guides who conducted the party to a river south of Lake Erie. This proved to be a tributary of the Ohio. They descended it, and thence down the Ohio to the great falls where Louisville now stands. By virtue of this discovery the French claimed the country along the Ohio, and many years after established military and trading posts at different points. One of these was Fort Du Quesne, erected in 1654, which was taken from them by the English a few years later and called Pittsburg, in honor of William Pitt, then prime minister of England.

Notwithstanding the discovery of the Ohio by the French under La Salle as early as 1669, the English claimed from the Atlantic to the Pacific on the ground that her sea-coast discoveries entitled her to the sovereignty of all the country from "sea to sea." In 1684, Lord Howard, Governor of Virginia, held a treaty with Indian tribes known as the Northern Confederacy, to-wit: the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas. The Tuscaroras being subsequently taken in, these tribes became known as the Six Nations, and the English assumed their protection. They purchased from them large tracts of land and aimed to obtain a monopoly of the Indian trade. The English government made grants of land west of the Alleghanies, and companies were formed for their settlement. France, seeing the English obtaining a foothold by planting trading posts in the Northwest, in 1749 sent Louis Celeron with a small force of soldiers to plant in mounds at the mouths of the principal tributaries of the Ohio, plates of lead with the claims of France inscribed thereon. The English, however, still continued to make explorations and establish trading posts. One of these grants of England was to a company known as the "Ohio Company," and embraced a tract of land on the Great Miami, described as being one hundred and fifty miles above its mouth. Christopher Gist was sent by this company in 1750 to inspect thier lands and to establish a trading post. In 1752 a small party of French soldiers, assisted by Ottawas and Chippewas, attacked this post and captured the traders after a severe battle. The English called this post Pickawillany—the name being subsequently contracted to Pickaway or Piqua. The location of this post was doubtless near that of the present town of Piqua, on the Great Miami, about seventy-eight miles north of Cincinnati. Thus on the soil of what became a part of the state of Ohio was shed the first blood between the French and English for the possession of the Northwest.

In 1744 the English had entered into a treaty with the Six Nations at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, by which they acquired certain lands described as being within the "Colony of Virginia." The Indians subsequently complained of bad faith on the part of the English in failing to comply with some of the stipulations of the treaty. The Governor of Virginia appointed commissioners to hear the grievances of the Indians. They met at Logstown, on the north bank of the Ohio, about seventeen miles below the present city of Pittsburg, in the spring of 1752. Notwithstanding the complaint of the Indians that the English had failed to supply them with arms and ammunition as they had agreed, they succeeded in obtaining a confirmation of the treaty of Lancaster.

In the meantime the French were quietly preparing to maintain their claims to the country in dispute. They provided cannon and military stores in anticipation of the coming conflict. The French were notified to give up their posts, but they failed to comply. Governor Dinwiddie finally deterInined to learn definitely their intentions, and for this purpose selected Major

George Washington, then twenty-two years of age, as a messenger. With Christopher Gist as guide, and four attendants or servants, Washington set out through the wilderness on his perilous journey. He held a conference with the chiefs of the Six Nations at Logstown in November, 1753. He learned something of the condition of the French, but the Indians desired to remain neutral and were disposed to be non-committal. Washington proceeded to Venango, where there was a French post called Fort Machault. Here he delivered to the French governor Dinwiddie's letter, and received the answer of St. Pierre, the commander of the fort, declining to give up without a struggle. Preparations for war were made in all the English colonies while the French continued to strengthen their lines of fortifications.

