Documenting the American South Logo
Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from William Petty, Marquis of Lansdowne to William Tryon
Lansdowne, William Petty, Marquis of, 1737-1805
September 13, 1766
Volume 07, Pages 254-255

[B. P. R. O. Am. & West Ind. Vol. 269.]
Letter from Secretary Lord Shelburne to Governor Tryon

Whitehall Sept 13th 1766.

Sir

Advices having been received from His Majesty's Superintendants for Indian Affairs that the most unprovoked violences and murthers have been lately committed on the Indians under the protection of his Majesty and whose Tribes are at present in Peace and Amity with his Majesty's Provinces and that the offenders have not yet been discovered and brought to Justice and likewise that settlements have been made on the back of the Provinces without proper Authority and beyond the limits prescribed by his Majesty's Royal Proclamation of 1763, and in some places even beyond the utmost Boundaries of any Province in America and that in consequence the Indian Nations do everywhere discover the greatest discontents and resentments which may endanger the Peace of his Majesty's Provinces and the safety of his Subjects.

It is therefore his Majesty's commands that you apply yourself in the most earnest manner to remedy and prevent those evils which are as contrary to the rules of good Policy as of Justice and Equity.

The violation of those principles attended also with so many dangers to the Provinces is what cannot be permitted If a due obedience had been paid to his Majesty's Royal Proclamation and a due

-------------------- page 255 --------------------
attention given to proper Restraints on the conduct of the Indian Traders these evils would have been effectually avoided.

His Majesty's commander in Chief has received express orders to co-operate with the civil government for the enforcing a due obedience to that Proclamation and his Majesty requires and expects every measure to be taken which Prudence can dictate for the removing such settlers preventing in future any such Settlements as are contrary to the Intention of the Proclamation and for apprehending such offenders whose daring Crimes have so direct a Tendency to involve the whole of his Majesty's Provinces in America in an Indian War.

I am &c
SHELBURNE.