Misc_mss_1794_00_00001

To the Quarty Meeting of Frds at HopewellDear Friends Having been lately religiously engaged in the exercise of relgious Endeavours to promote a Business of vey interest-ing &; extensive import both to our Society &; the Inhabitants of this Continent at large;in the Course of our Attention where to divers particular Matter have presented&; weightily impressed our Minds as Objects claiming the close &; deep Attention of Friendsagreeable to the equitable &; peaceable Testimonies we profess to maintain &; adhere to;and among others one material Concern peculiarly affecting our christian Communitythroughout the United States we apprehend maybe especially worthy of yourvery serious &; important Consideration, which we are free &; desirous, under a sense of Duty &; theInfluence of an affectionate brotherly Freedom to communicate. We believe it proper to premise that our yearly Meeting in 1792, sensiblyaffected with the Calamities of War prevailing on the western Frontiers of theseStates, appointed a large Committee to deliberate on &; pursue such means asunder best direction might be instrumental to promote Peace &; prevent thefurther Effusion of human Blood; in Consequence whereof an Address wasprepared &; presented to the President, Senate &; House of Representatives of theUnited States, setting forth that, as it is consistent with our religious Principles,so it has been our uniforn Care to admonish &; caution our Members againstsettling on Lands which have not been fairly purchased of the original Owners;and as far as our Influence extends we mean to maintain this our ansientTestimony inviolate, which from Experince has been found effectual toto the Preservation of Peace with the Natives, who with great Hospitality cherished&; assisted our fore Fathers in their early Settlement of this Country. beinginterested in the Welfare of this Country, &; convinced of the Expediency of furtherEndeavours being used to encourage the Indians to come forward with a fullRepresentation &; Statement of their Grievances, and that every just Cause ofUneasiness in their Minds may be fully investigated &; removed, we apprehendit our Duty again to address you on this affecting &; important Occasion; undera Belief that nothing short of stict Jusitce will ever be a Basis of solid andlasting Peace. This Address, of which the foregoing is an Extract was duly presented,after which, Confederacy being had with divers Indian Chiefs from different parts ofthe Continent, it appeared the People they represented were solicous that some Frdsmight attend the Treaty intended to be held in the year 1793; the Concern of our yearlyMeeting for the exercise of christian Care in a matter so interesting as improvingall Opportunities of cultivating Friendship with &; promoting a disposition for Peacein &; towards the Indians, claiming the attentive Consideration of Friends both collect-ively &; individually, six Friends in the 4th:mo:1793 gave up their Names as resigned tothe arduous Service of visiting the Natives in their own Country at the Time &; Place of holdingthe aforesaid Treaty, which, whith the Approbation of the President, they performed; andanother Treaty being agreed to be held in the last Summer Autumn, Friends were informed thatsome of our Members Attendance would be acceptable both to Government &; the Indians,and we the Subscribers two of us being of the number at and impressed with a degree of the weight of the Concern, giving upthereto attended accordingly; and frequent Interviews &; Conferences with the Sachems and Chiefsor the Six Nations, of whom upwards of 1600 were collected, in which great Confidence wasby them expressed, in Friends as a People religiously bound to the exercise of Justice &;promotion of Peace, declaring that if we deceived them they could no more place Con-fidence in Mankind -- and now Dear Friends, we affectionately request yourimpartial Attention to the peculiar Occasion &; Design of this Communication, which we wish you to consider as proceeding from a sincere brotherly Regard &; a Desire to be found in anupright discharge of Duty--Soon after the Indians were collected some of their principalChiefs visited us &; revived the Subject of Enquiry in Time past made respecting the originalOwner of the Lands about Hopewell in Virginia, expressing their Gladness that Friends