your condition, and enabling you to support yourselves and your families. He observes, that a misunderstanding having arisen between the United States and the English, war may possibly ensue: That, in this war, it is his wish the Indians should be quiet spectators; not wasting their blood in quarrels which do not concern them: That we are strong enough to fight our own battles, and therefore ask no help: and, if the English should ask theirs, it should convince them that it proceeds from a sense of their own weakness, which would not augur success in the end: That, at the same time, as we have learnt that some tribes are already expressing intentions hostile to the United States, we think it proper to apprise them of the ground on which they now stand, and that on which they will stand; for which purpose we make to them this solemn declaration of our unalterable determination, that we wish them to live in peace with all nations, as well as with us; and we have no intention ever to strike them as to do them an injury of any sort, unless first attacked or threatened: but, that, learning that some of them meditate war on us, we, too, are preparing for war against those, and those only, who shall seek it: and that, if ever we are constrained to lift the hatchet against any tribe, we will never lay it down till that tribe is exterminated, or driven beyond the Mississippi. He adjures them, therefore, if they wish to remain on the land which covers the bones of their fathers, to keep the peace with a people who ask their friendship without needing it; who wish to avoid war without fearing it: in war they will kill some of us; we shall destroy all of them. Let them then continue quiet at home; take care of their women and children, and remove from among them the agents of any nation, persuading them to war, and let them declare to us explicitly, and categorically, that they will do this; in which case they will have nothing to fear from the preparations we are now unwillingly making, to secure our own safety.

MY CHILDREN: Thus you see the interest your Great Father takes in your welfare; how anxious he is to promote your happiness; how desirous he is to prevent you from taking any measures, which will involve you in ruin; how generous in advising you to remain quiet spectators of any differences that may take place between the white people; how candid in warning you of the fate

of any tribe, who shall have the hardihood to raise the hatchet against us.

MY CHILDREN: If you are faithful to yourselves; if you desire to promote your own happiness, and that of your women and children; if you expect a continuance of protection, and those friendly offices which you are constantly receiving: if, indeed, as your Great Father expresses it, you expect to continue in the land which covers the bones of your fathers, you will listen to his paternal counsel, and call the Great Spirit to witness your solemn determination to follow his advice.

MY CHILDREN: I expect from you a plain and decided answer, which I shall immediately transmit to the great council fire of the nation.

To which Nanaume, a chief of the Pattawatamy nation, made the following reply:

FATHER: We have listened to what you said to us yesterday: we have had a council by ourselves, and I now speak the opinion of all my brethren present; and I believe I express the wishes of the whole Pattawatamy nation.

FATHER: We thank the Great Spirit that our Father of the Seventeen Fires does not wish to involve us in the quarrels of the white people: we hope they will have none; if they have any, they had better settle them by themselves.

FATHER: We wish the British would give us the same advice as we receive from our Great Father, the President of the United States. We believe he is strong, because he does not want any aid from us; we believe the British are weak, because they want us to assist them.

FATHER: We remember former times; how they deceived us. When we pass the banks of the Miami, we see the ruins of the old British fort: it reminds us of our fathers, who fell on those fatal plains: it reminds us how they were driven to combat against the Americans, and the fatal consequences which follows: it reminds us of the ingratitude of the British; how they shut the gates against us, when we were flying to them for protection.

FATHER: We never will again place any dependence on them; they have deceived us once, and we will not confide in them again. FATHER: Why should we fight their battles? If they should be successful, we shall gain nothing by the contest; if they should be unfortunate, it will end in our destruction.

FATHER: We live in your country: we are under your protection. You feed us when we are hungry: you clothe us when we are naked: we receive every year money and valuable goods from our Great Father, the President. Although we have not the advantage of learning, as you white people have, we have too much understanding to forfeit all these advantages: we have too much justice and gratitude to injure our friends and benefactors.

FATHER: It is true we were invited to Malden. We have been there some time: we have been promised valuable presents: we have received little besides promises.

FATHER: We have left them; we will not return to them. We will take the advice of our Great Father of the Seventeen Fires, and remain quiet spectators of your quarrels, if you should have any. This is the determination of all the chiefs here present.

