in visiting upon them the curse of the darker features of civilization. With all this, the reader, in most instances, will be familiar; a part of it is interwoven in the nursery tales of our region. The author has only aimed thus far to give a general idea of the Indians as found here by the first European adventurers, and afford an insight, an induction, into their political institutions, their system of government, laws, &c., which have been subjects of too recent investigation, to admit of any very general familiarity with them. He is admonished that this branch of his main subject, is occupying too much space here, inasmuch as the Seneca Iroquois especially, must be frequently mingled with the local annals of our own race, as they will occur in chronological narrative.

PART SECOND.

CHAPTER I.

EARLY EUROPEAN VOYAGES AND DISCOVERIES.

The prevailing spirit of the Monarchs of Europe, and their subjects, during the fifteenth and a greater portion of the sixteenth centuries, tended to the enlargement of their dominions, and the extension of their powers. In the latter end of the fourteenth century, Columbus had discovered a New World. Spain then at the height of its prosperity and grandeur, profiting by the discoveries of an expedition that had sailed under her flag, under the auspices of her Queen had followed up the event, by farther discoveries and colonization in the Southern portion of our continent. The reigning monarch of England, Henry VII, stimulated by regret that he had allowed a rival power to be the first in the discovery of a continent, the advantages and resources of which, as the tidings of the discovery were promulgated, dazzled the eyes and awakened the emulation of all Europe; ambitious to make his subjects co-discoverers with the subjects of the Spanish monarch; listened with favor to the theory of John Cabot, a Venetian, but a resident of England—who inferred that as lands had been discovered in the southwest, they might also be in the northwest, and offered to the king to conduct an expedition in this direction.

With a commission of discovery, granted by the king, and a ship provided by him, and four small vessels equipped by the merchants of Bristol, Cabot with his son Sebastian, set sail from England, in less than three years after Columbus had discovered the Island of San Salvador. As the discovery of Columbus was incidental to the main object of his daring enterprise—the discovery of a shorter route to the Indies,—the Cabots, adopting

his opinion that he had discovered one of the outskirts or dependencies of those countries, conceived that they had only to bear to the northwest, to find a still shorter route. Taking that course they reached the continent of North America, discovering the Islands of New Foundland and St. John, and sailed along it from the confines of Labrador to the coast of Virginia. Thus, England was the second nation that visited the western world, and the first that discovered the vast continent that stretches from the Gulf of Mexico towards the north pole. Instead of discovering a shorter route to the Indies, the one discovered a New World, and the other, by far the most important portions of it.

From dissentions and troubles that existed at home, and some schemes of family ambition that diverted his attention, Cabot found his patron king, on his return, indisposed to profit by his important discoveries. All the benefit that accrued to England from this enterprise, was a priority of discovery that she afterwards had frequent occasion to assert.

In 1498, the Cabots, father and son, made a second expedition, with the double object of traffic with the natives, and in the quaint language of their commission, to explore and ascertain "what manner of landes those Indies were to inhabit." They sailed for Labrador by the way of Iceland, but on reaching the coast, impelled by the severity of the cold, and a declared purpose of exploring farther to the south, they sailed along the shores of the United States to the southern boundary of Maryland; after which, they returned to England.

Portugal, desirous of participating in the career of discovery, in 1501, fitted out an expedition under the command of Gaspar Cortereal. The most northern point he gained was probably about the fiftieth degree. The expedition resulted in a partial survey of the coast, and the taking captive of fifty Indians that were taken to Portugal and sold as slaves.

It was twenty-seven years after the last voyage of Cabot, under English auspices that Francis I, King of France, awakened by the spirit of adventure, and protesting against the partition that had made of the newly discovered continent, by the Pope, between Spain and Portugal, soon after its discovery; and determined not to overlook the commercial interests of his people; extended his patronage to John De Verrazana, ordering him to set sail for that country "of which so much was spoken at the time in France."

