people that came from hunting thither, for I told you that I knew the French better than you did.

"Tenthly, There was no advice or proposition that I made to the brethren all the time that the priest lived at, Onondaga, but what he wrote to Canada, as I found by one of his letters, which he gave to an Indian to carry to Canada, but which was brought hither; therefore, I desire the brethren not to receive him, or any French priest any more, having sent for English priests, with whom you may be supplied to your content.

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Eleventhly, I would have the brethren look out sharp, for fear of being surprised. I believe all the strength of the French will be at their frontier places, viz. at Cadarackui and Oniagara, where they have built a fort now, and at Trois Rivieres, Montreal and Chambly.

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Twelfthly, Let me put you in mind again, not to make any treaties without my means, which will be more advantageous for you, than your doing it by yourselves, for then you will be looked upon as the king of England's subjects, and let me know, from time to time, every thing that is. done.

"Thus far I have spoken to you relating to the war.",

I have given this speech before this council, at large, to shew the measures pursued by Gov. Dongan to recover the peace, friendship, and alliance of the Five Nations; the sequel of our history will shew the good effects of this policy, as well as the artful methods that were taken by the French to defeat it. The character of the Five Nations, genius of their government, religion, habits, and manner of life, &c. may be seen in a subsequent chapter.

The Five Nations were now assured of the friendship of the English governor and of his support, as far as the means of advice, and the supplies of trade, could give support. They now entered with spirit into a preparation to

revenge upon the French the outrage done to their na tions by the invasion of De Nonville, and the capture of their brethren that were sent to France, and imprisoned in servitude on board the gallies. To effect this, the Mohawks and Mackikanders, made a descent upon Fort Chambly, near the north end of Lake Champlain, burnt part of the village, and took many captives, which they brought down to Albany. By this may be seen the confidence, and friendly intercourse that followed Gov. Dongan's speech to the council.

About the same time forty Onondagas, surprised and took a party of French soldiers near Fort Frontenac, whom they brought in and confined as a pledge for the return of their brethren on board the gallies.

Tamberville, a French priest, by all his acts of persuasion and presents, endeavoured to prevent their joining the Senecas; but the speech of Gov. Dongan prevailed over presents, and the prisoners were confined.

Gov. Dongan wrote to Gov. De Nonville to demand an explanation of the conduct of the priest, and was answered by a message sent by a spy, to solicit his influence to have the prisoners restored. The governor replied, when the galley Indians, and the Caghnuaga Indians were returned, the forts at Frontenac and Niagara razed, and the Senecas were satisfied for their losses in the war, then peace might be made with the Five Nations. Thus the priest was dismissed, with orders, not to visit the Mohawks, and he returned to Montreal.

Thus Gov. Dongan maintained the supremacy of peace and war over the Five Nations, which he held by persuasion, as well as coercion; for whenever they shewed a disposition to treat with the French, he withheld his supplies, and refused all aid and assistance, which brought them to terms and kept them steady. In the midst of this successful management, King James II. through the

instrumentality of the Papacy, broke this chain of influence and controul, by his special order to Gov. Dongan to yield to the wishes of the governor of Canada, and suffer the Five Nations to treat for peace. Dongan yielded accordingly, and a treaty was held at Montreal soon after, where De Nonville made a speech to more than 12,000 of the confederates, or Five Nations; a mutual redelivery of prisoners was agreed upon, the French were allowed to supply Fort Frontenac, and the allies of De Nonville were included in the peace, 1688.

This peace was of so short a continuance, that it can hardly be said to bear the name of peace, and the manner in which this peace was changed into war, is worthy of notice. It will be recollected that Gov. Dongan had recommended to the Five Nations, among other things, to cultivate an alliance with the Indians of the west, which had been done, generally: but the Dinondadies, although they traded with the English at Michilimakinak, were at war with the Five Nations, and thereby the confidence of the French was lost, and their resentment feared as a consequence of this peace to obviate this as well as to break the treaty, Adario, chief of the Dinondadies, (who dwelt near to Michilimakinak,) put himself at the head of a body of one hundred of his Indians, directed his course to the path of the return of the ambassadors of the Five Nations, from the treaty at Montreal, and met them at one of the falls of Cadarackui, killed some, and took the others prisoners. To excuse this outrage on the ambassadors, Adario, when he learnt that they were clothed with the sacred rights of ambassadors, counterfeited the utmost distress, anger, and shame, at his becoming the disgraceful tool of the governor of Canada, and thus addressed himself to Dekanesora, the chief of the embassy. "Go, my brethren, I untie your hands, and send you home again, though our nations be at war. The French governor has made me

commit so black an action that I shall never be easy after it, till the Five Nations shall have taken full revenge."

The stratagem succeeded; the confederates, fired with the keenest resentment at this treachery of De Nonville, against the sacred rights of their ambassadors, thirsted for instant revenge; they, at the return of the ambassadors, who were thus set at liberty, assembled their warriors, took up the hatchet, directed their path to the shores of Montreal, landed 1200 men, and set fire to their dwellings, sacked their plantations, and butchered all the men, women, and children they could find; all in the midst of the greatest security so recent a peace could afford. More than one thousand French were slain; and twentysix burnt alive, and carried into captivity; such is the violence of the passions of an Indian, and such his cruelty, when a sense of his wrongs whet up his thirst for revenge. —July, 1688.—In the month of October following, the confederates surprised the lower part of the island of Montreal, laid waste the settlements, and carried off many captives, filling the island with distress and desolation.

This stroke was not only the most severe that Canada had ever felt, but it spread a general alarm throughout the French settlements and posts; the garrison at Ontario, set fire to their two vessels, abandoned their fort, and fled to Montreal, with such precipitation that the crew of one boat was lost, in passing down the falls of Cadarackui. The confederates on their return, seized on the fort, magazines, and stores, &c. and such was the general alarm throughout the country, that all the allies of the French deserted them, except the Nipiciniranians and Kickabous; the others generally made peace with the English. The western Indians threatened to murder every Frenchman among them; but were prevented by the address of the Jesuit priest.

Flushed with such general success, the Five Nations continued their depredations into Canada, harassed their settlements with such continued alarms, and murders, as defeated the labours of the husbandman, and involved the whole province in famine. Had the Indians understood the arts of attack upon fortresses, all Canada must have fallen a sacrifice to the rage of savage war, and the French have been driven from America. Had Gov. Dongan joined the confederacy at this critical moment, the conquest of Canada would have been easy and certain.

In the midst of these unparalleled successes, Gov, Dongan, with all his zeal for the service of his master, and the best interest of the colony, incurred the displeasure of the king, and shared with many others, the frowns of that Popish bigot, that shadow of a king, as one of the base acts of his expiring reign.

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During the Popish reign of King James, the peace of the colony began to be shaken by numerous Popish emigrants, who had come in, and who were favourably received by the governor. The Protestants took the alarm, and a scene of discord and strife between Papists and Protestants, was ready to burst upon the people, when the good news of the revolution in England, the flight of James II. to France, and the accession of William and Mary, were announced to the colony. Joy and satisfaction beamed in every Protestant countenance, and gladdened their hearts. The Protestants, with Col. Lesler at their head, seized upon the fortress at New-York, in the name of King William, and the militia supported him. Gov. Dongan resigned the chair to Col. Nichols, as the deputy-governor, and embarked for England; the deputy-governor claimed the right of administering the government, the people were divided, and all was confusion. At this critical moment three ships were announced in the harbour, and approaching the town; this decided the scale; all the peo