.MTAyNg.Njg0MzI

1793

           suited to the wants of your selves, your women & children. Brothers, I fall in the lands before mentioned, cannot be yielded up to the United States, then we shall desire to treat and agree with you on a new boundary line, and for the Quantity of Land you relinquish to us within that new boundary, we shall stipulate a generous Compensation, not only for a large sum to be paid at once; but for a yearly rent for the benefit of yourselves and your Children for ever. Brothers, Here you see one concession which we are willing to make on the part of the United States, now listen to another claim which probably has more disturbed your minds than any other whatever. Brothers, The commissioners of the United States, have formerly set up a claim to your whole country southward of the great Lakes, as the property of the united states, grounding this claim on the treaty of peace with your father the King of great Brittain, who declared, as we have before mentioned, the middle of those Lakes, and of the waters which United them, to be the Boundaries of the United States. Brothers, We are determin'd that our whole conduct shall be marked with openngs, and sincerity, we therefore frankly tell you, that we think those Commissioners put an erroneous construction on that part of our treaty with the King, as he had not purchased the Country of you, of course he could not give it away, he only relinquished to the United States, his claim to it, that claim as founded on a right acquired by treaty with other white nations, to exclude them from purchasing or settling in any part of your Country, and it is this right which the King granted to the United States, before that grant, the King alone had a right to purchase of the Indian nations, any of the Lands between the great Lakes, the Ohio & the Mississippi, excepting the part within the Charter boundary of Pennsylvania, and the King by the treaty