The account of his first voyage is not preserved. He sailed with four ships, encountered storms in the north, landed in Britain; and going from thence to the island of Madeira, started from there with a single vessel, the Dolphin, with fifty men and provisions for eight months. After a stormy passage he arrived in latitude 34 deg. near Wilmington, North Carolina. In his own report to his king and patron, he says:

"Great store of people came to the sea side, and seeing us approach they fled away, and sometimes would stand still and look backe, beholding us with great admiration; but afterwards, being animated and assured with signs that we made them, some of them came hard to the sea side, seeming to rejoice very much at the sight of us, and marvelling greatly at our apparel, shape, and whitenessc; shewed us by sundry signes where we might most commodiously come to land with our boate, offering us also victuals to eat. Remaining there for a few days, and taking note of the country, he sailed northwardly, and viewed, if he did not enter, the harbor of New York. In the haven of Newport he remained for fifteen days, where he found the natives the goodliest people' he had seen in his whole voyage. At one period during his coasting along the shores of New England, he was compelled for the sake of fresh water, to send off his boat. The shore was lined with savages whose countenances betrayed at the same time, surprise, joy and fear.' They made signs of friendship, and 'showed they were content we should come to land.' A boat with twenty-five men, attempted to land with some presents, but on nearing the shore were intimidated by the frightful appearance of the natives, and halted to turn back. One more resolute than the rest, seizing a few of the articles designed as presents, plunged into the water and advanced within three or four yards of the shore. Throwing them the presents, he attempted to regain the boat, but was caught by a wave and dashed upon the beach. The savages caught him, and sitting him down by a large fire, took off his clothes. His comrades supposed he was to be roasted and eat.' Their fears subsided however, when they saw them testify their kindness by caresses. It turned out that they were only gratifying their curiosity in an examination of his person, the whitenesse of his skin,' &c. They released him and after with great love clasping him faste about,' they allowed him to swim to his comrades. Vebrazana found the natives of the more northern regions more hostile and jealous, from having, as has been inferred, been visited for the purpose of carrying them off as slaves. At another anchorage, after following the shore fifty leagues, 'an old woman with a young maid of 18 or 20 yeeres old, seeing our company, hid themselves in the grasse for feare; the old woman carried two infants on her shoulders, and behind her neck a child of 8 yeeres

old. The young woman was laden likewise with as many; but when our men came unto them the woman cried out; the old woman made signs that the men were fled into the woods. As soon as they saw us, to quiet them, and to win their favor, our men gave them such victuals as they had with them to eate, which the old woman received thankfully, but the young woman threw them disdainfully on the ground. They took a child from the old woman to bring into France; and going about to take the young woman, which was very beautiful and of tall stature, they could not possibly, for the great outcries she made, bring her to the sea; and especially having great woodes to pass through, and being far from the ship, we purposed to leave her behind, bearing away the child onely.' At another anchorage,* 'there ran down into the sea an exceeding great streme of water, which at the mouth was very deepe, and from the sea to the mouthe of the same, with the tide which they found to raise eight foote, any great ship laden might pass up.' Sending up their boat the natives expressed their admiration and showed them where they might safely come to land. They went up the river half a league, where it made a 'most pleasant lake, about three leagues in compass, on which the natives rode from one side to the other to the number of thirty of their small boats, wherein were many people which passed from one shore to the other.' At another anchorage they met the goodliest people and of the fairest conditions that they had found in their voyage:exceeding us in bigness of the color of brasse, some inclining to whiteness, black and quick eyed, of sweete and pleasant countenance, imitating much the old fashion.' Among them, they discovered pieces of wrought copper, which they esteemed more than gold.' 'They did not desire cloth of silk or of gold, or of other sort, neither did they care for things made of steel or iron, which we often shewed them in our armour, which they made no wonder at; and in beholding them they only asked the art of making them; the like they did at our glasses, which when they suddenly beheld, they laughed and gave them to us again.' The ship neared the land and finally cast anchor in the haven,' when, continues Verrazana, 'we bestowed fifteen days in providing ourselves with many necessary things, whither every day the people repaired to see our ship, bringing their wives with them whereof they were very jelous; and they themselves entering aboard the ship and staying there a good space, caused their wives to stay in their boats; and for all the entreaty we could make, offering to give them divers things, we could never obtaine that they should suffer to to come aboard our ship. Oftentimes one of the two kings (of this people) comming with his queene, and many gentlemen for their pleasure to see us, they all staid on shore two hundred paces from us till they sent a message they were coming. The queene and

* Off Sandy Hook, as has been inferred.