He continued his route and after inexpressible fatigues and suffering reached the vicinity of the Oneida Castle whither he sent four influential Indians as bearers of the General's Word.

He continued his march as far as the River Corlaer and had the satisfaction of examining five English forts abandoned by command for that erected since the reduction of Chouaguen, on the site of Old Fort Bull.

The Indians, informed that there was a garrison of 350 men in a fort named Kouari situate on the said river about a quarter of a league from the Village of the Palatines1 did not fail to exhibit fear, but M. de Belletre having told them that their Father did not despatch a picked detachment, so well selected, except to make a blow of some interest, they recovered their courage and evinced a lively ardor, except some young Warriors and aged men who gave in already fatigued by a weary march,

The four Savages sent to the Oneidas returned with the six warriors of that tribe who joined our detachment, and told M. de Belletre that they had no other will than that of their Father.

On the 11th November at three o'clock in the afternoon M. de Belletre, preceded as was his custom by the scouts crossed the River Corlaer | Mohawk] with his detachment partly swimming, partly in the water up to the neck. He encamped at night fall in the woods a league and a half from the first of the five forts that covered the Palatine Settlements.

The 12th at three o'clock in the morning he gave his detachment the order of March and attack so as to surround the said five forts and the entire Palatine Village, consisting of sixty houses. Though M. de Belletre knew that the English got notice the day preceding, yet that the courage of the Indians may not receive the least check and to show them he would not rashly expose them, he liberated an Indian of the Five Nations whom he had until then detained under suspicion. But this Savage could not injure M. de Belletre because he commenced at the same time to attack the five forts and the Palatines' houses.

At sight of the first fort he decided to take it by assault. The enemy kept up the most active fire of musketry but the intrepidity with which M. de Belletre, with all the Officers and Canadians of his detachment advanced, coupled with the war whoop of the Indians, terrified the English to the degree that the Mayor of the Village of the Palatines, who commanded the said Fort, opened the doors and asked for quarter.

M. de Belletre lost no time in repairing to the second, the third, the fourth and fifth which were not less intimidated than the first by his intrepidity and the cries of the Indians. They all surrendered at discretion, and were entirely burnt.

During this time a party of Canadians and Indians ravaged and burnt the said 60 houses of the Palatines, their barns and other out buildings as well as the Water Mill.

In all these expeditions about 40 English perished-killed or drowned. The number of prisoners is nearly 150 men, women and children, among whom is the Mayor of the Village, the Surgeon and some Militia Officers. We had not a man killed; but M. de Lorimer, officer, was wounded in the right side by a ball, and three or four Savages slightly.

The damage inflicted on the enemy is estimated according to the representations of the English themselves, To wit

In grain of all sorts, a much larger quantity than the Island of Montreal has produced in years of abundance.

The same of hogs.

1 This fort, to which so much reference is made in a subsequent paper describing the Valley of the Mohawk, was situate on the South side of the Mohawk River, nearly opposite the mouth of the West Canada Creek, in what is now the Town of German Flatts. It is alluded to by Lt. Gov. Delancey (see post p. 334) as "Fort Hareniger," and is now known as Fort Herkimer. The settlement destroyed by the French was on the opposite, or North side of the Mohawk.

3000 horned cattle.

3000 sheep.

All these articles were to have been sent in a few days to Corlaer (Schenectady.)

1500 horses, 300 of which were taken by the Indians and the greater number consumed for the support of the detachment.

The property in furniture, wearing apparel, merchandize and liquor might form a capital of 1,500,000 livres. The Mayor of the Village alone has lost 400,000.

The French and Indians have acquired as rich a booty as they could carry off. They have in specie more than 100,000 livres. One Indian alone has as much as 30,000. There was likewise plundered a quantity of Wampum, silver-bracelets &c, scarlet cloth and other Merchandize which may form a capital of 80,000 more.

All this damage could not be done short of 48 hours. M. de Belletre made provision to be always able to resist the enemy, who as has been observed, were to the number of 35v men in the said Fort Kouari, about a quarter of a league from the field of battle.

In fact, on the 13th at 7 o'clock in the morning, 50 Englishmen accompanied by some Mohawks, left the said Fort, but as soon as they were perceived our Frenchmen and Indians went to meet them double quick, and forced them to swim across the river after receiving several discharges of Musketry. The number that perished cannot be estimated. At noon the same day, M. de Belletre gave orders to his detachment to commence their return march.

