At this Congress the Gherokees Spoke on 20 belts to the Six Nations to renew & Strengthen the late Treaty of peace entered into between them and earnestly to request that in Consequence thereof the Six Nations should unite their Arms with them in order to attack sev' of the Southern and Western Nations who had acted as Enemys to both, after some time spent in deliberation, the Six Nations returned for Answer, That before they co^ come to any resolution agreable to their former engagements they must first Gonferr with me on the Subject, to which end they would take care of their Calumets & belts, & Send Deputys to me to desire a General Congress in my presence, & accordingly their Deputies have since come here with some of the Gherokees, earnestly requesting on the part of the Whole that I would as speedily as possible Assemble the Whole Confederacy, and after hearing what they had to say give them My advice and opinion on the subject, to Support their request, they observed that we were as much Interested as themselves in the matter having suffered repeated Insults from these people, as they Instanced in Mr Croghans being attacked & made prisoner by them on his way to Ilinois, & in their

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aUacks upon our Traders on Ohio. In short I observed that they were much inclined to Unite «Sc attack those people, '.vhich gave me the more Concern because I knew that when In Jians were resolved on War, if ihey could be divertetl from their favciite pursuit they would be apt to turn their Arms another way, perhaps against ourselves, besides I was sensible of the great Expense that must attend such a Congress altho' of their own proposing and that vf^ co^l be spared out of the fund allowed for the Department could not defray the Charge of so large & unexpected a Congress, In this situation I Consulted Gen' Gage who is of opinion that as any Sum that can be spared out of the Annual Allowance, will be inadequate to the Expense that may attend it, I should first obtain his Majestys Orders for that purpose, but as the Indian Depys are very pressing, & that it will not be in my power to have an Answer wathin sufficient time to satisfy their importunity, whilst on the other hand I cannot refuse their request without occasioning a Gen' Discontent amongst them I have resolved to Treat with some of the Chiefs only with all the Oeconomy I possibly can consistent with the public Safety, trusting that his Majesty will be graciously pleased, to consiiler the peculiarity of the Occasion, & not suifer me to be a Loser Thro' the Necessary Discharge of my Duty.