78 The Winning of the West 



cede some of the lands already granted by the 

 Indians at previous treaties. 



In May, 1793, the Commissioners went to Ni- 

 agara, where they held meetings with various Iro- 

 quois chiefs and exchanged friendly letters with 

 the British officers of the posts, who assured them 

 that they would help in the effort to conclude a 

 peace. Captain Brant, the Iroquois chief, acted as 

 spokesman for a deputation of the hostile Indians 

 from the Miami, where a great council was being 

 held, at which not only the Northwestern tribes, 

 but the Five Nations, were in attendance. The com- 

 missioners then sailed to the Detroit River, having 

 first sent home a strong remonstrance against the 

 activity displayed by the new commander on the 

 Ohio, Wayne, whose vigorous measures, they said, 

 had angered the Indians, and were considered by 

 the British "unfair and unwarrantable." This was 

 a preposterous complaint; throughout our history, 

 whether in dealing with Indians or with other 

 foes, our Peace Commissioners have invariably 

 shown to disadvantage when compared with the 

 military commandants, for whom they always be- 

 tray such jealousy. Wayne's conduct was eminently 

 proper; and it is difficult to understand the mental 

 attitude of the commissioners who criticised it be- 

 cause the British considered it "unwarrantable." 

 However, a few weeks later they learned to take 

 a more just view of Wayne, and to thank him 

 for the care with which he had kept the peace while 

 they were vainly trying to treat ; for at the Detroit 



