....Spotswood’s reasons for signing the Treaty are explained in part by this record from the Executive Journals dated January 27, 1713 ( 1713/1714) (as found in England’s records of the Virginia Colonies):"At a Council held at the Capital the 27th day of January 1713
Present
The Honorable Alexander Spotswood her Majesties Lieut Governor
James Blair John Lewis William Byrd William Cocke,Esq
Nathaniel Harrison, Esq.
The Governor this day informed the Council that on the 20th of the last month, several of the Great men of the Tuscaruro Nation arrived here according to what their Deputies had promised before this Board last October. That the said Great men had intimated that it was the desire of all their people to conclude a peace with this Government & to become Tributaries thereto, but withal desired that land might be assigned to them on Roanoak River for their settlement; That thereupon the Governor had refused to permit their settling on the Roanoak lest their Neighbourhood to North Carolina might occasion new differences between them & that Government & draw upon them the South Carolina Indians, which would necessarily involve this Government in a War with those Indians for the Protection of the Tributaries; That He had proposed to settle them between the James River & Rappahannock recommending that as a place of More security for them against incursions of foreign Indians, but with a design to cut off all communication between them & North Carolina, & thereby preventing their taking any opportunity of revenging themselves upon the Inhabitants of that Province, that he had besides endeavored to persuade those Indians of the advantages they would receive by this settlement, such as having a large tract of land to hunt in, a body of the English to live with them & to instruct their children, in Literature & the principles of Christianity, to bring them to a more civilized & plentiful manner of living, & to establish a constant intercourse of trade between them and the Inhabitants of this Colony; all which they seemed to be much pleased with except only as to the place proposed for Settlement; Upon which they desired time to consult with the rest of their Nation promising to return with full power to conclude upon every particular in the middle of February. And because the Said Deputies had represented that their people were in extreme want of Corne for their subsistence he had at their request given leave for twenty of their men to come in amongst the Inhabitants & purchase as much as they could at once conveniently carry.
After which the Governor was pleased to communicate to the Council the Scheme he had framed for the settlement of the Indians & the security of the Frontiers Which is as follows Viz.
That the Maharines be incorporated with the Nottoways & settled upon the Roanoak River with a party of twelve English men to reside among them, who shall observe all their motions & some of them to go out constantly with their hunting parties & that the grounds of their hunting be assigned to them between the Roanoak River & the Appromattox. That this Settlement consisting of a considerable body of Indians would serve as a good barrier to the Inhabitants ( of the Colony) against the Southern Indians, whose incursions are now most to be dreaded, That the Saponies, Stukanok, Occoneechees & Totteros have a Fort built for them above the Fork of the James River. That fifteen men & an officer be appointed in like manner to reside among them, & that two pieces of cannon be carried up to their Fort. That this settlement being in the Centure of the others will be a proper place to settle a Missionary for the Instruction of the Indians, If the Society for propagating the the Gospel shall think fit to send one for that purpose.
That the Tuscaruros be settled upon the North Side of the James River, or between that & Rappahannock, & have their hunting between those rivers with twelve men at their settlement & that by this method the Indians may be kept from forming any designs against her Majesties subjects while they have English men to observe them and that likewise by their Constant Ranging along the Frontiers, the incursions of all straggling parties of foreign Indians will be prevented & that satisfaction may be given to the Government of North Carolina, The Governor declared that he intended upon the Treaty with the Tuscoruros to insist that such of that Nation as shall be discovered to have been concerned in the Massacre be delivered up to Justice, And that altho’ the general Assembly had given him the sole power of securing the Frontiers in what manner he should think proper, yet he being always desirous to be advised by the Council in whatever concerned the Service of her Majesty & the publick benefit of the Country he now asked the opinion of this Board upon the foregoing Scheme Whereupon the Council did unanimously declare the approbation of the project intended to be put in execution, as tending well to the safety of her Majesties Subjects as the lessning the publick charges…"
