Page:The Life of George Washington, Volume 1.djvu/572

 — 42 — on pain, of our displeasure, all our loving subjects from making any purchases or settlements whatever, or taking possession of any of the lands above reserved, without our special leave and license for that purpose first obtained. And Ave do further strictly enjoin and require all persons whatever, who have either wilfully or inadvertently seated themselves upon any lands within the countries above de- scribed, or upon any other lands, which not having been ceded to, or purchased by us, are still reserved to the said Indians, as aforesaid, forthwith to remove themselves from such settlements. And whereas great frauds and abuses have been committed in the purchasing lands of the Indians, to the great prejudice of our interests, and to the great dissatisfaction of the said Indians, in order, therefore, to prevent such irregularities for the future, and to the end that the Indians may be con- vinced of our justice and determined resolution to remove all reasonable cause of discontent, we do, with the advice of our privy council, strictly enjoin and require that no private per- son do presume to make any purchase from the said Indians of any lands reserved to the said Indians, within those parts of our colonies where we have thought proper to allow set- tlements, but that if, at any time, any of the Indians should be inclined to dispose of the said lands, the same shall be purchased only for us, in our name, at some public meeting or assembly of the said Indians, to be held for that purpose by the governor or commander in chief of our colonies, re- spectively, within which they shall lie ; and in case they shall lie within the limits of any proprietary government they shall be purchased only for the use, and in the name, of such proprietaries, conformable to such directions and instructions, as we or they shall think proper to give for that purpose : and we do, by the advice of our privy council, declare and enjoin that the trade with the said Indians shall be free and open to all our subjects whatever, provided that every person who may incline to trade with the said Indians do take out a license for carrying on such trade from the governor and commander in chief of any of our colonies, respectively, where