hereby appointing and fully authorizing you to repair to the Indians of the Six Nations and
their Northern allies, and to use your best endeavours to engage them to take part and act
with His Majestys Forces in such opperations as I shall think most expedient and according
to such Instructions as you shall from time to time receive from me. And you are from time to
time to make report to me of your proceedings herein and of all material occurrences which
may effect His Majestys Interest with the said Indians
Given under my hand and Seal at New York this seventh day of
December in the twenty ninth year of His Ma''* lleign
W Shirley
By His Excellency's Command
W" Alexaj«dbr Secry
Vol. IV. 129
1026 NEW- YORK COLONIAL MANUSCRIPTS.
General Shirley's In-strudions to Major General Johnson.
[New-York Papers, LI., No. 18.]
Instructions to W" Johnson Esq"
1 You are on the receipt hereof to send Messengers to the principle Castles of the Indians
of the Si.x Nations and endeavour if possible to have a general meeting of their Ciieif Sachems
and Warriors at their antient Council Place at Onondaga as soon as may be after you shall
receive these Instructions and the Commission therewith.
2. You are then to acquaint them that I succeed the late General Braddock in his Command
and that I have thought fit for His Majestys Service to commit to your care the cultivating a
Friendship between them and the Northern Nations of Indians depending upon them and His
Majestys Subjects and engageing them in a firm alliance with His Majesty against the French
and the Indians in their Interest, in the present e.xpedition for recovering His Majestys just
rights, and the country out of the hands of the French.
3 You are then to acquaint them that your calling them together at this time, is occasioned
by the late behavior of the Shawanese and Delawares Indians in the Province of Pensilvania
4 You are then to deliver them ray speech delivered to you herewith which you are to
enforce by all arguments in your power and with such presents as you shall judge necessary
and you are to endeavor to prevail on them to send some of their Warriors to forbid the
Delaware and Shawanese Indians to commit any hostilities against the English and in case
these Indians shall not comply with such Orders to chastize them for their Behaviour as it bids
defiance to that Authority which the Six Nations always maintained against those Indians and
to make them sensible that unless they do that, they will not only infallibly loose that authority
for ever, but with it the Character of the Six Nations have always sustained of being Masters
of those Indians
6 You are also to assure them in the strongest Terms that I shall do all in my power to
protect them and their Allies from any danger they may apprehend from the French, and
particularly the Oneidas, that agreeable to my promise to them I have ordered Justice Petri
to engage a sufficient number of men to build them a Fort of such size and in such place in
their country as is most convenient to them and that I will if they chuse to have them this
Winter send an officer with 30 men to reside among them as soon as their Barracks in their
New Fort are ready to receive them
6 You are to use every expedient in your power to cultivate and improve a good
correspondence with the Indians of the Six Nations and their Allies and endeavour to
prevail on them to declare themselves, and to take up the Hatchet against the French &
their Indians as well as to act immediately against those who have lately invested the borders
of Pensilvania, Maryland & Virginia, as to be ready to take part & act with His Majestys Forces
in such operations as I shall think most expedient
7 You are from time to time to Inform me of your proceedings herein, and particularly to
inform me as soon as may be, the answer of those Indians to my speech now sent and
to inform me of the state of the new Fort now building for the Oneidas and when you judge
the Barracks in it will be in a condition to receive a Garrison of His Majestys Troops and
whetiier it will be absolutely necessary to send Troops to Garrison it this Winter, or whether
the Indians will not be content to be without that Garrison until the Spring
LONDON DOCUMENTS: XXXII. 1027
8 And whereas I have great reason to expect that a number of the Sachems and Warriors
of tlie Messagues, Cheppevves, and Outawas will meet me next Spring at Oswego & as the
Cheif Sachems of the Oneidas and Cayougas have promised also to meet me also then there.
and as it will be necessary that as general a meeting as possible be had there witii the Indians
of the Six Nations you are therefore to use your best endeavours to engage some of the Cheif
Sachems and Warriors of all the Six Nations to meet me at Oswego early in the Spring to
concert such measures as may be for the mutual benefit of them and us
Given under my hand at New York this tenth day of Dec'
Annoq. 1755
W Shirley
By His Excellency s Command
W" Alexander Secry.
Sir William Johnson to General Shirley.
[ New- York Papers, LI., No. 19. ]
Fort Johnson Dec 16. 1755
Sir
Your Excellencys Paquet I received this instant together with a Commission or Warrant
from you for the Management of Indian Affairs, also a Letter and other Papers from Gov' Morris
of Philadelphia concerning the Hostilities committed and still committing by the Indians on
the Frontiers of that and the Neighbouring Provinces, desiring I would us my utmost endeavors
to put a stop to it
On my return from Lake George I received an account of the cruel proceedings of the Indians
in them parts by an express from Sir Charles Hardy and as soon as I got home, despatched
Messages to all the six Nations, and also to the Susquehanna Indians, Delawares and
Shawanese acquainting the former of the Behavior of those Indians and insisted on their
immediate Interposition to the latter who are the people concerned; I sent a very smart
reprimand for their unnatural and unjustifiable Behaviour to their Brethren and Neighbours
the English ; giving them a strong and warm Invitation to join us, and turn their arms this
way against the French and their allies. What effect it will now have upon them I can't
pretend to say with any certainty, but this much I make bold to say, that if I had not been so
much employed otherwise this Time past and for some other Reasons I shall defer mention^
now Indian affairs would be in a much more favorable and prosperous way, and this perhaps
not have happened ;
1 have this long time been told there was a Commission from His Majesty for me, and that
it was sent by the late General Braddock, but I never received any, nor pay for the one I had
of him, alllho' I have neglected all my own business, on account of it and suffered
much thereby
I shall soon write your Excellency more fully and let you know my inclinations regarding
the Commission
1028 NEW-YORK COLONIAL MANUSCRIPTS,
I proposed ere I received yours to have a meeting of all the Nations I could assemble at
this Season of the year, in order to settle matters witii them in the best manner possible, &
prepare them for Service in the Spring it will take some time to get them together, so that
I mny go to New York for a Fortnight, and settle affairs & be back ere they are assembled.
I am
Your Excellencys
Most obedient & mo
humble Servant
Wâ„¢ Johnson.
FOR GENERAL INDEX TO THIS WORK, SEE THE LAST VOLUME.
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