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IV.

CHAP. War with many of the Nations, with the Chicaghicks particularly, who yielded the moft profitable Trade to the French; and as often as they discovered any of the French carrying Ammunition towards thefe, Nations, they fell upon them, and took all their Powder, Lead and Arms from them. This made the French 'Traders afraid of travelling, and prevented their Indians from hunting, and alfo leffened the Opinion they had of the French Power, when they found that the French were not able to protect them against the Infults of the Five Nations.

The Senakas lie next to the Lakes, and nearest to the Nations with whom the French carried on the greatest Trade, these People were fo averfe to that Nation, that they would never receive any Priefts among them, and of Confequence were moft firmly attach'd to the English Intereft, who fupplied them with Arms and Powder (the Means to be revenged of their Enemies.) For thefe Reasons Mr. De la Barre (Governor of Canada) fent a Meffenger to Coll. Dungan, to complain of the Injuries the Senakas had done to the French, and to fhew the Neceffity he was under to bring the Five Nations to Reafon by Force of Arms. This Meffenger happening to arrive at the Time the Indians met the Lord Howard at Albany, Coll. Dungan told the Senakas the Complaints that the French Governor made of them. To which they gave him the following Answer, in Presence of Mr. De la Barre's Meffenger, on the 5th of August 1684.

"We were fent for, and are come, and have ""heard what you have faid to us, that Corlear hath "great Complaints of us, both from Virginia and "Canada. What they complain of from Canada

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may poffibly be true, that fome of our young Men "have taken fome of their Goods, but Yonnendio the "Governor of Canada, is the Cause of it. He not only permits his People to carry Ammunition, Guns,

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"Powder

"Powder, Lead, and Axes to the Tuibtuib-ronoons * CHA P. "our Enemies, but fends them thither on purpofe. IV. "These Guns which he fends knock our Bever Hunt"ers on the Head, and our Enemies carry the Bevers "to Canada that we would have brought to our Bre"thren. Our Bever Hunters are Soldiers, and could "bear this no longer. They met fome French in their σε Way to our Enemies, and very near them, carrying "Ammunition, which our Men took from them. "This is agreeable to our Cuftoms in War; and we 66 may therefore openly own it, tho' we know not "whether it be practifed by the Chriftians in fuch "like Cafes.

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"When the Governor of Canada speaks to us of "the Chain, he, calls us Children, and faith, I am your Father, you must hold fast the Chain, and I "will do the fame: I will protect you as a Father "doth his Children. Is this Protection, to speak "thus with his Lips, and at the fame Time to "knock us on the Head, by affifting our Enemies "with Ammunition?

"He always fays, I am your Father, and you are my Children; and yet he is angry with his "Children, for taking these Goods.

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"But, O Corlear! O Allarigoa! we must com"plain to you; you Corlear are a Lord, and go"vern this Country; is it just that our Father is going to fight with us for thefe Things, or is it "well done? We rejoiced when La Sal was fent over the great Water; and when Perot was re"moved, because they had furnished our Enemies "with Ammunition; but we are difappointed in our Hopes, for we find our Enemies are ftill fupplied. "Is this well done? Yea, he often forbids us to make "War on any of the Nations with whom he trades;

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Ronoon fignifies Nation or People, in the Language of the Five Nations; they fay Tiubtuih.ronooon, Chicbigbik roncon, Deonondadik-ronoon, &c.

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CHA P." and at the fame Time furnishes them with all Sorts IV. "of Ammunition, to enable them to deftroy us.

"Thus far in Anfwer to the Complaint the Go66 vernor of Canada hath made of us to Corlear. "Corlear faid to us, that Satisfaction must be made "to the French for the Mischief we have done them. "This he faid before he heard our Anfwer. Now "let him that hath Infpection over all cur Coun"tries, on whom our Eyes are fixed, let him, even "Corlear, judge and determine. If you say that it "must be paid, we fhall pay it, but we cannot live "without free Bever Hunting.

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"Corlear, hear what we fay, we thank you for "the Duke's Arms, which you have given us to be put in our Castles, as a Defence to them. You com"mand them. Have we wandered out of the Way, "as the Governor of Canada fays? We do not "threaten him with War, as he threatens us. What << fhall we do? Shall we run away, or fhall we "fit ftill in our Houfes? What fhall we do? we 66 fpeek to him that governs and commands us.

