Note Type
Historical NoteNote
TRANSCRIPTION OF LETTER
Burlington Sept. 19th 1769
Dear Friend, On Sunday last I receiv’d yours enclosing Col. Coghan’s Letter of the 28th of August since which I have rec’d two Letters from him, dated Sept 7 & 8.
What he can mean by saying he is “changed in your Letter with deceiving your Brother of the Gent. Concerned in the Otaga Tract,” I cannot comprehend. You read to me your letter when I was in town, & I do not recollect any expression in it that would admit of that construction, nor was there any thing of the kind in my Letters to him. These, however, he had not received when he wrote to you. I observe that he says that your Bro. agreed to pay the Indians 16,00 Dollars for 80,000 Acres & that whatever the Tract held out more they were to be paid in Proportion for it, and that this agreement appears by a paper in your Brother’s own Hand writing. I know not what to think of this assertion. I can scarcely imagine that Col. Croghan would allege any thing so positively without being able to prove it. Yet not only my memory, but every paper I have by me relative to the affair, tend to convince me to the contrary. If I may venture to trust my Memory at all in what respects this transaction (which, however, has been oftener contradicted than on any other occasion) the fact is as follows. Your bro. Capt. Trent & Mr. McKee were offered by Col. Croghan to be interested in a purchase of the Indians to be made at Fort Stanwix. Your Bro. & Trent 30,000 acres each & McKee 20,000. When I met your Bro. there, he told me that Col. Croghan, as a Mark of his friendship, was willing, if I chose it, to interest me likewise in a purchase for 20,000 acres, and that I might have it in my choice either to be concern’d with him, Trent & McKee, or in any of the other purchases then about to be made. I afterwards thank’d Col. Croghan for his offer, & inform’d him that I chose to be concern’d in the same purchase with Mr. Wharton & his company, as I knew them, and as we liv’d near together we could more easily manage our concern. Picken was afterwards employ’d to reconnoitre the tract, & he having represented that it certainly contain’d above 100,000 acres, we concluded that we might safely venture to purchase that quantity. Accordingly it was agreed by Mr. Wharton & Col. Croghan, as they inform’d me, to give the Indians 15,00 dollars for that quantity, & 100 dollars to the two Chiefs who were to negotiate the purchase (in the whole 16,00 dollars) and if the Tract on a survey turn’d out more, as it was thought it would, they were to be paid at the same rate for it. The Indian deed was [catch word] [end of p.1]
[p.2] Deed was some time after executed, & in it are these very words after the description of the bounds, viz. “Containing by estimation one hundred thousand acres, be the same more or less.” This 100,000 acres was always understood to be divided among your Bro. Trent, McKee, & myself in the proportions above mentioned, & that we were all to pay for it, & by the expenses attending the same, in the like proportion. But some time after Col. Croghan made a proposal to me to borrow 3,000 £ for him, & to enable me to obtain it he offered 50,000 acres clear of the Indian purchase within the above mentioned tract, which he thought would contain that quantity over & above what we were to receive; and that it might have a better chance of doing this, it was agreed between him & Mr. Wharton, that Mr. McKee should have his 20,000 acres out of some other tract. It was on this account that McKee was removed, & not to make room for giving me twenty thousand acres – your Bro. told me that he expected to have at least 20,000 left after the 80 & 50,000 acres above mentioned were taken out, which he might very well do, if (as Col. C. says) he & Col. Johnson computed the tract to contain 170,000 acres. This may account for his advancing the money for 50 instead of 30,000 acres which he was originally to have. For he has absolutely convey’d to me on Col. Croghan’s account all that shall be above 80,000 acres in that tract, so that the quantity does not exceed the 50,000 engaged to me by the Colonel; - and Col. Croghan has engaged on his own part, that if there should not be as much above the 80,000 as would answer that purpose, then I should have the deficiency made up out of some other tract.-- In settling with Picken for his trouble & expences in reconnoitering the tract, your Bro. charg’d himself at the rate of 50,000 acres, Trent at 30, & me at 20, which we respectively paid, as appears by the account in his handwriting now in my possession.-- And your Bro. & Col. Croghan always told me that the expence of the Indian purchase altogether would be 16 dollars per thousand, and at that very rate I paid Col. Croghan for my 20,000 acres when he brought me a letter from your Bro. dated Jan 28, 1769, containing the following paragraph, viz “I have paid Col. Croghan 800 dollars for my share of the Indian purchase, & Capt. Trent has paid him 480 dollars and your share is 320 dollars which please to pay him, otherwise Sir H. Moore cannot acknowledge the Indian Deed.” I accordingly paid him, and took his receipt for “320 dollars in full for the Indian purchase of 20,000 acres [catch word] [end of p.2]
[p.3] Acres,” which is but 16 dollars per thousand. And what shews that the Col. himself understood the purchase to be at that rate, is the letter he wrote to me requesting me to borrow the 3,000£ for him, in which he says, “I will give you a deed for that quantity of land (i.e. 50,000 acres) clear of the Indian purchase which is 320£.” Now 800 dollars are just 320£ York currency. But in his last letter to you I observe he says he was to pay the Indians but 750 dollars for the 50,000 acres, which, if we paid 15,00 (exclusive of the 100 dollars gratuity) for the purchase of 100,000 acres is right enough. But if we paid 15,00 dollars for the purchase only of 80,000 acres as Col. C. contends, how comes it to pass that he is to pay but 750 for 50,000 acres, when he acknowledges that he was to pay the Indians in the same proposition as they were paid for the eighty thousand?
Upon the whole, I think it evident from the Indian deed itself from your Bro.’s settlement with Picken, from Col. Croghan’s Letter to me & his receipt for my share of the Indian purchase well as from many other circumstances – that we all understood that 15,00 dollars purchaser money, & 100 dollars gratuity, were actually given for 100,000 acres; & that 20,000 acres thereof which were originally intended for McKee were afterwards appropriated towards making up the 50,000 acres engaged by Col. Croghan to be given for the loan of the money I borrow’d for him.
What agreements there may be between Col. Croghan & your Brother I know not, but I understood from the latter that in case the tract contain’d more than the 130,000 acres before mention’d, he was to have all the overplus to his own share. I likewise understood that the Indians were to be paid for all above 100,000 acres at the same rate as for the 100,000 acres & yet their deed expressly says that they sell all within that bounds, (100,000 acres more or less) for 15,00 dollars, which makes it probable that had the tract even held out 170,000 acres as was talk’d of at first, yet no further conversation was intended to be made them. However, that is left known to the Colonel.
I have been more prolix than I intended, but I was not willing to omit any thing that occur’d to me which might tend to explain the matter to you. Col. Croghan in his letter to me agrees to let the Burlington Company into a part of his tract as they define. He says likewise, that he has just receiv’d some letter which [catch word] [end of p.3]
[p.4] which he believes will occasion his coming down to New York sooner than he intended, & he wants me to meet him there, but as I am to meet the Assembly soon it will not be in my power. I shall therefore endeavor to persuade him to come as far as Burlington, that we may settle every thing in person.
My wife joins in best regards to you with
Dear Sir,
Your Sincerely affectionate
Humble Servant
Wm. Franklin [signature].
P.S. The packet is come but I have no letters at all- If you have any thing particular do write to me by the boat tomorrow.
The Colonel’s letter to you I return enclos’d. Mr. LeGay returns here on Friday or Saturday. Wm Franklin Burlington Sept 19, 1769
