CHAPTER

XI.

WESTERN LAND COMPANIES- -INDIAN AFFAIRS.

THE events which have been related in the preceding chapter show that, before the close of the year 1774, the government of Great Britain abandoned the project of confining the settlements of the English colonists in America to the regions lying on the eastern side of the Allegheny mountains. Indeed, the British ministry, soon after the year 1765, began to perceive that this project was impracticable. Although they rejected various propositions for erecting new colonies in the interior parts of North America, yet this policy did not materially check the growth of the English settlements in the west. In 1769, Lieutenant-Colonel John Wilkins,* British commandant at Fort Chartres, in the Illinois country, granted several large tracts of land to English traders. This officer declared that these grants were made because "the cultivation of lands not then appropriated, was essentially necessary and useful toward the better peopling and settlement of the said country, as well as highly advantageous to his majesty's service in the raising, producing, and supplying provisions for his majesty's troops, then stationed, or thereafter to be stationed, in the said country of the Illinois." t

On the 5th of July, 1773, at a public council held at the village of Kaskaskia, an association of English traders and merchants, who styled themselves "the Illinois Land, Company," obtained from ten chiefs of the Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Peoria tribes, a deed for two very large tracts of land on the east side of the river Mississippi. The first tract was bounded thus: "Beginning at the mouth of the Huron creek, called by the French the river of Mary, being about a league

*This officer signed his name and title thus: "John Wilkins, Esquire, Lieutenant-Colonel of his Majesty's Eighteenth Royal Regiment of Ireland, Governor and Commandant throughout the Illinois country."

+ Laws of the U. S. i, 509.

below the mouth of the Kaskaskia river; thence a northward of east course, in a direct line back to the Hilly Plains, eight leagues, or thereabouts, be the same more or less; thence, the same course, in a direct line to the Crabtree Plains, seventeen leagues, or thereabouts, be the same more or less; thence, the same course, in a direct line to a remarkable place, known by the name of the Big Buffalo Hoofs, seventeen leagues, or thereabouts, be the same more or less; thence, the same course, in a direct line to the Salt Lick creek, about seven leagues, be the same more or less; thence, crossing the said creek, about one league below the ancient Shawanees town, in an easterly or a little to the north of east course, in a direct line to the river Ohio, about four leagues, be the same more or less; then down the Ohio, by the several courses thereof, until it empties itself into the Mississippi, about thirty-five leagues, be the same more or less; and then up the Mississippi, by the several courses thereof to the place of beginning, thirty-three leagues, or thereabouts, be the same more or less."

The second tract was bounded as follows: "Beginning at a place or point in a direct line opposite to the mouth of the Missouri river; thence up the Mississippi, by the several courses thereof, to the mouth of the Illinois river, about six leagues, be the same more or less; and then up the Illinois river, by the several courses thereof, to Chicagou or Garlick creek, about ninety leagues or thereabouts, be the same more or less; then nearly a northerly course, in a direct line, to a certain place remarkable, being the ground on which an engagement or battle was fought, about forty or fifty years ago, between the Pewaria and Renard Indians, about fifty leagues, be the same. more or less; thence, by the same course, in a direct line, to two remarkable hills close together, in the middle of a large prairie or plain, about fourteen leagues, be the same more or less; thence, a north of east course, in a direct line, to a remarkable spring, known by the Indians by the name of Foggy spring, about fourteen leagues, be the same more or less; thence, the same course, in a direct line, to a great mountain to the northward of the White Buffalo Plain, about fifteen leagues, be the same more or less; thence, nearly a southwest course, in a direct line, to the place of beginning, about forty leagues, be the same more or less."

The purchase of these territories was made for the Illinois Land Company,* by a certain William Murray, who was then a trader in the Illinois country; and from the deed of conveyance it appears that the price which the Indians by agreement received, was two hundred and fifty blankets, two hundred and sixty strouds, three hundred and fifty shirts, one hundred and fifty pairs of stroud and half thick stockings, one hundred and fifty stroud breechcloths, five hundred pounds of gunpowder, four thousand pounds of lead, one gross of knives, thirty pounds of vermillion, two thousand gunflints, two hundred pounds of brasskettles, two hundred pounds of tobacco, three dozen gilt lookingglasses, one gross gun worms, two gross awls, one gross of firesteels, sixteen dozen of gartering, ten thousand pounds of flour, five hundred bushels of Indian corn, twelve horses, twelve horned cattle, twenty bushels of salt, twenty guns, and five shillings in money. The Indian deed was attested by ten persons, and recorded, on the 2d of September, 1773, in the office of a notary public at Kaskaskia.

By a proclamation of the 21st of March, 1775, Governor Dunmore ordered that all the vacant land of his majesty within the colony of Virginia, "be surveyed in districts and laid out in lots of from one hundred to one thousand acres," and "put up to public sale."

