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ART. VIII. An account of Conferences held, and Treaties made, between major-general Sir William Johnson, Bart. and the chief fachems and warriours of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senekas, Tufkaroras, Aughquageys, Skaniadaradighronos, Chugnuts, Mahickanders, Shawanefe, Kanufkagos, Toderighronos, and Oghquagoes, Indian nations in North America, at their meetings on different occafions at Fort Johnson, in the county of Albany, in the colony of NewYork, in the years 1755 and 1756, With a letter from the rev. Mr. Hawley to Sir William Johnfon, written at the defire of the Delaware Indians. And a preface, giving a Short account of the Six Nations, fome anecdotes of the life of Sir William, and notes illuftrating the whole; alfo an appendix, containing an account of conferences between feveral quakers in Philadelphia, and fome of the heads of the Six Nations, in April 1756. 8vo. Pr. 1s. 6d. Millar.

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VERY body knows how much we owe to the valour and conduct of Sir William Johnfon in America; of these the blafted laurels of Dieskau, and the fignal defeat of our enemies, on the 8th of September 1755, bear glorious testi

mony.

By the pamphlet now before us we find that this hero might have fhined in the cabinet as well as the field, had he, in early life been thrown in the way of it. In the following extract from the preface, there is an account of this gentleman, with which we think the reader will not be displeased.

Sir William Johnson, Bart, was born in Ireland, and is nephew of the late Sir Peter Warren. His uncle, while captain of a twenty gun fhip of war, ftationed at NewYork, the year I cannot afcertain, married a lady, a native of that city. Soon after, he purchased large tracts of land in that colony, and fent to Ireland for his faid nephew, then • about feventeen or eighteen years of age, whom he put in poffeffion of a confiderable part of it, lying contiguous to the Mohawk country. By a conftant refidence there ever fince, and by pursuing, with indefatigable industry, every prudent measure, that occurred, he has many years since im• proved wild, woody lands into plentiful rich farms; thereby has had the pleasure of living in a neighbourhood of wealthy far

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mers and induftrious tradefmen, all his own tenants; who were firft invited thither by him, and from the lowest circumftances, have arrived to what they are, by the liberality of his purfe, and the wifdom of his inftructions.

Befides the attention his eftate demanded, which muft have been confiderable, he, till very lately traded largely as a merchant with his Indian neighbours, and more efpecially with. our Indian traders, who go every fpring from Albany, and other parts, to Ofwego; where multitudes of Indians from diftant regions affemble, and barter beaver fkins, &c. for • European commodities. These the principal traders used to take from Sir William's ftore, on credit, as they paffed by his door in their boats on the Mohawk river, in their way to Ofwego; and pay for them on their return, the enfuing fall, in the goods they got in exchange.

As our trade with the Indians is of great advantage to us, and had in him one of its principal fupports, I fhould with much regret have heard of his declining bufinefs, had I not known, that the perfidy and ambition of a reftlefs and dangerous neighbour, and the good of his country, called him to action in a nobler sphere. Few merchants had faith like him, to truft large effects in the hands of young, raw and unexperienced men, whom he chofe to encourage for their industry; indeed few could, none having fuch a capital, nor any in the country fo large an affortment: add to this, that his house, very properly called Fort Johnson, is fituated above 30 miles back from Albany by land, a great way farther by water; which confiderably leffen'd the expence, trouble and time of the traders, and confequently enabled them to deal to better advantage. But what rendered him of yet more utility, in this refpect, was, that in all his tranfactions he ever acted with fo much opennefs and integrity, that thofe who once dealt with him thought themselves happy in im-proving the correspondence...

For many years he has been colonel of militia in the county of Albany; and about fix years ago he was appointed one of his Majefty's honourable Council of the province of New-York; thence is he ftiled The Honourable in this book. He is turned of forty years of age, of ftature near fix feet,

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' of a most comely aspect, and is every way well form'd for the most manly exercifes. Notwithstanding what I have faid of him, fhould I be afked, Whether he has any enemies in the circle of his acquaintance? I would answer, What is the natural, the unavoidable confequence of merit? Is it not 'to be envied?'

It is plain from this collection of treaties, that the Britifn nation owes more to the induftry and application of General Johnson, than the generality of people are apprifed of; and had all our other officers in America, as well civil as military, been endued with talents equal to his, and animated by the fame fpirit of glory and patriotism, our affairs in that part of the world had before this time worn a very different aspect. However let us not defpair; there is no room for it when we remember the very great abilities of the noble Governor of Virginia, from whom we may expect much, if care is taken to fupply him properly from home. We have a specimen of General Johnson's oratorial powers in what follows.

