418 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.

Letter Bk.III

[Sharpe to Sir William Johnson.]

To Sir William Johnson. Annapolis the 20^th of August 1767
Sir
The Letter you were pleased to write to Me the I^st of May
last having been presented a few Weeks ago by eleven
Indians from Otsiningo who were conducted hither by M^r
Ogden being on their Way to Dorchester Somerset & Wor-
cester Counties in this Province where all the Indians remain-
ing among us reside, I not only gave Orders for their being
treated with kindness & furnished with provisions as they
should pass & repass thro the Province but also made them a
Present of some Cloaths they appeared to be in Want of &
recommended it to some Gentlemen who I apprehended had
some Influence with our Indians to encourage them to accept
the Invitations those Ambassadors came to give them, but as
the Lands our Indians possess are confirmed to them by Acts
of Assembly to be held so long as any of them shall choose to
reside on them & then to revert some of them to original
Patentees others to the Lord Proprietary & the Residue to be
at the Disposal of the General Assembly I could not take
upon me to enter into any Treaty with those Indians about
the Sale of their Right to the Lands they occupy at present in
this Province it being necessary that the Affair should be
referred to the Assembly & that the Acts by Virtue of which
the Indians here now hold their Land should be repealed
previous to their offering it for Sale ; if upon their Return
they should represent to you that their Bretheren here are
willing to relinquish their Land & to go back to Otsiningo &
you should thereupon think fit to impower M^r Ogden or some
other Person on their behalf to come hither about the Middle
of October next when our Assembly will be sitting & to make
an Agreement about the Sale of their Land you may be
assured I will recommend it to the Assembly to give them a
reasonable Compensation for their Right to the Land & in
case They shall one & all be willing to relinquish should they
sell to whom pray is the purchase Money to be paid or how
divided among them, will any besides those who actually
reside in the Province at this time set up pretensions to it or
may it all be paid to them, I should be glad to know your
Sentiments with regard to those particulars & what Measures
you apprehend will be most satisfactory to them.