Though it was generally unpopulated to that point, the island was considered the territory of the Ojibwe who in time began visiting the new fort and asking about payment for the island. On June 16, 1798, the deputy superintendent of Indian affairs, Alexander McKee departed Amherstburg on the Detroit River on the ship "Francis" to negotiate with Ojibwe chiefs for the purchase of St. Joseph Island, held under lease to that point. On June 30, 1798, the Ojibwe agreed to sell the island to the British for £1,200 Quebec currency of trade goods, an annual gift exchange and the right to continue to harvest the island and bury their dead there. The St. Joseph Island Treaty, or "St. Joseph's Island Treaty <abbr>No.</abbr> 11" is one of the Upper Canada Land Surrender treaties conducted by the British government and First Nations in the period between the end of the American Revolution and Confederation.