fires? A fmall Force of regular Troops to at¬ tack Albany, and New-Tork, at the fame Time, while their Blood-hounds are burning and maf- facring our Out-fettlements, is, in my humble Opi¬ nion, the Plan laid, and which they will put in Ex¬ ecution fooner or latter, according as they become Matters t7 I Matters of the Indians ; and what a Cataftrophc will this create! Where is now that Champion of our Liberties, who fo worthily exerted himfelf in the Cafes of Rotten-Row^ and rotten black Gowns? Let him now ftand forth, our All being at Stake, and difplay his Eloquence } a Philippic or two; for never wer? Cafes more parallel than that of Greece and ours, when Demoftbenes, by his powerful Eloquence, raifed fuch a Spirit of Liberty in his Countrymen the A- tbeniansy ready to fink, and upon the Brink of De- ftrudlion, as faved his Country ; a few Philippics, I fay, in that Gentleman’s perfwafive Manner, (I am ferious) might have wonderful Effectts, and eternize his Memory. And the Cafes being fo much alike, the fame Reafbning, with a very few mutatis mu¬ tandis, will hold; v/e moft certainly want the Alfitt^ ance of our beft Heads and Hands, to infufe fome publick Spirit amongtt us, and to raife us out of our prefent Lethargy. Let us not, however, defpair, we are not yet paft Redemption ; we have Hands, and I hope Hearts enough, if properly employed, to recover all our patt Lapfes and falfe Steps. But, as a worthy Patriot upon the like Occafion obferves, this mutt indeed be very burthenfome ; for if the greateft State in Eu¬ rope animated by the Profpedt of unlverfal Domi* nion, enabled by*the abfolute Power of its Govern¬ ment to draw every Shilling out of private Purfe^ into the publick Purfe; and alTifted by the perfonal Service of all its People, through the national Va¬ nity, and martial Habit of the Country ; if fuch a State will prefs the Ruin of its Neighbours with an obttinate Expence of all its Blood, and all its Trea- fure, no Man can think it is an eafy Talk to re¬ duce or refill a Power which lhall adl this Part: But you are to confider, fays he, not fo much the Diffi- Diffiulties you mufl: now encounter to defend your- felves, in this Conjynfture, as the certain Impofli- bility of your ever being able to do it again in any other, if you lofe the prefent Opportunity. I fhall only therefore beg Leave to lay as to the State of our Affairs, the Fad is this, that fuch is the Power, fuch the Ambition, fuch the deftrudive Plan laid down by France ; a Plan to divide and cnflavc the World ; a Plan purfued with the utmoft Obftii nacy through every Difficulty for above a Century part. So far my Author; how juftly applicable to the prefent Situation of our Affairs, judge O Reader! But as pointing out thefe impending Evils, with¬ out offering, or attempting. to offer,- a Remedy, is a Pradice too common, and is only doing Things by Halves, I lhall beg Leave with much Sub- miffion, to offer fuch Hints as have occurred to me from long Obfervation j which I hope fome abler Hand will take up and improve with Candour, to which I invite them, nay, I challenge it, as they will anfwer the Contrary to their God, their King, their Country, and Pofterity. That we have loft, in a great Meafure, all that fincere Friendlhip and Attachment which did once fubfift between us and our Indians (upon which, from the Malevolence of a wicked Neighbourhood, our Being, in this Part of the World, chiefly de- |)ends) is notorious to the World ; by what, or by whofe Means, as before, I lhall not take upon me to difcufs ; the Talk is inviduous. I lhall only beg Leave to obferve, that the injurious and villainous. Treatment they have met with for thefe many Years, in their Way of Trade, and that with¬ out Redrefs, together with the proper Ufe our im¬ placable Enemies have made of it, who, by all Ac¬ counts, however they may‘treat their Indians' in • other [ 9 ] Other Matters, in that of Traffick they are always honeftly and juftly dealt by, are the Sources of our Misfortunes. Now in order to regain their Affec¬ tions and Friendfhip effcdually, it will be neceffary, in my humble Opinion, in the firft Place, to eftablifh fome good and fufficient Laws for the Regulation of their Trade, and for fummary and fevere Juftice in Cafe of Abufes ; Under the Government