The French saw that they must share with other Colonies that Trade which they before held unrivalled, and many of them flattering themselves wuth the hopes of a Change & stimulated by interest spread false reports amongst the Indians, at the same time those residing in the Western Country & some of their Partizans who had retreated thither on the reduction of Montreal were very busy in alarming the Jealousies of these our new allies, occasioned a Geni. Confederacy ag^ us, on which I went to Detroit in 1761. where I held a Treaty with them gave them strong assurances of his Majestys favor, & that measures wod be taken for preventing abuses. Encroachments &c whereby I for that time prevented their designs, and on my r.tura represented the necessity for such

SIK WILLIAM JOHNSON. ' 901

Establishments, as wo'^. remove their suspicions & preserve peace and Order, but before any thing was done therein, the Artifices of the French, misconduct of our people and Suspicions of the Indians (all which have been often represented) produced the War in 1763. which thro means of a Vigorous Expedition, and byemploying one Nation ag' another was terminated the year following. One of the principal Causes of this War was the Apparent Change in our behavior to the Indians, the Want of proper Agents with fit Power amongst them, and the Alarming Circumstance of our being the Sole Europeans here by the reduction of Canada, -- Those Numerous Nations to whom we were introduced by the Conquest had their Natural aversions -- aggravated by this circumstance, & our Old Allies began to be much alarmed at it This was one of the Natural consequences of our great Encrease of our advancem* into this Country & of the Enlargement of our connections with them & could only be surmounted by degrees by favors & a seeming Attention to their Interests, establishments for their Affairs, & some summary Method of Obtaining Justice our people are not inclined to do this.