This Governmt has always been and still is at a great charge to keep them peaceable @ annexed to this government which is of that moment that upon any occasion I can have three or four thousand of their men at a call.

Trade.

I cannot believe that ever it was the King's intention to grant away soe considerable a part of this government which has been so long appropriated to it @ even the people think it Pensylvania a for the Beaver as a part of themselves @ would be much troubled at a separation from soe good @ ancient neighbours that at first of their own free wills became soe and have ever since continued with such constancy to desire and maintain a mutual friendship and correspondence If therefore his Maty were pleased to have a line run from 41d and 40 m in Delaware River to the Falls upon the Susquehanna and to let Mr. Pen keep all below that it would be sufficient for him the bounds below it being conjectured to contain more than all England besides the louer Countys which is near upon 100 miles from the Cape up the river; and in bredth more than 30 miles as is generally beleeved

To preserve the Beaver @ Peltry trade for this @ Albany and to be an encouragement to our Beaver hunters I desire I may have order to erect a Campayne Fort upon Delaware River in 414 40 m; another upon the Susquehanna where his Maty shall think fit Mr. Penns bounds shall terminate. And another at Oneigra near the great lake in the way where our people goe a Beaver hunting or trading or any where else where I shall think convenient it being very necessary for the support of Trade, maintaining a correspondence with the further Indians, @ in securing our right in the country the French making a pretence as far as the Bay of Mexico, for which they have no other argument than that they have had possession this twenty years by their fathers living so long among the Indians they have fathers still among the five nations aforementioned viz. the Maquaes, Sinicaes, Cayouges, Oneides, and Onondagues @ have converted many of them to the Christian Faith @ doe their utmost to draw them to Canada, to which place there are already 6 or 700 retired and more like to doe, to the great prejudice of this Govermt if not prevented. I have done my endeavours @ have gone so far in it that I have

Indians from prevailed with the Indians to consent to come back Canada. from Canada on condition that I procure for them a piece of land called Serachtague lying upon Hudson's River about 40 miles above Albany @ there furnish them with priests

Thereupon and upon a petition of the people of Albany to mee setting forth the reasonableness and conveniency of granting to the Indians there requests I have procured the land for them, altho it has been formerly patented to people at Albany @ have promised the Indians that they shall have priests and that I will build them a church @ have assured the people of Albany that I would address to his Maty as to your Lo'ps that care may bee taken to send over by the first five or six it being a matter of great consequence.

These Indians have about 10 or 12 castles (as they term them) @ those at a great distance one from another, soe that there is an absolute necessity of having soe many priests, that there bee three always travelling from castle to castle, @ the rest to live with those that are Christians, By that means the French Priests will be obliged to retire to Canada, whereby the French will be divested of their pretence to ye Country @ then wee shall enjoy that trade without any fear of being diverted,

I find a very small matter will serue the French for a pretence of right. About 30 years ago 6 or 700 of them taking advantage of the Indians being abroad soe farr as Cape Florida at warr came down @ burnt a castle of the Maquaes wherein there were none but old men women @children which the rest of the Indians hearing pursued the French to a place called Sconectade about 20 miles above Albany where they had every man been cut off had not one Corlarr (a Dutchman so beloved of the Indians that in memory of him they call all Governors by that name) interposed However from that time they have fancied to themselves that they have a right to the country so farr as that place

The great difference between us is about the Beaver trade and in truth they have the advantage of us in it @ that by noe other meanes than by their industry in making discoveries in the country before us

Before my coming hither noe man of our Governmt ever went

beyond the Sinicaes country, Last year some of our people went a trading among the farr Indians called the Ottowais inhabiting about three months journey to the West @ W. N. W. of Albany from whence they brought a good many Beavers. They found their people more inclined to trade with them than the French the French not being able to protect them from the arms of our Indians, with whom they have had a continued warr, soe that our Indians brought away this very last year, a great many pri

soners,

Last week I sent for some of our Indians to New York where when they came I obtained a promise from them that some of themselves would goe along with such of our people as goe from Albany & Esopus to there far nations @ carry with them the captives they haue prisoners in order to the restoring them to their liberty @ bury their hatchetts with those of their enemys by which means a path may be opened for these farr Indians to come with safety to trade at Albany, and our people goe thither without any let or disturbance

