54d NATURAL AND CIVIL 



and benefitted them ; and that they now valued 

 their friendship in the highest degree, and 

 should probably soon want their assistance to 

 conquer and extiqoate the French. To give 

 weight to their eloquence, and to make more 

 effectual impressions on the savage mind, a val- 

 uable present was made to the Indians by order 

 of the British king ; and several of the colony 

 governments, on this occasion followed the ex- 

 ample of their sovereign, and endeavored by 

 their donations to secure the Indian friendship 

 and forbearance to their particular provinces. 

 At no time had the presents made to the In- 

 dians amounted to so large a sum, and no art 

 or address was spared to secure their friendship. 

 The Indians perfectly well understood the bu- 

 siness, and were vv'ell pleased with the presents, 

 and with the attention that the British king and 

 colonies had paid to them. Their answer was 

 expressive of gratitude, and of a sense of their 

 own importance ; and they very plainly told the 

 commissioners, that the Knglish were not enough 

 attentive to tlieir business and interest :. That 

 in the last war they had deserted some of their 

 own forts ; that theii* frontier city, Albany, was 

 almost in a defenceless state ; and that the 

 French managed the business of fortifying and 

 maintaining their garrisons, much better than 

 liie English had done. 



The treaty with the Indians being finished, 

 the next business of the commissioners was to 

 form some plan of general union, and defence for 

 all the colonies. The commissioners were a- 

 mong the first men in the colonies for rank, a- 

 biii^e-s, fortune, and influence* Instead ef 



