184 The Winning of the West 



We your Petitioners being situate in a wide Ex- 

 tencive Uncultivated Contry and Exposd. on every 

 side to incursions of the Savage Indians humbly 

 Conceive Ourselves approssed by several acts of 

 the general assembly of Virginia for granting large 

 Grants for waist and unapropriated lands on the 

 Western Waters without Reservation for Cultivating 

 and Settling the same whereby Setling the Contry 

 is Discouraged and the inhabitants are greatly Ex- 

 posd. to the Saviges by whome our wives and Chil- 

 dring are daly Cruily murdered notwithstanding our 

 most Humble Petitions Canot Obtain Redress By 

 an act we are Taxd. which in our Present Situation 

 we Conceive to be oppresive and unjust being Taxd. 

 with money and grain whilst Enrold and in actual 

 Pay residing in Garrisons. We are Situate from 

 Six Hundred to one Thousand Miles from our Pres- 

 ent Seite of Government, Whereby Criminals are 

 Suffered to Escape with impunity, Great numbers 

 who were Ocationaly absent are Deprived of an 

 Opertunity of their Just Rights and Emprovements 

 and here we are Obliged to Prosecute all Apeals, 

 and whillst we remain uncertain whether the un- 

 bounded Claim of This Extencive Contry Ought of 

 right to belong to the United States or the State of 

 Virginia, They have by another late act required of 

 us to Sware alegince to the State of Virginia in 

 Particular Notwithstanding we have aredy taken the 

 Oath of alegance to the united States. These are 

 Greivences too Heavy to be born, and we do Hum- 

 bly Pray that the Continental Congress will Take 