On the 15th he sent an Oneida, who is much attached to the General, with some Chiefs from the Sault and St. Francis to bear a message to the Oneidas by which he communicated to them the success he experienced; invited them to persevere in their good Sentiments and not to fear the English. Our Oneida delegate rejoined M. Belletre at the River Au Sable [Sandy Creek Jeffer. Co.] and told him that the Five Nations had sent three Belts to the Oneida Villages of which they wished him to take charge as a present to the General. By these they demand assistance to resist the English being about to experience their resentment inasmuch as they refused to allow four of their Chiefs to enter Fort Kouari having fired several shots at them. This had obliged the Oneidas to withdraw their women and children from the Lake side, hoping their Father will protect them.

MR. DE LANCY TO THE BOARD OF TRADE.

[ Lond. Doc. XXXIV. ]

New York 5 January, 1658.

It may be proper to acquaint your Lordships that we had the misfortune on the 12th November to lose a valuable settlement on the North side of the Mohawks river opposite to Fort Hareniger, called the German Flatts, the loss is estimated at twenty thousand pounds this money, it is as fertile a piece of ground as any perhaps in the world the settlers were generally rich and had good buildings on their lands, some of the inhabitants were slain, about 100 carried into captivity, their houses and barns with the crops destroyed by Fire. This was done by a party of about three hundred Canadians & Indians; the people there thought themselves in great security and though advertised of the approach of the enemy, they neglected the advices they received and so fell an easy prey.

MR. DAINE TO THE MINISTER.

[Paris Doc. XIV. ]

Quebec, 19 May, 1756.

Annexed are two little Relations or Summaries of what has occured of most interest since the departure of the ships last year. The damage inflicted on the English in horned cattle, sheep and horses has been greatly exaggerated in the Relation of M. de Bellestre's expedition of the 28th November 1757. It must be diminished at least a good half. It is still more exaggerated in regard to furniture, wearing apparel, merchandize and liquors which are carried up to fifteen hundred thousand livres, as well as the loss of the Palatine's village in Indian corn.

M. DE VAUDREUIL TO THE MINISTER.

[ Paris Doc. XV. ]

Montreal, 28 June, 1758.

M. de Bellestre's success last autumn in destroying the village of the Palatines and carrying the forts that covered it would have been actually, My lord, a great aid to the Colony, had it been possible to remove the considerable portion of provisions of all sorts found in that village. I had particularly provided for this by the orders I gave that officer. But circumstances were not sufficiently favorable to execute them.

1st. M. de Bellestre being much exposed to be pursued and perhaps cut off by a force infinitely superior to his own was under the absolute necessity of using the greatest activity in his operations, success depending essentially thereon. He was consequently unable to restrain the attack of his detachment. This was made by one party with all possible vigor whilst others were busy firing the houses, barns etca.

2. The 500 horses, lost by the enemy in this affair, were not exactly captured. The greater part were killed or wounded, and M. de Belletre brought with him but a very small number which was a great resource to him to support his detachment on his return.

3d. Had he all those horses and all the provisions at his disposal he could not absolutely have profited by them, either because it was prudent for him to hasten his retreat, or because the transportation of the provisions had been utterly impossible, both on account of the difficulty of the roads and rivers to be passed and the impossibility of feeding the horses.

A SUMMARY NARRATIVE

of the CONDUCT OF THE ONEIDA INDIANS (LIVING AT THE UPPER TOWN) PREVIOUS TO THE ATTACK OF

THE FRENCH AND THEIR INDIANS UPON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE GERMAN FLATS IN THE PROVINCE OF

NEW-YORK, IN NOVEMBER, 1757.1

A few days after this Massacre and desolation had been perpetrated, Sir William Johnson despatched Geo. Croghan, Esq; Deputy agent, with Mr Montour, the Indian interpreter, to the German Flats, where he understood several of the Oneida and Tuscarora Indians were assembled, in order to call upon those Indians to Explain themselves why they had not given more timely notice to the Germans of the designs and approach of the Enemy; it having been reported, that no intelligence had been given by the Indians, until the same morning the attack was made; and as these Indians might naturally be supposed, from their situation and other circumstances, to have had earlier knowledge of the Enemy's design and march.

Before Mr Croghan could get up to the German Flats, the aforesaid Indians were on their road homewards, but he was informed the Chief Sachem of the Upper Oneida Town, with a Tuscarora Sachem and another Oneida Indian, were still about four miles from Fort Harkeman: upon which he sent a messenger to acquaint them, that he was at the said fort.

The aforesaid Indians returned, and on the 30th November at Fort Harkeman, Conaghquieson, the Chief Oneida Sachem, made the following speech to Mr Croghan, having first called in one Rudolph Shumaker, Hanjost Harkman, and several other Germans, who understood the Indian language, and desired them to sit down and hear what he was going to say.

