246 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VOL. V. 



William, as superintendent of the Six Nations. Johnson had been 

 warned of the existence of a plot to carry him away a prisoner to New 

 England, and had hastily summoned a party of Mohawks to his house 

 to protect him. This letter was intercepted and as the Oneidas failed to 

 appear. Colonel Johnson, accompanied by the officers of his department 

 and his faithful body-guard of Mohawks marched rapidly up the valley 

 and disappeared in the recesses of the Indian country. In July, he held a 

 council of the Six Nations at Oswego. This was attended by nearly 1,500 

 Indians. The superintendent advised them to be faithful to their 

 engagements with the Government and not to molest the inhabitants of 

 the border settlements in any way, but he requested them to guard and 

 keep open the trade-route from Albany to Oswego, and to prevent any 

 interruption of the navigation of the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario as 

 the only channel by which the garrisons of Niagara and Detroit could 

 be supplied. This they agreed to do, and he selected a small party of 

 picked warriors to accompany him and aid in the defence of Montreal, 

 then threatened from Lake Champlain. Wild and baseless rumours of 

 the sinister designs of the Indians convulsed the frontier settlements 

 with terror after his departure, and in these Brant was constantly named 

 as one of their principal and most active leaders. His share in the short 

 campaign in Canada which followed is not recorded. Claus states that 

 he served faithfully. It seems extremely probable that he was present 

 with other Mohawks at the repulse of the Americans before St. John's, 

 and also at the action on the Island of Montreal in which Ethan Allen 

 was taken prisoner by his nephew Peter Johnson. 



In November, 1775, Guy Johnson sailed from Quebec for England, 

 taking with him Joseph Brant, whom he terms in his journal " a faithful 

 young chief," as the representative of the Mohawks of Canajoharie, and 

 his friend John Deseronto, to speak for those of the lower village. On 

 the 28th of February they were presented to the King, at St. James' and 

 according to the Annual Register, " graciously received." On the 14th 

 of March, they had an audience of Lord George Germain, to whom 

 Brant related the tale of the grievances of their tribe. During their stay 

 in England they were shown the Tower and other places of inter- 

 est, in and about London, by the direction of the Government, and 

 received many attentions from persons of note. Foremost among these 

 were the Earl of Warwick and James Boswell. Brant's portrait was 

 painted by Romney, then at the height of his reputation, and the 

 fashionable artist of the day, at the request of the former, and a sketch 

 of his life was published in the London Magazine through the agency of 

 the latter. He found himself one of the lions of the season. We are 



