- Transcription
Copy.
Augusta in Georgia. 10th. Novr. 1763.
My Lord,
In Obedience to The King's Commands signified to us severally by your Lordship's by Letter of the 16th. March, we have met the different Chiefs of the Chickesaws, Creeks, Chactaws, Cherokees & Catawbas, & have used our utmost Endeavours to carry His Majesty's Intentions into Execution.
The Removal of the French & Spaniards from the ceded Places which your Lordship meant the Indian's should be apprized of by Us, they were before acquainted with; this was unavoidable, the dispatching of Invitations to Nations so remote as the Chactaws & Chickesaws, necessarily took up a great deal of Time, their Consultations upon them not much less, & their Journey hither still more; However, My Lord, we do not apprehend that their receiving the above Intelligence from other Hands has been detrimental to The King's Service; The Chickesaws ever faithful to the British Interest are perfectly satisfied with the Change, the Chactaw Leader now in Confederacy with the Chickesaw had before made repeated Offers of declaring against the French, provided he was supplied with English Goods, & seems well pleased with the Neighbourhood of the English, whose assistance he had before courted. We have in Our Reply to him given him Reason to expect by the Time he reaches home, there will be Traders in his Nation by the Way of Mobile, & we beg leave to recommend to Your Lordship that the Chactaws be supplied with Goods from that Quarter as a Measure necessary to confirm them in their present professions, & to render them independent of the Creeks against whom they may be a very useful Check when their Supplies are no longer so precarious, as they now are by passing through the Creek Country.
The Creeks had been represented to be very ill disposed, the Murders they had committed, were frequent, & even subsequent to the receipt of Your Lordship's Letter; since the holding the Congress though amply supplied with Provisions, they have been accused of wantonly killing the Peoples Cattle; yet Their Talks have been more friendly, than we expected, & their voluntary offer of an Augmentation of Boundary to Georgia upon The King's Forgiveness of all past Injuries being signified to them, supposing their Professions sincere, & the Chiefs of Consequence enough to act for the whole Nation which they declare they do, is certainly as strong a Proof as they can at present give of their good Will. It will be necessary, however, to mention to Your Lordship, that we have been privately cautioned by the Leader of the Chickesaws against confiding in the Creek Professions; He says he knows them, that Nothing done here will be confirmed by the absent Leaders, in comparison of whom the present Chiefs are inconsiderable. The Cherokees in their Intelligence have gone still farther, but as they seem on the Point of a War with the Creeks, their Testimony is to be suspected. Though the Talks will convey to Your Lordship Our Opinions of the different Dispositions of the Indians, yet we thought necessary to add thus much, & to acquaint Your Lordship, that the Cherokees seem very pacific, but mortified at the Refusal of Traders from South Carolina, which the Act now in Force there prevents their being gratified with and we beg leave to observe to Your Lordship on this Head, that the general Promise of Goods which we have made by the King's Orders to the respective Indians requires such a Performance as it is impossible, circumstanced as we are to be answerable for, for we have no coercive Power over Traders.
Your Lordship will pardon us for suggesting that there never was a Time more seasonable for the establishing the Commerce with Indians, upon a general, safe & equitable Footing, a& which we are afraid will never be done by the respective Provinces.
The Catawbas Boundary as before agreed upon is now confirmed, and they are well satisfied with it.
Permit us to refer Your Lordship for all further particulars of the Congress to the Original Papers which we shall have the Honor of transmitting with the utmost Dispatch, & to hope that we have faithfully executed The King's Commands, & approved Ourselves &ca
Augusta in George, the 10th. Novr. 1763.
Governors of Georgia, Both Carolinas
Lt. Governor of Virginia, and
Mr. Stuart, Agent for Indian Affairs.
Copy.
Plant. Genl.
Copy of a Letter from the Governors & Agent of the Southern Colonies of North America to the Earl of Halifax, dated Novr. 10. 1763, relative to the dispositions of the Indians, expediency of giving them speedy supplies of Goods, & establishing the Indian Commerce.
In the Earl of Halifax’s Letter of 16 Janry. 1764.
Recd. Janry
Read —— 23. 1764.
R. 38.
