[No. 54 From Major General Knox Sec^y of War] War department June 7^th 1792 Sir An express has just been received from the Commissioners at Niagara informing of the treaty being postponed for at least one Month. The enclosed extract from M'Kee will exhibit the apparent reasons. It is to be apprehended this postponement may lead to others and that the Summer season may be lost in waiting for the result of the Treaty. It would appear by the enclosed letter from the Commissioners that the Indians will be highly jealous of any movements towards the head of your line. In answer I have written to the Commissioners this day. The Proclamations of the Governors of the western Territory, Pennsylvania and Virginia and also of General Wayne are enclosed forbiding all expeditions North of the Ohio. The Governor of Kentucky was also requested to take the necessary precautions on the same subject. "Although it will be essential that General Wayne should from time to time supply his advanced posts with provision for which escorts will be necessary, yet he has been prohibited from making any considerable accumulation of Troops at them. You may therefore assure the Council of Indians that our warriors will not make any incursions into their Country "during the treaty" "But at the same time it will be proper to inform them that notwithstanding this is our determination, yet at no time during the present War have [strikethrough: there] been committed more murders and [strikethrough: depredations] from the line of Pennsylvania down the Ohio than during the course of this Spring. This ought not to be so if they are sincere in their desires for peace." In order therefore to prevent any pretext for their ill treatment of the Commissioners, or for any just cause of complaint against us it will be proper that there be no movement of the Troops toward the head of the line, other than ^shall few as escorts to the ordinary quantity of provisions for the advanced Garrisons. The postponement of the treaty will require that you also postpone the collection of the mounted Volunteers which you may call out from Kentucky. The number you will decide upon agreeably to my letter of the 19^th ultimo and make the arrangement for their entering the Service so as to overtake you soon after you shall be on the march forward, or at the head of the line as you shall judge best. For besides the expence which ought to be avoided, if they assembled before they are wanted for active service, they will be liable to faction and ill humours as to endanger the enterprise. Although this delay will occasion you to postpone the collection of your auxiliary force and horses until you receive the information either from me or from the Commissioners according to my letter of the 26^th of April, yet it will be proper to have every other part of your arrangements in perfect readiness to move on the twentieth of August or the first part of September. The necessaries mentioned in my letter of the 19^th of May are all in motion and some of them men advanced to Pittsburgh. I have not been able to hear of Captain [undecipherable: Rhiston], but I hope he may have joined you before this time. I shall direct L^t Colonel Clarke with the Troops from the upper Garrisons to move in the fore part of July, excepting the small Garrisons mentioned in my letter of the 17 ultimo; and in order that the difficulty may be lessened in case of the lowness of the Waters, he will be directed to establish a post at the mouth of Wheeling below which there is generally a sufficiency of water. A months pay is preparing which with three thousand dollars for bounties for any of the old Troops and an additional sum for the Quarter Master shall be forwarded in a few days. Most of the supplies requested either in the Quarter Masters, Ordnance or Hospital departments are gone forwards or will be on their way to Fort Pitt in a short time. The new cloathing will also be on in due season. The delay of which you are now informed will be a new inducement for your erecting a work at Fort Massac as mentioned in my letter to you of the 19^th ultimo— I have the honor to be with great esteem your obedient Servant H Knox Sec^y of War Major General Wayne.