Knowledge (XXG)

Alexander Cuming

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before they returned to their country, an "Agreement of Peace and Friendship", was signed with them on 29 September, in the name of the British nation, and with the approval of the Board of Trade: the Cherokees recognized Britain as a sole trading nation, in return for supplies of guns and gunpowder. This agreement was probably the means of keeping the Cherokees as firm allies of Britain in subsequent wars.
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turned a deaf ear to all his proposals, which included schemes for paying off eighty millions of the national debt by settling three million Jewish families in the Cherokee mountains to cultivate the land, and for relieving Britain's American colonies from taxation by establishing numerous banks and a local currency.
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for 16 September, he is directly accused of having defrauded the settlers of large sums of money and other property by means of fictitious promissory notes. He does not seem to have made any answer to these charges, which, if true, would explain his subsequent ill-success and poverty. The government
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in the royal chapel at Windsor. Four days later laid his crown at the feet of the king, when the chiefs laid also their four scalps to show their superiority over their enemies, and five eagle tails as emblems of victory. The proceedings of the chiefs while in England excited great interest. Shortly
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In 1714 he was called to the Scottish bar, and also held a captain's commission in the Russian army. From his manuscripts, it seems that Cuming was induced to quit the legal profession by a pension of £300 a year being granted to him by the government at Christmas 1718, and that it was discontinued
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Cuming married Amy, daughter of Lancelot Whitehall, a member of an old Shropshire family, and a commissioner in the customs for Scotland. They had a son, Alexander, born about 1737, and a daughter, Elizabeth, who predeceased him. Amy died during Cuming's imprisonment, and was buried in
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Indian country. It was on 3 April 1730 that "by the unanimous consent of the people he was made lawgiver, commander, leader, and chief of the Cherokee nation, and witness of the power of God, at a general meeting at
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on 22 October 1743. Their son, who succeeded to the title, was a captain in the army, but became mentally ill, and died some time before 1796 in poverty, in the neighbourhood of Red Lion Street, Whitechapel.
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By this time some reports seriously affecting Cuming's character had reached England. In a letter from South Carolina, bearing the date 12 June 1730, an extract from which is given in the
62:, who bore a grudge against his father for opposing him in parliament. It is more probable that he was found to be of a too flighty disposition to fulfil the services expected of him. 303: 380: 70:
In 1729 Cuming was led, supposedly by a dream of his wife's, to undertake a voyage to America, with the object of visiting the Cherokee mountains on the borders of
390: 395: 385: 333: 151:, but having a rule of court. He remained there until 1765, when, on 30 December of that year, he was nominated a poor brother of the 43: 405: 400: 312: 259: 203: 160: 159:, and took up residence in the hospital on 3 January 1766. He died there nearly ten years afterwards, and was buried in the 42:
Cuming was born (according to his manuscript autobiography) in Edinburgh on 18 December 1691. He was the only son of
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He returned to Charlestown on 13 April 1730, accompanied by seven chiefs of the Cherokee nation, including
98: 375: 370: 50:, Aberdeenshire, by his first wife, Elizabeth; she was the second daughter of the second wife of Sir 34: 22:(1691–1775) was a Scottish adventurer to North America; he returned to Britain with a delegation of 152: 156: 83: 51: 340: 208: 307: 254: 248: 111: 71: 59: 364: 297: 164: 148: 220: 177: 47: 212: 75: 23: 144: 88: 167:
in 1720, but, neglecting to pay the annual fee, was expelled in 1757.
