The Minutes of a treaty held at Easton, in Pennsylvania, in October, 1758. By the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, and the governor of New-Jersey; with the chief sachems and warriors of the Mohawks, Oneydos, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas, Tuscaroras, Tuteloes, Nanticokes and Conoys, Chugnuts, Delawares, Unamies, Mohickons, Minisinks, and Wapings.

At a Conference with the Indians, on the 16th of October, 1758.

PRESENT, The Governors and Gentlemen of their Council, &c.

The Minutes of the preceding Conference were read, and approved.

Those of Yesterday's private Conference were read at the particular Desire of the Chiefs of the united Nations, and interpreted to Teedyuscung and the Delawares, by Mr. Stephen Calvin.

The Governors then spoke separately; Governor DENNY beginning as follows: Brethren, the Mohawks, Onondagas, Senecas, Oneidas, Cayugas, Tuscaroras, Naticokes and Tuteloes;

IN a Conference held with you Yesterday, you told me, that we know your Nephew Teedyuscung gives out, that he is the great Man, and Chief of Ten Nations, and that this was his constant Discourse; by this Belt therefore you denied him to be so great a Man, and desired to know of me who made him so, or gave him any Autho|rity over you.

Brethren,

I will answer you truly, and tell you in a few Words, all that I know of the Matter; I have already informed you, that after the Delawares had struck us, you, our good Friends, the United Nations, advised them to sit still and do us no more Mischief; and that soon after this, we invited the Delawares to meet us at a Council Fire kindled at this Place.

We received an Answer to our Message from Teedyuscung, as a Chief among the Delawares: At the Time appointed he came and told us that he represented ten Nations, amongst which the United Nations were included; that he acted as a Chief Man for the Delawares, but only as a Messenger from the United Nations, who were his Uncles and Superiors, to whom he wou'd faithfully carry every Thing that shou'd be transac|ted between us, that they might do as they saw Cause.

We believed what your Nephew told us; and therefore made him a Counsellor and Agent for us, and desired him to publish to all Nations of Indians what we did at our Council Fires, and to let them know we were sincerely disposed to be at Peace with them.

Brethren,

I can only speak for myself, and do assure you, that I never made Teedyuscung this Great Man, nor ever pretended to give him any Authority over you; and I must do him the Justice to declare to you, that at our former publick Treaties, Teedyuscung never assumed any such Power, but on many Occasions, when he spoke of you, called you his Uncles and Superiors.

I never shall attempt to nominate or impose a Chief on any Indian Tribe or Nation, but, on all Occasions, will pay due Regard to those who are chosen by their Country|men.

If any others have made Teedyuscung so great a Man, as to set himself above you, I am sorry for it. It is more than I know; and they who have done it, must answer for themselves.

I shou'd be greatly concerned, that any Uneasiness shoud arise among you; and hope you will guard against it, and preserve that Harmony which ought to subsist between Friends and Relations.

Brethren,

By this Belt and String, you promised me, to make diligent Search in your Towns for our Flesh and Blood, who are Prisoners among you, and return them to us.

Brethren,

We have always found you honest and punctual in the Performance of your Promises; your Words therefore give me great Comfort, and fill all our Hearts with Pleasure. We rely upon you, that no Time may be lost in fulfilling an Engagement on which our Peace and Quiet so greatly depend.

A Belt and String.

Then Governor BERNARD spoke,

Brethren of all the confederated Nations,

AS you proposed your Questions concerning Teedyuscung separately, I think it proper to give you a separate Answer thereto.

I know not who made Teedyuscung so great a Man; nor do I know that he is any greater than a Chief of the Delaware Indians settled at Wyomink. The Title of King cou'd not be given him by an English Governor; for we know very well, that there is no such Person among Indians, as what we call a King. And if we call him so we mean no more than a Sachem, or Chief. I observe in his Treaties which he has held with the Governor of Pennsylvania, [which I have perused since our last Meeting] that he says he was a Woman, till you made him a Man, by putting a Tomhawk in his Hand; and thro' all of those Treaties, especially in the last, held at this Town, he calls you his Uncles, and professes that he is dependent on you; and I know not that any Thing has since happened to alter his Relation to you. I therefore consider him to be still your Nephew.

Brethren,

I am obliged to you for your kind Promises to return the Captives which have been taken from us. I hope you will not only do so, but will also engage such of your Allies and Nephews, as have taken Captives from us, to do the same. That you may be mindful of this, I give you this Belt.

A Belt.

After the Governor had done speaking, and their Answers were interpreted in the United Nations and Delaware Languages, the Indian Chiefs were asked if they had any Thing more to say. On which Tagashata arose, and made a Speech to his Cousins the Delaware and Minisink Indians, directing his Discourse to Teedyuscung.

Nephews,

YOU may remember all that passed at this Council Fire. The Governors who sit there have put you in Mind of what was agreed upon last Year: You both promised to return the Prisoners. We your Uncles, put you in Mind of this Promise, and desire you will perform it: You have promised it, and must perform it. We your Uncles, have promised to return all the English Prisoners among us, and therefore we expect that you our Cousins and Nephews will do the same. As soon as you come home, we desire that you will search carefully in your Towns for all the Prisoners among you that have been taken out of every Province, and cause them to be deliver'd up to your Brethren. You know that this is an Article of this Peace that was made between you and your Brethren: In Confirmation of which you received a large Peace Belt; of which Belt we desire you will give an Account, and let us know what is become of it, and how far you have proceeded in it.

A Belt.

After this was interpreted in the Delaware Language, it was observed, that there were no Minisink Indians present; the Governors therefore desired, that Mr. Peters and Mr. Read would procure a Meeting of the Chiefs of the United Nations, Delawares and Minisinks, and cause the Speech of Tagashata to be interpreted to the Minisinks in the Presence of their Uncles.

Robert White, the Nanticoke Chief, arose and said, he was going to speak in Behalf of Seven Nations, and directing his Discourse to the Governors, he delivered himself in the English Language as follows,

Brethren,

It is now more than two Years since we heard of our Cousins the Delawares taking up the Hatchet against the English. At the first, Sir William Johnson sent a Message to the Head Nations, and when they received it, they sent to us at Otsaningo; telling us, that as we lived close by our Cousins, they desired we wou'd invite them to meet at our Town, and accordingly we invited them, and they came to a great Meeting at our Town of Otsaningo. We then gave our Cousins a Belt of a Fathom long, and Twenty-five Rows in Breadth, and desired them to lay down the Hatchet that they had taken up against the English, and to be easy with them: And if they wou'd follow this Advice, we told them, that they wou'd live in Peace, untill their Heads were white with Age; otherwise, it might not be so with them.

Not hearing from our Cousins for some Time, what they did in Consequence of this Belt, we sent to them two other Belts, one of Sixteen and the other of Twelve Rows, desiring them once more to be easy with their Brethren the English, and not to strike them any more: But still we heard nothing from them: Indeed some Time afterwards we understood the Delawares shou'd say, that the Indians at Otsaningo had grey Eyes, and were like the English, and shou'd be served as Englishm••••; and we thought we shou'd have had the Hatchet struck into our Heads. We now want to know what is become of these Belts: May be they may be under Ground, or they have swallowed them down their Throats.

Brethren,

As our Cousins have been loath to give any Answer to these Belts, we now desire they may let us know, in publick Conference, what they have done with them.

A String.