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be paid for Certain Lands; who is this Demand against? It cannot
be against the Lord Proprietary, for all the Lands in this province
have been granted him by the Crown; therefore to allow that any
thing is due to the Indians from the proprietary, is declaring, the
Crown granted what it had no Right to: shall we that possess so
much make a Concession of this kind against the Right and Dignity
of the Crown of England? what then follows? The Indians De-
clare, if the money is not Paid they shall do themselves Justice; is
not this a Menace against the Peace and safety of the Province ? and
whose Duty it is to protect the Country against the Threats and In-
sults of an Enemy, Common sense will inform you; Surely the people
themselves are to do it,
But to put this matter in another Light, I am confident, you or any
other Loyal Subject will never insinuate, the Indians have the least
pretence of Right, in Bar of prejudice to his Majesty's, or that his
Lordship holds the Lands under a Defective Title; in which Case
only, he could be obliged to warrant them; for I beleive it was never
before imagined, a Vendor of Land was to protest or Indemnify the
purchaser against a superior fforce or Violence; tho' he may be under
an obligation to do it against a Superior Right: And therefore, since
the Indians have no Right, they can be considered no otherwise than
as French, Spaniards, or other Enemies would be, in Case they should
make Incursions into, and Attack this province: I hope you would
not set up these Distinctions, when Called on to assist, either by Men
or Money, to prevent or oppose any Attempt to disturb this Prov-
ince, in Derogation of the King's Title; and I am at a loss to know,
why the Country should not be as much obliged to provide Money
for the Support of his Majesty's Right and Dominion by a Treaty
of Peace, as by force of Arms,
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L. H. J.
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It is upon the presumption of these Loyal Principles which you so
largely profess on every occasion, that I am thoroughly assured of
your being convinced of the necessity of making good any Sum, that
shall be Stipulated to be paid to the Indians, tho' it should exceed
the 300l Sterling mentioned in your Address of the last Session; and
you may depend on my Care in directing the Commissioners, on
those two necessary points in your Address; That they should use all
imaginable endeavours to prevent the Indians from insisting on a
greater sum than the people can well Spare; and also, to avert the
Consequences which you so justly apprehend from their Resent-
ment; if they should be disappointed.
As to what you mention of allowing the Commissioners their
necessary Travelling Charges only, I am concerned your warmth
has transported you into this unnecessary Declaration; since it may
give Suspicion, you designed by the scantiness and meanness of the
allowance, to discourage a Treaty, and that you rather wished a War
than a Peace with the Indians; but as your former Address not only
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p. 434
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