1

521A

Dear Honoured Sir

It gives me great pleasure to inform your Honour in my weakness of health that we arrived at [Machiwihilusing] an Indian Township newly laid out where there are about one hundred together all of the Minasink Indians a sort of religious people, it is about eight years since they began and Papunahoal is the beginner of the company & their Minister. They want to see the Friends chiefly and to show that the really are Friends, they have not joined in the War. These people who have the prisoners are since come to live among them and they are determined to let nobody live among them that do not deliver their Prisoners and Indians that have not joined in the War do not like to treat about Peace so these are not of the same sort so farr as I can learn. As these People are a religious People I delivered me to hold a meeting with so I did with great Blessing over the [sect?] that their Angels proclaimed at the Birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ [&] it suited well. They delivered the prisoners to us as it is in [Teedyuseang] letter with these speeches as follows, ----

Brother, give attention to what I am going to say.
Brother, Last [?] fall when you passed by here I heard what you & your brethren the English had agreed on. I rejoiced over it to hear you after you came back that was the reason I delivered you the horses that were brought there from the inhabitants.
Brother, listen to what I say, I heard last night what you told me our brethren the English have so much a heart & what they desire we all let you know it shall be granted concerning their own flesh & blood here. We know that God knows us. We have not been honest, we have been false & deceitful in keeping your Flesh & Blood so long, th' we thought to lvoe God, but, Brother we now assure you all that belongs to this Town or Society we have three captives here which we will deliver to you for we desire to do Justice & to love God. But Brothers, we cannot command others that are newly come here to deliver them also. Brother I would now freely do what our Brethren the English desired me to do. I wish it was in my Power to assist that they might get them all back that are scattered in the Woods