of Bo- Jion, they have feveral, which appear to me very reafonable, and may be improved; one I fhall here beg Leave to infert; it is but fhort. Bv an A6t of the lath of Geo. it is enabled. That ProviJionSj Cloathing, &cc. fuitable for carrying on a Trade with the Indians, not exceeding tloe Value of Nine Thoufand Pounds, be procured at the Coji of the Province^ and the Produce applied for fupply- ing the Indians, by fuih Perfom as Jhall be annually chofen, &c. who Jhall annually produce fair Ac^ counts of their Proceedings j which Supplies Jhall be lodged at, &CQ. That a fuitable P erf on Jhall be cho^ fen annually at each of the Places where any of the Coeds are lodged •, which Truck majlers Jhall be under Oath, and give fufficient Security for the faithful Execution of that Pruji, and fuch Injlrublions as they fhall receive from Time to Time ; and fhall keep fair Accounts of their Trade and Dealings with the In¬ dians, and fhall return the fame, with tbe Produce, to the Perfon or Perfons who Jhall be appointed to fupply them with Goods -, and they Jhall not trade with Indians, on their own Account. That the Truck- majlers fell to the Indians at the Prices fet in the Invoices fent them from Time to Time, without any Ad¬ vance thereon ; and Jhall allow the Indians for their Furs, and their Goods, as the Market foall be at Bofton, according to the lajt Advices from tbe Perfon er Perfons that pall fupply them with the fame Com¬ modities of equal Goodnefs: Rum to be given to the B Indians C >0 3 Indians i« maeme hy mh: No Perfon wbatfoever, other than the Truck- ntajlers, and they only as fuch, fiall or may prefume, bythemfekes, or any other for them, direSly or ind^ rebfly, to fell, truck, barter, or exchange to any Indian or Indians, any IVares, mrchandtze, or Provifions, within ftx Miles of any Truck-boufe, on Penalty of forfeiting Fifty Pounds, or ftx Months Jmprifonment, &c. , . , ,, Some good Laws of this Kind would go a Way to anfwer all our Purpofes, if duly executed* The French often treat the Indians a la Cavalier, and threaten to cut them off, if they do not join with them in their Excurfions ; and they will be as good as their Words, fo foon as they have com- pleatcd their Schehies. Of this the Indians are not without their Apprehenfions, and therefore have ftill a Hankering or Leaning towards our Intereft, which, if properly managed, will (bon reconcile them 5 they are far from being infenfible that it is their In¬ tereft to be on our Side, or that they can at any Time, or any where, be fo well fupplied. They are at this Time upon the Balance, between Hopes and Fears, and if we do not now fix them, 1 be¬ lieve we may bid them fairly adieu ! What lefs can we expedt from them? W^e, who have been cheating and abufing them for fo many Years, without Re- drefs, in a moft abominable Manner, of which take the following Specimen: Without affording them the leaft Affiftancein any Shape, befides that of a few Prefents from Time to Time, which in Reality are of no Manner of Ufe to them, being divided at Albany, the far greater Parc remains with thofe confeientious Handlers there, for Rum ; fo that the Caftles know little more of the Matter than that there was a Prefent made, Thefc however arc but but Palliatives, there muft be fotnething more fub- llantial in the Cafe. Having, as above, made proper Regulations for the Trade, and that they may be no longer fb unmercifully im.pofed upon, both in Weight and Meafure, as well as in Quality and Prices, which has almoft alienated their Hearts from us j the next Step that I would advife fliould be taken, is, that of credting proper Fortifications in or near every one of the Indian Caftles, with a Garrifon of about 15 or 20 Men in each, with an approved Serjeant, two or three of which may be Smiths, in double Pay, with a few Field Pieces, Spare Arms, Snow- Shoes (with which the French are always provided) fmall Hatchets, and fome Dogs of a proper Kind, to prevent Surprizes in the Night. This, 1 doubt not, the Indians would readily come into, as it would greatly encourage their Hunting, as well as their War Parties, and as it would be a Security for their old Men, Women, aijd Children, and a fafe Retreat for themfelves up¬ on all Occafions; without fuch Security, they are