several of his light essays, bagatelles, or jeu d'esprit, written chiefly for the amusement of his intimate friends. Among these were the following, printed on a half sheet of coarse paper, so as to imitate, as much as possible, a portion of a Boston newspaper.

The repeated accounts received from America of the horribly cruel manner in which the Indian allies of Great Britain prosecuted the war against the peaceable inhabitants of the United States; murdering defenceless farmers, with their wives and children, and carrying off their scalps for the reward promised in proportion to the number, (said already to have amounted to two thousand,)2 was the foundation of the first fictitious article in this pretended "SUPPLEMENT to the Boston Independent Chronicle."

The other article is a jeu d'esprit of a gayer turn, originating from a memorial of the British ambassador, Sir Joseph Yorke, reclaiming the king's ships the Serapis and Countess of Scarborough, prizes carried into Holland by the American squadron under Commodore Jones; whom Sir Joseph in his Memorial designated "the Pirate Paul Jones of Scotland; a rebel subject, and a criminal of the state."

Several of these will be given in the Selection of his WRITINGS, to follow these Memoirs.

* See Letter to Mr. Hutton, of July 7, 1782, PRIV. CORR. Part I.

The deception intended by this supposed "SUPPLEMENT," (which was very accurately imitated with respect to printing, paper, the insertion of advertisements, &c.) was, that by transmitting it to England, it might actually be taken for what it purported to be, and the two prominent articles contained in it, consequently, copied into the English papers, as genuine intelligence from Ame

rica.

The end proposed thereby, was to shame the British government. It is uncertain whether this artifice succeeded as well as a similar one of Dr. Franklin's, the "Prussian Edict," did, as related in his PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE.'

The following is a copy of the present intended deception, as printed; with the omission only of the advertisements, and some of the names, titles, and epithets, in the latter article.

Number 705.

SUPPLEMENT

TO THE

BOSTON INDEPENDENT CHRONICLE.

Boston, March 12, 1782.

Extract of a Letter from Capt. Gerrish, of the New England Militia, dated Albany, March 7.

THE Peltry taken in the expedition [See the account of the expedition to Oswegatchie on the river St. Laurence,

* Part II. Letter to Governor Franklin, Oct. 6, 1773.

in our paper of the 1st instant], will, as you see, amount to a good deal of money. The possession of this booty at first gave us pleasure; but we were struck with horror to find among the packages eight large ones containing SCALPS of our unhappy country-folks, taken in the three last years by the Senneka Indians from the inhabitants of the frontiers of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and sent by them as a present to Col. Haldimand, governor of Canada, in order to be by him transmitted to England. They were accompanied by the following curious letter to that gentleman.

May it please your Excellency,

Teoga, Jan. 3d, 1782.

At the request of the Senneka chiefs I send herewith to your excellency, under the care of James Boyd, eight packs of scalps, cured, dried, hooped, and painted, with all the Indian triumphal marks, of which the following is invoice and explanation:

No. 1. Containing 48 scalps of congress soldiers, killed in different skirmishes: these are stretched on black hoops, four inches diameter; the inside of the skin painted red, with a small black spot to note their being killed with bullets. Also 62 of farmers, killed in their houses: the hoops red; the skin painted brown, and marked with a hoe; a black circle all round, to denote their being surprised in the night; and a black hatchet in the middle, signifying their being killed with that weapon.

No. 2. Containing 98 of farmers killed in their houses: hoops red; figure of a hoe, to mark their profession; great white circle and sun, to show they were surprised in the daytime; a little red foot, to show they stood upon their defence, and died fighting for their lives and families.

No. 3. Containing 97 of farmers; hoops green, to show they were killed in their fields; a large white circle with a little round mark on it for the sun, to show that it was in the day-time; black bullet-mark on some, hatchet on others.

No. 4. Containing 102 of farmers, mixed, of the several marks above; only 18 marked with a little yellow flame, to denote their being of prisoners burnt alive, after being scalped, their nails pulled out by the roots, and other torments one of these latter supposed to be a rebel clergyman, his band being fixed to the hoop of his scalp. Most of the farmers appear by the hair to have been young or middle-aged men; there being but 67 very grey heads among them all; which makes the service more essential. No. 5. Containing 88 scalps of women; hair long, braided

in the Indian fashion, to show they were mothers; hoops blue; skin yellow ground, with little red tadpoles, to represent, by way of triumph, the tears or grief occasioned to their relations: a black scalping-knife or hatchet at the bottom, to mark their being killed with those instruments. 17 others, hair very grey; black hoops; plain brown color; no mark, but the short club or cassetete, to show they were knocked down dead, or had their brains beat out.

No. 6. Containing 193 boys' scalps, of various ages; small green hoops; whitish ground on the skin, with red tears in the middle, and black bullet-marks, knife, hatchet, or club, as their deaths happened.

No. 7. 211 girls' scalps, big and little; small yellow hoops ; white ground; tears; hatchet, club, scalping-kuife, &c. No. 8. This package is a mixture of all the varieties above

mentioned, to the number of 112; with a box of birch bark, containing 29 little infants' scalps of various sizes;

small white hoops; white ground; no tears; and only a little black knife in the middle, to show they were ript out of their mothers' bellies.

With these packs the chiefs send to your excellency the following speech, delivered by Conejogatchie in council, interpreted by the elder Moore, the trader, and taken down by me in writing.

We send you herewith many scalps, that you may see we are not idle friends.

A blue Belt.

Father,

We wish you to send these scalps over the water to the great king, that he may regard them and be refreshed; and that he may see our faithfulness in destroying his enemies, and be convinced that his presents have not been made to ungrateful people.

Father,

A blue and white Belt with red Tassels.

1

Attend to what I am now going to say it is a matter of much weight. The great king's enemies are many, and they grow fast in number. They were formerly like young panthers: they could neither bite nor scratch: we could play with them safely: we feared nothing they could do to us. But now their bodies are become big as the elk, and strong as the buffalo: they have also got great and sharp claws. They have driven us out of our country for taking part in your quarrel. We expect the great king will give us another country, that our children may live after us, and