When I considered all these points, & that whatever might have of late been said of the pretensions of the Cherokees, the North" Confederacy were more powerful & more inclined to dispute, and their dispute of more dangerous consequence, I couUl no longer hesitate as to the part I had to act, and I fully persuade myself that on due consideration of the premises, the motives from which I acted will appear strongly in Justification of my measures.

For the rest I have only to say, that besides some private sales ratified by the Governor, and made according to the usual mode, with which I had nothing to do, there were two Grants or Indian Deeds against which I was hot aware any objection would be made. The one to M^" Croghan was only a Confirmation of Two former Grants which the Indians particularly desired to make, and believe they did with* any influence ; I am certain it was with* mine ; and which as he told me he took for the satisfaction of the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania, in order to the obtaining a Grant in the usual way, he farther assured me that he had laid his old pretensions before your Lordship. The other Grant was to the Traders who suffered losses in the Indian War of 1763. It was made an Article of the peace with them afterwards, and was judged a very prudent measure by obtaining from them a Retribution in the only way in their power, and thereby furnishing a precedent that might be of use hereafter sho^ they Commit Depredations. It was well known to Government and approved of, and was mentioned to me in the Lords of Trades Plan, and Chearfully agreed to by the Indians who were disposed to give the sufferers a Greater Extent of Land than is in the Grant, had I not interposed, thro' an apprehension that there were not wanting Malicious persons who thro' Envy or Illnature might take occasion to lessen the importance of the Transactions at the Treaty by remarks on the Extent of a private Grant, tho' such Grant could not prove any loss to the Crown, as