with no enemy to annoy them, they built their town, upon the west bend of the river, near the lower end of the valley, upon a large plain which still bears the name of the Shawanese Flats, and here they enjoyed many years of repose. The women cultivated corn upon the plains, and the men fished the river and tributary streams, or traversed the surrounding mountains in pursuit of game.

This is the received account, and it is doubtless correct, of the manner in which the Shawanese came into possession of this fair heritage, the valley of Wyoming. But at what exact period they entered upon it is not known.

THE DELAWARES.

It is known, however, when and how the Delawares came afterward to claim with them a joint occupancy of the land, and to make their claim good.

The "Six Nations" were known by the general name of "Mingos." They consisted of the Onandagas, Senecas, Cayugas, Oneydas, Mohawks, and Tuscaroras, and were a powerful, warlike people, who held the surrounding nations in subjection, and claimed a jurisdiction extending from the Connecticut River

to the Ohio. They are described as "a confederacy, who, by their union, courage, and military skill, had reduced a great number of Indian tribes, and subdued a territory more extensive than the whole kingdom of France."

This people claimed the country occupied by the Delawares and Shawanese, and held these tribes subject to their authority. After the arrival of Penn, he purchased of the Delaware Indians the country along the Delaware River, below the Blue Mountains, supposing those tribes the only legitimate owners; but having been informed of the claim and powers of the Six Nations, he also negotiated a purchase with them.

Difficulties arising between the proprietors and the Delawares respecting the limits of these purchases, the Delawares refused to give possession; and as no accommodation seemed likely to take place, a message was sent from the governor to the Six Nations, informing them of the circumstance, and requesting them to send deputies to meet in council in Philadelphia, with instructions to act upon all subjects in dispute.

Accordingly, in the summer of 1742, the chiefs and principal warriors of the Six Nations, to the number of two hundred and thirty, repaired to Philadelphia, where they met the chiefs of the Delawares, and a general council was opened, in presence of the officers of the

colonial government and a large concourse of citizens, in the great hall of the Council House.

The governor, by means of an interpreter, opened the conference upon the part of the proprietaries in a long talk, which set forth that the proprietaries of Pennsylvania had purchased the land in the forks of the Delaware, several years before, of the Delaware tribes, who then possessed them; that they had afterwards received information that the same lands were claimed by the Six Nations, and a purchase was also made of them; that in both these purchases the proprietaries had paid the stipulated price; but that the Delaware Indians had nevertheless refused to give up possession; and as the Six Nations claimed authority over their country, it had been thought proper to hold a council of all parties, that justice might be done. The chiefs of the Six Nations were then informed, that as they had on all occasions required the government of Pennsylvania to remove any whites that settled on their lands, so now the government of Pennsylvania expected that the Six Nations would cause these Indians to remove from the lands which it had purchased. The deeds from the Indians and drafts of the disputed lands were then produced, and the whole submitted to the consideration of the council.

THE INDIAN PHILIPPIC.

After some deliberation among the different chiefs, Connossatego, a venerable chieftain, arose in the name of all the deputies, and informed the governor "that they saw that the Delawares had been an unruly people, and were altogether in the wrong, and that they had concluded to remove them ;" and, addressing himself to the Delawares in a violent manner, he said:"You deserve to be taken by the hair of the head and shaken till you recover your senses and become sober. We have seen a deed signed by nine of your chiefs, above fifty years ago, for this very land. But how came you to take upon yourselves to sell land at all? We conquered you-we made women of you. You know you are women, and can no more sell lands than women. Nor is it fit that you should have the power of selling lands, since you would abuse it. You have been furnished with clothes, meat, and drink by the goods paid you for it, and now you want it again, like children as you are. But what makes you sell lands in the dark? Did you ever tell us that you had sold these lands? Did we ever receive any part, even the value of a pipe-shank? You have told us a blind story, that you sent a messenger to us to inform us of the sale; but he never came among us, nor have we

ever heard any thing about it.

But we find that you a dishonest part, not

are none of our blood, but act only in this but in other matters. Your ears are ever open to slanderous reports about your brethren. For all these reasons, we charge you to remove instantly: we don't give you liberty to think about it. You are women; take the advice of a wise man and remove instantly. You may return to the other side of the Delaware, where you came from, but we do not know whether, considering how you have demeaned yourselves, you will be permitted to live there, or whether you have not swallowed that land down your throats, as well as the lands on this side. We therefore assign you two places to go to either to Wyoming or Shamokin. You may go to either of these places, and then we shall have you more under our eyes, and shall see how you behave. Don't deliberate, but remove away, and take this belt of wampum." He then commanded them to leave the council, as he had business to do with the English.

The influence of the Six Nations was too powerful to be disregarded, and the speech of Connossatego had its full effect. The Delawares immediately left the disputed country-some removed to Shamokin and some to Wyoming.