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high regard and respect among them. To their veneration and love 

 for him may justly be attributed the peace and harmony which, for 

 so many of the early years of the infant colony of Pennsylvania, 

 subsisted between his people and the Indians. 



By the time when it was agreed that the walk of 1737 should be 

 performed, it had become an anxious object with the then proprietaries 

 of the province, to obtain possession of the land in the forks of the 

 Delaware, and even further up the river, so as to include the Mini- 

 sink land, a desirable tract along the river above the Blue mountain. 

 This could only be attained by extending the walk as far as possible 

 north-westward, and then running a line from its termination, by a 

 proper course, to the Delaware. In order to ascertain how far the 

 walk could be made to extend, it appears that an experimental essay, 

 or trial walk, was previously made, probably without the knowledge 

 of the Indians. From the several accounts of the " Indian walk," 

 that have been written and published, it does not seem that the writers 

 on this subject have been aware that a trial, or experimental walk, 

 took place previous to the one appointed with the Indians, and at 

 which they attended. 



The original letter-book of James Steel, Receiver-General under 

 Thomas Penn, contains some interesting evidence upon this subject. 

 To Timothy Smith, then Sheriff of Bucks county. Steel writes as fol- 

 lows, under date of 26th of 2d month (April), 1735: "The Proprie- 

 taries are impatient to know what progress is made in travelling over 

 the land that is to be settled in the ensuing treaty that is to be held 

 with the Indians at Pennsbury on the fifth day of the next month, and 

 therefore I now desire thee, without delay, to send down an account 

 of what has been done in that affair ; and if any thing is omitted or 

 neglected which should have been pursued, the same may be yet 

 performed before the intended time of meeting the Indians : — Pray 

 fail not of doing every thing that was proposed to thyself and John 

 Chapman, at Philadelphia, that no disappointment may be the means 

 of a delay in the business of the treaty." 



Three days after this, he writes to John Chapman and Timothy 

 Smith : " The Proprietaries are very much concerned that so much 

 time hath been lost before you begun the work recommended so ear- 

 nestly to you at your leaving Philadelphia, and it being so very short 

 before the meeting at Pennsbury, the fifth of the next month, that 

 they now desire that upon the return of Joseph Doane, he, together 

 with two other persons who can travel well, should be immediately 

 sent on foot on the day and half journey, and two others on horse- 

 VOL. V. — s 