Now Corlear, and Afferigoa, and all People here "present, remember what we have anfwered to the "Complaints of the Governor of Canada; yea, we "wifh that what we here faid may come to his "Ears. " Then they gave a Belt.

Monfieur De la Barre at this Time was gone, with all the Force of Canada, to Cadarackui Fort, and ordered the three Veffels to be repaired which the French had built on Cadarackui Laké: His Defign was to frighten the Five Nations into his own Terms, by the Appearance of the French Army, which confifted of 600 Soldiers of the regular Troops, 400 Indians, and 400 Men that carried Provifions, besides 300 Men that he left to fecure Cadarackui Fort, and the western Indians, that he expected would join him. But while he was at this Fort, the Fatigue of travelling in the Month of August, together with the Unhealthiness of that Place (the Country there

about

IV. |

about being very marfhy) where he tarried fix CHA P. Weeks, occafioned fo great a Sickness in his Army, that he found himself unable to perform any Thing but by Treaty, and therefore fent Orders to Monfr. Dulbut, who was come from Miffilimakinak with 600 Men, French and Indians, to ftop. Monfr. De la Barre paffed across the Lake, with as many Men as were able to travel, and arrived at the River which the French call La Famine, by the Indians called Kaibobage, which falls into the South Side of Cadarackui Lake, about thirty Miles from Onnondago. There were two Villages of the Five Nations on the North Side of the Lake, about fifteen Miles from the French Fort, confifting of thofe Indians that had the most Inclination to the French: They provided the French Army with Provifions, while they remained at the Fort; but it is probable, fent an Account to their own Nations of every Thing that happened; and that this was the Reason of the Ufage they afterwards met with from the French.

When Monfr. De la Barre fent to Coll. Dungan, he was in Hopes, from the ftrict Alliance that was then between the Crowns of England and France, and from Coll. Dungan's being a Papist, that he would at leaft fit ftill till he had reduced the Five Nations. But none of these Reasons permitted that Gentleman to be eafy, while the French attempted fuch Things, as in their Confequences would be of the highest Degree prejudicial to the English Interest, and might put all the English Colonies in America in Danger. Wherefore he difpatched the publick Interpreter, with Orders to do every Thing in his Power to prevent the Five Nations going to treat with Monfr. De la Barre.

The Interpreter fucceeded in his Defign with the Mohawks, and with the Senakas, who promifed that they would not go near the French Governor : But he had not the like Succefs with the Onnondagas, Oneydoes, and Cayugas, who had received the French

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Priefts,

IV.

CHA P. Priefts, for they would not hear the Interpreter, but in Prefence of the French Priefts, and Monfr. la Main, and three other Frenchmen that Monfr. De la Barre had fent to perfuade them to meet him at Kaibobage; they gave the following Answer to the Interpreter.

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*

"Arie, you are Corlear's Meffenger, Obquesse "(Monfr. la Maine) is the Governor of Canada's ; " and there fits our Father; Yonnondio acquainted "us fome Time ago, that he would fpeak with us, "before he would undertake any Thing againft the "Senakas. Now he hath fent for all the Nations "to fpeak with him in Friendship, and that at a "Place not far from Onnondaga, even at Kaibobage. "But our Brother Corlear tells us, that we muft "not meet the Governor of Canada without his "Permiffion; and that if Yonnondio have any Thing "to fay to us, he must first send to Corlear for Leave "to fpeak with us. Yonnondio has fent long ago to "us to speak with him, and he has lately repeated "that Defire by Onniffantie the Brother of our Fa"ther Twirbaerfira that fits there; he has not only "entreated us by our Father, but by two praying "Indians, one an Onnondaga, the other the Son of "an old Mohawk Sachem, Connondowe. They brought

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five great Belts of Wampum, not a Fathom or "two only, as you bring. Now Obqueffe has been "fent with three Frenchmen; Yonnondio not being "content with all this, has likewife fent Dennebolt, "and two other Mohawks, to perfuade us to meet "him, and to speak with him of good Things. "Should we not go to him after all this Intreaty, "when he is come fo far, and fo near to us? Certainly if we do not, we shall provoke his Wrath, " and not deferve his Goodness. You fay we are

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*That is, the Partridge. Pointing to the Jefuite. The Indians commonly gave a new Name to any Perion they receive or adapt into their Nation. This is the Jefuites Indian Name, the Interpretation whereof I know not.

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