Copy.

Whitehall March 16th. 1763

Sir

As the Removal of the French and Spaniards from the Countries which extend from the Colony of Georgia to the River Mississippi which are now ceded to His Majesty, will undoubtedly alarm & encrease the Jealousy of the Neighbouring Indians, the King judges it to be indispensably necessary to take the earliest Steps for preventing their receiving any Impression of the King & for raising their Confidence & Good Will, without which it will be impossible for the Nation to reap the full Benefit of its Acquisitions in that part of the World.

The French & Spaniards in Florida, & Louisiana have long, & too successfully inculcated an Idea amongst the Indians, that the English entertain a settled Design of extirpating the whole Indian Race, with a View to possess & enjoy their Land; and that the first Step towards carrying this Design into Execution, would be to expel the French & Spaniards, the real Friends & Protectors of the Indians; In Order to prevent the ill Effect of these Suggestions, which Our taking Possession of those Countries will seem to verify, It is His Majesty's Pleasure, that You should, in Concert with the Governors of Virginia, the Two Carolinas, & Georgia, without Loss of Time, immediately invite the Chiefs of the Creeks, the Choctaws, Cherokees; Chickesaws, and Catabaws, to a Meeting with them and the Indian Agent for that Department, at Augusta in the Province of Georgia, or any other Place equally convenient for the several Parties; At which those Chiefs are to be apprized in the most prudent & delicate Manner of the Change which is going to take Place: In doing this the King judges it to be absolutely necessary not only to avoid every Expression which might awaken the Fears, or point out the Dependance of the Indians upon Us, but to use every means to quiet their Apprehensions, and gain their good Opinion.

For this Purpose it would be proper to recur to the original Causes of the War, with the French, to mention, to dwell upon, the several Cruelties they exercised during the Course of it, The Arts they employed, the groundless Stories they propagated among the Indians in order to excite their Jealousies, to alienate their Affections from this Nations, and to provoke them to commit such Violences as His Majesty was at length compelled to resent. That, by the same insidious Corts, they had so far wrought upon the Credulity of the Spaniards, as to involve them in their Quarrel, and it's Consequence That thro' the special Favor of Providence, the Wisdom of the King, & the Courage of His Troops, all these Mischievous Practices & Designs have been discovered and defeated.

In order to prevent the Revival of such Disturbances & Troubles by Repetitions of the same dangerous Proceedings, His Majesty found Himself obliged to insist in the Treaty of Peace; that the French & Spaniards should be removed beyond the River Mississippi, to the End that the Indians, and His White People may hereafter live in Peace and Brotherly Friendship together; That the English feel a particular Satisfaction in the Opportunity which their Successes afford them of giving the Indians the most incontestable & substantial Proofs of their good Intentions & cordial Desire, to maintain a sincere & friendly Correspondence with them, That there Proofs will consist of. In a total Oblivion & Forgiveness of all past Offences fully persuaded that they were entirely owing to the deceiving Arts of the French, and no Ways to be attributed to any Ill Will in them, 2dly. In opening and carrying on so large a Traffick with them as will supply all their Wants; 3dly. To a Continued Attention to their Interests, and in a Readiness upon all Occasions to do them Justice: (and lastly in the most solemn Assurances, that these Forts now cede tolls, by Means of which the French really did intend to subvert their Liberty, & accomplish those coil Designs, which they artfully imputed to Us, shall never be employed, but to protect & assist them, & to serve for the better Convenience of Commerce, between the Indians & Us, at the Cultivation of Friendship & Good Will, between them & the Subjects of His Majesty. And should the Indians retain any Jealousy or Suspicion that the Forts situated in the Heart of the Indian Country, such as Albama, Tombegbi, and Fort Loudoun, may be made use of for Purposes not favourable to Them, and express a Desire that they should be destroyed, I make no doubt but their Representation, on this Hand, will be most graciously received by the King, and that His Majesty will readily comply with any reasonable Request, in order to give the most satisfactory Proofs of His Intentions to fulfil the friendly Declarations which you shall make in his Name to the Indians, the Sincerity of which it is highly important they should be convinced of, in order to prevent those Evils, which must necessarily happen, if thorough Confidence in His Majesty's Government is not established upon a solid Footing.

I am &ca.

Egremont.

P.S. I am to inform You, that in order to try every Method, which may contribute towards so desireable an Object, as that of gaining the Good Will and the Confidence of the Indians His Majesty has thought proper to direct a certain Quantity of Goods, to the Amount of Four or Five thousand made to be purchased & sent to Charles Town in So. Carolina, to be distributed in such Proportions, and in such Manner among the Indians, as shall be judged proper, at the Meeting directed by this Letter to be held at Augusta; or Elsewhere, a List of these Goods (which are actually bought and will be soon embarked) will be sent with them to the Gover. of So. Carolina.

Copy of a Circular Letter to the Govrs. of Virginia, No. Carolina, So. Carolina, Georgia, and Mr John Stuart, Agent for Indian Affairs, in So District.
March 16th. 1763

Read May 6. 1763.

Q.61.