Conaghquieson then proceeded and said:

• Brother,

'I can't help telling you that we were very much surprised to hear that our brethern the English suspect and charge us with not giving them timely notice of the designs of the French, as it is well known we have not neglected to give them every piece of intelligence that came to our knowledge. 'Brother,

'About fifteen days before the affair happened, we sent the Germans word, that some Swegatchi Indians told us, the French were determined to destroy the German Flats, and desired them to be on their guard. About six days after that we had a further account from Swegatchi, that the French were preparing to march.

'I then came down to the German Flats, and in a meeting with the Germans, told them what we had heard, and desired them to collect themselves together in a body, at their fort,* and secure their women, children, and effects, and make the best defence they could; and at the same time told them to write what I had said to our brother Warraghiyagey (meaning Sir William Johnson†) but they paid not the least regard to what I told them; and laughed at me, slapping their hands on their buttocks, saying they did not value the Enemy: Upon which I returned home and sent one of our people to the lake, (meaning the Oneida Lake) to find out whether the Enemy were coming or not; after he had staid there two days, the Enemy arrived at the Carrying-Place, and sent word to the Castle at the Lake, that they were there; and told them what they were going to do; but charged them not to let us at the Upper Castle know anything of their design. As soon as the man I sent

1 Lyman C. Draper, Esq., of Phila., has had the politeness to communicate this "Narrative."

* A Stockaded work round the church, and a block-house, with a ditch, and a parapet pallisadoed, thrown up by Sir William Johnson a year ago, upon an alarm then given.

†They never sent this intelligence to Sir William,

there heard this, he came on to us with the account that night; and as soon as we received it we sent a belt of Wampum to confirm the truth thereof, to the Flats, which came here the day before the enemy made their attack: but the people would not give credit to the account even then, or they might have saved their lives.* This is the truth, and those Germans here present know it to

be so.'

The aforesaid Germans did acknowledge it to be so; and that they had such intelligence. GEORGE CROGHAN.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM ALBANY,

DATED THE 13th INSTANT, BEING A RELATION OF THE MURDER COMMITTED AT THE GERMAN FLAtts, NEAR FORT HERCHAMER, BY 80 INDIANS AND 4 FRENCHMEN.

[N. Y. Mercury, May 22, 1758, 1

About 12 o'clock, on Monday the 30th of April last an Oneida Indian acquainted Captain Herchamer that a Party of 80 Indians and four Frenchmen, were nigh his fort, and would certainly come down and attack the settlements that Day, and advised Capt Harchamer to go into the Fort and take as many of the Inhabitants with him, as he could collect. About 3 o'Clock, most Part of the Inhabitants, having Notice from Capt Herchamer, left their Houses and assembled at the Fort; four Families, that fled from Henderson's Purchase in the spring for fear of the Enemy, could not get in, and had in their Houses two Indian Traders, of the name of Clock, and six Waggoners that were carrying Capt. Gage's Baggage to the Fort. At 4 o'Clock, all of a sudden, the Houses were attacked and the Waggoners being surprized, run up stairs, the better to defend themselves. The Indians immediately rushed into the House, and killed and scalped all that were below; some of the Indians attempted the stairs, but they were knocked down by the Waggoners; they then fired up thro' the Loft, and soon were joined by more Indians who fired many shot quite thro' the House, and proposed to set it on fire, which intimidated John Ehel, a Waggoner, to such a degree, that he leap'd out at a window, thinking to make his Escape, but was soon killed; the other five defended themselves with great Intrepidity, having killed one Indian, until they were relieved by a Party of Rangers, who came to their assistance, and after exchanging a few Shot the Indians fled, seeing our People have the advantage of a Log Fence. Capt. Herchamer says he

saw four or five of the Indians drop, but were carried off. In the above affair, 33 of the Inhabitants were killed, & Lieut. Hair, of the Rangers, received a slight Wound in the Breast. Next day some Oneidas came down to Trade, and met the Enemy going off, who told them they had 6 of their Company killed, and 9 Wounded. Next Morning a Woman came into the Fort that had been scalped, besides having her Nose almost cut off, with a wound in her Breast, and another in her side. She is likely to recover, related all that happened till she was scalped, and says there was Onondado Indians amongst them.

* The Indians who brought this belt of Wampum finding the Germans still incredulous, the next morning, just before the attack began, laid hold on the German Minister, and in a manner forced him over to the other side of the river; by which means he and some who followed him escaped the fate of their brethren.