At the conference ing great indulgence in intoxicating liquors. of 1720, the commissioners specially commended their faithful ness to their covenant, as distinguished from the Five Nations, who had " suffered themselves to be deluded by the French and their emissaries," but did

not hesitate to ascribe the poverty of

which they complained to " drinking and laziness," and to ad " be sober and active in vise them to hunting and planting" in the future. 3 In 1722, Governor Burnet, in renewing the an with them, remarked

cient covenant

:

" I need not

tell

you

how destructive your intemperance has proved, and how much your people are diminished by your excessive drinking of rum, the women as well as the men being guilty of being often drunk.

Let me advise you to be more sober in the future, and not to spend what you get by hunting in strong drink, and above all But was it the fault of not squander your Indian corn for rum." the Indians that the assertions of the governor were but too well

founded ? Said the Mahicans in their answer, through Ampamit 4 their

speaker

:

" We are

right, that rum does a great

that

you

said on

that

sensible that

you are much

deal of harm.

in the

We approve of all

point, but the matter is

this,

when our

people come from hunting to the town or plantations and ac quaint the traders and people that we want powder and shot and clothing, they first give us a large cup of rum, and after we get the taste of it we crave for more, so that in fine all the beaver