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February 20, 1756.

Prefent at the following public speech

The hon. William Johnfon, 'fole fuperintendant of their affairs.

The Rev. Dr. Ogilvie,

The Rev. Mr. Hawley,
Capt. Beckwith,

Lieut. Miller,

'Lieut. Dunbar.

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Lieut. Pottinger,

• Lieut. Lee,

• Lieut. Kennedy,

• Lieut. Mills,

Enfign Penington,

• Several Indian officers, and

other gentlemen,

Three Interpreters.

• Brethren of the fix united nations, your allies and deC pendants,

• It always gives me the most solid pleasure to meet you here, • that we may felicitate ourselves in the cherishing warmth and light of that fire, kindled here for our mutual good; may it • ever burn bright as the fun that illuminates and guides the day, that you and your pofterity, to the latest generations, may rejoice in its benevolent influence!

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• Brethren,

• Brethren,

It gives me a particular fatisfaction to meet you here at this time, for two important reasons. The firft is, that it af'fords us an opportunity of a friendly interview under the fhade of that tree, which was lately fo folemnly and 'judiciously planted; and of calmly confulting and maturely ⚫ deliberating matters of the utmoft confequence, which nearly concern our mutual welfare and honour.

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The fecond is, that it gives me an opportunity of fhaking you by the hand with a brotherly affection, and in the name of the great King your Father, congratulating you upon our late happy fuccefs, which I make no doubt muft give you the moft fenfible pleafure; and I flatter myfelf from your late repeated proteftations of fidelity to your brethren the English, it will prove a means of animating you, and all 'your faithful allies, to ftand forth with your ufual bravery upon all future occafions.

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How much greater might our fuccefs have been! how 'much more fenfibly would it have been felt by our treacherous and common enemy, had more of your warriors appear<ed in the field on that important day, had all our force been united? If the bubbling or drops of our war-kettle did fo much, how great would have been the confequence, had it • boiled with its ufual fury! It would, like a mighty torrent, • have carried all before it; and it would have founded the fame ' of our victorious arms far and near, and spread univerfal • terror all around us!

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I, now, in the name of the great King your Father, in this public manner return you thanks for joining our arms • last summer, and for your gallant behaviour in that action. This gives him reason to expect the like fidelity and coura 'geous conduct from you all for the future, and greatly endears you to him, and to all his loving fubjects your affectionate • A belt.

• brethren.

This animates me with fresh pleasure and affection at this • important conjuncture of affairs, to brighten and strengthen 'the covenant-chain, that has so long linked us together, in

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• mutual friendship and mutual affection, which, I hope, will continue inviolable and facred, as long as the fun fhines, or the rivers continue to water the earth, notwithstanding all the intrigues of our old and perfidious enemies, who have left no means uneffayed, and efpecially at this time, to 'weaken and divide us, that fo they may in the event root out the remembrance of your name and nations from the face of the earth.

A large covenant-belt.'

There is an appendix to this pamphlet, giving account of fome conferences between feveral of the quakers of Philadelphia and the heads of the fix Indian nations; to this appendix is prefixed a short defence of that people by way of advertise

ment.

It would be unfair and defrauding the reader of great fatiffaction, which he may reap from perufing the pamphlet, fhould we quote any more of it, than we have already done. Upon the whole, it appears to be a work worthy the attention of every perfon, who is defirous of knowing the true ftate of our alliances with the feveral Indian nations in North America. And whoever was the publisher is a well-wisher to his country, and claims our thanks.

ART. IX. Inftitutes of Natural Law; being the Subftance of a Courfe of Lectures on Grotius de Jure Belli et Pacis. Read in St John's College, Cambridge, by T. Rutherforth, D. D. F. R.S. Archdeacon of Effex, and Chaplain to her Royal Highness the Princess Dowager of Wales. Volume the Firft. In which are explained the Rights and Obligations of Mankind confidered as Individuals. 8vo. Pr. 5s. Thurlbourn.

HIS performance is extended to two volumes, divided

Tinto chapters of contents,

into chapters of contents, and feems to be written with great accuracy and precifion. The fubject, dry in itfelf, is handled with perfpicuity: the maxims are plain, the illuftrations clear and conclufive, and the ftile nervous and unaffected.

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