among the Logan MSS. In 1722, John Cartlidge is named as killing an Indian at the same place. In 1720, the Gazette states that a runaway man was seen last "at an Indian town, called Pehoquellamen, on Delaware river." Who can designate that place? Or who can now say where was "Upper and Lower Dinderdonk" islands, where George Fox, the Friend, was ferried across the Delaware in Indian canoes? In 1721, Sir William Keith, the governor, his council, and thirty gentlemen, set out for Conestogoe, to there hold an Indian treaty with the heads of the Five Nations. In the Gazettes of this period, I often observe Indians named as occasionally serving as sailors on board some of our coasting vessels. The Indians in Maine too, in fighting us, in the year 1727, coasted in an armed vessel there, and fought their cannon, &c., as well as others! At that time, too, more Indians than others were employed in all the Nantucket whalers. In 1728, some ten or twelve Indians in Manatawna, on the Schuylkill, fell into a quarrel with the whites, and several were killed. Governor Gordon, in consequence, visits the Indians at French creek, and at " Indian town" at Conestogoe, to incite them to peace, and he proclaims, that no molestation shall be offered to any of the Indian nations then in our borders, to wit: "Delawares, Conestogoe, Ganawese, Shawenese, Mingoes." At this time, several Delawares are stated as living about Brandywine. In the same year the Indians assaulted the iron-works at Marketasoney, and were beaten off with loss. At this time, two brothers, Welshmen, are executed at Chester for the murder of three Indians; they declared they thought all the Indians were rising on them, in the case of the above strife. They appear to have been maddened with sheer fright, and killed the first unoffending Indians they met. About the year 1759 advertisements often appear in the Gazettes, describing children recovered from the Indians, and requesting their friends to come and take them home. Several are described as having sustained some injury; and in many cases can only tell their baptismal names, and the same of their parents! In 1762, a number of white children, unclaimed, were given up by the Indians at Lancaster, and were bound out by order of the governor. The Gazettes of the year 1768-9, contain such frequent and various recitals of the havoc and cruelties of the incensed Indians on the frontiers, as would, if selected, make quite a book of itself. Of the numerous calamities, Colonel Boquet, who commanded a regiment of Highlanders, and was at Fort du Quesne, (Pittsburg,) after the peace of 1763, gives a very affecting recital of the delivery up to him of all the prisoners surrendered by the Indians. Husbands went hundreds of miles in hopes of finding lost wives or children. The collection amounted to several hundred! and the sight of seeing husbands and wives rushing into each others arms, and children claimed by their parents. made the joy of all such extreme! There was also the mourning of others, who hoped to find relatives-but neither finding or hearing of them, made much lamentation. There were also Indians, who had adopted all those persons, and loved them as their children or relatives, and having then to give them up, showed great signs of distress. Some young Indians had become passionately fond of some young women, and some few women had formed attachments for them. The Indians loaded their friends at their departure with their richest gifts-thus proving they had hearts of tenderness, even to prisoners. This same Col. Boquet when at Philadelphia, in 1756, with 500 men, threatened to billet his men on the town, with the small-pox, because he said he could not find suitable quarters. I find among the "Proprietary Papers," so called, the speech of Lapowinso to the Proprietaries, at Pennsbury, the 9th May, 1735. Present-James Logan, Jeremiah Langhorne, Joseph Kirkbride, Thos. Freame, Wm. Piles, Joseph Kirkbride, Jr., Israel Pemberton, James Steel, Peter Lloyd, Robt. Appleton. Also, Indians, Lapowinso, Neutonies, Lesbeconk, Tiscoquam. Lapowinso spoke and said: That as he came down the usual road to his plantation, he heard from his brethren that the proprietaries wanted to speak with him; he therefore came to shake hands with them, and was glad to see them, and presented a bundle of skins. He desires unity and peace as usual-that he intended to come down with many of his brethren in a twelve moon's hence, to see them and to discourse further about the lands. That a great king had a mind to have gone down with him, but was lame and could not. Next year they would come and discourse further about the bounds of the lands. That he is uneasy to be at home, to attend to a message sent him from three of the Mingo kings, who were to arrive as soon as the bark peeled, and then to go on to Philadelphia. We have a fine portrait of Lapowinso. The proprietaries told them they were glad to see them and accepted their presents very kindly, and should always be glad to continue in peace and friendship. The skins were valued at £6 16s. 6d. "Ask ye for hamlets' peopled bound, Ye've seen the shadows quit the vale- Frontier Indians, Incidents, Hostilities, &c. The preceding notices of the Indians are the same as were pub lished in the first edition of the Annals, and are now intended to be much extended, for the sake of giving more enlarged views of their character and actions in Pennsylvania; and especially of their hostilities and ravages on the frontiers. They were once a formidable foe, and much afflicted and periled the frontier inhabitants. What we now purpose to record will, we doubt not, be new to many, although old in themselves, In July, 1700, there was a survey of a line from Philadelphia direct to Susquehanna, coming out nigh the mouth of Conestoga creek, a little more north, (about four miles,) near to "an old fort demolished." This was in consequence of surveyor-general Holmes' purchase of all the lands from Upland creek to Pemapecka creek, and so backward to Susquehanna, two days' journey. The whole is said to have been bought of the Indian kings and sakamackers, for the use of William Penn-bought of Shakhoppah, Secaming, Malebore, Tangoras, Indian kings; and Maskecasho, Wawarrin, Tenoughan, Tarrecka, Nesonhaikin, Indian sakamackers. I notice that in the map of the line of survey, two Indian paths traverse it obliquely, north-west by north-the first from Philadelphia, is at Rocky run, (fifteen miles,) between the head waters of Ridley and Chester creeks, and again at thirty-eight miles, two miles beyond Doe run. These facts I found recorded in a survey book, No. 14, in the land office, and the above extracts are from the warrant of survey by Holme. Below follow other facts on the same subject, all tending to show the treaty by which the lands of Philadelphia city and county are held. Philadelphia. To my very loving ffriends Shakhoppah, Secaming, Malebore, Tangoras Indian kings; and to Maskecasho, Wawarrin, Tenoughan, Tarrecka, Nesonhaikin—Indian sakamackers, and the rest concerned : Whereas I have purchased and bought of you, the Indian kings and sakamackers, for the use of Governor William Penn, all your land from Pemapecka creek to Upland creek, and so backward to Chesapeake bay and Susquehanna, two days' journey; that is to say, as far as a man can go in two days, as under the hands and seals of you the said kings may appear; and to the end I may have a certain knowledge of the land backward, and that I may be enabled and be provided against the time for running the said two days' journey, I do hereby appoint and authorize my loving ffriend, Benjamin Chambers, of Philadelphia, with a convenient number of men to assist him, to mark out a westerly line from Philadelphia to This king was one of the witnesses to Tamanend's sale, in 1683, of lands between Nesheminah and Pemapecka creeks. |