The months pay will be transmitted immediately and also a duplicate of this letter— I am Sir with great esteem your ob^t. Servant H Knox Sec^y of War Major General Wayne [From the Indian Commissioners to the Secretary of War] On Lake Erie August 21^st 1793 Sir The Indians have refused to [strikethrough: make] be peace. We have not been admitted to an interview with them except by their deputations. The transactions with the first deputation at Niagara have been transmitted to you. Immediately afterwards we returned to Fort Erie, and embarked for the mouth of Detroit River where we arrived on the 21^st of July and expected in a few days to receive notice from the Indians that they were ready to meet us at Sandusky. Captain Matthew Elliot Col. McKee's assistant, at whose house we were furnished with quarters was at home waiting for a wind to sail to the Miami. He departed the next morning, taking a letter from us to Col. McKee advising him of our arrival and requesting that our meeting with the Indians might be hastened— On the 19^th Elliot returned with another deputation of Indians, at the head of which were [undecipherable: Pickomchelass?] Head warrior of the Delawares [undecipherable] Head warrior of the Shawnese, and [undecipherable] who is said to be the Headman of the Wyandots. The next day they presented a written message in the name of their Confederacy, demanding an explicit answer to this question — Are you fully authorised by the United States to continue and firmly fix on the Ohio River as the boundary between your people and ours? The next day we answered the question explicitly, previously stating the reasons why the United States could not now make the Ohio the boundary, we also mentioned the principal concessions [strikethrough: and terms] and the ample compensations we were ready to make and stipulate, expressing the prompt and [underline: annual] compensations not in precise terms but in terms which we thought would forcibly strike them with ideas of their magnitude. The next morning they met us, and after making some observations on the subject, said they would lay our speech before their warriors. The speaker indeed told us we might go home, but this seemed to be a mistake and contrary to what our interpreters overheard other Chiefs say as they sat in this council. As soon as the speaker had done Captain Elliot spoke to the Shawnese Chief mentioning the mistake, an explanation took place, and we were desired to remain where we were for an answer. This we requested to have forwarded without delay. On the 5^th of August two of Captain Hendricks men arrived to obtain some necessaries. By their information there seemed to be a fair prospect of peace. Some Munseys and Chippewas who arrived the 9^th confirmed their account, on the 11^th Some Senecas arrived. They had come from the Council by the way of Detroit in order to go home most of them being sick. Their information corresponded with the former in respect to all the Nations except the Wyandots Delawars Shawnese and Miamis who remained obstinate, yet they said that even of these nations near one half were for peace. They said also that the Six Nations including Cap^t Brant and his Mohocks [underline: held fast together] and strongly urged the hostile nations to make peace. Nor We find that our Speech of July 31^st was well understood having been interpreted to the Shawnese &c by Colonel McKee to the Six Nations by Captain Brant, and to the Delawares [undecipherable] by Cap^t Hendricks. Having waited til the 12^th of August with out receiving an answer, we proposed going in the vessel operated for our use to the Miami Bay, or to the mouth of the Miamie River, that we might with more ease and expedition communicate with the Indian Council, but this we were not permitted to do. So the next day we sent two runners of the Six Nations (a few being with us) with a letter to Col McKee, a written message to the Indian Council and verbal messages to Cap^t Brant and Captain Hendricks to advise them of the written one. The object of the letter and Message was to obtain a decisive answer from the Indian Council whether a treaty was to be had or not, and to bring the business to a speedy issue. On Friday the 16^th in the afternoon two Wyandot runners arrived with an answer from the Indian Council. We made immediately a short reply and began to embark our effects. On Saturday morning we completed the embarcation of our stores and baggage and in the afternoon sailed for Fort Erie. On Friday evening our own two runners returned. According to their information the Six Nations knew nothing of the contents of the final answer of the Indian Council. Their name is not subscribed to it they had heard nothing of an answer, but were told it was to invite the Commissioners to meet the Indian nations on the Miami (instead of Sandusky) about five miles below the rapids— to which place the Six Nations proposed to remove the day or the day after our runners left them. From the same information it seemed probable that the Six Nations were not made acquainted with our written message of the 13^th nor the letter to Col^o. McKee. So we made out copies of them, of the final answer of the Indians and of our last reply and on Saturday morning sent them off by our runners, with directions to deliver them to Captain Brandt, and to inform the other Six Nation Chiefs thereof. A letter was also written to Hendricks informing him for information to those Copies. We verbally directed the runners to tell [these] Chiefs to be of good heart, and to assure them of the firm and unalterable friendship of the United States for the Six Nations. We had thought it a matter of no small moment that the Chiefs of the Six Nations should be seen and consulted on their return from the Miamie, and our runners told us that the Chiefs wished us to stay for them a Buffalo [undecipherable]. This did not seem expedient but we directed the runners to tell them that on their return General Chapin would meet them at any place which they should appoint, and without delay transmit their information and the result of their deliberations to the President. I Inclosed is a copy of our letter to General Wayne. We shall send the same to him by other conveyances, but all by the way of Fort Pitt. We have written to the Commanding Officer there desiring him to give Major Craig to whose care we shall send all the letters for General Wayne every requisite aid in forwarding them, and we have also written to the Commanding Officer at Fort Franklin to afford his aid in conveying them by land and by water to Major Craig. In all these intermediate letters we have mentioned the fact simply "that the Western Indians refuse to make peace." We have directed Major Craig to forward the first letter to General Wayne in that way which shall promise the [underline: utmost speed] and [underline: certainty], sparing no expence to effect it, and the others in succession, one by one, as fast a conveyances shall present. But we added that if you should have given any orders about the conveyance of our letters to General Wayne, he was to observe them. If the wind had permitted, we should have [undecipherable] Sylvester [undecipherable] a [undecipherable] at Presque Isle, and prepared letters accordingly to go by him. We will now proceed from Buffaloe Creek. We expect General Chapin will procure two Seneca runners to go with him as far as Fort Franklin. From there he will proceed by land or by water as he and the Commanding Officer shall think best. But whichever route he pursues we have directed the Commanding Officer to send some trusty Indians by the other to afford the greater certainty of Conveyance. We inclose him [undecipherable] letters for Major Craig and General Wayne for that purpose— M^r Wilson proposes to go as far as Genesee river, and thence proceed to the Susquehanna and thence to Pittsburg, by him we shall find the third set of letters for General Wayne. Fort Erie August 23^d. We arrived here between 12 & 1 o'clock this morning, and our letters having been prepared on the voyage we shall be enabled to send them off as soon as General Chapin and M^r [undecipherable] [undecipherable]