Page:Archæologia Americana—volume 2, 1836.djvu/577

 LEADEN PLATE OR MEDAL. 541 far as the Apalachian mountains ; which he admitted to be the bounds of the English plantations in America, and beyond which he denied that they had any pretensions. " This officer was directed not only to use his influence, to procure a number of Indians to accompany him, but to exact a promise from them, that they would not in future admit English traders among them. This officer was furnished with leaden plates, with the arms of France engraved on them, and he was ordered to bury them at particular stations ; a proces verbal was then drawn up, signed by himself and those officers that accom- panied him. With this gentleman, Galissioniere sent a letter to Mr. Hamilton, the governor of Pennsylvania, apprizing him of the step he had taken, and requesting that in future he would give orders to prevent his people from trading beyond the Apalachian mountains, as he had received commands from the court of France to seize the merchants, and confiscate the goods of those trading in these countries, incontestably belong- ing to France. l)e Celeron discharged his commission with punctuality, but not without exciting the apprehensions of the natives, who declared that the object of France, in taking pos- session of their country, was either to make them subjects, or perhaps slaves. The immense load of proces verbaux that had been drawn up, on this expedition, was handed to Galissioniere and transmitted to the court of France. As a recompense for his trouble, Celeron was, two years afterwards, appointed to the command of Detroit, with the rank of major." Galissioniere was appointed governor of Canada, 25th Sep- tember, 1747, and the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, alluded to in the above extract, was concluded in 1748. This leaden monument must have been originally deposited at the mouth of the Venango, above Pittsburg. Its change of location to near the mouth of the Muskingum, must have been made by some person at a subsequent period, ignorant of its original design. This is among other proofs of the unwearied efforts of France, to assert and establish her claim over that vast and fertile region, which now constitutes the Western and South-western States of our confederacy. DE WITT CLINTON.