In the year 1775, after the expedition of Lord Dunmore against the Shawanees, Louis Viviat, a merchant of the Illinois country, commenced a negotiation with the Piankeshaw Indians, for the purchase of two large districts of country lying upon the borders of the river Wabash. Viviat acted as the agent

*The names of the members of this association were, William Murray, Moses Franks, and Jacob Franks, of the city of London, Esquires; David Franks, John Inglis, Bernard Gratz, Michael Gratz, Alexander Ross, David Sproat, and James Milligan, all of the city of Philadelphia, in the province of Pennsylvania, merchants; Moses Franks of the same city, attorney at law; Andrew Hamilton and William Hamilton, of the same city, gentlemen; Edmund Milne, of the same city, goldsmith and jeweler; Joseph Simons and Levi Andrew Levi, merchants of the town of Lancaster, in the province of Pennsylvania; Thomas Minshall, Esq., of York County, Pennsylvania; Robert Callendar and William Thompson, Esqs., of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania; John Campbell, merchant of Pittsburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania; and George Castles and James Rumsey, merchants of the Illinois country. Laws U. S. i, 500.

of an association of individuals, which was denominated the "Wabash Land Company;" and, at Post Vincennes, on the 18th day of October, 1775, he obtained from eleven Piankeshaw chiefs a deed, of which a copy is here inserted:

"To all people to whom these Presents shall come:-Know ye, that we, Tabac, or Tobacco, Montour, La Grand Couette, Ouaouaijao, Tabac, junior, La Mouche Noire, or the Black Fly, Le Maringouin, or Musquito, Le Petit Castor, or the Little Beaver, Kiesquibichias, Grelot, senior, and Grelot, junior, chiefs and sachems of the several tribes of the Piankeshaw nation of Indians, and being, and effectually representing, all the several tribes of the Piankeshaw Indians, send greeting:

"Whereas Louis Viviat, of the Illinois country, merchant, one of the grantees hereinafter named, as well for himself, as on the parts and behalfs of the several other grantees herein also after named, did, at several conferences publicly held with us, the said chiefs and sachems, at the towns and villages Post Saint Vincent and Vermillion, treat and confer for the purchase of certain tracts of land belonging and appertaining unto us, and to the several tribes of our nation, whom we represent:

"And whereas we, the said chiefs and sachems, have deliberately and maturely considered, for ourselves and our posterities, and consulted with the other natives of our several tribes, respecting the proposals made as aforesaid to us, the said chiefs and sachems, by the said Louis Viviat, on behalf of himself and others: And whereas we, the said chiefs and sachems, as well as all the other natives of the several tribes of our nation, are fully satisfied and contented, for the consideration hereinafter mentioned, to grant and confirm unto the said Louis Viviat, and to the other grantees hereinafter mentioned, the several quantities and tracts of lands hereinafter bounded and described.

"Now, know ye, therefore, that we, the said chiefs and sachems of the Piankeshaw nation aforesaid, in full and public council assembled, at the town or village of Post Saint Vincent aforesaid, for and in consideration of the sum of five shillings, to us in hand paid by the said Louis Viviat, and for and in consideration of the following goods and merchandize, to us, the said Tabac, or Tobacco, Montour, La Grand Couette, Ouaoua

ijao, Tabac, junior, La Mouche Noire, or the Black Fly, Le Maringouin, or Musquito, Le Petit Castor, or the Little Beaver, Kiesquibichias, Grelot, senior, and Grelot, junior, for the use of the several tribes of our nation, well and truly delivered in full council aforesaid, that is to say:

"Four hundred Blankets, twenty-two pieces of stroud, two hundred and fifty shirts, twelve gross of star gartering, one hundred and twenty pieces of ribbon, twenty-four pounds of vermillion, eighteen pairs velvet laced housings, one piece of malton, fifty-two fusils, thirty-five dozen large buckhorn-handle knives, forty dozen couteau knives, five hundred pounds of brasskettles, ten thousand gunflints, six hundred pounds of gunpowder, two thousand pounds of lead, four hundred pounds of tobacco, forty bushels of salt, three thousand pounds of flour, three horses; also, the following quantities of silverware, viz: eleven very large armbands, forty wristbands, six wholemoons, six halfmoons, nine earwheels, forty-six large crosses, twentynine hairpipes, sixty pairs of earbobs, twenty dozen small crosses, twenty dozen nosecrosses, and one hundred and ten dozen brooches, the receipt whereof we do hereby acknowledge, have granted, bargained, sold, aliened, released, enfeoffed, ratified, and fully confirmed, and by these Presents do grant, bargain, sell, alien, release, enfeoff, ratify, and fully confirm, unto the said Louis Viviat, the right honorable John, Earl of Dunmore, governor of the colony and dominion of Virginia; the honorable John Murray, son of the said earl, Moses Franks and Jacob Franks, of the city of London, in the kingdom of Great Britain, Esquires; Thomas Johnson, jr., Esquire, attorney at law, and John Davidson, merchant, both of the city of Annapolis, in the province of Maryland; William Russell, Esquire, Matthew Ridley, Robert Christie, sen., and Robert Christie, jr., of Baltimore town, in the said province of Maryland, merchants; Peter Campbell, of Piscataway, in Maryland, merchant; William Geddes, of Newtown Chester, in Maryland, Esq., collector of his majesty's customs; David Franks, merchant, and Moses Franks, attorney at law, both of the city of Philadelphia, in the province of Pennsylvania; William Murray, and Daniel Murray, of the Illinois country, merchants; Nicholas St. Martin, and Joseph Page, of the same place, gentlemen; Francis Perthuis, late of Quebec city, in