And it
awakened his deepest surprise when assured, that without his knowledge or
consent, his land had been sold. He was not aware that his ignorance of
the value of his country, for the purposes of civilization, was made a
subject of barter among his superiors in knowledge, and that men of
enterprize were willing to pay for the privilege of making a bargain with
him for his lands.
This right, as we have seen, was claimed by the government; Massachusetts
holding the right of buying the Indian lands in Western New York. This
right, under sanction of which the Phelps and Gorham purchase was made,
was in part sold, as related in a preceding chapter. The pre-emptive right
to the remainder was bought by Robert Morris in the spring of 1791. He re-
sold soon after, to a company of gentlemen in Holland; pledging himself to
survey the entire tract, and extinguish the Indian title. Thirty-five
thousand pounds sterling of the purchase money were retained, as a
guaranty of his fulfilling these engagements.
It became an object therefore for Mr. Morris to obtain, at as early a
period as practicable, a conference with the Indians, and their consent to
sell this land. Owing to their extreme reluctance to part with any more
land, he had not been able to persuade them to appoint a council for this
purpose, and committed the further prosecution of this to his son Thomas.
Hence the occasion given to notice the presence of Thomas Morris at the
Indian councils, particularly that at Tioga Point.
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