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Robert Adams of Johnstown late County of Tryon and Province of New York in North America Mer= =chant maketh oath and saith that he was intimately acquainted with the late Sir William Johnson Baronet for twenty-seven Years before his decease which happen= =ed in or about the Month of July 1774 and for six years or thereabouts he this Deponent lived with him as Clerk and kept the Books of said Sir William Johnson from the Year 1747 and this Deponent further saith that he was in the Campaign with the said Sir William Johnson and under his Command in 1755 when he defeated the French Army at Lake George and took their Commander Baron Disceau prisoner about which time in Consideration of the great abilities and services of the said Sir William Johnson and his influence with the Six Indian Nations and other Indians his late Majesty of Great Britain was pleased to appoint him super= =intendent and sole Agent of Indian Affairs in the Northern District of North America by which the care and management of all the Indians in the British Interest in that Quarter was committed to him. And this Deponent further saith that the French in Canada had before made and were at that time making use of every Artifice to bring over the six Nations to their Interest. And this Deponent verily believes and is fully convinced that no other person but Sir William Johnson could so skilfully and Effectually have kept them firm in
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their Alliance with his said Majesty and in friendship with his subjects or could have carried so great a num= =ber of Warriors of their Nations into the field with his Majesty's Troops every Campaign from 1755 to the final reduction of Canada in September 1760 on which event all the Indians within the Northern District came under the Superintendency of the said Sir William Johnson. And this Deponent further saith that some years after the Conquest of Canada an unfortunate War commenced between some of the foreign Nations of Indians and the Subjects of his present Majesty King of Great Britain on the Frontiers which was in a great measure put a stop to by the Exertions of the said Sir William Johnson and his influence with the friendly Indian Nations. And this Deponent well remembers his having been present at divers Treaties held by the said Sir William Johnson with the Indians seeing them receive many and large presents in both money and Goods that Sir William Johnson from the time of his appoint= =ment to the Superintendency to the day of his Death constantly exerted himself and faithfully with great Skill, frugality, and good management executed the many Arduous and important uties of his Office and thereby kept the different Nations of Indians firm in their Attachment to his Majesty and at peace with his subjects and with each other in doing which he often and frequently in the most private manner gave presents
to the leading Chiefs and Warriors of the several Nations and that without letting either of them know what the other or others of them had received and without taking any Vouchers whatsoever for the same the nature of the Expenditures being such that such vouchers were not expected or ever required as this Department verily believes and that the said Sir William Johnson had in the several Nations some trusty and confidential Indians whom he always well rewarded for giving him the earliest intelligence of the designs of any other Indians that were unfaithful or evilly disposed by which means he counteracted their designs and often prevented great disturbances and Quarrels that otherwise might and probably would have ensued with his said Majesty's Subjects on the Frontiers and among the Indians themselves. And this Deponent further saith that the engageing the Indians to take the field in time of War with the King's Troops support= =ing their familys in their absence making treaties with and purchasing Territories from them for the Crown and settling disputes between them and his Majesty's Subjects in the different Provinces which frequently happened on account of the encroachments the latter made on the Indian Lands required large sums of money the Expenditures of which must and did greatly depend upon the Honor and integrity
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of the Superintendent and for which no Vouchers as has been before observed from the nature of the Service were taken or could in the Judgment of this Deponent be expected and he verily believes were never required and this Deponent hath heard and always understood and believes it to be true that the said Sir William Johnsons Meritorious services and the faithful discharge of his trust had always the entire approbation of his Sovereign and during the long time that this Deponent knew the said Sir William Johnson this Deponent never heard his Honor or Integrity doubted or called in Question. And this Deponent further saith that the said Sir William Johnson generally made up the accounts of his Department himself sometimes after any paricular Congress or extraordinary expence had been incurred but often and for several Years before his Death he made up his accounts regularly to the end of every half Year and such accounts were transmitted to his then Majestys Commander in Chief for the time being who this Deponent hath been informed and believes examined the same and gave Warrants on the Paymaster of his Majestys Troops for the payment of the Sums due thereon. And this De= =ponent hath always understood and verily believes that such Warrants were invariably looked upon as a final settlement and discharge of the accounts to which they respectively refered. And this Deponent further saith that for many Years before the Death of the said Sir William Johnson he this Deponent lived & resided
at Johnstown aforesaid about one Mile from Johnson Hall the Mansion House of the said Sir William Johnson and assisted him in posting his Books and this Deponent saith he hath frequently carried such half Yearly and other accounts from him to the Commander in Chief at New York and received Warrants thereon as aforesaid which this Deponent considered and believed to be a final settlement of such accoounts. And this Deponent further saith that according to the best of his Knowledge Memory and Belief the public Accounts of the said Sir William Johnson were regularly made up as aforesaid up to the Year 1774 and that the last of the said accounts was in that Year settled and paid. And this Deponent further saith that after the Death of the said Sir William Johnson he this Deponent heard that the Indian Records wherein the Treaties and transactions with the Indians (but no matters of money or disbursements) were Recorded with some Letters and a few memorandums relating to Indian Affairs were taken from Johnson Hall by Colonel Guy Johnson who succeeded to the management of Indian Affairs by Virtue of an order from General Gage at that time Commander in Chief in North America but that the Books papers and accounts both of Public and private transacitons remained in the office at Johnson Hall where this Deponent fre= =quently saw them until in or about the Month of May 1776 when Sir John Johnson Baronet the Son