TUSCARORA.

Before the discovery, by Columbus, the Tuscaroras consisted of six towns,
and they were a powerful nation, numbering over twelve hundred warriors,
which, at a ratio according to the rule of estimating, would bring them
at about five or six thousand souls.

The Tuscaroras had many years of enjoyment and peaceful possession of
their domain, consisting of six towns on the Roanoke, Neuse, Taw and
Pemlico rivers, in the State of North Carolina. And they were also
confederated to six other nations, which were the Corees, Mattamuskeets,
Notaways and the Bear River Indians; the names of the other two nations I
have been unable to obtain. My readers will readily see why some writers
have it that they consisted in twelve towns, and other writers would have
it that they consisted in six towns. The real Tuscaroras consisted in six
towns; but with the confederate nations, altogether, were known to be in
twelve towns, and all these different nations which composed the
confederacy went under the name of Tuscarora, the Tuscaroras being the
most powerful of the several nations.

The tradition of the Tuscaroras admits of having captured Lawson and his
party, and executed some of them to death on account of their
encroachments upon their domain; but concerning the massacre of Oct. 2d,
1711, the Tuscaroras emphatically deny having taken any part in the
affair whatever, officially. The project was presented to them and in the
council of the sachems, chiefs and warriors, they emphatically declined
taking any part in such a movement, but said if the colonists made
encroachments and trespass on their domain, it is no more than right and
just that we defend our rights, and even cautioned their young men that