At the Catawba-Town, the 20th of February, 1756. PRESENT.

• The Honorable PETER RANDOLPH, and WILLIAM BYRD, Esquires, Commissioners for Virginia.
• THOMAS ADAMS, Esquire, Secretary.
• HEIGLER, King of the Catawbas, and all the Sachems and Warriors of that Nation.
• WILLIAM GILES, Interpreter.

The Commissioners having first produced their Deputation, and the same being read and interpreted, they spoke as followeth:

Brethren, King, Sachems, and Warriors, of the Great CATAWBA Nation,

"OUR common Father, the Great King of England, has been pleased to direct your Brother, the Governor of Virginia, to send Commissioners hither, to assure you of his Affection, and to present you with as many Goods in Token thereof as it was convenient to send so far, at this Season of the Year. It was his Pleasure to appoint us to that Charge, and at the same Time, to direct us to deliver you a Speech in his Name, with a Belt of Wampum, which we are now ready to do, and hope you will be attentive thereto."

[Page 2] To which King Heigler answered.

"WE shall always listen to every Thing that comes from our Brothers of Virginia with great Attention, and are now prepared to hear whatever you may be directed to say to us in the Name of the Governor of that Colony."

The Secretary then proceeded to read the Governor's Speech, which was interpreted.

(See the GOVERNOR's SPEECH, Page xi.)

Upon which the Indians gave the YO-HAH.

Then the Commissioners spoke as follows.

Brothers and Friends,

"YOU have heard his Honor the Governor of Virginia's Speech, wherein he has confirmed what we just now told you, that we are sent here to represent him and the Colony under his Command, in order to brighten the Chain, and strengthen the Friendship, which has subsisted between you and them, since a much earlier Time than our oldest Men can remember. It is not Brethern in Behalf of Virginia alone, that we have come so far to tell you, how highly we value and commend your steady Friendship to the great King George, and his Children in Virginia, but of all his Subjects in America, who have ever held you in high Esteem, having always found you our faithful Friends, and make no Doubt but that you will continue such to all future Time. To convince you of our great Dependence upon your unshaken Love, we present you with this String of Wampum."

"YOU cannot be Strangers, brave CATAWBAS, to the late unjustifiable Steps taken by the French, that crafty Enemy of all Mankind, to debauch the Principles and poison the Minds of not only the Indians, but of all other Nations, who are in Alliance with the great King our Father. They are a People, Brothers, whose Thirst of Power is so great, that nothing but an intire Reduction of the whole World to their Subjection, can satisfy their boundless Ambition. By their dark Measures, and deceitful Practices, they have so far unhappily succeeded, as to prevail on the Shawnese and Delaware Indians, to make Incursions on the Frontiers of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylania, to murder in the most inhuman Manner, defenceless Husbandmen at their Labor, weak Women in their Beds, with their tender Infants at their Breasts, resting secure in their own Innocence in Time [Page 3] of a settled Peace. And thus those Nations continue still to act in open Violation of a solemn Treaty concluded on at Loggs-Town, about three Years past, between our Commissioners and their Chiefs.

"OUR Friends the Six Nations concerned for the Misfortunes of their Brethern, and enraged that the French and their Indians pay so little Regard to their Engagements, have taken up the Hatchet against them, and joined General Johnson last Fall, on Lake St. Sacrament, where after a bloody Battle, it pleased the Great God, to bless our Arms with Victory, and to enable our Men to destroy the greatest Part of their Enemies, to captivate their General, and slay many of their commanding Officers. To confirm the Truth of what we have told you, we give you this String of Wampum.

"WE are desired by the Governor of Virginia, to inform you, That we now stand in need of your Assistance; and from the many Instances of your Friendship, we hope you will join our Forces with such a Number of Warriors, as you think you may with Safety to yourselves spare, whenever there may be Occasion for them, of which you shall have due Notice.

"YOUR Compliance with this Request will give us an Opportunity of representing to the King your Father, your Readiness to defend His Dominions, on this Side the great Water. And that you may be encouraged to march against the Enemy, with greater Chearfulness, we promise you that your Men shall be supplied with Arms, Ammuni­tion, and every Thing necessary for War. To confirm the Truth of what we have said, and to enforce our Request, we give you this Belt of Wampum."

