Your Lordship will find that the Six Nations, insisting on their right to the Lands as far South as the Cherokee River have Ceded the Same to his Majesty, and Notwithstanding that the Report of the board of Trade Spoke of Great Kanhawa River as their Southern bounds I found from what passed at sev' private Meetings, that I could not deny them the Liberty of asserting their pretensions to the Southward without highly disobliging them, and preventing the Settlement of the rest. From many former enquirys &. disputes on these Subjects I never could find that the Cherokees . claimed to the Westward of the Great Mountains or North of the River of their Name but that the Six Nations always did Claim thereto, I therefore Judged it for the interest of his Majesty to Acquiesce for these reasons That by their Cession of the Country below the Kanhawa to his Majesty Theirpretensions must in future

918 MANUSCRIPTS OF

cease Whereas should the Cherokees now or hereafter under Colour of a Claun farther North be treated with and Surrender it up, It would occasion much Expence and Trouble to obtain the Consent of the Northern Indians, who are a much more formidable people, all which is as I apprehend prevented by tlie present Cession, which is nevertheless submitted to his Majesty, The next point I have to observe to your Lordship is the Continuation of the Boundary line Northward from Owegy, The necessity of this I formerly remarked, and the Indians insisted on it, it is now Carried to Canada Creek, where it falls into Wood Creek, which last raentionedWater emptys into Oneida Lake, I found it Extremely difficult to get it so far to the Westward from its Vicinity to their own Towns, and indeed the Whole of the Line as it approached them cost me more pains and trouble than can be conceived, whilst at the same time the necessity of Establishing it where Intrusions would be most affecting to them was selfevident, Their Towns & Settlements are therefore secured to their satisfaction by Extending the Line to the Waters which discharge themselves into Lake Ontario but it is not Continued so as to Close, First, because I found that many of them were for Closing it by running to the Next Patented Lands which would have Limitted the Province of New York in such a Manner as must have produced some Complaints, Secondly, because as the Country North is the property of the Oneidas 8f Mohocks It can at any time hereafter be closed at a very moderate Expence Should his Majesty require it, as I find that the Mohocks are desirous to have it Closed & could be brought to do it A dvantagiously on any future occasion, -- I beg your Lordship will beleive that in all these matters where I had not particular Instructions I have acted to the best of my judgment for his Majestys Interest, The difficulties I had to Struggle with, by the artifices of the people at the Mississipi, and the doubts and surmises of the Indians themselves thro' the late misconduct of the frontier Inhabitants and the Length of time elapsed since the boundary was first spoken of can only be known by those who were eye witnesses of it, as the greatest part of the hnslnt^s Tr?ns3Cted ?t privatr; rccetiii^s with the Chiefs where th-^ principal affairs are resolved upon & adjusted could not be