in a blaze. entered their houses, and began the perpetration of the most inhuman barbarities. No tongue, says colonel Schuyler, can express the cruelties that were committed. The whole village was instantly Women with child ripped open, and their infants cast into the flames, or dashed against the posts of the doors. Sixty persons perished in the massacre, and twenty-seven were carried into captivity. The rest fled naked towards Albany, through a deep snow which fell that very night in a terrible storm; and twenty-five of these fugitives lost their limbs in the flight, through the severity of the frost. The news of this dreadful tragedy reached Albany about break of day; and universal dread seized the inhabitants of that city, the enemy being reported to be one thousand four hundred strong. A party of horse was immediately despatched to Schenectady, and a few Mohawks then in town, fearful of being intercepted, were with difficulty sent to apprise their own castles. The Mohawks were unacquainted with this bloody scene, till two days after it happened, our messengers being scarce able to travel through the great depth of the snow. The enemy, in the mean time, pillaged the town of Schenectady till noon the next day; and then went off with their plunder, and about forty of their best horses. The rest, with all the cattle they could find, lay slaughtered in the streets. The design of the French, in this attack, was to alarm the fears of our Indian allies, by showing that we were incapable of defending them. Every art also was used to conciliate their friendship, for they not only spared those Mohawks who were found in Schenectady, but several other particular persons, in compliment to the Indians, who requested that favour. Several women and children were also released at the desire of captain Glen, to whom the French offered no violence, the officer declaring he had strict orders against it, on the score of his wife's civilities to certain French captives in the time of colonel Dongan. The Mohawks, considering the cajoling arts of the French, and that the Caghnuagas who were with them, were once a part of their own body, behaved as well as could be reasonably expected. They joined a party of young men from Albany, fell upon the rear of the enemy, and either killed or captivated five and twenty. Several sachems, in the mean time, came to Albany, and very affectingly addressed the inhabitants, who were just ready to abandon the country, urging their stay, and exciting an union of all the English colonies against Canada. Their sentiments concerning the French, appear from the following speech of condolence : "Brethren, we do not think that what the French have done can be called a victory: it is only a farther proof of their cruel deceit. The governor of Canada sent to Onondaga, and talks to us of peace with our whole house; but war was in his heart, as you now see by woful experience. He did the same, formerly at Cadaracqui, and in the Seneca's country. This is the third time he has acted so deceitfully. He has broken open our house at both ends; formerly in the Seneca's country, and now here. We hope, however, to be revenged of them." Agreeable to this declaration, the Indians soon after treated the chevalier D'Eau and the rest of the French messengers, who came to conclude the peace proposed by Taweraket, with the utmost indignity, and afterwards delivered them up to the English. Besides this, their scouts harassed the borders of the enemy, and fell upon a party of French and Indians, in the river, about one hundred and twenty miles above Montreal, under the command of Louvigni, a captain who was going to Missilimakinac, to prevent the conclusion of the peace between the Utawawas and Quatoghies, with the Five Nations. The loss in the skirmish was nearly equal on both sides. One of our prisoners was delivered to the Utawawas, who eat him. In revenge for this barbarity, the Indians attacked the island of Montreal at Trembling Point, and killed an officer and twelve men, while another party carried off about fifteen prisoners taken at Riviere Puante, whom they afterwards slew through fear of their pursuers, and others burnt the French plantations at St. Ours. But what rendered this year most remarkable, was the expedition of Sir William Phips against Quebec. He sailed up the river with a fleet of thirty-two sail, and came before the city in October. Had he improved his time and strength, the conquest would have been easy; but by spending three days in idle consultations, the French governor brought in his forces, and entertained such a mean opinion of the English knight, that he not only despised his summons to surrender, but sent a verbal answer, in which he called king William an usurper, and poured the utmost contempt upon his subjects. The messenger who carried the summons, insisted upon a written answer, and that within an hour; but the count De Frontenac absolutely refused it, adding, "I'll answer your master by the mouth of my cannon, that he may learn that a man of my condition is not to be summoned in this manner." Upon this, Sir William made two attempts to land below the town, but was repulsed by the enemy, with considerable loss of men, cannon, and baggage. Several of the ships also cannonaded the city, but without any success. The forts at the same time returned the fire, and obliged them to retire in disorder. The French writers, in their accounts of this expedition, universally censure the conduct of Sir William, though they confess the valour of his troops. La Hontan, who was then at Quebec, says, he could not have acted in a manner more agreeable to the French, if he had been in their interest.* * Dr. Golden supposes this attack was made upon Quebec in 1691, but he is certainly mistaken. See Life of Sir William Phips, published at London in 1697. Olmixon's Brit. Empire, and Charlevoix. Among the causes of the ill success of the fleet, the author of the Life of Sir William Phips, mentions the neglect of the conjoined troops of New-York, Connecticut, and the Indians, to attack Montreal, according to the original plan of operations. He tells us that they marched to the Lake, but there found themselves unprovided with battoes, and that the Indians were dissuaded from the attempt. By what authority these assertions may be supported, I know not. Charlevoix says our army was disappointed in the intended diversion, by the small-pox, which seized the camp, killed three hundred men, and terrified our Indian allies. PART III. From the Revolution to the second Expedition against Canada. WHILE our allies were faithfully exerting themselves against the common enemy, Colonel Henry Sloughter, who had a commission to be governor of this Province, dated the 4th of January, 1639, arrived here, and published it on the 19th of March, 1691. Never was a governor more necessary to the province, than at this critical conjuncture; as well for reconciling a divided people, as for defending them against the wiles of a cunning adversary. But either through the hurry of the king's affairs, or the powerful interest of a favourite, a man was sent over, utterly destitute of every qualification for government, licentious in his morals, avaricious, and poor. The council present at his arrival were JOSEPH DUDLEY, CHUDLEY BROOK, THOMAS WILLET, WILLIAM PINHORNE. If Leisler had delivered the garrison to colonel Sloughter, as he ought to have done, upon his first landing, besides extinguishing in a great degree, the animosities then subsisting, he would doubtless, have attracted the favourable notice, both of the governor and the crown. But being a weak man, he was so intoxicated with the love of power, that though he had been well informed of Sloughter's appointment to the government, he not only shut himself up in the fort with Bayard and Nichols, whom he had before that time imprisoned, but refused to deliver them up, or to surrender the garriFrom this moment, he lost all credit with the governor who joined the other party against him. son. |