Beschreibung:

An Enquiry into the Causes of the Alienation of the Delaware and Shawanese Indians from the British Interest, And into the Measures taken for recovering their Friendship…With notes by the editor explaining sundry Indian customs, &c. Written in Pensylvania .
London: Printed for J. Wilkie, 1759. Octavo (7 ½ x 4 ¾ inches, 190x120 mm). Engraved folding map. Modern half calf over marbled paper boards. Condition: Expert restoration to the edges of the title, repaired tear at the gutter of the folding map. rare and important work discussing relations with native americans at the outbreak of the french and indian war. Published at the expense of Benjamin Franklin Charles Thomson - who was named “The Man Who Tells the Truth” by the Indians - compiled this history of the relations with the Indians of western Pennsylvania to explain “ how it comes to pass that the English have so few Indians in there interest, while the French have so many at Command ” (The Introduction). The work provides a comprehensive review of the treaties with the Indians from 1722 to 1754, with a list of these treaties appearing on pp 123-125 as well as a list of the Indian deeds taken from the public records. Thomson concludes that if land disputes with the tribes would be resolved to the Indian's advantage, they would become important allies against the French. “We have already experienced the Cruelties of an Indian War, and there are more Instances than one to shew they are capable of being our most useful Friends, or most dangerous Enemies. And whether, for the future, they are to be the one or the other, seems now to be in our own Power” (page 122). The frontispiece folding map, engraved by Thomas Jefferys, is titled A Map of the Province of Pennsylvania and depicts the region from the Delaware River as far west as Fort Duquesne on the Ohio River and is bounded on the south by the Virginia border. In the right margin are lettered references to Indian lands in the region, including those from the Walking sale and those “desired by Teedyuscung.” Of particular importance in this work is a lengthy appendix which prints for the first time the journal of christian frederick post, a Moravian missionary who traveled into the western frontier of Ohio and lived among the Indians. “One of the most important works on relations with the Indians that had been published up to that time” ( Graff ). Church 1029; Field 1548; Graff 4139; Howes T210; Sabin 95562; Siebert Sale 533; Streeter Sale 966; Vail 535.