the earliest
Acquaintance of the _Europeans_ with them, to the _Treaty_ of _Reswick_,
by C. COLDEN, a _Manuscript_ ready for the Press, in the Hands of a
worthy Gentleman in _London_.]

_But, that the_ Reader _might have some Idea of these_ People, _I
thought it necessary to subjoin the following succinct_ Account _of the_
Principles _in this_ Confederacy, _their_ Tributaries, Dependents _and_
Allies: _And the more so, as it is neither extant in_ Print, _nor is
this Part taken Notice of so fully in the_ Manuscript History
_above-mentioned. It was communicated by a Gentleman of good
Understanding and Probity; one who is very well skill'd in the_ Indian
_Affairs,[2] adopted into one of their_ Tribes, _is of their_ Council,
_and their constant_ Interpreter _at the_ Philadelphia Treaties, _to a
Friend of his, who sent it to his_ Correspondent _here._

[Footnote 2: "It is customary among them to make a Complement of
_Naturalization_ into the _Five Nations_; and considering how highly
they value themselves above all others, it must be accounted no small
one.--I had this _Complement_ from one of their old _Sachems_, which he
did by giving me his _own Name_: He had been a notable Warriour; and he
told me, that now I had a Right to assume to my self all the Acts of
Valour he had performed." C. COLDEN'S _History of the_ Five Nations,
_M.S._]

_They have generally been stiled the_ Five Nations _of_ Indians,
_bordering upon_ Pensilvania _and_ New-York; _but, since the Arrival of
the_ Tuscarora's _from_ Carolina, _they are called the_ Six Nations. _An
Account of whom is as follows,_

1. _The_ Conymkos _or_ Mohawks; _the first Promoter of the_
Confederacy.[3] _He is stiled in the Council of all the Nations,_
Dicarihoagan, _i.e._ President _or_ Eldest.

[Footnote 3: The _Indian_ Idiom; they always stile a _whole Nation_ in
the _singular Number_.]

2. _The_ Onayiuts _or_ Onoyders, _were the first that join'd in the_
Confederacy _with the_ Mohawks, _by putting themselves under their_
Protection. _He calls the_ Mohawk _his_ Father, _and in Return
[Transcriber's Note: original has "Retnrn"] he is called a_ Son: _The_
Mohawk _used him for his_ Ambassador _to the_ other _Nations: In Council
he is stiled_ Niharontaquoa, _or the_ great Tree.[4]

[Footnote 4: A _Tree_ is their most frequent Emblem of _Peace_. To plant
a Tree whose Top may reach to the Sun, and its Branches may extend over
the whole Country, is a Phrase for a lasting