Great Britain. Board of Trade

“ In October 1768, at a congress held with the Six Nations at Fort Stanwix, they observed to Sir William Johnson: "Now, brother, you who know all our affairs, must be sensible, that our rights go much farther to the Southward than the Kenhawa,—and that we have a very good and clear title as far South as the Cherokee River, which we cannot allow to be the right of any other Indians, without doing wrong to our posterity, and acting unworthy those warriors who fought and conquered it;—we therefore expect this our right will be considered." ”

“ The King, whose generosity and forgiveness you have already experienced, being very desirous to put a final end to disputes between his people and you concerning lands, and to do you strict justice, has fallen upon the plan of a boundary between our provinces and the Indians (which no white man shall dare to invade) as the best and surest method of ending such like disputes, and securing your property to you, beyond a possibility of disturbance. ”

“ My Lords, I hope I shall not be thought impertinent, when I give my opinion freely, in a matter of so great consequence, as I conceive this to be; and, my Lords, I apprehend, that in all the American colonies, great care should be taken, that the lands on the sea-coast, [28] should be thick settled with inhabitants, and well cultivated and improved; and that the settlements should be gradually extended back into the province, and as much connected as possible, to keep the people together in as narrow a compass as the nature of the lands, and state of things will admit of ”

“ The only use of new settlements in North America, is for the people in the Northern and other colonies, who want lands to make staple commodities for Britain, to remove to them: but none will ever go to Florida, or thrive in it, more than they have done in Carolina and Georgia. ”

“ Can it be consistent with the wisdom and policy of the greatest naval and commercial nation in the world, to depend wholly on foreigners for the supply of an article, in which is included the very existence of her navy and commerce? ”

“ The great object of colonizing upon the continent of North America, has been to improve and extend the commerce, navigation, and manufactures of this kingdom, upon which its strength and security depend. ”

“ It may be a question likewise, whether colonization of the kind could be effected without an Indian war, and fighting for every inch of ground. The Indians have long been jealous of our power, and have no patience in seeing us approach their towns, and settle up on their hunting grounds; atonements may be made for a fraud discovered in a trader, and even the murder of some of their tribes, but encroachments upon their lands have often produced serious consequences. The springs of the last general war are to be discovered near the Allegany mountains, and upon the banks of the Ohio. ”

“ We admit as an undeniable principle [17] of true policy, that with a view to prevent manufactures, it is necessary and proper to open an extent of territory for colonization proportioned to the increase of people, as a large number of inhabitants, cooped up in narrow limits, without a sufficiency of land for produce, would be compell'd to convert their attention and industry to manufactures ”

“ The lower provinces are still thinly inhabited, and not brought to the point of perfection that has been aimed at for the mutual benefit of Great Britain and themselves. Although America may supply the mother country with many articles, few of them are yet supplied in quantities equal to [23] her consumption, the quantity of iron transported is not great, of hemp very small, and there are many other commodities not necessary to enumerate, which America has not yet been able to raise, notwithstanding the encouragement given her by bounties and premiums. ”

“ It is plain therefore, that the proclamation of October 1763 was not designed, as the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations have suggested, to signify the policy of this kingdom, against settlements over the Allegany mountains, after the King had actually purchased the territory; and that the true reasons for purchasing the lands comprized within that boundary, were to avoid an Indian rupture, and give an opportunity to the King's subjects, quietly and lawfully to settle thereon. ”

“ As you have always told us, you have laws to govern your people by,—but we do not see that you have; therefore, brethren, unless you can fall upon some method of governing your people, who live between the great mountains and the Ohio river, and who are very numerous, it will be out of the Indians' power to govern their young men ”

“ Whereas we have taken into our royal consideration the extensive and valuable acquisitions in America, secured to our crown by the late definitive treaty of peace concluded at Paris the 10th day of February last; and being desirous that all our loving subjects, as well of our kingdoms as of our colonies in America, may avail themselves, with all convenient speed, of the great benefits and advantages which must accrue therefrom to their commerce, manufactures, and navigation ”

“ VII. "As to increasing the settlements to respectable provinces, and to colonization in general terms in the remote countries, I conceive it altogether inconsistent with sound policy; for there is little appearance that the advantages will arise from it which nations expect when they send out colonies into foreign countries; they can give no encouragement to the fishery, and though the country might afford some kind of naval stores, the distance would be too far to transport them; and for the same reason they could not supply the sugar islands with lumber and provisions. ”

“ We desire you to give the greatest attention to what we now tell you; as it comes from our hearts, and a desire we have to live in peace and friendship with our brethren the English, and therefore it grieves us to see some of the nations about us and your people ready to strike each other. ”

“ At the same time I am to acquaint you, that whenever the whole is settled, and that it shall appear you have so far consulted the increasing state of our people, as to make any convenient cessions of ground where it is most wanted, that then you will receive a considerable present in return for your friendship. ”

“ Our manufactures are as much desired by the Indians, as their peltry is sought for by us; what was originally deemed a superfluity, or a luxury by the natives, is now become a necessary; they are disused to the bow, and can neither hunt, or make war without fire-arms, powder, and lead. The British provinces can only supply them with their necessaries, which they know, and for their own sakes would protect the trader, which they actually do at present. ”

