The Colonial Records of South Carolina
JOURNAL OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE INDIAN TRADE
South Carolina Department of Archives and History
Publications: http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/publist.htm
The Indian Books: http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/nativeam.htm


August 15, 1711
Att a Board of Comissioners mett.

PRESENT: Richd. Berrisford, Esq., President, Mr. Jno. Guerrard, Capt. Benja.
Quelch, Col. Hugh Grange, Col. Geo. Logan, and Mr. Henry Wigginton.

Ordered the Jurnall of the 26th, 27th, 28th, and 31st July to be read, and
ordered thereon that the severall Persons following, viz.; Tho. Jones, John
Whitehead, Joseph Bryon, Robt. Stele, John Palmer, Peter Hanes, Isaac De France,
Wm. Bray and Barnaby Bull who are setled in the Limitts of the Yamosse
Settlements be prossecuted att Law and also ____ Bellinger, a Deputy Survayer,
for running out Part of the said Land. Also that Capt. John Cochran be
prossecuted for selling a free Indian Man.

And that Mr. Henry Wigginton be desired to prossecute them and that the
Secretary doe acquaint him therewith.

The President informing the Board of there being a Vacancy of a Commissioner
Occasioned by the Death of Capt. Jno. Abr. Motte, they chose Mr. Henry Wigginton
a Commissioner in his Roome, who was accordingly sworn.

Ordered that the Agent enquire into Cornelius Maccarty's taking away the Wife
and Child of an Indian gon to War. And also of George Wright's taking a free
Woman that had a Husband in Tomatley Town.

The Agent attended and received his Instructions from the Board in order to his
setting out on his Jurney among the Indians. And the said Agent was desiered to
give in his Jurnals to the Board which he said he would send them in 14 Dayes.

Adjurned till Wensday the fifth of Sept. next.


September 12, 1711
Att a Board of Commissioners met.

PRESENT: Richd. Berrisford, Esq., President, Capt. Benja. Quelch, Mr. John
Guerard, Henry Wigginton, Esq., and Mr. Ralph Izard, who being lately chosen by
the Commissioners on the third Day of August last, was sworn according to the
Directions of the Act for Regulateing the Indian Trade.

Read 2 Letters from the Agent of the 3d and 6th present and took an Abstract of
the said Letters.

Read allso a Letter from Mr. Cockett praying the Commissioners to give him a
Licence to trade.

Mr. Wm. Brett, being sent for and examined what he knew of the Savanas intending
to desert this Goverment, said that Cundy, an Indian Woman and Wife to one of
the Traders, reported that the Savanas intended to goe away, but that the said
Savanas being charged therewith declared they had no such Desine and the said
Brett said they had planted as much this Year as he had known them plant in any
one Year.

Adjurned till Tomorrow 9 a'Clock.


September 13, 1711
Mett according to Adjurnment.

PRESENT: Richd. Berrisford, Esq., President, Col. Geo. Logan, Capt. Benja.
Quelch, Henry Wigginton, Esq., Mr. Jno. Guerrard, and Mr. Ralph Izard.

Signed fifteen Licences and fifteen Instructions for Traders.

Read a Petition from Mr. Edmund Ellis praying to be discharged from the
Prossecutions against him by Order of this Board. And the said Ellis, being sent
for was brought by Captain Neves, the Marshall, and acknoledged his having sold
Rum to the Indians as the Rest of the Traders had generaly don, perticulerly
Capt. Jno. Cochran, Mr. Wm. Ford, Mr. Saml. Hilden and Mr. Nic. Day, whom he had
seen sell Rum to the Indians. And also prayed the Comissioners, if they would
not permitt him to return among the Indians, they would buy his Indian Debts.

Ordered that the List of his said Debts be laid before the Assembly at their
next Sitting. And that Mr. President doe direct Capt. Neves to take Ellis's own
Bond to appear to the Prossecutions ordered against him by this Board.

Writt a Letter to the Agent as followeth:


                            Charles Town the 13th Sept. 1711

Mr. Agent,

  Yours of the 3rd and 6th Current are, before us. We are Contious that if the
deserted Savanos still continew to infest our Indians itt may be of very evill
Consequence, and we are of Opinion that Matter has ben to long neglected;
therefore itt must be your Care to use the most prudent Waies you can to put a
Stop as well to any further Desertions of the Savanas as to prevent and take up
any of those Nations or Others that shall att any Time come into our Towns, to
tempt our People to desert; which will much depend upon your discreet Management
who are upon the Spot, or may take better Measures, than we are capable to
prescribe at this Distance.

  The Yamassees will certainly mete with speedy Relief about their Lands, the
Persons who are setled upon them being already alarmed att the strict
Prossecutions, we are resolved to make in that Affair, and you may assure the
Indians that they are not likely to be forgotten by us. We take Noticc of what
you write about Frazier and Simonds and will make itt our Buisness to prevent
their Villanies for the Future.

  Cochran shall be sure to have caus to repent his selling the free Indian, but
having left the Manner of questioning him on that Matter to the Lawyers, itt
will be their Part to be expeditious though at the same Time they shall not
faile being spurred on by us to be quick in the Prossecution.

  No Bonds, you may assure yourself, shall be given up 'till you come down, and
we continew of our former Opinion, that all effectuall Care be taken that the
Act be complyed with and the Intent of itt fully answered. We don't thinck itt
requisite that the Traders be all brought down with you in October, the Atturney
Generell not being in Town, we can't be informed whether the Prossecution can be
made ready in that Time, so that to cause them to come down and to no Purpose,
will give them Reason to complain. The Island against Aratamau Town, we will
endevour, shall be secured for the Indians and Saunders prevented from taking
itt from them.

  We can by no Means depart from or dispence with our last Orders to you, in
Relation to the apointing a Time for the Savanas and Catabas to meet, that you
may be sure to give the Assembly an Account att their next Meeting; therefore
you must not thinck of doeing otherwise than you are directed by those Orders,
although you may be obliged to excede the Time we have limited for that Purpose.
We are well sattisfied that the Bond of yours which was some Time missing was in
the Hands of the late Secretary, Mr. Smith, and shall be will to doe you any
reasonable Servis to take of any Reflections you may seem to lay under upon that
Account.

  Itt is very well that Evan Lewis hath surrendered himself and sattisfied his
Indian Creditors, and question not but you will give due Encouragement to any
Persons who shall see their Errors and repent of their Follies as Lewis has
done.

                            Signed by Order of the Commissioners,
                                      R. Beresford, President

Drawn an Order on the publick Receiver for six Pound payable to Mr. John Hale
for two Dayes Setting of the Commissioners.

Adjurned.

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