Upon which the Indians gave the usual Cry of Approbation.

KING Heigler, then repeated the Substance of what had been said, and that there might be no Mistakes, desired the Interpreter to attend him and his Chiefs in a Council that Evening, and at the same Time told the Commissioners that he proposed to give them an Answer in the Morning.

PRESENT.

• The Honorable PETER RANDOLPH, and WILLIAM BYRD, Esquires, Commissioners.
• THOMAS ADAMS, Esquire, Secretary.
• HEIGLER, King of the Catawbas, and all the Sachems and Warriors of that Nation.
• WILLIAM GILES, Interpreter.

King HEIGLER spoke as follows,

Brothers and Friends,

"AT the Request of my Brother the Governor of Virginia, I made him a Visit last Year. After much Talk with him▪ which I have treasured up in my Breast, and hope he has done the same, he told me that he did not then want my Assistance, but desired that I would hold my Warriors in Readiness, not doubting, but that he should have Occasion for them soon. It was at the repeated Requests of the Northern Governors, that we concluded a Peace with their Indians, which we have hitherto strictly observed. But as the Shawnese and Delawares, have broke the Chain of Friendship, between them and our Brethern the English, we think ourselves bound in Gratitude to declare them our Enemies, and shall immediately take up the Hatchet against them, and you may be assured, never lay it down 'til we have sufficiently revenged the Blood of our Friends. We have always been supplied, with Cloaths, Guns and Ammunition, by the Great King, on the other Side of the Water, and have the most grateful Remembrance of his Kindness to us, which has link'd us to his Interest with a Chain stronger than Iron. Our Warriors delight in War, and our young Men are equally pleased that they have an Opportunity of going to Battle. It is my Resolution to lead them on whenever the Governor of Virginia thinks proper.

"WE are in perfect Amity with the Cherokees, Cowetaws and Chickasaws. The Cherokees have ever been our Friends, and as they are a numerous Nation, we acknow­ledge them to be our elder Brother.

[Page 5] "WE hope they will shew a good Example by sending a great Number of their Warriors to join us and our Brethern of Virginia against the French and their Indian Allies."

Gave a Belt of Wampum.

KING Heigler, then desired his Warriors to speak for themselves, upon which Prenchee-Uraw, spoke as followeth.

Friends and Brothers,

"I AM a young Man, and have not yet distinguished myself in War▪ but I am not a little pleased, that I have an Opportunity of doing it. If I should be so fortunate as to do any Thing that deserves Commendation, I shall have the Thanks of the Great King George, and my Brethern the English. But whether I am successful or not, my Endeavours shall be such as to convince them of the Integrity of my Intentions."

Chippapaw, then rose up and spoke as follows,

Brothers.

"YOU have put a bright Hatchet in our Hands, which we have accepted and hold fast. You have also directed us where to strike it. I am determined, either to dye it in the Blood of our Enemies, or to lose my Life in the Attempt."

Hixa-Uraw, then spoke to the following Purpose,

Brothers,

"I HAVE listened attentively to what the King and Warriors have said. Their Readiness in complying with your Request, has given me great Pleasure, and as I have Feet as well as they, I shall not stay at Home, if they are able to support me."

THE other Warriors present said that the King and those who had already spoken▪ had expressed their Sentiments, and that they were ready whenever they were called on▪ to hazard their Lives in Defence of their Brethern the English.

The Commissioners immediately made the following Reply,

Brethern,

"YOUR Answer has given us great Satisfaction, and we doubt not, but that, by your future Actions, you will approve yourselves to be that brave People your Brethern the English, have ever esteemed you.

"WE have Instructions from our Governor, to desire that you will inform us, what Number of Men you can send to our Assistance▪ by which Means he will be the better Judge of our Strength. Our Enemies the French will undoubtedly exert them­selves [Page 6] to carry their Schemes into Execution, and therefore it is the more necessary we should act with Vigor and Unanimity. That there may be no Misapprehensions, we have prepared an Instrument of Writing, containing Six Articles, to be signed by us in Behalf of the Colony we represent, and by your King and Sachems in Behalf of your Nation. We shall leave them with you for your Consideration, and when they have been interpreted to you, and you have in Council consulted your People, we hope they will meet with your Approbation.

