A Belt Answer to the River Indians Children

We are glad to find that you Treasure up in your Memories the mutual instances of Friendship between our ancestors and yours. The Remembrance of that Friendship will descend to our posterity, and we desire you to hand it down to yours. And altho' there is a great alteration in Circumstances since our predecessors first came among you, yet we have not less affection for you than they had. A Belt. •

Children

Your brightening and Strengthening the Covenant Chain is well pleasing to me and the Commissioners. We acknowledge you have never broken it. We have likev^dse preserved it entire and are determined to continue to do so. A Belt.

SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON. 605

Children

You complain that some of the People of this ProA'ince are ill possession of your Lands which you never sold. This is a Conii)laint which Affects Persons that live at a distance ; I have ordered notice to be given them of it, and if upon Enquiry into the affair, it shall appear that you have been injured, I will endeavour to get you redressed. But I shall observe to you that the constant method of granting Lands in this Province is and has been by Licence from the Governor to purchase from the Indians ; and upon the purchase being returned before him in Council, he with their advice orders a Patent ; and that most of these Lands concerning which you complain were patented when you were Children, some before any of you were born Ordered that the following Minute be made That the last paragraph of the foregoing answer to the River Indians about the manner of patenting Lands in this Province, begmning with the words, "I shall observe" -- was an addition made by his Honour to the draught sent him Yesterday by this Board.