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on 5 December, and on 11 March following he began his journey to the
296: This article incorporates text from a publication now in the 115: 316:. Vol. 13. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 294–295. 263:. Vol. 13. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 294–295. 114:. They sailed with him to England, and on 5 June arrived at 26:
chiefs. He later spent many years in a debtors' prison.
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on 28 August 1775. He had been elected a fellow of the
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at Christmas 1721 at the instance, he suggests, of Sir
122:. On 18 June he was allowed to present the chiefs to 102:The Cherokee delegation to England. Engraving by 78:. Leaving England on 13 September, he arrived at 8: 207:(online ed.). Oxford University Press. 143:Being now deeply in debt, Cuming turned to 46:, M.P. (c.1670–1725), the first baronet of 320: 66:Voyage to America; the Cherokee delegation 381:Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia 201:"Cuming, Sir Alexander, second baronet". 97: 33: 242: 240: 238: 236: 234: 232: 230: 204:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 190: 277:. William Pollard & Company. 1879. 196: 194: 7: 16:Scottish adventurer to North America 391:Scottish explorers of North America 14: 20:Sir Alexander Cuming, 2nd Baronet 313:Dictionary of National Biography 291: 260:Dictionary of National Biography 38:Coat of Arms of Alexander Cuming 1: 396:18th-century Cherokee history 386:Fellows of the Royal Society 221:UK public library membership 422: 351: 338: 330: 325:Baronetage of Nova Scotia 323: 302:Goodwin, Gordon (1888). " 250:"Cuming, Alexander"  247:Goodwin, Gordon (1888). 132:Edinburgh Weekly Journal 406:People from Peterculter 401:Inmates of Fleet Prison 107: 39: 275:Genealogist, Volume 3 213:10.1093/ref:odnb/6891 161:church of East Barnet 101: 37: 44:Sir Alexander Cuming 153:London Charterhouse 95:of 8 October 1730. 118:in the man-of-war 108: 40: 359: 358: 354:Alexander Cumming 352:Succeeded by 334:Alexander Cumming 304:Cuming, Alexander 219:(Subscription or 157:Archbishop Secker 52:Alexander Swinton 413: 331:Preceded by 321: 317: 295: 294: 279: 278: 271: 265: 264: 252: 244: 225: 224: 216: 198: 421: 420: 416: 415: 414: 412: 411: 410: 361: 360: 355: 348: 343: 336: 308:Stephen, Leslie 301: 292: 283: 282: 273: 272: 268: 255:Stephen, Leslie 246: 245: 228: 218: 200: 199: 192: 187: 173: 141: 68: 32: 17: 12: 11: 5: 419: 417: 409: 408: 403: 398: 393: 388: 383: 378: 373: 363: 362: 357: 356: 353: 350: 337: 332: 328: 327: 319: 318: 281: 280: 266: 226: 189: 188: 186: 183: 172: 169: 140: 137: 112:Attakullakulla 72:South Carolina 67: 64: 60:Robert Walpole 31: 28: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 418: 407: 404: 402: 399: 397: 394: 392: 389: 387: 384: 382: 379: 377: 374: 372: 369: 368: 366: 347: 344: 342: 335: 329: 326: 322: 315: 314: 309: 305: 299: 298:public domain 290: 289: 288: 287: 276: 270: 267: 262: 261: 256: 251: 243: 241: 239: 237: 235: 233: 231: 227: 222: 214: 210: 206: 205: 197: 195: 191: 184: 182: 179: 170: 168: 166: 165:Royal Society 162: 158: 154: 150: 146: 138: 136: 133: 128: 125: 121: 117: 113: 105: 100: 96: 94: 93:Daily Journal 90: 85: 81: 77: 73: 65: 63: 61: 55: 53: 49: 45: 36: 29: 27: 25: 21: 346: 339: 311: 285: 284: 274: 269: 258: 202: 174: 149:Fleet Prison 142: 139:Imprisonment 131: 129: 119: 109: 104:Isaac Basire 92: 69: 56: 41: 19: 18: 376:1775 deaths 371:1691 births 345:(of Culter) 286:Attribution 178:East Barnet 80:Charlestown 365:Categories 349:1725–1775 223:required.) 185:References 30:Early life 124:George II 89:Nequisee 84:Cherokee 76:Virginia 24:Cherokee 341:Baronet 310:(ed.). 300::  257:(ed.). 145:alchemy 306:". In 217: 171:Family 48:Culter 253:. In 116:Dover 74:and 209:doi 155:by 120:Fox 367:: 229:^ 193:^ 215:. 211:: 106:.

Index

Cherokee

Sir Alexander Cuming
Culter
Alexander Swinton
Robert Walpole
South Carolina
Virginia
Charlestown
Cherokee
Nequisee

Isaac Basire
Attakullakulla
Dover
George II
alchemy
Fleet Prison
London Charterhouse
Archbishop Secker
church of East Barnet
Royal Society
East Barnet


Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
doi
10.1093/ref:odnb/6891
UK public library membership

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