k, has
encountered so much that is false recorded in history as sober verity,
that he has at times been disposed almost to universal scepticism in
regard to uninspired narration.

The "deliberate fictions, for political purposes, by Dr. Franklin," as
the biographer of Brant expresses it, "were written as facts;" or, as
the author quoted expresses it, "the well-known scalp story of Dr.
Franklin was long believed, and recently revived and included in several
books of authentic history." The details of Dr. Franklin's publication
were so minute and varied as to create a belief that they were perfectly
true. "It was long supposed to be authentic," as the author quoted says
in introducing the document, in Appendix No. 1 to Volume I., "but has
since been ascertained to be a publication from the pen of Dr. Franklin,
for political purposes."

The names introduced are of course fictitious, as well as the
statements, but introduced with such an air of plausibility as to
preclude the suspicion that they were fictitious. The publication will
be a curiosity to most of the readers of these pages, as it has been to
the writer. It is as follows:

_Extract of a letter from Captain Gerrish, of the New England Militia,
dated Albany, March 7th_, 1782:

"The peltry taken in the expedition 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 folks taken in the last three
years by the Seneca Indians, from the inhabitants of the frontiers of
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and sent by them as a
present to Colonel Haldimand, Governor of Canada, in order to be
transmitted by him to England. They were accompanied by the following
curious letter to that gentleman:

"TIOGA, January 3rd, 1782.

"May it please Your Excellency,

"At the request of the Seneca 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 forty-three scalps of Congress soldiers killed in
different skirmishes; these are stretched on black hoops, four inch
diameter; the inside of the skin painted red, with a small black spot to
note their being killed with bullets. Also sixty-two farmers, killed in
their houses,