"this. The Reason of our doing it is truly this, CHA P. "we are afraid of the Enemy.

"When a Meffenger came laft Year from Canada "to Onondaga, our Brother Cayenguirago difcharged "our Meeting in General Council at Onondaga, to confult on that Meffage, and ordered us to hold "our General Council here at Albany on that Af"fair. The Privilege of meeting in General Coun

cil, when we pleafe, is a Privilege we always "have enjoyed; no former Governor, of the Name "of Corlear, ever obftructed this Privilege. We

planted a Tree of Peace in this Place with them, "its Roots and Branches extend as far as Virginia "and New-England, and we have repofed with "Pleasure under its Shade. Brother, let us keep "to that first Tree, and let us be united and u"nanimous; fuch Prohibition of our Affemblies "will be of ill Confequence, and occafion Differences between us.

"We acknowledge, I fay, our fending Agents " to Canada for Peace, we were incouraged in doing this, by the Knowledge we have of the Go"vernor of Canada. He is an old Man, and was

66

formerly Governor of that Place. He was always "efteemed a wife peaceable Man, and therefore "we truft our Meffage will have a good Iffue. We "did not take it amifs that you fent to the Dewagunhas, nor that Arnout was fent to the Satanas, both of them our Enemies; and, for the fame Reafon, our Brother Cayenguirago ought "not to be displeased with our fending to the French " for Peace.

"We, Onondagas, acknowledge ourselves to "have been the chief Promoters of this Meffage, "we have fent in all nine Sachems with nine Belts. "It is true we are now under much Uneafiness in "having trufted fo many Sachems in the French "Hands

M 3

X.

X.

CHA P." Hands, being almost half the Number we have "in our Nation, but we were in hafte to prevent "the Defigns the French had against our Countries "and yours, by the great warlike Preparations they "were making in Canada."

Then he told all the Orders and Directions which their Ambaffadors had received; which agreeing with the Account which Decanafora gave of his Negotiation, I fhall here pafs over. He finished all by giving a Belt.

Colonel Fletcher told them, he would give no Anfwer to what they had faid, before they difcovered to him what Reason they had to fay, that he had forbid their holding any Affembly at Onondaga, and that he had made Peace with the Dewagunhas and Satanas, without their Consent and Concurrence. ૮ ]

To this the Speaker the next Day anfwered; "I ❝ was fick, and abfent when the Affairs you men❝tion were tranfacted, and I was at a Lofs how to “excuse our fending to the French contrary to your "Advice; but several Sachems being arrived fince "I fpoke, I have been better informed by them, "who were prefent at thofe Tranfactions. We find "it, in every Circumstance, as our Brother Cayen"guirago fays; that you did not obstruct our keep

ing General Councils at Onondaga, but only cau❝tioned us in hearkening to the Fallacies of the "French, and in holding Meetings on that Occa"fion. We affure you we will never feparate from 66 you, we still have one Head, one Blood, one Soul, and one Heart with you; and as a Confirmation "of this I give this Belt feven deep.

"As to the Dewagunhas and Shawonons, we are "confident Cayenguirago will not admit them into "his Government, till they have made Peace with ❝us, which we fhall willingly grant. When our "Enemies are humbled, and beg Peace, why fhould

2

"they

t they not have it? Let them come and live with CHA P. << us, it will strengthen our Country. X.

"Brother Cayenguirago, when the Chriftians firft "arrived in this Country, we received them kind"ly. When they were but a fmall People, we en"tered into a League with them, to guard them " from all Enemies whatfoever. We were fo fond "of their Society, that we tied the great Canoe "which brought them, not with a Rope made of "Bark to a Tree, but with a strong iron Chain "faftened to a great Mountain. Now before the "Chriftians arrived, the General Council of the "Five Nations was held at Onondaga, where there "has, from the Beginning, a continual Fire been kept burning; it is made of two great Logs, "whofe Fire never extinguishes. As foon as the "Hatchet-makers (their general Name for Chrifti"ans) arrived, this General Council at Onondaga "planted this Tree at Albany, whofe Roots and "Branches have fince fpread as far as New-Eng"land, Connecticut, Penfilvania, Maryland and Vir"ginia; and under the Shade of this Tree all these "English Colonies have frequently been sheltered. "Then (giving feven Fathom of Wampum) he re"newed the Chain, and promised, as they likewife expected, mutual Affiftance, in Cafe of any At"tack from any Enemy.