I hear the French have built a Wooden Fort or two in the Way thither @ that there are two officers with men in them to obstruct our passage, I am sending a Scotch Gent called McGreger (that served formerly in France) along with our people, hee has orders not to disturb or meddle with the French and I hope they will not meddle with him, Ever since my coming hither it has been no small trouble to keep the Sinicaes from making warr upon the French, Monsieur De la Bair was very hot upon it @ brought a great many men to a place called Cadaraque lying on the lake with intent to fall on the Indians, who hearing of it came to me for leave to enter Canade with fire @ sword, which I refused to permit but immediately I wrot to La Barr @ let him know that those Indians were his Matys of Great Britain's subjects @ that he must not molest them @ that if the Indians had done the Governmt of Canada any injury, upon his making the same appear, I would cause that hee should have satisfaction as also I sent the arms of his Royal Highness now his Majesty to bee put up in each castle as far as Oneigra which was accordingly

done, @thereupon De la Barr retired without doing any thing after having been at a vast expense and all to no purpose

The new Governor Mons' de Nonville has written mee that hee desires to have a very good correspondence with this Govermt @ I hope hee will bee as good as his word, notwithstanding he put a great deal of provisions into @ keeps four or five hundred men in Cadaraque

Last spring he sent one De la Croa with fifty soldiers @ one hundred young men of Canada to the North West passage where as I am certainly informed from Canada they have taken three forts. About two years since there came a thousand men from France to Canada with the new Govr @ three hundred came the year after. But the most part of them as I hear are since dead the country proving too cold for them. Wee need not feare them soe long as the Indians continue to bee our friends @ the less if wee can prevail with the Indians that are Christians to come from them to us, they being generally the youngest @ ustiest men.

The num

ber of

Last year there was a list brought into the new Gov' of French in 17000 French Inhabitants in Canada, men women @ Canada children of which 3000 fit to bear arms

It will be very necessary for us to encourage our young men to goe a Beaver Hunting as the French doe

I send a Map by Mr Spragg whereby your Lop may see the several Govermts &c how they lye where the Beaver hunting is @where it will bee necessary to erect our Country Forts for the securing of beaver trade @ keeping the Indians in community with us

Alsoe it points out where theres a great river discovered by one Lassal a Frenchman from Canada who thereupon went into France @ and as its reported brought two or three vessels with people to settle there which (if true) will prove not only very inconve nient to us but to the Spanish alsoe (the river running all along from our lakes by the back of Virginia @ Carolina into the Bay Mexico) @ its beleeved Nova Mexico can not bee far from the mountains adjoining to it that place being in 36d North Latitude if your Lops thought it fit I could send a sloop or two from this pace to discover that river

The

of our

neighbors

In answer to the Fifth

This query is for the most part answered in the prece dent what is not answered followeth here Connecticut according to the nearest conjecture I can make may have about 3000 men able to bear arms

In it there are but few Indians having been generally destroyed or removed into this government in the time of the last warrs They have but a small trade, what they have is to the WestIndies Boston and this place.

They have not above a Ketch or two and about 6 or 7 sloops belonging to the place.

The country is very good accommodated with several good harbors @ two considerable rivers New London is @ very good harbor for shipping where they may ride secure from all winds As for their timber its the same as ours here

To the Sixth

The Correspondence wee hold with our neighbors is very amicable @ good wee on all occasions doing to each other all the offices of Friendship @ Service wee can: which has soe much endeared them to us that they desire nothing more than to be a part of this Govermt those of Connecticut choosing farr rather to come under this Govermt than that of Boston for the reasons afore mentioned and the Jerseys wishing the like as having once been a part of us. And seeing that in this separation they are not soe easy nor safe, as they might expect to bee, were they reunited to us

What

armes &e

the boun

To the Seventh

It is answered in the answer to the Fourth

To the Eighth

What are. For the longitude latitude and contents of this Goverm daries lon- I refer yor Lops to the aforementioned Map wherein you Jatitude will see in what narrow bounds we are cooped up

gitude &

&c

The land of this Goverment is generally barren rocky land except the land wee have right to on the Susquehanna river @ up into the country amongst our Indians where there are great quantities' very good

What was good @did lye convenient and near the sea for yo