"WE have left a Blank for the Number of Men, with which you are to supply us, which, we flatter ourselves, will be so great, as to be of real Service to us, and demonstrate your Zeal for our common Defence.

"THE Goods, we have before-mentioned to you, are now exposed to your View, and whenever it is agreeable to you, you may proceed to divide them among you."

THE Commissioners then withdrew, and the King and Sachems after a short Consulta­tion, desired them to return, and after being again seated, King He [...]ler spoke as follows,

Brethren,

"WE have had the Articles proposed to us under our Consideration, and we entirely approve of them. A great Number of our Warriors being now in the Woods, we can only venture to assure you of Forty Men, altho' it is more than probable, that we shall send double that Number. But that we may preserve the Reputation of a steady faithful People, we will engage for nothing more than we can with the greatest Certainly comply with. We have seen the Goods and accept them as a Token of your Affection, which we hope you will deservedly continue to us so long as the World exists."

THE Articles were then again read, and signed by the Commissioners, the King, and Warriors of the CATAWBA Nation respectively. After which the Indians expressed great Satisfaction, and the Commissioners calling for Wine and Punch, drank, Health to the Great King GEORGE and the CATAWBA Nation; which put an End to the Treaty.

PRESENT.

• The Honorable PETER RANDOLPH, and WILLIAM BYRD, Esquires, Commissioners for Virginia.
• THOMAS ADAMS, Esquire, Secretary.
• The Sachems and Warriors of the CHEROKEES.
• RICHARD SMITH, ABRAHAM SMITH, DANIEL CARROL, Interpreters.

The Little-Carpenter spoke as follows,

Friends and Brothers,

"THE Waters are high, and as we are numerous and there are no Canoes to carry us over the River, we shall be obliged to you to come over to us. We should not presume to expect this Favor, but that you may pass the River in one Canoe, and our People are all desirous of being present at the Treaty. We are impatient to return Home, and therefore, altho' we are much fatigued, hope you will join with us in expediting the Business as fast as possible."

To which the Commissioners replied,

"YOUR Request is very reasonable, and therefore we shall chearfully comply with it. We are pleased to find you disposed to enter on Business immediately, and we shall be ready to speak to you To-morrow at Twelve o'Clock."

PRESENT.

• The Honorable PETER RANDOLPH, and WILLIAM BYRD, Esquires, Commissioners
• THOMAS ADAMS, Esquire, Secretary.
• The Sachems and Warriors of the CHEROKEES.
• RICHARD SMITH, ABRAHAM SMITH, and DANIEL CARROL Interpreters,

The Commissioners spoke as follows,

Brethren, Sachems, and Warriors of the great and powerful Nation of CHEROKEES,

"THE Governor of Virginia, having by his Commission under the Great-Seal of that Colony, deputed us to visit you our Brethern, in order to consult you on some Affairs, in which our Interests are mutually concerned; we heartily bid you welcome.—We have waited a long Time for your coming, but we presume, from the remote Situation of many of your Towns, that your Sachems could not be convened sooner, and therefore we the more chearfully acquiesce under the many Inconveniences we have been subjected to thro' your Delay. You could not have given us a greater Evidence of your Esteem, than by your meeting us so much lower-down than the Place you first appointed▪ the Badness of the Roads, which are almost impassable for Waggons, and the Scarcity of Corn, having made our Journey both tedious and expensive. We are first to deliver you a Speech, in the Name of our Governor, with a Belt of Wampum, which we hope you'll hear with Attention, and that it will have that Influence on you, which he expects."

The Secretary then read the Governor's Speech, which was interpreted.

(See the GOVERNOR's SPEECH, Page xii.)

Upon which the Indians gave the YO-HAH.

Then the Commissioners spoke as follows.