It will thus be seen that what is known as the French and Indian war had its origin in this dispute about the possession of what is now one of the fairest and richest portions of our Republic. It resulted, not only in England maintaining her right to the territory in dispute, but in wresting Canada from France. It was a war of eight years duration, commencing with the attack of the French and Indians on the English post at Piqua in 1752, and virtually ending with the fall of the city of Montreal in April, 1760. Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Niagara, and Quebec had all previously surrendered to the English, the first two without resistance. After the fall of Montreal the Governor of Canada signed a capitulation surrendering the whole of Canada to the English. One post, however, that of Detroit, still remained in possession of the French. Major Rogers was sent from Montreal to demand its surrender. Beletre, the commander of the post, at first refused, but on the 29th of November, having heard of the defeat of the French arms in Canada, he also surrendered. September 29th, 1760, the treaty of peace between France and England, known as the treaty of Paris, was made, but not ratified until February 10th, 1763. Meantime the Northwest territory was entirely under English rule and settlements began to extend. The Indians who had been the friends and allies of the French during the war were not reconciled to the English, claiming that they had not carried out their promises. Under the famous Ottawa chief, Pontiac, they united in a general conspiracy to cut off all the English posts on the frontier. Chippewas, Ottawas, Wyandots, Miamis, Shawnese, Delawares and Mingoes, buried the hatchet in their local quarrels, and united to exterminate the English.

The

Owing to treachery on the part of some of Pontiac's followers, he failed in the complete execution of his plans, but in May, 1763, several British posts fell, and many whites were victims of the merciless tomahawk. In the arrangement among the Indians it was agreed that Pontiac's own immediate field of action was to be the garrison at Detroit. He laid siege to the post May 12th, and continued it until October 12th. To obtain food for his warriors during this time, he issued promissory notes, drawn upon birch bark and signed with the figure of an otter. All these notes were faithfully redeemed. Being unsuccessful in reducing the garrison, the tribes generally sued for peace, but Pontiac remained as yet unsubdued. To Alexander Henry, an Englishman who visited Missillimacinac the next spring, he said: "Englishman, although you have conquered the French, you have not yet conquered us. We are not your slaves! These lakes, these woods, these mountains, were left us by our ancestors. They are our inheritance, and we will part with them to none. Your nation supposes that we, like the white people, cannot live without bread, and pork and beef; but you ought to

know that He, the Great Spirit and Master of Life, has provided food for us upon these broad lakes and in these mountains."

Pontiac still entertained the hope that the French would renew the war, and finally conquer the English, and endeavored to incite the Indians on the Miami, and in other parts of the West, to continue hostilities. He applied, but unsuccessfully, to the French commander at New Orleans. Being unable to unite again those who entered so eagerly into his original conspiracy for destroying the English settlements, he went to the Illinois country, where he made a stand, and had for a time the sympathy and co-operation of the French fur traders in that region. Soon, however, all but his immediate followers deserted his cause, and he then reluctantly accepted peace on the terms offered by the English. From this time he had but little influence with the tribes. He was killed by an Illinois Indian, while drunk, at Kahokia, in 1769. At the time of his death he was about fifty-seven years of

age.

Great Britain now held sovereignty over the entire Northwest, and to prevent Louisiana from also falling into the hands of the Enguish, France by secret treaty, in 1762, ceded it to Spain. The next year the treaty of Paris formally gave to England possession of the Northwestern Territory. The English now began to prepare for settlement and occupation of the country. In 1770 persons from Virginia and other British provinces took up the valuable lands on the Monongahela and along the Ohio to the mouth of the Little Kanawa. In October of the same year George Washington with a party descended the Ohio from Pittsburg to the Kenawa, which last named stream they ascended about fourteen miles, and marked out several large tracts of land. Buffalo were then abundant in the Ohio valley, and several of them were shot by Washington's party. Pittsburg was then a village of twenty houses, the inhabitants being mostly Indian traders.