impatient when Abroad, and feldom care to go far; befides the Lofs of Numbers to the Service, upon any Emergency, who are detained at Home for that Purpofe. Thefc Forts might at the fame Time anfwer all the Purpofes of Truck or Trading- houfes, to be divided by Lot amongft the contri¬ buting Colonies as far as they will go ; and which, if properly ftored with Indian Goods, and regulated according to the Method in New-England^ would very foon create fuch an Intercourfe and Connexion between the 'remote Indian Nations and ours, as would turn out greatly to our Adv^antage. One fingle independent Company would garrifon the Whole; and what a Trifle of a Charge would this be, in Comparifon to the Advantages we might B 2 hope [ 12 ] hope for, and expecl from it; and indeed it is ony humble Opinion, that nothing lefs will effedually lecurc our Intereft and Friendfhip with the IvididnSt As it is agreed on all Hands, that a good ftrong Fort ought to be ereded at or near the Wood Creeks in Order to counter-balance that of Crown Point, I ftiall make no Doubt but that thofe who are entruft- cd with the Care of our Security, will foon fee that Part (as well as every other) of their Duty put in Execution, and I make as little Doubt but that his Majefty, upon a proper Application, would, out of his wonted Goodnefs, favour us with an indepen¬ dent Company of Highlanders ; there feems to be fo much Affinity both in their Difpofition and Drefs, (which I would have compleat Highland) with that of our Indians, that I am confident they would be highly pfeafed with them, and I doubt not, have a very good Effe when they found they could not have them among the French, It is likewife faid, if they had them not from us, they would find them elfewhere. To which I beg Leave to fay, That the French know their Intereil too well to trufl an Affair of that Confequence fo long to fo precarious a Method of procuring them, as it is in cur Power every Day to put a Stop to it: I therefore conclude, if they could have fallen upon any orher Method of pro¬ curing thofe Commodities, they would have done it long ago, and have kept their Furs to themfelves. Our felling our Indian Goods to the French, to trade for us with the Indians, and having in Return their coarfeft Furs, is, in my humble Opinion, not lefs ridiculous than that of our formerly fending our Wheat to Soft on, and having our Returns in Bran and fome Flour. Befides, what is of the utmofl Confequence to us, is, that the Cachawagas, our old Friends, and their bed Indians, whom, coute quiH coute, cod what it will, we ought to recover, are the foie Carriers and Managers in this Affair be¬ tween Canada and Albany, which has created fuch a Connedlion between them and the French, that till this Trade is abolifbed, it will be impolfible to ac- complifh. B a Nor. r 20 ] Nor can I conceive the Remedy very difficulty as it may very naturally be brought within the Let¬ ter of the Twelfth of Charles II. which de¬ clares, ^hat no Perforiy not horn ‘isrtihin the Alle¬ giance of our Sovereign Lord the King, See. Jhall trade in any of the Plantations, upn Pain of fo)fciting all his Goods and Chattels, See. A Law, however, here, perhaps, might anfwer better. I have but one Thing more to add, and that witb great Submiffion, is a Point that haS 'fibt been as yet canvaffed, viz. That a general Combination of all the Indians, far and near, be formed, todemo- liffi every Spot of fortified Ground in the Indian Countries on this Side Montreal, and the other Side of Schenellady, at leafl that they be brought to One determinate Number, never to be exceeded. By this Means the Trade will ever be kept open; nor need we apprehend further Encroachments. The French, I doubt, are too well fixed to come into any fuch Propofal ; but it will have one good Effiedt at leaft, and that is, that it will convince the Indians that we have no other Views but their Intereft; while the French are endeavouring their Deflrudfioti, by cutting them off from all Communication with us, to be IVIaflers of their Hunting-grounds, and of Courfe they muft either become their Slaves or ftarve. How foon this may happen, God, and that great Monarch, can only tell: I am not, however, without Apprehenfions, you may, if you pleafe, call them Dreams, that the French