"AS you are now acquainted with the Intention of our undertaking this long and fatiguing Journey, permit us to assure you of our Readiness to concur in brightening [Page 11] and strengthening the Chain of Friendship which has hitherto remained unviolated, and which we on our Parts shall endeavour to preserve unshaken, so long as the Sun and Moon shall endure.

Brethern,

"YOUR Fidelity and steady Adherence to the Interest of the English, of which the sending your Warriors to the Assistance of your Brethern the Virginians is a recent Instance, have had such an happy Influence upon the King your Father, that He always disposed to reward his dutiful Children, has ordered a Present of Goods to be sent to you. And in Obedience to His Majesty's Commands, we were immediately dispatched with them, and they are now ready for your Acceptance. We are sorry to tell you▪ that altho' your Brother the Governor of Virginia, spared no Pains in purchasing the most suitable Goods for you, yet he could by no Means procure a sufficient Number of such fire Arms, as would be acceptable to you. We have however his Permission to assure you, that you shall be supplied with them hereafter.—In Confirmation whereof we give you this String of Wampum.

Brethern,

"YOU have undoubtedly heard that many skulking Parties of Indians, prompted thereto by our treacherous and most perfidious Enemies the French, have made Incursions upon our Frontiers, murdering and captivating all the Men, Women and Children, who were so unhappy as to fall into their Way. The Indians principally concerned in this Bloodshed, are the Shawnese and Delawares, who delighting in Blood, and not observing the most solemn Treaties, at which they have always had a large Share of the Royal Bounty, have by the Cunning and Artifice of the French, been withdrawn from their Allegiance to the Great King, the Father of us all; and prevailed on take up the mur­dering Hatchet against his Children. Thus the French, contrary to the Law of Nature and Nations, are for ever pushing on our own Allies to destroy us, and what may we not all expect, if we do not vigorously unite to frustrate their wicked Designs. The Frontier Inhabitants of the Northern Colonies have been as yet the only Victims of their Fury, but be assured, Brethern, that unless you take the necessary Steps to prevent it▪ you will likewise be involved in the same Calamity. That we may never be again exposed to the Treachery and Deceit of those cruel Savages, we have resolved to cut them off from the Race of Mankind, and we do in Behalf of the People we represent, return you our sincere and unfeigned Thanks for your kind and friendly Assistance, in the Execution of that Design.

[Page 12] Brethren,

"THE French, who have nothing less in View than universal Monarchy, and are for ever encroaching upon the Lands of not only the English, but of all the Indian Nations in America, have built Forts upon our Lands: And the better to support their ambitious Views, they have used every Artifice in their Power to win the Six Nations to their Interest. But they detesting their perfidious Practices, and being by dear-bought Experience convinced, how little their Promises are to be regarded, would not be deluded by their fallacious Speeches, but taking up the Hatchet against them and their Indians, joined our forces to the Northward with a great Number of their Warriors, where our Army under the Command of General Johnson, obtained a complete Victory over them.—In Testi­mony whereof we give you this Belt of Wampum.

Brethren,

"REMEMBER how this cruel People usurped the Land of the Nochees, and chased them from their Country. Forget not also their Endeavours to destroy the Chickasaws, who having timely Notice of their evil Intentions, gave them a brave Repulse. You must have heard of the many Attempts they have made to cut off the Six Nations, but they diligently pursuing the most prudent Measures for their Security, have hitherto avoided the fatal Blow. We could enumerate a thousand Instances of their Cruelty, and defy them to point out a single Instance of ours: No, Brethern, on the contrary many Nations of Indians reduced by War, and unable to withstand the Torrent of their Enemies, have fled to us for Refuge, and have always found a secure Retreat among us.

