An Address to the Rev. Dr. Alison - i.
OUR Indian War still greatly distresses our Frontier Counties, great Numbers are driven from their Habitations, and Want and Poverty force many to live on their Plantations, tho' they never go to Bed without Danger of being cut off by the Savages before the Morning. This was the Fate of some Families lately, who were our Neighbours and intimate Friends some Years ago, while they lived in the interior Counties. They murdered a Woman with Child, cut the Infant out of her Womb, and made her and it most horrid Spectales of their Cruelty. They also, not many Weeks ago, stole down thro' the Inhabitants and massacred a Schoolmaster and his Scholars in a most barbarous Manner. These Murders are generally committed by Indians who lived either near or among the Europeans in the Time of Peace; they know the State of the Frontiers, and how to distress them, and steal off without Discovery. These Indians are the Remains of a Part of the Indian Nation from whom we bought our Lands. They are a free independent People; they are no Subjects of England, as some believe, nor did they ever give up their National Independency; they have been in Alliance with England, but still have all the Powers of a free Nation, and make War and Peace with us, as with others, as they please. The Quakers are chiefly in our three interior Counties, as they were the first Settlers; and the five Frontier Counties are settled in general with People of other Denominations, chiefly Lutherans, and Dutch and English Presbyterians, with a Mixture of Baptists and the Church of England. In all our Troubles the Quakers, at least a Quaker Faction, have secretly supported the Indians, held Treaties and Correspondence with them in our Wars, and bestowed on them Arms and Ammunition, and Tomahawks, even when they were murdering our Frontier Inhabitants. When a Peace was concluded, if we may use an Indian Idiom, they wiped away the Blood shed by the Indians without obliging them to return our Captives. We put 500 l. into the Hands of our Governor, who entrusted it to our Provincial Commissioners, to redeem our Captives so shamefully deserted; but we did not receive above a Score, if so many, notwithstanding our utmost Endeavours. The very Indians who lived among us, and had done us great Mischiefs, during the War, sat in the Council with the Nations to whom they belonged, and concluded this Peace: And even in Time of Peace, before this War broke out, they told the Inhabitants among whom they lived, that they had
