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The Life of Gouverneur Morris Index < Prev      Page 41      Next > CHAPTER III. Indian disturbances on the frontiers.---Guy Johnson's letter and the reply of the Congress.--Intercepted correspondence of General Gage.--Preparations for military defence.--Project of the Congress for a conciliation with England.--Mr. Morris's modification.-Burke's correspondence with the Assembly of New York.--Ceremony on the occasion of General Washington's passing through New York to take command of the army. Hardly had the Provincial Congress convened, when intelligence was received of threatened troubles with the Indians on the frontiers, through the influence of Colonel Guy Johnson, superintendent of Indian Affairs, who resided in Tryon county.  He wrote a letter to the mayor and corporation of Albany, which was forwarded to the Congress in New York, and in which he utters both complaints and threatenings.  ‘As the peace and happiness of the country,’ he observes, ‘are objects that every good man should have at heart, I think it highly necessary to acquaint you, that for a few days I have been put to the great trouble and expense of fortifying my house, and keeping a large body of men for the defence of my person, having received repeated accounts that either the New Englanders, or some persons in or about the city of Albany, or town of Schenectady, are coming up to seize and imprison me, on a ridiculous and malicious report, that I intend to make the Indians destroy the inhabitants, or to that effect.’  And then, after mentioning the absurdity of this report, and the pains he had taken to quiet the Indians, and preserve tranquillity on certain occasions, he adds; ‘In discharging this duty I likewise essentially served the public, but should I neglect myself, and be tamely made prisoner, it is < Prev      Page 41      Next > From The Life of Gouverneur Morris: With Selections from His Correspondence and Miscellaneous Papers; Detailing Events in the American Revolution, The French Revolution, and in the Political History of the United States, by Jared Sparks, Volume 1, Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1832, p 41. Some minor edits may have been made, but an attempt has been made to preserve the original spelling. Although some effort has been made to correct the limitations of OCR technology, if you find an error please report it to jvinci@colonialhall.com.     Designed and Edited by John Vinci Last modified August 20, 2006