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Beyond Penn's Treaty

Joshua Sharpless diaries, Vol. 1 1798

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our minds humblingly impressed with the weight of
the business we are engaged in; and after a short but
serious pause on our parts, we proceeded to inform them
of the nature of our errand & also made some other obser-
vations, exhorting them to stillness & quietude and an
attention to the good Spirit in their own hearts, after
which we read our Certificate to them by paragraphs
which was interpreted with difficulty by Henry Obeal: we also read
General Wilkinson’s letter to them in like manner
after which we were enabled to communicate some
serious advice, & to expostulate with them upon various
subjects relative both to their moral & civil conduct
during the whole of which, several of them manifested a
becoming attention & solidity, tho’ some others appear’d
painfully light & insensible. They requested according
to custom, some time to consider of what we said to them
& proposed making us a speech in answer, when they
had talked it over in their own families.

We may close our observations on this council, by our
humble acknowledgement, that notwithstanding
we find some things tryingly gloomy & discouraging
yet we have had, at this time, renewed cause to believe
that the concern in which we are engaged, is owned by
him whose regard is towards all the workmanship
of his hands.
7th day