Header img
Beyond Penn's Treaty

Letter to the Shawanese, Delawares & others from Quakers of Pennsylvania and New Jersey

Page out of 2
The People called Quakers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey & other neighbouring Governments
By their Representatives assembled at Philadelphia 5th. Mo. 22 1795
To our Brothers the Shawanese, Delawares Wyandots, Miamis & other Nations of Indians
who prepose holding kindling a Counsil fire at for establishing
peace between them & the United States.

Brothers
When a time was agreed on two years since, for kindling
Council fire at Sandusky, our hearts were made to rejoice, in hope the
good work of peace would go forward; Six of our Brothers took a long journey
to see you at that time, under a desire of affording their assistance
to make the Council fire burn bright, but by the working of that bad Spirit
which the happiness of all Men, that the intended Treaty was frustrated, and our
saidfriends were under the painful necessity of returning home with the
sorrowful tidings, that War, the sad destroyer of Mankind, was likely to be
continued; since which the accounts received from your Country of as much
Blood being shed on both sides have occasioned our lamentation & mourning.

Brothers
We then sent you an Address, accompanied with a small present
as a Token of our Love and rememberance of you, which our said six friends
entrusted wch way committed directed by our sd 6 Frnds
to the care of Col. McKee but as we have had no
information of your having received it, we herewith send you a Copy. A
small present, as a token of our love & and remembrance of you, was also sent by our Brethren abovement.
which they had not the satisfaction of delivering to you.

Brothers
It affords us much Comfort that a stop is so far put to the further
effusion of Blood, and we earnestly desire that in the Council fire
now about to be kindled, your trust & dependance may be on the Great
over ruling Spirit of Peace & Love, whereby he may be pleased so to influence & direct
your Councils as that the sound of War may no more be heard in your
Land.

Brothers
We have often been grieved at beholding the sad effects eperienced by produced in unguarded Men of whatever Nation from which
the exessive use of strong drink produce and particularly on the Red Indian people, even when
deliberating on the solemn Business of Treaties which are intended to bind them and
their posterity to future Generations, and are anxiously solicitous that in
the present Treaty it may be you may be weisly determined to take up a pious resolution to abstain-