The British government was inclined to observe a liberal policy toward the French settlers in the West. In 1763 the king, by royal proclamation, had forbidden his subjects from making settlements beyond the sources of the rivers which fall into the Atlantic; but his subjects in the colonies were little disposed to observe this restriction. Finally, in 1774, Governor Dunmore, of Virginia, began to encourage' emigration to the West. A number of settlements were made in the Ohio valley, the settlers often coming in conflict with the Indians. Several battles were fought, ending in the battle of Kenawa, in July, when the Indians were defeated and driven across the Ohio. During the years following, up to 1776, several land companies were formed, and engaged in extensive operations. One, called the "Illinois Land Company," obtained from the Indians large tracts of land on the Mississippi river, south of the Illinois. An association, styling itself the “Wabash Land Company," obtained a deed from eleven chiefs to 37,497,600 acres of land. The War of the Revolution interfered with these and many other similar schemes of speculation. The parties interested subsequently made efforts to have these land grants sanctioned by Congress, but did not succeed. In 1771, according to the best information we have, Kaskaskia contained eighty houses, and nearly one thousand inhabitants, white and black. Kahokia contained fifty houses, with three hundred white inhabitants, and eighty negroes. There were a few families at Prairie du Rocher, on the Mississippi river, opposite St. Louis. At Detroit, there were in 1766, about one hundred houses. This place was founded by Antoine de la Motte Cadillac, in 1701, and is the oldest town in the Northwest.

When the War of the Revolution commenced the British held Kaskaskia, Kahokia, Vincennes, Detroit, and other important posts in the West. Col. George Rogers Clark, a master spirit of the frontier, who was familiar with all the important movements of the British in the West, and also with the disposition of the Indians, formed a plan unequalled in boldness, for subjugating these posts. He repaired to the capital of Virginia, Patrick Henry being then Governor, and presented to the authorities his plan of operations, which was approved by Governor Henry. He was accordingly furnished with two sets of instructions--one secret and the other open. His open instructions authorized him to enlist seven companies to go to Kentucky, subject to his orders, and serve three months from their arrival in the West. The secret order authorized him to arm and equip his troops at Pittsburg, and proceed to subjugate the country. Col. Clark succeeded in raising but three companies, but with these and a few private volunteers, he descended the Ohio as far as the falls, in the spring of 1777. Here he fortified a small island, known as Corn Island, and then announced to his men their real destination. Leaving a small garrison, on the 24th of June, during a total eclipse of the sun, he moved down the river. Under a burning July sun, with his chosen band, he marched to Kaskaskia, reaching that post on the evening of July 4th. Without the loss of a man on either side the fort and village were captured. He easily induced the Indians to give their allegiance to the American cause. They accompanied him to Kahokia on the 6th, and through their influence the inhabitants of that place surrendered without resistance. The priest at Kaskaskia, M. Gibault, hastily joined in rendering all the aid he could to forward the purposes of Clark. He established a government for the colonies he had taken, and then made ready to march upon St. Vincent, or Vincennes, as it is more commonly known. But Gibault offered to go alone and induce the post on the "Oubache" to throw off the authority of England. Clark accepted the offer, and on the 14th of July Gibault started on his mission. On the 1st of August he returned, with intelligence of entire success, the garrison at Vincennes having taken the oath of allegiance to Virginia. Col. Clark placed garrisons at Kaskaskia and Kahokia, and sent orders for the erection of a fort at the Falls of the Ohio, where the City of Louisville now stands. He also sent Rocheblave, the former commander of Kaskaskia, a prisoner of war to Richmond. The county of Illinois was established in October of the same year, by the Legislature of Virginia. John Todd was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel and acting governor. Courts were established, and the colony was provided with a government complete. The Indians acknowledged allegiance to the new government.

While Col. Clark was arranging for the government of the Illinois colonies, the British Governor, Hamilton, was planning an expedition to move from Detroit down the Wabash to Vincennes, intending to recapture the posts which had surrendered to Clark, and thence extend his operations to Kentucky. He knew nothing of the capitulation of Vincennes until his arrival, when he found the fort in command of Capt. Helm, who had been sent by Col. Clark to take charge of the garrison. Hamilton demanded the surrender of the fort, and being granted the rights of a prisoner of war, Capt. Helm surrendered to a superior force. On the 29th of January, 1879, Clark received intelligence of what had transpired at Vincennes, and of the intended operations of Hamilton. Having sufficiently garrisoned Kaskaskia and Kahokia, and dispatched a force down the Mississippi to ascend the Ohio