Brethren,

"THE American Colonies no longer able to bear the Insults of the French, are resolved to unite in revenging the Injuries they have received from that perfidious Nation. And we have the most sanguine Hopes, that you, fired with Indignation at their repeated Acts of Barbarity, and animated with that Spirit, for which the Cherokees have been ever remarkable, will not suffer the Blood of your Brothers the English, who are always ready to sacrifice their Lives and Fortunes in your Defence, to remain unrevenged. Wherefore we invite you to follow the Example of the Six Nations, by joining not only your own Force with ours, but likewise by calling on all the Nations either in Alliance with you▪ or depending on you, to assist us. By which Means you will manifest your Duty to the King your Father, and your Love to your Brethren. For that Purpose you shall be [Page 13] furnished with Arms and Ammunition, Cloathing and Provision.—In Confirmation whereof, and to enforce our Request, we present you with this Belt of Wampum.

Which was received with the usual Cry of Approbation.

Brethren,

"WE have heard, that the French have been endeavouring by their false Reports and cunning Insinuations, to alienate your Affections from the English; but we have too great Confidence in your Integrity, to suspect that you can be influenced by their deceitful and empty Speeches: And we flatter ourselves, that you will on all Occasions, give us the best and earliest Intelligence, of any Designs that may be formed to our Disadvantage. By such generous and candid Behaviour, you will not only establish a Friendship with us upon a lasting and permanent Foundation, but also merit the Esteem of the King your Father, who never fails to feed his dutiful Children when they are hungry, and cloath them when they are naked.—In Pledge of the Truth of what we have spoken, and of our Inclination to live and die with you, we give you this Belt of Wampum.

Which was received with the usual Cry of Approbation.

Brethren,

"IT gives us Concern to hear that you should suspect your Friend Richard Smith, of endeavouring to prevail on us, to leave Part of the Goods designed for you at the Catawbas, by insinuating that you were not a People worthy of a large Present. We assure you, that the Report is without the least Foundation, and that if he had attempted to lessen you in our Esteem, we should have treated him with the greatest Disdain. Your Brethren▪ of Virginia, truly sensible of your inviolable Attachmment to the Interest of the English, have taken every Opportunity of giving you Demonstrations of their Affection. The Present indeed is not so large, as we could wish, for the Reason already mentioned, that the most material Articles, were not to be had in our Colony. To remove these Jealousies for the future, we would fain have you send some of your Boys to Virginia, where we have a School erected for their Education. We promise you that all due Care shall be taken of them, both with Respect to their Cloaths and Learning. When they come to be Men, they will be acquainted with the Manners and Customs of us both, and our Children will naturally place such a Confidence in them, as to employ them in settling any Disputes that may hereafter arise.—In Token of the Sincerity of our Intentions, and of our great Desire, that you should accept of our Invitation, we give you this Belt of Wampum."

Which was received with the usual Cry of Approbation.

[Page 14] CULLOUGHCULLA, repeating to the Interpreter what had been said, desired to know if he had understood him right; which when the Interpreter answered in the Affirmative, he addressed himself to the Commissioners, telling them that they would deliberately consider every Thing that had been said to them, and return them an Answer To-morrow.

PRESENT.

• The Honorable PETER RANDOLPH, and WILLIAM BYRD, Esquires, Commissioners.
• THOMAS ADAMS, Esquire, Secretary.
• The Sachems and Warriors of the CHEROKEES.
• RICHARD SMITH, ABRAHAM SMITH, DANIEL CARROL, Interpreters.

CULLOUGHCULLA's Answer to the Commissioners Speech, delivered Yesterday.

