At this distance as it is often impracticable to wait for particular Instructions in many occurring cases So it is as impossible to forsee every event, & of course Instructions cannot be expected in every circumstance, his Majestys Indulgence has therefore often left it in the power of his Servants to do many things for the good of the Service till his Royal pleasure is more fully Signified in the

SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON. 941

premises, I observed in a former letter that the Minutes of private Conferences with the chiefs where the principal matters are first resolved on, were by much too Voluminous to be ever transmitted, it would there appear, that the Indians insisted in Such Warm Terms on the justice of their Claim to the Cherokee River that I was necessitated either to disoblige them in a high degree or to observe to them that the Southeren Indians made Some pretensions to the Lands in Question, besides this & the designs of the frontier people with the Virginia Claim before mentioned I did humbly conceive it to be the desire of Government to get as extensive a Cession as was practicable, & altho In the Letters I had the honor to receive, mention was made of the Kanhawa River to prevent a dispute with the Cherokees &c, Yet as I had always understood & had myself actually heard the Cherokees above 20 years ago acknowledge, that the River of their name was the Extent of their pretensions, as I found it was so understood by the Colony of Virginia, & as the Northern Indians would not be Satisfied till this their claim was mentioned, I acted to the best of my Judgment under all the circumstances in accepting of the Cession to be Submitted to his Majesty, for admitting the Cherokees do claim to the Northward a circumstance which is quite new & wch I have reason to believe they would not avow before the Northern In*^^ Yet as the latter are more powerfull more Jealous more Warlike & capable of doing us infinitely more mischief than the former, I then thought the complying with the claims of the Northern Confederacy a measure of the least dangerous tendency, and I flatter myself that his Majesty will for all these reasons honor me with his Indulgence in believing that I acted as in my Judgment appeared best for the Service.