are upon a Plan different, and a Crifis much nearer, I doubt, than what we imagine. I can by no Means think that they, who are noted for their Frugality, would at this Time put themfelves to the Charge of raifing an Army of 4 or 5000 Men, for the Sake of a pal¬ try Block-houfc or two upon a'Branch of the Ohio, or any where elfe, which they might have done as ef- feftually with twenty Men, and without arty Noife, accord- [ 21 ] according to their ufual Method, in Matters of thlaf Kind. 1 am further confirmed in my Opinion, that thofe Block-houfes are not the foie Point which the Frtnch have in View, from the Sentiments of our AlVembly in a late Reprefentation to our Lieute¬ nant-Governor, in thele Words, That the French have built a Fort at a Place called the French Creek, at a conftderable Dijlance from the River Ohio; vchich may^ but does not^ by an Evidence or In* Jormation^ appear to us to be^ an Invajton of any of his Majefiy's Colonies: This is roundly afferted, but as it in fome Meafure confirms my Opinion, I fhall leave it to whom rt more immediately con¬ cerns to difcufs, hoping at the fame Time that our Enemies may not make an improper Ufe of it. Those Btock^houfcs therefore, I fay, are not, in rny humble .Opinion, their foie Defigns at prefent, they are rather imitating, as I conceive, thofe fa- gacious little Animals, who, in order to divert your Attention from the proper Objed:, their little Habi¬ tations, gently lead you to a proper Diftance,. till they think themfel ves fecure j and may not this be all Grimace, and a Feint, to draw our Attention and Troops from thFir proper Objeid, our Fron¬ tiers? to V;it^ What could be meant by a Num¬ ber of Troops palling Ofvoego in one Day, and re¬ turning in the Night, and the next Day pafllng again by the Fort ? This is a very uncommon Piece of Condud, and can mean nothing lefs than to draw our Attention and Troops after them into a Wild-goofe Chafe, with the View to make a Di- "verfion fomewhere elfe. What can they mean by declaring that they do not want the Afliftance of the Indians^ but to lull them into a Neutrality till they ftrike the Blow ? If one may be allowed to form any Judgment at this Diftance, of the Situation of our Publick Affairs at Home, a Rupture does not feem to be at fo im- menfe a Diftance, but that a Monfieur Danville^ or even [ 22 ] even that little Squadron, deftined to chaftife the Algerinesy may bring us the firfl: Account of it. And how foon are thofe Thoufands upon the Back of us, now under Arms, colledled at Albany, with their Indians ? Judge now, candid Reader, what a Situation we are in for fuch an Event. And whom have we to thank for it? Without an Indian, with¬ out a Fort, that can with any Propriety be called fo; without Ammunition, without Arms, without Moneys and I doubt (from the indifferent Treat¬ ment thofe Creditors of the Government have hi¬ therto met with) without Credit. And fhould we want the Affiftance of our Neighbours, we have but juft fliewn a very bad Example. Such is our Situation: And if fuch an Event fhould happen, I fee nothing left, but to pray to the Lord to have Mercy upon us. What a Fatality feems to attend the Proceed¬ ings of a Neighbour Colony, who at this very cri¬ tical Point of Time treat the Decrees of Heaven, and the King, with great Contempt! They have the fame Diredions as the other Colonies have, to furnifti their Quota’s, and attend their Congrefs at Albany, for the Prefervation of the Whole; but becaufe Providence has been pleafed to lay its Hand upon that worthy Gentleman the Governor, fo as to difable him from attending the Affembly at Amboy, they are pleafed to tell him, When he is •well enough to attend them theve, they •will then conjider •what is to be done ; in the mean Time their Quota’s and the Congrefs is evaded: What, for God’s Sake, muft be the Confequence of fuch Proceedings, when our All is at Stake ? Will that trite Tale of. We your Alajejly^s \moJl loyal Suhjedis, &c. proted them from his Majefty’s Difpleafure? Or do they truft to the Rioters to proted them, either from . that or the Enemy? Muft a whole People fuffer for the Caprice of a few Affembly- men? Caprice I • call it, and have too much Reafon to call it fo, and [ 23 ] and fhall ever think it fuch, till they are pleafed t