“ I do not apprehend the inhabitants could have any commodities to barter for manufactures except skins and furs, which will naturally decrease as the country increases in people, and the desarts are cultivated; so that in the course of a few years necessity would force them to provide manufactures of some kind for [22] themselves; and when all connection upheld by commerce with the mother country shall cease, it may be expected, that an independancy on her government will soon follow; the pretence of forming barriers will have no end; wherever we settle, however remote, there must be a frontier ”

“ We find your people are very fond of our rich land;—we see them quarrelling with each other every day about land, and burning one another's houses, so that we do not know how soon they may come over the river Ohio, and drive us from our villages ”

“ And this matter, my Lords, appears to me, in a very serious and alarming light; and I humbly conceive may be attended with the greatest and worst of consequences; for, my Lords, if a vast territory be granted to any set of gentlemen, who really mean to people it, and actually do so, it must draw and carry out a great number of people from [27] Great Britain; and I apprehend they will soon become a kind of separate and independent people, and who will set up for themselves; that they will soon have manufactures of their own ”

“ If we reflect how the people of themselves have gradually retired from the coast, we shall be convinced they want no encouragement to desert sea coasts, and go into the back countries, where the lands are better, and got upon easier terms; they are already almost out of the reach of law and government; neither the endeavours of government, or fear of Indians, has kept them properly within bounds ”

“ The laying open new tracts of fertile territory in moderate climates might lessen her present produce; for it is the passion of every man to be a landholder, and the people have a natural disposition to rove in search of good lands, however distant. ”

“ Of such infinite consequence to Britain is the production of staples in her colonies, that were all the people of the Northern settlements, and all of the tobacco ones (except those actually employed in raising tobacco) now spread over those parts of our territories to the Southward and Westward, and consequently employed in the same manner as the few are who do reside therein, Britain, in such a case, would export to the amount of above nine millions more in manufactures, &c. ”

“ Nature has pointed out to us, where any quantity of hemp can be soon and easily raised, and by that means, not only a large amount of specie may be retained yearly in this kingdom, but our own subjects can be employed most advantageously, and paid in the manufactures of this kingdom. ”

“ The inhabitants of Montpelier might as soon and as easily be persuaded to remove to the Northern parts of Russia, or to Senegal.—In short, it is contending with Nature, and the experience of all ages, to attempt to compel a people, born and living in a temperate climate, and in the neighbourhood of a rich, healthful, and uncultivated country, to travel several hundred miles to a sea port in order to make a voyage to sea; and settle either in extreme hot or cold latitudes. ”

“ And, in confirmation of this right of the Six Nations to the country on the Ohio, as mentioned by the King's Ministers, in their memorial to the Duke of Mirepoix in 1755, we would just remark, that the Six Nations, Shawanesse and Delawares, were in the actual occupation of the lands Southward of the Great Kenhawa for some time after the French had encroached up on the river Ohio ”

“ That all the king's subjects, who are not less than five thousand families, who have made locations and settlements on the lands, southward of, and adjoining to the southern line of Pennsylvania, live there, without any degree of order, law, or government: That being in this lawless situation, continual quarrels prevail among them: That they have already infringed the boundary line, killed several Indians, and encroached on the lands, on the opposite side of the Ohio ”

“ In consequence of these associations, upwards of ten thousand souls have passed from those colonies into Novia Scotia; who have either engaged in the fisheries, or become exporters of lumber and provisions to the West Indies. And further settlements, to the extent of twenty-one townships, of one hundred thousand acres each, have been engaged to be made there, by many of the principal persons in Pennsylvania, whose names and association for that purpose now lie before your Majesty in council. ”

“ As to the protection which it is supposed these new colonies may be capable of affording to the old ones, it will, in our opinion, appear on the slightest view of their situation, that so far from affording protection to the old colonies, they will stand most in need of it themselves. ”

“ If it is considered that this rate of carriage was in time of war, and when there were no inhabitants on the Ohio, we cannot doubt but every intelligent mind will be satisfied, that it is now much less than is daily paid in London for the carriage of coarse woollens, cutlery, iron ware, &c. ”

“ Unprejudiced men well know, that all the penal and prohibitory laws that ever were thought of, will not be sufficient to prevent manufactures in a country whose inhabitants surpass the number that can subsist by the by the husbandry of it ”

“ It is on those high, dry, and healthy lands, that vineyards would be cultivated to the best advantage, as many of those hills contain quarries of stone, and not in the low, unhealthy sea coasts of our present colonies. ”

“ It is so obvious, that settlers might raise provisions to feed the troops cheaper than it can be transported from the [24] country below, that it is not necessary to explain it; but I must own I know no other use in settlements, or can give any other reason for supporting forts, than to protect the settlements, and keep the settlers in subjection to government. ”

“ In order to answer these salutary purposes, it has been the policy of this kingdom to confine her settlements as much as possible to the sea coast, and not to extend them to places inaccessible to shipping, and consequently more out of the reach of commerce ”

“ And we do further strictly enjoin and require all persons whatever, who have either wilfully or inadvertently seated themselves upon any lands within the countries above described, or upon any other lands, which not having being ceded to, or purchased by us, are still reserved to the Indians as aforesaid, forthwith to remove themselves from such settlements. ”