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G E N E R A L
G E N E R A L
SIR, T he Indian Affairs have ever appeared to your judgment of such Importance to the Welfare of our own People, that you have ever carefully applied your Thoughts to them; and that with such Success, that not only the present Generation will enjoy the Benefit of your Care, but our latest Posterity bless your Memory for that Happiness the Foundation of which was laid under your Care, provided that the People here, whose Duty and Interest is chiefly concerned, do on their own Parts second your E
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F i r s t P a r t.
F i r s t P a r t.
T hough every one that is in the least acquainted with the Affairs of North-America, knows of what Consequence the Indians, commonly known to the People of New-York by the Name of the Five Nations, are, both in Peace and War; I know of no Accounts of them, published in English, but what are very imperfect, and indeed meer Translations of French Authors, who themselves know little of the Truth. This seems to throw some Reflections on the Inhabitants of our Province, as if we wanted Curiosity to e
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OF
OF
Some Words and Names used by the French Authors, who treat of the Indian Affairs, which are different from the Names of the same People or Places, used or understood by the English, and may therefore be useful to those who intend to read the French Accounts, or compare them with the Accounts now published....
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BEING
BEING
I t is necessary to know something of the Form of Government of the People, whose History one is about to know, and a few Words will be sufficient to give the Reader a Conception of that of the Five Nations , because it still remains under original Simplicity, and free from those complicated Contrivances, which have become necessary to the Nations, where Deceit and Cunning have increased as much as their Knowledge and Wisdom. The Five Nations (as their Name denotes) consist of so many Tribes or
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CHAP. I.
CHAP. I.
T he first Settlers of New-York having been little curious in inquiring into the Indian Affairs , further than what related to Trade; or, at least, having neglected to transmit their Discoveries to Posterity, it is much more difficult to give a just History of these Nations before, than since the Time of their being under the Crown of England . What we can learn of Certainty, however, is this. The French settled at Canada in the Year 1603, six Years before the Dutch possessed themselves of New-N
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CHAP. II.
CHAP. II.
I n June 1665 Monsieur De Trasi appointed Vice-Roy of America by the French King , arrived at Quebeck , after he had visited the French Islands in the West Indies , and brought with him four Companies of Foot; and in September of the same Year, Mr. Coursel arrived Governor General of Canada ; he brought with him a Regiment and several Families, with all Things necessary for establishing of a Colony. Their Force being now thus considerably augmented, the French Governor resolved to chastise the I
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CHAP. III.
CHAP. III.
T he Five Nations being now amply supplied by the English with Fire-Arms and Ammunition, give full Swing to their warlike Genius, and soon resolved to revenge the Affronts they had at any Time received from the Indian Nations that lived at a greater Distance from them. The nearest Nations, as they were attack'd, commonly fled to those that were further off, and the Five Nations pursued them. This, together with a Desire they had of conquering, or Ambition of making all the Nations round them the
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CHAP. IV.
CHAP. IV.
T he French , in the Time they were at Peace with the Five Nations , built their Forts at Taidonderaghi and Missilimakinak , and made a Settlement there. They carried on their Commerce among the numerous Nations that live on the Banks of the great Lakes, and the Banks of the Mississipi ; they not only prosecuted their Trade among these Nations, but did all they could to secure their Obedience, and to make them absolutely subject to the Crown of France , by building Forts at the considerable Pass
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CHAP. V.
CHAP. V.
T he Marquis de Nonville having now succeeded Monsieur de la Barre , in the Year 1685, and having brought a considerable Reinforcement of Soldiers with him, resolved to recover the Honour the French had lost in the last Expedition, and revenge the Slaughter the Five Nations continued to make of the Twihtwies and Chictaghicks , who had put themselves under the French Protection; for the Five Nations having intirely subdued the Chictaghicks [26] , after a six Years War, they resolved next to fall
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CHAP. VI.
CHAP. VI.
C olonel Dongan , who had the Indian Affairs very much at Heart, met the Five Nations at Albany as soon as possible after the French Expedition, and spoke to them on the fifth of August , in the following Words, viz . " Brethren , "I am very glad to see you here in this House, and am heartily glad that you have sustained no greater Loss by the French , though I believe it was their Intention to destroy you all, if they could have surprised you in your Castles. "As soon as I heard their Design to
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To the Second Part.
To the Second Part.
T he former Part of this History was written at New-York in the Year 1727, on Occasion of a Dispute which then happened, between the Government of New-York and some Merchants. The French of Canada had the whole Fur Trade with the Western Indians in their Hands, and were supplied with their woollen Goods from New-York. Mr. Burnet, who took more Pains to be informed of the Interest of the People he was set over, and of making them useful to their Mother Country, than Plantation Governors usually d
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CHAP. I.
CHAP. I.
W e left the Five Nations triumphing over the French in Canada , and they almost reduced to Despair. The Revolution, which happened at this Time in England , seemed to be a favourable Conjunction for the Five Nations ; the English Colonies, by the War at that Time declared against France , becoming Parties in their Quarrel: For one will be ready to think, that the Five Nations being by themselves too powerful for the French , as appears by the preceding Chapter, when these were assisted by the U
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CHAP. II.
CHAP. II.
