[D. Wolstenholme and J. Ridout to Sharpe.]
To His Excellency Horatio Sharpe Esqr Lieutenant Governor
and Commander in Chief of the Province of Maryland.
Sir
Agreeable to the Instructions which We had the Honour to
receive from your Excellency the 17th Instant, We proceeded
the same Day towards Fort Frederick and reached that place
on the 19th in the Afternoon, We were met about nine miles
beyond Conegochiege by a party of the Cherokee Indians who
escorted us to the Fort and when We came near the Gate
drew up in a Rank and Saluted us. Wahachey their Chief
then invited us to Smoak a Pipe with him and some of the
Warriors that were in greatest esteem On our Accepting his
Invitation he bad us Welcome and expressed great Satisfaction
at our Arrival, he afterwards enquired how long We had
been on the Road and what the Distance was between Fort
Frederick and the place where the Governor resided. When
we informed them that We had performed the Journey In three
Days they seemed to be surprized that they had not received
an answer to their message sooner and observed that many
Days had elapsed since your Excellency must have received it.
We told them that when they sent their message you happened
to be far from home, and that you had been obliged after your
return home to send to distant Parts of the Province for a
Quantity of Goods to make them a present of, by reason that
a proper assortment was not to be had in Annapolis nor in any
one part of the Province; with this answer they seemed to be
well satisfied and only asked whether the Goods were yet
collected and brought up. We told them that they may be
expected in a Day or two and that wenever they came We
should immediately advise them thereof. The Chief after-
wards asked some questions about the Treaty which he said
he had heard the Governor of Pensilvania was then holding
with the Shawanesse & Delawares at Lancaster, and expressed
a good deal of Surprize at the Pensilvanians treating as
Friends and making presents to a People with whom they
were at open War, by whom they had been so cruely used, and
against whom the English had been and were still Solliciting
their (the Cherokees) assistance. Finding that what had been
dropt about that Treaty had made an ill Impression on their
Minds We intimated that the affair had been misrepresented
to them, for that none but some of the six nations and of Cer-
tain Tribes of the Shawanese & Delawares who were in
Amity with the English and who disapproved of the others'
Conduct were come to the Treaty of which they had heard.
The Chief soon after ordered some of their young Men to
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