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Essays and addresses

They clear every thing, leap over every thing, and display, in this game, a versatility, swiftness, and dexterity, which are truly striking.

During these games the agent came up to the general, with one of the chieftains, and told him, that the Tuscarora nation wished to learn whether they might assist at a meeting, to be held in Onondago by the Oneida Indians, for the purpose of selling a part of the Oneida reservation, which the State of New York had manifested a disposition to purchase.

The Governors answer was conceived in [446] terms extremely vague; the agent translated this answer as he pleased, and in reply assured the Governor, in the name of the Indians, that they would not go to Onondago, from the hope that this would prove more agreeable to the British Monarch.

Whether this political farce was acted only by the agent, or whether this chieftain took a part, I know not; but this I know, that this chieftain, a moment before, begged of me two shillings, for which he would have promised me, had I de- sired it, to visit or not to visit all the meetings throughout the uni- verse.

Without entering further on this subject, I shall merely ob- serve, that the whole policy of England, relative to the Indians, is in the hands of the agents, who alone understand their language, and have the sole management of the presents.