A CONTINUATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE Commissioners for holding Treaties with the Indians within this State, CONTAINING Their Negotiations with the Cayuga Nation, &ca., &ca. Ta Meeting of the Commissioners for holding Treaties with the Indians within this State, at the House of John Tayler in the City of Albany, on the 15th Day of December, 1788. Present: His Excellency Governor Clinton. Ezra L'Hommedieu, John Lawrence, Peter Gansevoort, Junr., & The Reverend Samuel Kirkland having returned from the Westward made his Report verbally to the Commissioners, and they desired him to reduce the same to writing. After Mr. Kirckland retired, the Governor communicated to the Board a Letter from Peter Ryckman and Seth Reed, which is in the Words following, to wit: Hh Sir: Canadasaga, 7th October, 1788. This will be handed you by Mr. Lee & Noble, two Gentlemen from Massachusetts who have been at this Place the most of the Summer past, and as they have been particularly knowing to the Transactions of the People on this Ground, we have requested them to wait on your Excellency and know whether the Seneca and Kayuga Nations of Indians are wanted at Albany or any other Place to hold a Treaty with them in the Course of this Winter or not. If that should be the case we are confident that we shall be able to procure any number of those Nations or any particular Persons that should be named among them to meet the Commissioners at any Place that they should propose. Had we been directed by the Commissioners to go to Fort Schuyler with the Indians at the Treaty lately held there we should been able to brought them without any great trouble; any Contract that those Gentlemen shall make respecting the Indians we shall do our best to fulfill. The inclosed is a small part of what has been said by Colo. Mackinster and others respecting the Leases, &ca. We are your Excellency's most obedient and very humble Serts. To Excellency GEORGE CLINTON, Esquire. The Substance of the Information given by Mr. Kirckland, taken from his Journal, is as follows, to wit: That he arrived at Canadasega the 30th of September; that he mett a number of the Seneca and Cayuga Nations, some approving and others being Jealous of the Treaty held at Fort Schuyler. That they had been kept in a continual state of Intoxication 1 Col. REED resided at the Old Castle at Canadasaga Village, and Ryckman on the Shore of Seneca Lake. A Patent was issued to Reed and Ryckman for their Services upon this Occasion The Tract bounded on the Lake, and extended back to the old Preëmption Line, embracing most of the present Site of Geneva. |
