The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-10-04
lhk FARMER AND MECHANIC

sylvania Company: and h ran
,ains' Leonard Hendlev Rn,1nor
u anie hogg' Nathaniel Hart, David
ana nolnas Hart, Ohm Luttrell
salroc mail johnston united them
serves under Richard Henderson,s
leadership, in this dangerous ara ~
aToous undertaking.
1T is worthy of record tba+
.nough Boone was supported h.
iaISe force in 1913 than Henderson,
was apie to muster in 1775. his, at
1eihpt 10 settle Kentucky without the
.oIsent OF the Cherokee Indians
pioseu q disastrous failure. 1t evil
ueh'ly taught Boone the folly of such
a rash and unjust undertaking. The
striking n outstanding feature Of
the negotiations now to be described
is the TACT that Henderson dealt with
the indians in a spirit of the utmost
equity and judicial fairness. Hender
son Wouid not move a step in the ne
EQUATIONS, was unwilling to make the
venture on any terms, unless he pos
sessed a clear title to the lands under
the most vigorous forms Of English
law. According to her ancient char
ter, l6O6-16O9, Virginia laid claim to
the entire interior of the continent.
But henderson had the support of the
highest legal authority for makine
purchases or leases of land from the
indians. Leading men in Virginia, led
by Patrick Henry. formed a
ana early in 1174 made OVertureS to
the Indians preparatory to purchas-
ing some OF their lands. Henderson
and H. were in touch With each
other at this period. And it seemed
for a time as if Patrick Henry might
might become one of the partners in
the Pennsylvania Company. 1t was
lot regarded by Virginia's leading
men that Nirginia's misty and vague
claims under her ancient charter of
alnots two centuries before We're in
any sense . valid ban to acquisition.
by purchase, OF Western lands from
the Cherokee Indians.
According to the Royal Proclama-
ton Of 1868, f~orhidding English set
Element beyond q certain distance
from the sea, the regions within which
the Transatlantic Purchase lay was
excepted from territory open to
colonization. Leading historians, not
ably Emil Reisch in his Foundation
of Modern Europe, maintain that this
proclamation WAS intended to re
strain the colonistS from passing be
You'd the political and economic con-
troll of England Thu il served as
) "a grave irritant 10 colonial settlers,
a needless coerciVe measure Of a per
p~etuallv irritating nature to the col
oniSts, constituting one Of the grjeV-
anceS which led to the Revolution.
other historians maintain that II was
a wise and Salutary measure. design
ed TO maintain q betU cen the
colonists and the Indians, by guaran-
teeing to the latter that they should
not, FOR a time at any rate, be dis
turbed III their possession of the West
ern ands." But it is Of the utmost
Importance, historically, to observe
that the proclamation Of 1868 was not
only generally regarded in the colo
MOS &c n Gaa1 latter was OnpnIy
d~fsregarded on ali hands. Hunters
like Boone ranged thrOug 1t at viii;
settlers like James Harrod and MS
companions heSitaunglv Staked out
claims in the heart of Kentucky. me
country between the Ohio and the
Tennessee. as Findley told Boone
when they first met in
campaign. was a hunting ground ana
battle-ground of warning savages open
to the settlement by the white men
if they could only make good the1f
settlements by force of arms. COY
ernor Martin of North Carolina 10
writing to the Earl Of Dartmouth
frankly confeSses that the OPINION
prevails in the colony that there Is
! no law against leasing lands from tne
indian for an indefinite pefloo. No
@ttentio was paid in Virginia TO tHe
old law Of 1905, which declared that
no private citizen could acquire lands
fro,n tho indians This is abundant
" proved by the noteworthy c1rculi-
stance that, in his procla1nal1oh
against Richard Henderson, the gov.
ernor of Virginia, Lord DUnmore does
NOT complain that the ransylVanla
Company has violated the law OF VIZ
ginia. Of
nv various treaties, successions OF
hard labor, Fort StannolN ana Lof o.
baber, the Cherokee Indians WeIG 90
as sole valid claimants to the telll'olS
a,boS;o6 in the Pennsylvania pul-
chase By the treaty of Fort sten-
DIX 17ss>, the lands subsequently e
nnrchased by Henderson ana oo1n-
pany lay within territory h tori KinG,
ce5ed by the Six Nations TO 1ne as
pnt the purport of this treaty, as
but hnu-s was simply the eX'ln-
nnishment. on the part Of the S1x
SSatinns Of their claim to a TERRITORY
- ,o;thor in ma DIteQ nor OWL