FATHER: When you first sent for us, we immediately prepared to come to see you. Captain McKee prevented us from coming then; he renewed his promises of presents to us, and gave us a keg of spirits: that fatal keg then stopped us. We are stopped a second and a third time: at last, without his knowledge, we crossed the river. We are now happy on your shore, and safe under your protection.

FATHER: Inform our Great Father we take him by the hand: we will hold it fast, and always listen to, and follow, his counsel. May the Great Spirit ever protect him and the people of the United States.

Then Pooquiboad, a chief of the Chippewa nation, spoke as follows:

FATHER: Your red children present salute you. Father, your red children, through you, take their good and Great Father, the President of the United States, by the hand, and to his advice make the following reply:

Our Great Father, the President of the United States, bad birds hover about us, but our ears are shut to their advice; our ears are open to nothing but the counsels of our Great Father.

FATHER: You cannot, you must not, suppose our intentions bad, or that we are hostile to our brethren, the whites of the United States: for, do you not see us here, surrounded by our women and children, counselling with you?

FATHER: We are informed that it is possible a rupture may take place between the English and the Americans; if that event should happen, we are determined not to take a part on either side, but remain quietly in our villages, taking care of our women and children, and cultivating our cornfields.

FATHER: Your children wish to enjoy a continuance of the blessings of peace with you; our hopes are in you; our dependence is on you; our only wish is to remain forever with you.

FATHER: Many of our prople are ignorant; many of them are wicked; we cannot answer for their conduct. If some of them should raise the tomahawk, they must answer for the consequences. FATHER: Our solemn determination is, never to raise the hatchet against the United States. We too well know the fatal consequences of it: for, if we are hungry, our Father feeds us; if we are dry, our Father gives us to drink; if we are naked, cur Father clothes us; all which benefits we should forfeit by so doing. FATHER: If the war pipe is offered us to smoke, we will reject it: we will send from among us all persons who give us bad counsel. FATHER: One of our war chiefs is going on a visit to see our Great Father, the President of the United States, we hope he will be received and treated as his son; and we pray the Great Spirit to return him to us in health.

FATHER: Bad birds fly among the whites, as well as the red people; we hope you would not listen to them, but trust to the honor of your children. May the Great Spirit watch over us all.

The chiefs of the Ottawa nation, and of the Wyandot nation, have made similar determinations, and I have great confidence in their sincerity.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,

WILLIAM HULL.

The Hon. HENRY DEARBORN, Secretary of War.

[Enclosure 2.]

Governor Hull to the Secretary of War.

DETROIT, 24th November, 1807.

SIR: I now have the pleasure to inform you that a number of principal chiefs have returned from Malden, and are now here. I have examined them separately, and they give this account,

in which they all agree: That Aubayway called there on his way home from here: That great attention was paid to him by McKee and the British officers: That, four days ago, they were called to a council: That they were informed that a war would soon take place between them and the Americans, and that they (the Indians) must take up the hatchet, in their favor, against the Americans: That, before they gave an answer, they held a council by themselves, and appointed Aubayway to make their answer, which was as follows:

That they lived under the protection the United States: That they were treated with justice and kindness by their Great Father, the President: That they had lately made a treaty, in which they acknowledge themselves under the protection of the United States, and no other Power: That they had received, and were entitled to, valuable presents from the United States: That their Great Father, the President, did not ask them to involve themselves in the quarrels of the white people, but to remain quiet spectators: That they were all determined to take his advice: That it was an evidence he was strong enough to fight his own. battles: That, after this council, many of them left Malden, although they were all urged to remain.

I have every reason to believe this to be true; as many as seven or eight hundred have called here within two or three days on their way to their villages. I treat them kindly, and give them what they want to eat. I hope in a few days they will go to their villages and hunting grounds, and the issue of provisions will cease. You will find the issues of provisions the last month and this, very large, on account of the treaty; paying them their fort Industry money, and vast numbers of them returning from Malden. It is, however, nothing, compared to what has been issued by the British: that you say is no rule for us. I think, however, we had better feed them than fight them. The President's advice has a very happy effect on them.

I am, very respectfully, your most obedient servant, WILLIAM HULL.

TO HENRY DEARBORN, ESQ., Secretary of War.