Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1748. 419

The Death of the Messenger might have proved an heavy
misfortune, had your Assembly and that of Virginia been
sitting, but as Both Houses were in their Recess, and are to
sit again pretty near the same time, the Delay was not of any
Consequence: Our Council indeed on my laying before them
your first Letter imagined this Accident would render it
impracticable to receive Answers in time enough to fulfill the
Engagements they had laid themselves under in their Treaty
with those Indians, and therefore came to a Resolution of
dispatching M^r Weiser with a Present of the Value of One
Thousand Pounds, so as to be at Ohio within the time concluded
upon at his Parting with Schoiady in his return home; but
when I imparted to them yours and the Governor of Virginia's
Letter they altered their Mind, and on consulting with M^r
Weiser, who happened fortunately to be in Town the Day Sir
Goochs Letter came to my hand, they were contented to send
a Message to the Indians, to inform them that the Interpreter
was prevented by some unforeseen publick Business from
coming to see them so early as he had given them Reason to
expect, but that he should hasten up to them as soon as this
Business should be finished, which was hoped would be about
the middle of Summer
How they will take even this Delay I cannot say, they are in
extream Want and by all Informations very numerous, The
French leave nothing unattempted to seduce them from the
English Interest, there are some small French Forts a little to
the West of these Indians, but whether there are any and what
Quantity of Powder and Goods in them to give the Indians I
cannot learn, perhaps they have none or not much and in this
Case those poor Indians, may be necessitated, if they do not
receive supplys soon, to fall upon the Provinces that are near-
est to them to get wherewith to subsist. They receive no
Part of the Presents that are annually made to the Six Nations
by the Governments of New York & Boston, these are all
engrossed by the Mohocks, and the Nations to the Westward
of Ohio, so that there is the greater Reason why the southern
Provinces should take Care of them, as they live upon their
Borders & can by their situation, be an effectual Barrier against
the French
S^r William Gooch by his manner of writing seems to be of
Opinion that Virginia will not send Commissioners, but chuse
to make an Addition to the Present to be sent by M^r Weiser
from hence, and says he would be glad if I had told him what
Sum was expected
But this I have not presumed to do any otherwise than by
relating the Circumstances of these Indians, and that, not so
much for his Information, as for the Satisfaction such Relation

Lib. C. B,