mentioned in Lieut Governor Hay's Instructions to Ensign Fry, wherein he is directed to measure what land lies between Captain Bird's first House, and make a Memorandum of the same; But Captain Bird's Lot and Houses are so repeatedly referred to in the Documents before the Committee, that no doubt [remains of his being one of the officers who improved on part of the Indian Grant which was intended by General Haldimand to encourage the settlement of by the Troops, who, after serving with the Indians, had been discharged at the end of the war. The Committee being satisfied as to this Point, proceeded next to enquire what Improvements or Buildings Captain Bird caused to be made on the Land he has taken possession of, but in this researches would have been in vain, [if Mr. Baby, who is one of its Members, had not been able, from his own recollection, to state that Captain Bird had cleared about twenty acres on a Tract of Land opposite to Bois Blano, on the East side Detroit River, and erected two Houses thereon, of about twenty feet square, with a Brick chimney to each of them, which (including Houses Improvements and waste Land) he thinks may be valued altogether at about, from one thousand to Twelve hundred Dollars, But whether Captain Bird, or his son, the Memorialist, ever made any applications before the present Memorial, for Remuneration for their losses; or whether he is actually entitled to any, the Committee has no means of Information, by which it can with propriety form an opinion; For, after every possible Investigation, the Committee has not discovered any Traces of the Grant to Captain Bird, or of those other papers and Documents, copies of which the Memorialist states to be at present in the possession of Sir John Caldwell Bart, of Castle Caldwell, in Ireland, which, however, may possibly show his claim in a clearer point of view, Copies of General Haldimands letter to Lieut Governor Hay, of Lieutenant Governor Hay's orders in consequence to Ensign Fry, Deputy Surveyor and his Report, and an Extract from the Surveyor Generals Report, accompany this Report for Your Honor's information.

COUNCIL CHAMBER AT YORK,

7th April 1806.

Present

The Honorable Peter Russell Presiding Councillor

The Honorable John McGill

The Honorable Thomas Scott.

To His Honor Alexander Grant, Esquire, President Administering the Government of the Province of Upper Canada, &c. &c. &c.

May it please Your Honor

In obedience to Your Order of Reference of this date the Committee has perused with attention the copies of Major Mathew's Letter to Lieutenant Governor Hay dated 15th October 1784, of the Papers marked No 1, 2, 3 and 4 (containing the consent of three of the Proprietors of an Indian Grant made in June 1784) that the Land directly opposite to the Island of Bois Blanc be allotted to Captain Henry Bird &c. and of Col. De Peyster's Letter to that Gentleman dated 25th July 1797 enclosed with Major Bird's Letter to Mr. Cooke in Lord Castlereagh's Letter dated 14th November 1805, and tho' these Documents certainly strengthen the supposition that Captain Henry Bird was included in the Indian Grant of June 1784 it does not appear to the committee that any alteration or addition is required thereby to its Report to Your Honor of the 24th March last.

Extract of a Letter from His Excellency Lieutenant Governor Gore to His Excellency Sir James Craig K. B. &c. &c. &c. dated 1st December 1807.

"Amongst the means of Defence the Indians may prove useful, of this the Americans at Detroit are particularly, apprehensive, and

for the purpose of intimidating them a Proclamation has issued, threatening the most severe Retaliation. on their Wives and Children residing in the United States, if they should join the British Standard, this measure of the American Government is said to have shaken their Resolution, and I must add that I have received information, on which I think I can depend, that we ought not to trust too much to Indian Assistance in that Quarter.'

[Q 107, p 221 ]

QUERIES AND ANSWERS.

Gore

Queries submitted by His Excellency Lieut Governor F. respecting Indians, and His Excellency Sir James Craig's answers.

To His Excellency Francis Gore Esqre. Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada &c. &c. &c.

May it please Your Excellency,

In my last letter I entreated to receive further Instructions for my conduct, I am now more in want than ever to know Your Excellency's intentions, and hope it will be deemed a sufficient apology for my sending the present express.

On the 14th Instant, I called jointly with my Brother on the commanding officer of Amherstburgh, and consulted with him as to the propriety of calling out the Detachments we have received orders to prepare, and placing them at that post, in case of the arrival of the Reinforcement our Neighbours expect from different parts, in addition to which, they have within this last week raised Two hundred men, now on actual duty at Detroit; his answer was, that he had, no orders to receive any body of men in his garrison; and on the subject of Provisions he said he would feel a scarcity by the great quantity daily consumed by the Indians, and the nonarrival of the snow, the General Hunter, which from the lateness of the season we need not look for. The Colonel read to us the orders he had got for the distribution of arms, which seem to leave it to him to deliver them, when he may see occasion for. He recommended us at the same time to address ourselves to Your Excellency.

I am at a loss what construction is to be put on the words emergency or actual necessity, if there be no formal declaration of war. In a few days our neighbours will, in all probability, have a force of from five to seven hundred effective men, exclusive of their non-drafted militia, this number will have the advantage over us of being drilled and disciplined: On the first news of a War they may overpower us before we could collect our own numbers, amounting in all, as drafted to one hundred and sixty or eighty men, some of whom are spread over an extent of more than sixty miles from Sandwich or Amherstburgh.

It would greatly relieve my embarrassment and anxiety, if Your Excellency would be pleased to point out what course must be followed in what I beg leave to refer to Your Excellency's consideration that is, if on the arrival of any extraordinary force, or of levying a greater number of men at Detroit, we should be justifiable in calling out the Detachment of the militia, or if we are to wait until Hostilities take place, or for a declaration of war, and at the same time upon whom is to devolve the finding the militia with Provisions, and other necessaries, if we should think ourselves sufficiently strong to guard the Settlement opposite the American Garrison of Detroit, or otherwise to repair wherever necessity might direct.

I have come to this River to review the Militia according to Your Excellency's orders, and it is with satisfaction I can state to

Your Excellency that the people of the County of Kent have appeared in a loyal manner.

I have the honor to be
Sir Your Excellency's

&c. &c. &c.

J. BABY.

RALEIGH, RIVER THOMAS,

18th December 1807.

Endorsed: B.

Copy of a Letter from the Honble James Baby, Lieut. of the County of Kent, to His Excellency Lieut. Govr. Gore, dated Raleigh, River Thomas, 18th Decr. 1807.

In Sir J. H. Craig's 15th July 1808. No. 25 to Lord Castlereagh.

[Q 107, p 247 ]

SIR JAMES CRAIG TO LT. GOV. FRANCIS GORE.

Extracts from a correspondence between His Excellency General Sir James Henry Craig K. B. and His Excellency Lieut Governor F. Gore on the subject of Indians.

Extract of a Letter from His Excellency Sir James Craig to His Excellency F. Gore dated 28th December 1807.

"With respect to the Indians I have also in my former letter (6th Decr.) entered pretty much at large into my Ideas nor have I seen or heard anything since to occasion any alteration in them. It may be depended upon to a certainty that if they are not employed by us they will act with the Enemy and I only regret that a letter from Mr. Baby which Colonel Shaw has communicated to me, has presented difficulties in obtaining their assistance greater than I look'd for. I cannot however but think that the long subsisting Ties that have existed between us, together with the protection we are capable of affording them, or which amounts nearly to the same thing, the means with which we have it in our power to supply them, to enable them to protect themselves against the obvious views of the Americans which are invariably carried to the possession of their Country, if properly insisted on, must operate as powerful motives to keep them bound to us, but then the officer