APPENDIX EARLY PREPARATIONS TO OCCUPY THE ILLINOIS COUNTRY1 BOUQUET TO AMHERST, February 12, 1763 [B.M., Add. MSS., 21634, f. 207—Draft] SIR PHILADA 12th Feby 1763 Agreably to your Excellencys orders three Shipwrights are going to Fort Pitt, to prepare materials to build twenty Batteaux,2 Three more will follow them in the beginning of march. By the last Letter from that Post, Capt Ecuyer informs me that the Shawanese have delivered a few Prisoners, & promised to deliver what remains in their hands in the Spring. They have not the same Expectation from the Delawares. Inclosed is a Speech made him by the Six Nations Indians who live down the Ohio. I beg leave to lay before you a Letter I received from a Soldier detached to the Detroit, of Capt Shlosser's Company I find him in the List of those who claim their discharges & his title a Certificate of Mr Adlum a Justice of Peace at York Town in Pensilvania, some years after the man was a soldier; a very indifferent authority. I have made Inquiries concerning the Packett containing my accompt & Vouchers transmitted in Sept1 1761 to Monckton, to whom I inclose by this Express the Depositions of the Several Persons through whose hands it has passed, It rests now wh the Post Office at New York to account for its miscarriage As I have given Credit to the Publick in that Accompt for three Bills now returned to me; I humbly beg your Excellency will please to order the Same to be paid, till I can recover Duplicates of the Vouchers from the People who performed the Services & received the money. I have the honour to be TO COL AMHERST 1 We did not discover these letters in time to print them in their proper place. 2 General Amherst made preparations to occupy the Illinois country before the outbreak of the Indian War. See introduction, xxxi. SIR I have the honour to inclose you the monthly Returns from Fort Pitt for December & January & a Court of Inquiry upon a Conductor of the Artillery, Capt Ecuyer writes me that he does not think him guilty of embezzling the Powder, but does not mention the Reasons he has to think so. The Speech Harriss Lettr The Preliminaries [Endorsed:] To Sir Jeff 12th Febry 1763 SIR BOUQUET TO AMHERST, March 17, 1763 PHILADELPHIA 17th March 1763 The Camp Equipage of the first Batt" R. A. R will be sent to the different Detachments as soon as Carriages can go: It has been ready since 1761, but kept in this Town by General Monckton's orders. I write to Capt. Callendar to buy Four Good Horses fit for Carrying Burthens, at Carlisle where they may be had cheaper than at Bedford, and to send them with his own at the End of this month, to the Detroit. Captain Ourry will pay for them, and write to Major Gladwin that they are sent by your orders for the Service at the Miamis. If a Detachment goes down the Ohio, a Drafftsman with some Instruments would be useful to give you a better Sketch of that River, as Capt. Basset does not draw very well. There are few Axes to spare at Fort Pitt, would you approve to have Fifty made at Germantown? Our Contractors being not very expeditious, They will require warning as early as possible to send Flour to Pittsburgh. I shall postpone my Journey to Maryland, till I receive your orders. I have the honour to be with great Respect Sir Your most obedient & most Humble Servant TO HIS EXCELLENCY SIR JEFFERY AMHERST HENRY BOUQUET [Endorsed:] To Sir Jeffery Amherst 17th March 1763 SIR BOUQUET TO SHARPE, May 21, 1763 [B.M., Add. MSS., 21634, f. 262-Draft] PHILADELPHIA 21st May 1763 I have the honor to inclose you a Letter I received yesterday from the Detroit: I have deprived myself of the Pleasure of writing to you sooner, in expectation of being able to acquaint you with the Dispositions made for taking Posesssion of our Western Frontiers; but no orders are come yet from England for this Department. The Indians appear much displeased at the Cessions made by France to us in their Country, which I Suppose the Government will have explained to them before we take Possession. Some orders for that Purpose having already been sent to the Southern Gouvernment. I lefft the Spanish mare at my Farm quite lame, but as she Seems to have Some blood, and may bring a good Colt, I take the liberty to avail myself of your kind offer & have ordered her to be sent to Annapolis. This Town appears now very dull to me compared to the agreable Society in your Province, which I shall always remember wh equal Pleasure & gratitude. I have the honor to be Sir Your most obedt & most obliged Serv [Endorsed:] To His Excellency Horatio Sharpe Esq Governor & Commander in Chief of the Province of Maryland 21st May 1763 AMHERST TO BOUQUET, May 23, 1763 [B.M., Add. MSS., 21634, f. 266—L.S.] NEW YORK, 23d May 1763 SIR, I Have received your Letter of the 19th Instant: It is very probable that Orders may Come from Home for holding a Meeting with the Western Indians at Fort Pitt, or the Detroit, and therefore I think it best to avoid the Expence of Calling them together, untill I receive Directions for the General Arrangement in this Country. The Contractors must forward the Provisions you have Ordered, in the best manner they can; Should anything happen to Occasion an Alteration, I shall not fail to Acquaint you therewith, that We may stop our Hand. I Would have the Carpenters kept no longer than they have Compleated the Twenty New Batteaus, & Repaired the Old Ones: You will therefore Order them to be Discharged when they have Effected the above Service. I am, Sir, Your Most Obedt Servant JEFF: AMHERST. P: S: I enclose you a Note from Mr Leake in regard to the intended Supply for Fort Pitt, this makes no Alteration, unless you think it best to direct any from Mr Leake's Observations. COLONEL BOUQUET. J: A: [Endorsed:] Letter from Sir Jeffery Amherst the 23d May 1763, Received the 28th DEAR BASSET MONTRESOR TO BASSETT, November 2, 1763 DETROIT NOV 2d 1763 Now Master Thommy you may look upon this as a matter of favor for I'm just now cursd with a diabolical violent fever accompanied with an infernal head ach & pain in my Breast & to compleat the whole damnd with my old disorder the Rheumatism I may well say to my self Je suis pauvre diable & to be candid with you have a kind of heat in my urine for I'm on the Common since the Death of poor Nancy I suppose you have heard at N York of the different disagreeable circumstances that befell me during my peregrination hither of my being cast away below Presquisle then attackd by a party of Wiandots which were repulsed they killd us three men two in the Breastwork & I was attackd on board the Schooner in the River of Detroit in which I lost not a man the Indians had one Jibbeway killd & one Powtewattemy wounded since I arrived which was on the 3d of last month nothing very extraordinary except popping Shots The 11th of Oct the Indians sued for Peace & Major Gladwin was so circumstanced as to be obliged to listen to them, at this time we had but 14 days flour in the Fort & not a stick of wood; the 30th of |