Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1895-08-09
Record Of the First white Men
DIN the North and West Branch
Ol the Susluehamna,
TCoNTINUED FROM LAST WEEK. |

trade; the western boundary of which
according to the grant of the crown
of England was five degrees 300
miles west of the Delaware. France
at thai time claimed all the lands
the drainage of which came either
to the Mississippi or st. Lawrence
rivers and in addition to the right of
soil was that of the exclusive right
to the trade with the Indians occu.
pying the same, and in order to es-
tablish their claim and show proof
of the same, buried leaden plates in
the earth with inscriptions certifying
their object on the other hand.
The English asserted their right
to the trade of the tribes of those
who by treaty had become the subs
iects of the King of England. The
Iroquoi nations were the controlling
power on the Susquehanna at this
time having taken the country by
conquest and resided principally in
New York they first had entered in.
to treaty Of allegiance to the Dutch
and when that nation was superseded
by the English they bound them
selves to allegiance to the crown of
England. The Delawares and other
nations entered into separate treaties
with the English but were subor>
dinate to the Iroquois. A small rem-
nant of the original Susquehanna
tribe afterwards known as Conesto-
gas not controlled by the Iriquos at
the time of the settlement of Penn
sylvania was made by treaty with
VIM. Penn at Philadelphia. April I'd
l7O1 bound first to allegiance to the
crown of England next to that of
the government of the Provence OF
Pennsylvania with the following re-
strictions as to trade.
"That the said Indians shall not
sell or dispose of any of their skins
poltry or any other effects of their
hunting to any person or persons
whatsoever out of said province
nor to any other persons but such
as shall be authorized" (by VIM.
Penn on his representatives to trade
with them. Prior to this treaty
they introduced tribe from the
south for whose good conduc! they
became security known as Shawanese,
The Shawanese in old times lived
near the Spaniards and were always
Mt war with them and having from
an uneasiness in their situation sign
nifed their desire to remove and
live under the protection of the
English and Iroquois were by treaty
in l701 received into the Provence
of Pennsylvania and placed at differ
ent points on the Susquehanna an
important point being at Plymouth
in the Wyoming Valley, afterwards
by consent of the government many
of this tribe moved to the waters of
the Ohio. With this nation our
government were in almost constant
dread and cause of continual
watchfulness and vigilence to pre-
vent evils that we're bringing to bare
upon their tribe by them.
To the credit of the Iroquois it is
desirving of mention that they were
for long time the most important
allies in holding the Shawanese in
check of all people they showed
themselves the most ungrateful to
the English and lroquos for the
asylem they had given them.
The movements of the French war
of the greatest immediate Importance
with the Indian traders although in
it's ultimate effect was that of the
crown of England. The following
instructions to the traders from the
provensial government under date of
October 1929 was issued.
eff any Indian or messages come
thither from distant nations or
places by all means learn the import
or design of them and as anything
worth notice let us be advised of 1T. !"
Among other notices received by
the Governor in compliance with the
above is that from James Sertort the
trader whose store house was estab-
lished at Northumberland. His
letter written in 1871 gives an ac-
count Of a French gentleman of
whom he learned about on trading
tour to the Allegheny country.
The gentleman was known as Cava-
lier and had visited the country for
three years in succession had small
dealings with the Indians appeared
to be with the Shawanese that it was