be; and as to the
right of pre-emption, that the Uni-
ted States, and they only, had a right
to purchase
Indian lands, south and east of the lakes, they de-
nied the
king or the United States ever having any
such right. Upon the whole, it was
received as a
very contemptible speech by the commissioners,
and
strongly marked as British manufacture. The two
Indian messengers
had a glass of wine each, and
victuals set. They eat but little, got up and
slipped
away, I believe conscious that the contents of their
message
would not be pleasing. This soon appear-
ed to be the case, as the baggage
was ordered on
board the Dunmore immediately — some for safety
proposing
to sleep on board.
It felt exceeding gloomy to Friends. We got to-
gether to see if any thing
opened further for us to
do; which at present does not appear.
Therefore
submit the awful subject to the interposition of the
Divine
Hand, and turn our eyes towards our respec-
tive habitations. This evening
the two runners des-
patched three days ago to the Indian council,
return-
ed, with only a verbal message, importing that the
five nations
expected us to come forward, and were
moving six miles down the river, to
meet us. Which
appeared a cunning manœuvre of one side, or the
other. I
was somewhat put to a consternation, on
hearing Gen.
Lincoln express, they had received just
such an answer as he
could have wished. What his
meaning was, I don't know.