"The only Reason, to be plain with you, continu"ed he, of our fending to make Peace with the French, "is the low Condition to which we are reduced, while "none of our Neighbours fend us the least Affift"ance, fo that the whole Burthen of the War lyes "on us alone. Our Brethren of New-England, Con "necticut, Penfilvania, Maryland and Virginia, of "their own accord thrust their Arms into our "Chain; but fince the War began we have receiv*ed no Affiftance from them. We alone cannot " continue

M 4

1

X.

CHAP." continue the War against the French, by Reason of "the Recruits they daily receive from the other Side "the great Lake.

"Brother Cayenguirago, fpeak from your Heart, "are you refolved to profecute the War vigorously "against the French, and are your Neighbours of "Virginia, Maryland, Penfilvania, Connecticut and "New-England, refolved to affift us? If it be fo, we affure you, notwithstanding any Trea"ty hitherto entered into, we will profecute the "War as hotly as ever. But if our Neighbours "will not affift, we must make Peace, and we sub"mit it to your Confideration, by giving this great "Belt fifteen deep.

"Brother Cayenguirago, I have truly told you the "Reasons which have induced us to offer Peace to "the French; we fhall likewife, from the Bottom

of our Hearts, inform you of the Defign we "have in this Treaty, When the Governor of "Canada fhall have accepted the nine Belts, of which "I have just now told you, then we fhall have "fomething more to fay by two large Belts, which "lye ftill hid in our Bofom. We shall lay down "firft one and fay, We have a Brother Cayenguira

go, with whofe People we have been united in "one Chain from the Beginning, they must be in"cluded in this Treaty; we cannot fee them in"volved in bloody War, while we fit in eafy Peace. "If the Governor of Canada anfwer, that he has "made a separate Peace with us, and that he can"not make any Peace with Cayenguirago, because "the War is from over the great Lake; then we "fhall lay down the fecond great broad Belt, and "tell the Governor of Canada, if you will not in"clude Cayenguirago's People, the Treaty will be"come thereby void, as if it had never been made; and if he perfifts, we will abfolutely leave "him."

While the Sachems were at Albany, Decanefora CHA P. and the other Ambaffadors arrived at the Castle of X. the Praying Indians, near the Falls above Montreal. They were conducted from thence, by the Superior of the Jefuits, to Quebeck. They had their Audience of the Governor of Canada with great Solemnity, in the Prefence of all the Ecclefiafticks and Officers of Diftinction, and of the most confiderable Indians then in the Place. They were every Day, while they ftaid in the Place, entertained at the Governor's Table, or at the Tables of the most confiderable Officers. Decanefora on his Side made a good Appearance, being cloathed in Scarlet trim'd with Gold, and with a laced Bever Hat on his Head, which had been given him by Colonel Fletcher before he went.

The Jefuit Milet had by Letter informed the Governor of every Thing in their Commiffion, and though he was thereby enabled to have anfwered them immediately, he confulted three Days, after the Ambaffadors had delivered what they had to fay, before he would return an Answer, that it might appear with more Solemnity. The Indians never return a fudden Anfwer on any Occafion of Importance, however refolved they be beforehand, and despise those that do, though their Anfwer be never fo much to the Purpofe. I choose to give an Account of this from Decanafora's Mouth, as I did of the former, and for the fame Reafon. The Account given of it by the Indians agrees, in all the material Points, with that published by the French, and I am confident it is not lefs genuine.

Colonel Fletcher being fenfible of what Confequence this Treaty between the French and Five Nations might be of to all the English Colonies, gave them Notice of it, and informed them of the Reasons which had induced the Indians to enter in

to