CHAP. added, if you permit the French to build any where X. on that Lake, there will be an End to your Liberty, your Pofterity will become Slaves to the French. If ever you should permit them, I will look on it as an abfolute Breach of the Chain with us: If the French attempt it give me Notice, and I will march the whole Force of my Government to your Affistance. We shall find afterwards, however, that the Government of New-York was far from making good this Promife.

The Governor told them, that they had loft much of their Honour in creeping to the French, in fuch an abject Manner; for, fays he, the Governor of Canada's Paper, which you brought with you, fays, that you came in the most humble and penitent Manner, and begged Peace. To which they anfwered, the Governor of Canada has no Reason to make fuch Reflexions, we have many of his Belts to fhew, by which he again and again fued to us for Peace, before we would hearken to him. But, replies the Governor, how came you to call him Father? For no other Reason, they replied, but becaufe he calls us Children. Thefe Names fignify nothing.

They defired the Governor not to fay any Thing particularly of Cadarcakui, in his publick Speech that he was to make next Day, for they had, they faid, fome among them that would tell all to the Governor of Canada; and concluded, with wifhing that they had fome one, who could write and read all that the Governor had faid to them, that they might not forget any Part of it, when they come to confult and refolve on this weighty Affair, at their General Council at Onondaga.

Here we see these Barbarians, thefe Savages, as we call them, acting with the greatest regard to the Treaties they had entered into with their Allies,

2

and

X.

and that at a Time when the Exigences of their own CHA P. Affairs, and when the faint feeble Affiftance, which their Allies had contributed in the common Caufe, would, among Chriftian Potentates, have been thought a fufficient Excufe for their taking Care of themselves feparately, in breach of the moft folemn Confederacy they could enter into.

The Sachems of the Five Nations being met at Onondaga, to confult on the Terms offered by the French, they were divided in their Opinions; the Cayugas, and Part of the Senekas, were moft favorable to the French Propofals; but the major Part was abfolutely against allowing the French to rebuild a Fort at Cadarackui, nor would they confent to include all the French Allies in the Treaty, with fome of which they had particular Caufes of Animofity.

The Party that was most for Peace obtained Leave to go to Canada, to try whether they could obtain Terms lefs difagreeable. They accordingly went thither, within the Time prefixed by the Governor of Canada, for an Anfwer; and to make themselves more acceptable to the French, they carried thirteen Prisoners with them, and delivered them up. The Jefuit Milet was of this Number, who had been taken in the Year 1689, and one Jonfcaire, who had been long a Prifoner among the Senekas: He had been delivered up to a to a Family of the Senekas, that had loft fome confiderable Relation, and was by them adopted. He ingratiated himself so much with that Nation, that he was advanced to the Rank of a Sachem, and preserved their Efteem to the Day of his Death; whereby he became, after the general Peace, very ufeful to the French in all Negotiations with the Five Nations, and to this Day they fhew their Regard to his Family and Children."

When the Governor of Canada came to Particulars with these Deputies, he could obtain nothing but ambiguous or dubious Answers, as to the rebuilding of Cadarackui Fort, and the including of all the French Allies in the Peace. Whereupon he difmiffed them with Presents, and made them many fair Promises, in Cafe of their Compliance; but threatened them with utter Destruction, in Cafe of their refufing the Terms he had offered. Many of the French Indian Allies were prefent, when the Governor of Canada refufed any Agreement without his Allies being included in it, and this attached them exceedingly to the French Intereft. This Regard, which the French generally fhew for the Intereft of their Allies, is a Piece of Policy which, upon all Occafions, proves useful to them; whereas, the Neglect of this Piece of natural Juftice has as often been prejudicial to others, who have not had fo tender a Sense of it. But it is not fo eafy for a weak State to keep up its Honour in fuch Cafes, as it is for a powerful Prince.

CHAP.

XI.

CHAP. XI.

The War renewed. The French repoffefs themfelves of Cadarackui Fort, and find Means to break off the Treaty between the Five Nations and Dionondadies.

T

HE Five Nations refufing to come to the Governor of Canada's Terms, he refolved to force them; and as he fufpected that they continued obftinate, by the Advice of the English, and the Confidence they had of the English Affiftance, he thought he would moft effectually leffen that Confi

dence,

dence, by attacking and deftroying the remainder of CH a p. the Mohawks, who liv'd adjoining to the English Set- XI. tlements. For this Purpofe he refolved to march, in the Winter, the whole Force of Canada against that Nation; but one of the Prisoners learning their Defign, made his Escape, and informed the Mohawks of it. This made him alter his Measures, knowing well enough, that if the English were prepared to receive them, fuch an Enterprize would only lead those engaged in it to certain Deftruction. He then fent three hundred Men into the Neck of Land between Lake Erie and Cadarackui Lake, the ufual hunting Place of the Five Nations, in hopes of furprifing them while they hunted carelessly there, and at the fame Time to view the old French Fort there, to obferve in what Condition it remained.

This Party met with three or four Men, who defended themselves obftinately, till they all fell dead on the Spot. They furprised likewife a Cabin, where they took fome Men and Women Prisoners; and four of them were publickly burnt alive at Montreal. So far the Count de Frontenac thought it more proper to imitate the Indians in their moft favage Cruelties, than to inftruct them, by his Example, in the Compaffion of the Chriftian Doctrine. A Party of one hundred and fifty of the Five Nations fell upon the Dewagunhas, in their Way to Canada, and entirely routed them. Ten Prifoners were taken, nine of which were burnt alive, in revenge of the fame Fate the four Men of the Five Nations had received at Montreal.

This Year alfo fome fculking French Indians murdered fome People near Albany and Schenectady.

The Party fent to view Cadarackui Fort found it in a better Condition than they expected, the Indians having neglected to demolish and level the Baftions, and probably they had not Inftruments fufficient to

N 3

de

X.

CHAP.do it. The Count de Frontenac therefore, in the Summer of the Year 1695, fent a confiderable Body of Men, both French and Indians, thither, to repair the Fortifications, and to cover those that fhould be at work. The Five Nations, in Auguft, fent Meffengers to Albany, to acquaint the English that the French had taken Poffeffion of Cadarackui, and were repairing of it. They demanded, in Confequence of the Promife Colonel Fletcher had given them, the Affiftance of five hundred Men and fome Canon, which they promised they would draw over Land, where they could not be carried by Water. At the fame Time they defired, that the People of NewEngland might be told, that many of the Owenagungas were gone with the French to Cadarackui, and that this was a proper Time to fall upon those that remained, and to deftroy them, and the Women and Children.

Coll. Fletcher came to Albany in September; there, in a Speech to the Five Nations, he blamed them for being afleep, when they fuffered the French to take Poffeffion of Cadarackui; it would have been much easier, he faid, to have prevented their getting the Poffeffion, than to drive them out, now they are in it, especially as now you yourselves are convinced, that it is impoffible to carry Cannon thither from this Place. All, fays he, I can now do, is to advise you to inveft the Place with your Parties, fo as to prevent their receiving any Supply of Provifions: By this Means you may force them to defert it. Then he gave them 1000 Pound of Powder, two Thoufand Pound of Lead, 57 Fufees, one Hundred Hatchets, three Hundred and forty eight Knives, and two Thousand Flints, befides Cloathing, &c. But in my Opinion, the Government of New-York have, on all Occafions, been exceedingly to be blamed, in not having fome Men of Experi

ence