Having thus Stated to your Lordships such facts as appeared to Us to be necessary for enablhig you to form an opinion of the matter in judgment before You, W^e must beg leave to Observe, that it is impossible to reflect, tho' but for a moment upon the imparralell'd distresses which have been suffered by His Majesty's Subjects in the back Settlements of the middle Colonies, from the cruel Hostilities and devastations of the Delawar and other Indians, without seeing the necessity there is of Steadily pursuing every measure, which may have a tendency to redress and remove those Grievances and complaints, which are alledged to have been the principal cause of such Hostilities ; it was with this Idea and for this purpose, that We referred it in 1757," to Sir William Johnson to examine into the Grievances complained of by the Delawar Indians ; and in pursubig this Method, We followed what we conceived to have been the view and Object of Government in appointing this Gentleman Sole Agent for Indian Affairs, who might manage and direct our concerns with them upon one uniform Plan, and thereby put a stop to the mischiefs so long complained of, arising from the irregular and unwarrantable interferings of particular provinces, and in many instances of particular persons.

776 MANUSCRIPTS OF

The part, which some Members of the Assembly of Pennsylvania appear to have had in the transactions with the Indians in July and August 1757, does, in our opinion, seem to be of this kind, and to have been one principal cause of the failure of those measures which were taken to examine into and redress the Complaints of the Indians at this meeting, Jealousys and suspicions appear to have been raised and excited in the minds of the Indians, and in lieu of that examination and redress, which might have been expected from the disposition that appeared in all parties at the opening of the Conferences, no one essential point was settled, and the whole result of the Treaty was a proposition made and assented to, that the deeds and writmgs concerning the Lands should be transmitted to Great Britain to be laid before His Majesty for his determination.