Brothers,

"THIS Day is appointed from above, for our Meeting, and I rejoice in seeing our eldest Brothers the Virginians here; and that we may give you the earliest Assurance of our Affection for you, I present you with this String of Wampum. I have been in England, and have seen the Great King, you have so often had Occasion to mention. He then acknowledged the Cherokees to be his Children, as well as the English, and desired that we might continue Brethren for ever. I shall always remember my Father's Commands, and shall whenever I have an Opportunity, give the strongest Demonstrations of my Readiness to obey them. It gives me the greatest Concern to hear of the horrid Murders committed by the Indians on the Frontier Inhabitants of Virginia, and our Endeavours shall not be wanting, to prevent such Massacres for the future; altho' I must tell you that all our People, who, by their Situation, can be most useful on this Occasion, live in the upper Towns, who are as much exposed to the Incursions of the French and Indians, as your Frontier Inhabitants; and unless we have a Fort built for the Protection of our Wives and Children, in the Absence of our [Page 15] Warriors, it will not be safe for us to leave them. We have had frequent Promises from the Governor of South-Carolina, to build us a Fort; and it was stipulated, at a Treaty held at Saludy last Summer, when we signed a Release for our Lands to the Great King George: But we do not find, that that Governor has yet made the least Preparations towards performing his Engagement. Wherefore, we are sorry to tell you, that we don't much rely on him. The King our Father told me, that we should mutually assist each other, and therefore, as we are unacquainted with the Manner of building Forts, and had not the necessary Materials, we thought ourselves justifiable in making our Application to Governor Glen, who, I must again repeat it, has forfeited his Word, I have a Hatchet ready, but we hope our Friends will not expect us to take it up, 'til we have a Place of Safety for our Wives and Children. When they are secure, we will immediately send a great Number of Warriors to be employed by your Governor, where he shall think proper. I have given a true State of the Condition of our Country, and desire you will make a true Representation of our Situation to your Governor, and at the same Time tell him, that if no Steps are taken for our Security, the French will extinguish the friendly Fire between us: If he should have any Message to send to us hereafter, or should think it expedient to send Commissioners again to us, we desire they may come the Northward Path, it being the nearest. As it is a very dangerous Way, we need not recommend it to him to send a strong Guard. Our Governor is old and infirm, and can by no Means cross the Mountains, to meet you on the Southern Path, but I am instructed to tell you, that he will on any Occasion meet you at Stalnacker's, and he hopes that the Governor of Virginia, will not refuse him a Meeting there. To convince you of our Attachment to your Interest, and to enforce our Request, we give you this String of Wampum.

Brothers,

"IT gives us Concern to find, that for so many Years our Brethren of Virginia, have declined a Trade with us. The King our Father, when I was in England, assured me that we should constantly be supplied with Goods; but we have hitherto found it other­wise. We tell you this, in hopes that when your Governor knows it, he will give proper Encourgagement to some of his People to open a Trade with us. You perceive the Nakedness of our People, and are very sensible, that we are unable to make any Thing but Bows and Arrows for our Defence; they are but bad Weapons, compared with Guns which kill at a great Distance. The French supply their Indians with the best of Fire▪ [Page 16] Arms, and in that they have the Advantage of us▪ and therefore we again repeat our Request to you, to begin a Trade with us, which we hope will be to our mutual Advan­tage.—To enforce our Request we present you with these Skins.

Brethren,

"OUR Governor gave us a particular Charge to let you know our Wants, and at the same Time to assure you, that the Path shall be cleared for your Traders, in such a Manner, as that it shall never wear out. He also directed us to desire that you will trans­mit this Treaty to the Great King on the other Side the Water, who, we doubt not, is quite ignorant of our Circumstances, and will relieve us as soon as he is acquainted with them. To remind you of this Request we give you these Skins."

Cunnetalogo, then rose up and spoke as follows,

"I am sent a Messenger by the Governor of our Nation, with this Belt of Wampum, to acquaint you of his Infirmities, and that he could not possibly cross the Mountains, but that if the Governor of Virginia, should hereafter think proper to have a Meeting with him, he could very conveniently come to Stalnaker's. He also desired me to inform you that he thought himself in great Danger, and that he could not possibly send out any Warriors to your Assistance, 'til he had a Place of Security, in their Absence, for their Wives and Children; he therefore hopes that Men will be sent immediately to erect a Fort. I am also directed to acquaint you, that the Trade we have with Carolina, is not sufficient to supply us with Necessaries, which you may judge from our Nakedness. I do in our Governor's Name entreat you, to represent our Condition to your Governor, who, we make no doubt, when he is informed of our Poverty, from the Mouths of Men he can rely on, will send Traders to us. We will open the Path and keep it clear.

Gave a Belt of Wampum.

The Commissioners desired the Interpreter to tell them that they would consider on what they had severally said, and give them an Answer To-morrow.

PRESENT.

