d. A furious war between them and
the Sacs and Kickapoos, reduced them to that miserable remnant, which
had taken refuge amongst the white people of the towns of Kaskaskias
and St. Genevieve. The Kickapoos had fixed their principal village at
Peoria, upon the south bank of the Illinois river, while the Sacs
remained masters of the country to the north.

"During the war of our Revolution, the Miamis had invited the Kickapoos
into their country to assist them against the whites, and a
considerable village was formed by that tribe on Vermillion river, near
its junction with the Wabash. After the treaty of Greenville, the
Delawares had, with the approbation of the Miamis, removed from the
mouth of the Auglaize to the head waters of White river, a large branch
of the Wabash--and the Potawatamies, without their consent, had formed
two villages upon the latter river, one at Tippecanoe, and the other at
Chippoy, twenty-five miles below.

"The Piankishaws lived in the neighborhood of Vincennes, which was
their ancient village, and claimed the lands to the mouth of the
Wabash, and to the north and west as far as the Kaskaskias claimed.
Such was the situation of the tribes, when I received instructions from
President Jefferson, shortly after his first election, to make efforts
for extinguishing the Indian claims upon the Ohio, below the mouth of
the Kentucky river, and to such other tracts as were necessary to
connect and consolidate our settlements. It was at once determined,
that the community of interests in the lands amongst the Indian tribes,
which seemed to be recognized by the treaty of Greenville, should be
objected to; and that each individual tribe should be protected in
every claim that should appear to be founded in reason and justice. But
it was also determined, that as a measure of policy and liberality,
such tribes as lived upon any tract of land which it would be desirable
to purchase, should receive a portion of the compensation, although the
title might be exclusively in another tribe. Upon this principle the
Delawares, Shawanoes, Potawatamies, and Kickapoos, were admitted as
parties to several of the treaties. Care was taken, however, to place
the title to such tracts as might be desirable to purchase hereafter,
upon a footing that would facilitate the procuring of them, by getting
the tribes who had no claim themselves, and who might probably
interfere, to recognize the titles of those who were ascertained to