Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/379

 An Account of the Chikkafah Nation. 367

after the Indian hunting camps, in the winter feafon, to the great injury of a regular trader, who fupplies them with all the conveniencies of hunting : for, as they will fell even their wearing fhirt for inebriating liquors, they muft be fupplied anew in the fall of the year, by the trader. At my firft fetting out among them, a number of traders who lived contiguous to each other, joined through our various nations in different companies, and were generally men of worth : of courfe, they would have a living price for their goods, which they carried on horfeback to the remote Indian countries, at very great expences. Thefe fet an honed copy for the imitation of the na tives, for as they had much at ftake, their own interefl and that of the go vernment co-incided. As the trade was in this wife manner kept up to its juft ftandard, the favages were induftrious and frugal. But, lowering ir, through a miftaken notion of regaining their affections, we made ourfelves too cheap to them, and they defpifed us for it. The trade ought to be raifed to a reafonable fixed price, the firft convenient opportunity thus we mall keep them employed, and ourfelves fecure. Should we lower the trade, even fifty per cent below the prime coft, they would become only the more difcontented, by thinking we had cheated them all the years paft. A mean fubmiflive temper can never manage our Indian affairs. The qualities of a kind friend, fenfible fpeaker, and active brifk warrior, mull conftitute the character of a fuperintendant. Great care ought to be taken, not to give the Indians offence, or a mean opinion of the people or govern ment our Indian fuperintenclants reprefent.

At a general congrefs in Mobille, Anno 1765, where were prefent his Excellency the learned, cheerful, patriotic Governor of Weft-Florida, George Johnftone Efquire, the prefent fuperintendant of Indian affairs, and the head-men and warriors of the Choktah, and warlike Chikkafah nations, a tariff of trade was fettled on every material article, in the moft public and folemn manner, moftly according to the Mufkohge ftandard, and to the great fatisfaction of the Indians. The price for which the corrupt and ihamefully- indulged vagrant pedlars forced the traders at the rifque of their lives, to traffic with them, being then about 70 per cent, below the French tariff in Indian trade up the Miffifippi. Each of thefe tra ders took out Indian trading licences, to which the fixed prices of vari- 6us goods were annext, thereby impowering them to traffic during the l fpace of a twelvemonth ; and they gave penal bonds of fecurity to the

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