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A series of letters written on a Journey to the Oneida, Onondago, and Cayuga Tribes of the Five Nations, by Joseph Sansom

hv_sansomj_letters_1796_041

Canadarquai 7th. Mo. 14th. 17 My dear Friends, You will be pleased to hear that a hundred and twenty miles travelling since my last have carried us very little farther from Philadelphia, especially as we reckon it so much toward home, on the Farther way round. On 5th. day morning we took an affectionate leave of fifteen or twenty of the Stockbridges, who had collected at our Lodgings for that purpose, and went over to our own House at the Oneida Farm, where we held our week day meeting. We dined together at Shenandoa's, and observing that the Indians were collecting about us we proposed to take our leave of them under the trees, and had a seasonable opportunity with some hundreds of Men Women and Children, after which the Chiefs observed that now they knew we meant what we said for we had only repeated the same speech we made to them before, whereas it was the common practise of the White People to speak good words to them at first; but when they spoke again they always found that they had changed their minds. A respect-able old Woman seemed much tendered at parting, and desired the Interpreter to tell us that it was not the custom for Women to speak in Council, but that their hearts were sensible of our good words though they had nothing to add to them. We rose 12 or 15 miles that evening to a wretched tavern, and turning out as early as possible next day arrived at Major Danforth's on the Onondago Reser-vation, by 10 o'clock. Ephraim Webster, a Young Man who had lived with