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them and expect them by the beginning of next month, they
are pressing for my being there by that time in a manner
almost peremptory. " they say there are many reports to the
prejudice of the English coming daily to them from all Quar-
ters, which produce a great deal of uneasiness, and that nothing
but my coming up will put things on a footing of Tranquility
that they look upon a General Meeting of the Six Nations and
their Allies to be absolutely necessary at this critical luncture,
I am therefore preparing for the lourney so as to be there in
time, All the Mohawks of both Castles say they will go with
me, and have desired their Forts may be reinforced during
their absence, and say that this part of the Country will lye very
much exposed to the Enemy, and are afraid some Attack will
be made upon it, I have communicated this request and opinion
to General Shirley. By the aforesaid Messengers the Onon-
dagas have sent me the following Message, Tell our Brother
Warraghigagay that since we took the Hatchet from the
Shawones and Delaware Indians they have told us that there
is an Army of the English coming against them, and that they
think it unreasonable and unnatural for us to hold them in our
Arms, and prevent their defending themselves when People
were just at their backs to destroy them. We are informed
the English are Building a Fort at Shamokin, we can't com-
prehend the method of making War, which is made use of by
our Brethren the English, when we go to War our manner is
to destroy a Nation & there is an end of it
The English chiefly regard Building Forts, which looks as if
their only scheme was to take Poscession of the Lands.
Thus Sir I have given you all the Indian Intelligence I am
Master of. From the sudden Change and Resolution of Iohn-
sons going to Onondago, my meeting the Indians is like to be
suspended, unless my Express gets time enough to alter their
Measures, if it should 1 shall acquaint you, and you will Judge
it right to have Deputies there.
The Army referred to in the Message from the Onondagas
must mean Collo Clapham with your Forces, which when
explaind to them by Johnson, will clar up that matter, and
remove any suspicions they may have taken of being hurt by
them; I have frequently wrote to Johnson to get the Dela-
wares to Explain what they meant by insisting on your deliver-
ing up of all Prisoners as a Preliminary to Peace, and find they
had taken up a notion that all the River Indians settled in this
Colony and New Jersey were held as Prisoners, but when they
are undeceivd, and find those Indians are all or most of them,
gone to settle with the Mohawks, I hope it will give a good
turn in their disposition to us.
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