﻿37^ 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  ruary 
  1793, 
  sending 
  a 
  very 
  explicit 
  message 
  to 
  the 
  Six 
  Nations, 
  

   to 
  be 
  forwarded 
  to 
  President 
  Washington. 
  They 
  insisted 
  on 
  the 
  

   Ohio 
  as 
  a 
  boundary, 
  and 
  would 
  hold 
  another 
  private 
  council 
  

   before 
  the 
  public 
  meeting. 
  When 
  the 
  latter 
  took 
  place, 
  the 
  

   Indians 
  were 
  divided, 
  most 
  wishing 
  peace. 
  The 
  minority 
  got 
  in 
  

   a 
  deceptive 
  message, 
  and 
  the 
  others 
  determined 
  that 
  those 
  who 
  

   wished 
  war 
  might 
  fight 
  it 
  out 
  alone. 
  Peace 
  measures 
  failing, 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  commissioners 
  at 
  once 
  returned 
  without 
  reach- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  council. 
  

  

  On 
  this 
  occasion 
  some 
  Onondaga 
  friends 
  of 
  Zeisberger 
  told 
  

   him 
  that 
  " 
  they 
  no 
  longer 
  live 
  in 
  Onondaga, 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  now 
  

   only 
  twelve 
  or 
  thirteen 
  families, 
  but 
  over 
  the 
  lake 
  at 
  Buffalo 
  

   creek." 
  They 
  said 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  betrayed 
  at 
  this 
  council. 
  

   Brant 
  was 
  there 
  with 
  many 
  Mohawks. 
  In 
  fact 
  the 
  commission- 
  

   ers 
  never 
  were 
  at 
  the 
  council, 
  the 
  British 
  officers 
  at 
  Detroit 
  refus- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  let 
  them 
  go 
  till 
  they 
  were 
  sent 
  for, 
  but 
  otherwise 
  treating 
  

   them 
  courteously. 
  They 
  left 
  Philadelphia 
  Feb. 
  27, 
  1793, 
  were 
  

   detained 
  at 
  Niagara 
  for 
  several 
  weeks, 
  where 
  a 
  conference 
  was 
  

   held, 
  and 
  the 
  Indians 
  sent 
  their 
  reply 
  Aug. 
  13, 
  without 
  per- 
  

   mitting 
  them 
  to 
  appear. 
  All 
  present 
  signed 
  the 
  reply 
  except 
  the 
  

   Six 
  Nations, 
  but 
  the 
  Senecas 
  of 
  the 
  Glaize 
  signed 
  with 
  the 
  totem 
  

   of 
  the 
  Turtle. 
  Brant 
  was 
  surprised 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  British 
  opposing 
  

   articles 
  of 
  peace. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  return 
  of 
  the 
  chiefs 
  a 
  council 
  was 
  held 
  at 
  the 
  Onon- 
  

   daga 
  village 
  on 
  Buffalo 
  creek, 
  Oct. 
  8, 
  to 
  which 
  both 
  English 
  and 
  

   Americans 
  were 
  invited. 
  Clear 
  Sky, 
  an 
  Onondaga 
  chief, 
  opened 
  

   the 
  council, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  belts 
  were 
  produced 
  and 
  speeches 
  

   rehearsed. 
  On 
  the 
  next 
  day 
  Brant 
  was 
  present 
  and 
  spoke, 
  say- 
  

   ing 
  that 
  land 
  claims 
  " 
  always 
  have 
  been, 
  and 
  still 
  continue 
  to 
  be, 
  

   the 
  cause 
  of 
  war." 
  He 
  made 
  a 
  proposition 
  which 
  he 
  thought 
  

   might 
  secure 
  peace, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  " 
  the 
  general 
  wish 
  of 
  the 
  Six 
  

   Nations 
  that 
  General 
  Chapin, 
  himself, 
  will 
  proceed 
  with 
  the 
  

   speech 
  to 
  Congress." 
  This 
  he 
  did, 
  and 
  another 
  council 
  was 
  pro- 
  

   posed 
  at 
  Venango 
  in 
  the 
  spring. 
  This 
  was 
  reported 
  at 
  a 
  council 
  

   held 
  at 
  Buffalo 
  creek 
  Feb. 
  7, 
  1794, 
  but 
  was 
  not 
  acceptable, 
  as 
  a 
  

   direct 
  answer 
  on 
  the 
  boundary 
  line 
  was 
  desired. 
  

  

  