passed through and subdivided the Mahicans and the Lfnapes, court districts and county lines were added. Indians of the

same tribal families, who had hitherto been held responsible to and had

their treaty relations

with different governments and

provinces, while consolidated in some respects, were further separated by special assignment to the charge of different court

Thus the Wappingers and those residing south of the

districts.

island, had their treaty intercourse with the and authorities at New York ; those north of the governor high

highlands and Long

lands on the east, and north of the highlands and south of the Katskills on the west, including principally the Esopus clans,

were placed under the justices at Kingston, and the Mahicans on the east and those on Beeren island and north of the Katskills on the west,

came

directly under the authorities at council-fire was lighted

which place the general

Albany, at and inter

course held with the Five Nations and the Mahicans.

While

these divisions were the result in part of the established centres

of population and treaty intercourse under the Dutch, they sub sequently added materially to the disintegration of the river much of that character of independent

tribes, and gave to them

cantons which has been assumed as representing their political From this disintegration the Five Nations escaped, with

status.

results to their consolidated

recognition which cannot be too

That they would have been similar sufferers

highly estimated.

had they been similarly situated, the records of the negotiations with them after the war of the revolution, are a sufficient indi Considered only as a whole and treated as a whole,