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CHAP.

VI.

Canada was now in a moft miferable Condition, for while the greatest Number of their Men had been employed in the Expedition against the Five Nations, and in trading among the far Nations, and making new Discoveries and Settlements, Tillage and Husbandry had been neglected; and they loft feveral Thousands of their Inhabitants, by the continual Incurfions of fmall Parties, fo that none durft hazard themselves out of fortified Places; indeed, it is hard to conceive what Diftrefs the French were then under, for tho' they were every where almost ftarving, they could not plant nor fow, or go from one Village to another for Relief, but with imminent Danger of having their Scalps carried away by the fculking Indians; at laft the whole Country being laid waste, Famine began to rage, and was like to have put a miferable End to that Colony.

If the Indians had understood the Method of attacking Forts, nothing could have preferved the French from an entire Deftruction at this Time; for whoever confiders the State of the Indian Affairs during this Period, how the Five Nations were divided in their Sentiments and Measures; that the Onondagas, Cayugas, and Oneydoes, under the Influence of the French Jefuites, were diverted from profecuting the War against Canada, by the Jefuites cunningly fpiriting up thofe three Nations against the Virginia Indians, and perfuading them to fend out their Parties that Way: That the Senekas had a War at the fame Time upon their Hands with three numerous Indian Nations, the Utawawas, Chicktaghicks, and Twibtwies; and that the Measures the English obferved all King James's Reign, gave the Indians rather Grounds of Jealousy than Affistance : I fay, whoever confiders all thefe Things, and what the Five Nations did actually perform, under all these Difadvantages against the French, will hardly doubt, that the Five Nations by themselves were at that Time an Overmatch for the French of Canada.

THE

THE

HISTORY

OF THE

FIVE INDIAN NATIONS,

DEPENDING

On the PROVINCE of NEW-YORK.

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PART II.

Ca

The Hiftory of the Five Indian Nations of nada, from the Time of the Revolution to the Peace of Refwick.

CHA P. I.

The State of Affairs in New-York and Canada, at the Time of the Revolution in GreatBritain.

WE

I.

E left the Five Nations triumphing over CHA P. the French in Canada, and they almoft reduced to Defpair. The Revolution, which happened at this Time in England, feemed to be a favourable Conjunction for the Five Nations; the English Colonies, by the War at that Time declared

against

I.

CHA P. against France, becoming Parties in their Quarrel: For one will be ready to think, that the Five Nations being by themselves too powerful for the French, as appears by the preceding Chapter, when thefe were affifted by the Utawawas, Quatoghies, Twibtwies, Chittaghicks, Putewatemies, and all the Weftern Indian Nations, and when the English ftood neuter; now certainly, when not only all thefe Indian Nations had made Peace with the Five Nations, but the English joined with them in the War, the French would not be able to ftand one Campaign.

But we fhall find what a Turn Affairs took, contrary to all reasonable Expectations, from the general Appearance of Things, and of what Importance a refolute wife Governor is to the well-being of a People, and how prejudicial Divifions and Parties are. For this Reafon, it will be neceffary to take a View of the Publick Affairs in the Province of New-York, and in Canada, at that Time, in order to understand the true Caufes of the Alterations, which afterwards happened in Favour of the French.

The Revolution occafioned as great Divisions and Parties in the Province of New-York, in Proportion to the Number of People, as it did in Britain, if not greater. The Governor and all the Officers either fled or abfconded; the Gentlemen of the King's Council, and fome of the most confiderable or richeft People, either out of Love, or what they thought Duty, to King James, or rather from an Opinion they had that the Prince of Orange could not fucceed, refused to join in the Declaration the People made in favour of that Prince, and fuffered the Adminiftration to fall into different Hands, who were more zealous for the Proteftant Intereft, and who were joined by the far greatest Number of the Inhabitants. After the Revolution was established, they that had appeared fo warmly for it, thought that

they

I.

they deserved best of the Government, and ex-CHA P. pected to be continued in the Publick Offices; the others were zealous to recover the Authority they had loft, and used the most perfuafive Means with the Governors for that Purpofe, while the former trufted to their Merit. This begat great Animofities, which continued many Years. Each Party, as they were at different Times favoured by feveral Governors, oppofed all the Measures taken by the other, while each of them were by Turns in Credit with the People or the Governor, and fometimes even profecuted each other to Death. The publick Measures were by thefe Means perpetually fluctuating, and often one Day contradictory to what they were the Day before. The fucceeding Governors, finding their private Account in favouring fometimes the one Party, and at other Times the other, kept up the Animofities all King William's Reign, though very much to the publick Prejudice; for each Party was this while fo eager in refenting private Injuries, that they intirely neglected the publick Good.

The Conftitution of Government in the English Plantations, where the Governors have no Salary, but what they can attain with the Confent of the Affemblies or Reprefentatives of the People, gave Occafion to imprudent Governors to fall upon these Expedients, as they fometimes call them, for getting of Money. And a prevailing Faction, knowing for what Purpofe the Governments in America were chiefly defired by the English Gentlemen, used this great Privilege to tempt a Governor to be the Head of a Party, when he ought to have been the Head of the Government. Indeed New-York has had the Misfortune, too frequently, to be under fuch as could not keep their Paffion for Money fecret, though none found it fo profitable a Government, as they did who followed ftrictly the true Maxims of governing, without making Money the only Rule of their Actions.

The

I.

СНА Р. The frequent Changes of Governors were likewife prejudicial to the publick Affairs. Colonel Slaughter, the first Governor after the Revolution, happened to die foon after his Arrival, when fteady, as well as refolute Measures, were moft neceffary. But fome think, that the Occafion of all the Misfortunes lay in the Want of Care in the Choice of Governors, when the Affairs of America wanted able Hands to manage them; they think that the Miniftry had the faving of Money chiefly in View, when, to gratify fome fmall Services, they gave Employments in America to thofe that were not capable of much meaner Offices at Home. The Opinion the People had of Colonel Slaughter's Capacity gave ground to these Surmises; but, if it was fo, it happened to be very ill faved Money; for the Mismanagements in this Country occafioned far greater Expence to the Crown afterwards, than would have bought fuch Gentlemen handsome Eftates, befides the great Loffes they occafioned to the Subjects.

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The greatest Number of the Inhabitants of the Province of New-York being Dutch, still retained an Affection to their Mother Country, and by their Averfion to the English weakened the Administration. The common People of Albany, who are all Dutch, could not forbear giving the Indians fome ill Impreffions of the English; for the Mohawks, in one of their publick Speeches, expreffed themselves thus: "We hear a Dutch Prince reigns now in Eng"land, why do yoù fuffer the English Soldiers to "remain in the Fort? put all the English out of "the Town. When the Dutch held this Country long ago, we lay in their Houfes; but the Englih have always made us lie without Doors." is true, that the Plantations were first settled by the meanest People of every Nation, and fuch as had the leaft Senfe of any Honour. The Dutch first Settlers, many of them I may say, had none of the

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