1754 June And July - the Great Congress was held

July 3th The Corporation Gave Them a Dinner At the City
hall - the Corporation fund being Low
The Commonality [funded] the dinner, out of their Own Pockets

I Was Appointed Deputy Secretary of the Indian Affairs
In Which I Continued - for Ten Months When
they Were Superceeded by Coll. Johnson After
the Commissioners of the Indian Affairs had
done the drudgery And brought the Indians on
An Amicable footing - They renewed the Old
Covenent With the Foive Nations - Settled a
Neutrality With the Cagnewagoes & Annegungoes
I think Myself Oblidge to Declare that What I
have Observed in their Transactions has been
honest And honorable -

The Indian Affairs Was at this time in the hands of a Number
of our most principel men. like as it Were Became Netterel to their
Way by the friendship they had Contracted
in the continuance of their Travels Among them
They Acted by a Commission from our Governour, thus
And kept a Mintute Of All their preceeding Copies
Were Monthly Sent Down to the Governour and Council
Their Manutes Gives a Categorical Account of All
the Transactions With the Indians (if I Remember Wright)
from the beginning of our Settlement
it was there Business to treat with the Indians Receve their News
And had 170 New York Currency, to Distribute Among them
to Most Advantage

In Perusing their Records I think is sufficient to Shew
that they had a thorew Notion of the Affairs they Were entrusted
With - The Repeated Information they have from time to time given
of the Incroachment of the french, And their Intrigue to draw
the Affections of the Indians from us, is Sufficient to Shew
that they had the Wel being of their Country at heart, they Went by
the Name of Commissioners of Indian Affairs, I know of no
Interruption Until In Mr. Clintons' Troubles In the last
War the Whole Management Was Given to Mr. Johnson
Now Sir William Johnson, how fit Mr. Johnson Was for
this Business I Cannot pretent to Judge nor had an
Opportunity of proper Information, I was Under the Same
Disadvantages With a _______ Except for a Space of Ten
Months, have Acted As Deputy Secretary to that Board When
I have had An opportunity of the Records Which Consist of
4 Large folio Volumes With Some hundreds of Letters And other
papers, Some Very Usefull
from July 1754 to May 1755 When Mr. Johnson Supperceeded
them Again in the Sole Management, Why
these Short Revolutions I do not know - but the -
Commissioners Pretended to hardly Ever having been In the
Possession of their offices I think Less then two years
In which time they were gone throu the Drudgery of
Settling all the Affairs Since the Beginning of the Last -
- Concluded a Neutrality With the french Indians
that in Case a War Should Brake out Between his most
Gratious Majesty of Great Britain And the french king they
were to remain Neuter, to Which I think his honour Alludes
When Writes us not to Depend on the french Indians
An Other thing I Cannot help to Observe
(And for Which they Not only have been blamed
by Some of the Neibouring Colonies, but Even by Some of
our own Colony) these Gentlemen, Governed
themselves According to the following Maxime that
An Indian Will Either fite or trade And That the Only
Way to keep them from fighting is by tradeing With them,

The governor of the Jersies Seems to be of the Same opinion

1754 August 20th

Just As the farmars Were Busy In their harvest
Hosack Was Burned and Distroyd by a party
of the Enemy, - two men only Were Killed - This we Looked upon As a Sufficient
Warning to All our frontier places, Who made
the Best of their Way to Safe themselves And Effects
In the Same Manner As In the Other War, they
Came to this City for Shelter, With their Effect
Which In a Great Measure Doubled our families
At the Same time our fortifications Were In a
ruinous Condidtion, No fund to repair them With
upwards of 1,000 pounds Indebted Since the Last War
We Went by turns procured and Set the Stockadoes
his honour Liut. Governour Delancey
Sent us a letter as a Warning to procure Stockadoes And
repair the Blockhouses - -

The Corporation Answer th honours that We We already Busy
of procuring And Setting the Stockadoes

15th August 1757 [new p. 75] The Militia of the City & County Still remaining
at fort Edward (to Watch the Motions of Moncalm;
being Apprehensive that he Would
pay fort Edward a Visit) Under a Double Apprehension
first if the Ensuing did approach
to fort Edward, they would by Some Means or Other

[76] The Other Apprehension that A party of the
Enemy Would Set out right Away to this City
And Destroy it together With their Wifes adn Children
and properties Which might have been done, With Ease