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Lib. C. B.
No. 20
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Lands which they hold in Somerset and Dorchester Counties
by Virtue of Grants from the Lord Proprietary and Sundry
Acts of Assembly which you know are appropriated to their
use on certain Conditions therein mentioned.
Tho' I cannot before the Assembly meets proceed so far as
to make an Absolute Agreement with the Nanticoke and Chop-
tank Indians for their Rights to the several Tracts they occupy
should they be all willing to sell and remove out of the Prov-
ince yet as Sir William Johnson desires I will suffer them to
depart and also permit them to dispose of their Rights. I have
signified to the Indians who are come from Otsiningo that they
may pursue their Journey to Choptank and Nanticoke to meet
and talk with the Indians that live there and also to take them
away if the latter are willing to go but not to use any Compul-
sary Methods.
Presuming that you are acquainted with the Lands held or
claimed by the Nanticoke and Choptank Indians and that
you know the Principal People among them I take the Liberty
to desire you will be present at the Meeting of these Indians
with those who dwell on Choptank and Nanticoke and rather
encourage the latter to accept of the others' Invitation than
discourage them from going, for I have no doubt but the
Assembly when it meets will be inclined to make them some
Compensation for their Right to the Land which on their
relinquishing it is to be at the Assembly's Disposal and suppose
that the Persons who are to succeed to such Land as on the
Indians' Departure will fall to the descendants of the Original
Grantees will not be averse to making them likewise some
Compensation. If therefore you find that all the Indians at
present in Possession are willing to relinquish all their Pre-
tensions and go away I recommend it to you to learn from
them if you can what they would consider as a Satisfaction
for their Right to the several and respective Tracts, I should
be also glad to know the real Value of those Several Tracts
the Quantity contained in each the Improvements thereon, to
what Persons parts thereof are leased and on what Terms. As
it hath been represented to me that some White Persons who
are settled on the Indians' Land have not paid them any Rent
for several Years particularly Mary Crutchet and one Adams
I hope you will take the trouble to make enquiry and if you
find that the Indians have just Cause of Complaint against
those Persons or any others exert yourselves so that the In-
dians may have Justice done them. The Indian called Sam
tells me that they have a Claim to some Land at the head of
Wiccomoco about four Miles below Venable's Mill but that
the English several Years ago took Possession of it without
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