• The Honorable PETER RANDOLPH, and WILLIAM BYRD, Esquires, Commissioners,
• THOMAS ADAMS, Esquire, Secretary.
• The Sachems and Warriors of the CHEROKEES,
• RICHARD SMITH, ABRAHAM SMITH, DANIEL CARROL, Interpreters.

The Commissioners spoke as follows.

Brethren,

"WE are much pleased at the Satisfaction you expressed Yesterday of seeing and talking with your Brethren of Virginia. But at the same Time it gave us no small Concern, to hear from the Mouth of one of your greatest Warriors, who, we press me, spoke the Sentiments of you all, that you are not in a Condition to assist us. You reminded us of our mutual Obligation to assist each other in Case of a War with the French, which we acknowledge. And the Treaties for that Purpose gave us the strongest Assurance that you would when called upon join our Forces on the Ohio, with at least Five Hundred of your Warriors, which we hoped might be well spared, as your Nation is very numerous. You tell us that your Towns situated on the upper Side of the Mountains, are equally exposed with our Frontier Inhabitants to the Incursions of the French, but as we have always heard, that there were only a few Men employed in building the Fort you mention, and those at a great Distance from you, we had no Reason to apprehend you to be in immediate Danger. However, as you think otherwise, we must allow, that Self-Defence ought to be first provided for, and therefore, to remove all Objections, we, in Behalf of the Colony of Virginia, do engage, that they shall contribute their Proportion of the Expence of building a strong Fort for your Protection; provided, that you in Behalf of your Nation, will contract to supply us with a large Number of your Warriors, when that is compleated; to be marched into any Part of our Colony, upon [Page 18] the first Notice. And in the mean Time, if you can supply us with only Two Hundred Men, you will have the greater Pretensions to the Protection of the King your Father. We are the more solicitous for your Assistance at this Juncture, as there are many Indians in the French Service, whose Method and Manner of Fighting, you are much better acquainted with, than our People.

"WE shall faithfully represent every Thing you have said to us to the Governor of Virginia, who will transmit this Treaty to the King your Father, and not only use his good Offices with His Majesty in your Behalf, but also his Influence on the Inhabitants of that Colony, to engage them to be Adventurers in a Trade with you.

"WE have great Hopes, that another Meeting will be quite unnecessary, as we are now invested with a full Power of concluding a Treaty with you, and you may be assured, our Engagements will be punctually performed. If our Proposals meet with your Approbation, it is necessary that we should enter into an Obligation to perform our respective Parts, and we shall prepare a Writing for that Purpose, and send it to you this Evening for your Perusal.

"WHEN you have considered it and consulted your People, you will then acquaint us with your Thoughts of it, for which Purpose we will attend you early in the Morning, and shall then hope to finish our Business."

CULLOUGHCULLA answered, that they were very desirous of bringing the Treaty to a Conclusion, and that they would take the Articles as soon as they were prepared under their immediate Consideration, and be ready to give a final Answer in the Morning.

PRESENT.

• The Honorable PETER RANDOLPH, and WILLIAM BYRD, Esquires, Commissioners for Virginia.
• THOMAS ADAMS, Esquire, Secretary.
• The Sachems and Warriors of the CHEROKEES.
• RICHARD SMITH, ABRAHAM SMITH, DANIEL CARROL, Interpreters.

CULLOUGHCULLA, spoke as follows,

Brethren,

"THE Writing you sent us last Night has been interpreted to us, and having duly considered it, we approve of every Thing contained therein, and are now ready on our Part to sign it. We will engage to assist you with Four Hundred Men at least, as soon as the Fort is compleated, and we are not without Hopes, but that we shall then be able to send you double that Number."

THE Commissioners immediately signed it in Behalf of Virginia, and the Sachems in Behalf of their Nation; after which the Sachems by the Invitation of the Commissioners, dined with them, when the Commissioners drank▪ 'The KING's Health, the Royal Family, and Success to the CHEROKEE Nation,' and the Indians returning the Compliment, drank, 'His MAJESTY, the Royal Family, and Prosperity to their Brethren the English.' The Indians then retired to their Camp, taking first Leave of the Commissioners and those present, and expressing themselves well pleased with every Thing that had been done.