A bout the Beginning of September 1689, Colonel John Pynchon , Major John Savage , and Captain Jonathan Bull , Agents for the Colonies of Massachuset's Bay, New-Plymouth , and Connecticut , arrived at Albany , to renew the Friendship with the Five Nations , and to engage them against the Eastern Indians , who made War on the English of those Colonies, and were supported by the French . The Five Nations had received four Messengers from the Eastern Indians , which gave the People of New-England s
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CHAP. III.
CHAP. III.
O n the 27th of December 1689, two Indians came to Albany , being sent by the Onondaga and Oneydo Sachems , with seven Hands of Wampum from each Nation, to tell their Brethren in New-York and New-England , that three of their old Friends, who had been carried Prisoners to France , were come with Proposals from Canada ; that there was a Council of the Sachems appointed to meet at Onondaga , and that they therefore desired the Mayor of Albany , Peter Scheyler , and some others of their Brethren, t
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CHAP. IV.
CHAP. IV.
T he Count De Frontenac being desirous, as before observed, to raise the drooping Spirits of the French in Canada , by keeping them in Action, and engaging the most daring of them, in Enterprizes that might give Courage to the rest, had sent out three Parties against the English Colonies, in Hopes thereby to lessen the Confidence which the Five Nations had in the English Assistance, now that England had declared War against France . The Party sent against New-York was commanded by Monsr. De Herv
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CHAP. V.
CHAP. V.
T he Governor of Canada received Hopes that the Five Nations inclined to Peace, by their returning an Answer to Therawaet 's Message, and thought he might now venture to send some French to them with further Proposals. The Chevalier D'O , with an Interpreter called Collin , and some others, went; but they had a much warmer Reception than they expected, being forced to run the Gauntlet through a long Lane of Indians , as they entered their Castle, and were afterwards delivered up Prisoners to the
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CHAP. VI.
CHAP. VI.
I t was now evident that the Indians could no longer be amused with Words, and that, unless the English entered soon upon Action, the French would carry their Design of making Peace with the Five Nations , and the English be left to carry on the War in America by themselves. Certainly a more proper Opportunity of doing it with Success could not be expected, than at present, while the French in Canada had neither recovered their Spirits, nor the Strength they had lost, by the terrible Incursions
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CHAP. VII.
CHAP. VII.
T he old French Governor kept up his Vigour and Spirits wonderfully, no Fatigue made him ever think of Rest. He knew of what Use it would be to convince the Five Nations , that the joint Attack of the English and Indians had neither weakened him, nor frightened him from carrying on the War with as much Vigour as before. It was absolutely necessary that the Utawawas and other Western Indians , who came to Montreal to trade, should return safe to their own Country, otherwise there would be an End
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CHAP. VIII.
CHAP. VIII.
T he Governor of New-York , Colonel Slaughter 's Death, soon after his Arrival, was very prejudicial to the Affairs of New-York ; for Captain Ingoldsby , who had no other Commission but that of Captain of one of the Independent Companies of Foot, took upon himself the Government of the Province, without any Authority; and he having likewise highly offended a great Number of the People, by the Share he took in the late Party Quarrels, it was not easy for him to prosecute any vigorous Measures. He
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CHAP. IX.
CHAP. IX.
T he Praying Indians promised their Endeavours to reconcile their Brethren the Mohawks to the French , on whom the French expected they would have much Influence; but their Endeavours proving ineffectual, their Correspondence began to be suspected. The French thought they did more Hurt than Good, by the Intelligence the Enemy by their Means received. The French in Canada began to lose their Spirits, by being obliged to remain so long upon the defensive, as the Five Nations gained more Courage by
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CHAP. X.
CHAP. X.
A s by this Time the Reader may be tired with the horrid Scenes of a barbarous War, it may be some Relief to observe the Indian Genius in the Arts of negotiating; and see how a barbarous People, without any of the Arts and Sciences in which we value our selves, manage their Interest with the most learned, most polite, and artificial Nation in Europe . The Five Nations were informed, that the Governor of Canada had received from Europe a very considerable Recruit of Soldiers, and of all Sorts of
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CHAP. XI.
CHAP. XI.
T he Five Nations refusing to come to the Governor of Canada 's Terms, he resolved to force them; and as he suspected that they continued obstinate, by the Advice of the English , and the Confidence they had of the English Assistance, he thought he would most effectually lessen that Confidence, by attacking and destroying the remainder of the Mohawks , who liv'd adjoining to the English Settlements. For this Purpose he resolved to march, in the Winter, the whole Force of Canada against that Nati
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CHAP. XII.
CHAP. XII.
T he Count de Frontenac having secured Cadarackui Fort , which was called by his Name, as a Place of Arms and Provisions, and for a Retreat to the Men that should happen to be sick or wounded, resolved to make the Five Nations feel his Resentment of their refusing his Terms of Peace. For this Purpose he assembled all the regular Troops of Canada , the Militia, the Owenagungas , the Quatoghies of Loretto , the Adirondacks , Sokokies , Nepiciriniens , the Praying Indians of the Five Nations , and
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CHAP. XIII.
CHAP. XIII.
S oon after the News of the Peace of Reswick reached New-York , the Governor sent an Express to Canada , to inform the Governor there of it, that Hostilities might cease. The Five Nations having an Account of the Peace earlier than they had it in Canada , took Advantage of it, in hunting Bever near Cadarackui Fort . The Governor of Canada being informed of this, and believing that the Five Nations thought themselves secure by the general Peace, resolved to take his last Revenge of them. For this
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