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beyond the Sinicaes country, Last year some of our people went a trading among the farr Indians called the Ottowais inhabiting about three months journey to the West @ W. N. W. of Albany from whence they brought a good many Beavers. They found their people more inclined to trade with them than the French the French not being able to protect them from the arms of our Indians, with whom they have had a continued warr, soe that our Indians brought away this very last year, a great many pri

soners,

Last week I sent for some of our Indians to New York where when they came I obtained a promise from them that some of themselves would goe along with such of our people as goe from Albany & Esopus to there far nations @ carry with them the captives they haue prisoners in order to the restoring them to their liberty @bury their hatchetts with those of their enemys by which means a path may be opened for these farr Indians to come with safety to trade at Albany, and our people goe thither without any let or disturbance

I hear the French have built a Wooden Fort or two in the Way thither @ that there are two officers with men in them to obstruct our passage, I am sending a Scotch Gent called McGreger (that served formerly in France) along with our people, hee has orders not to disturb or meddle with the French and I hope they will not meddle with him, Ever since my coming hither it has been no small trouble to keep the Sinicaes from making warr upon the French, Monsieur De la Barr was very hot upon it @ brought a great many men to a place called Cadaraque lying on the lake with intent to fall on the Indians, who hearing of it came to me for leave to enter Canade with fire @ sword, which I refused to permit but immediately I wrot to La Barr @ let him know that those Indi..ns were his Matys of Great Britain's subjects @ that he must not molest thein @ that if the Indians had done the Governmt of Canada any injury, upon his making the same appear, I would cause that hee should have satisfaction as also I sent the arms of his Royal Highness now his Majesty to bee put up in each castle as far as Oneigra which was accordingly

done, @thereupon De la Barr retired without doing any thing after having been at a vast expense and all to no purpose

The new Governor Mons' de Nonville has written mee that hee desires to have a very good correspondence with this Goverm1 @ I hope hee will bee as good as his word, notwithstanding he put a great deal of provisions into @ keeps four or five hundred men in Cadaraque

Last spring he sent one De la Croa with fifty soldiers @ one hundred young men of Canada to the North West passage where as I am certainly informed from Canada they have taken three forts. About two years since there came a thousand men from France to Canada with the new Gov @ three hundred came the year after. But the most part of them as I hear are since dead the country proving too cold for them. Wee need not feare them soe long as the Indians continue to bee our friends @ the less if wee can prevail with the Indians that are Christians to come from them to us, they being generally the youngest @ .ustiest men.

The number of

Last year there was a list brought into the new Gov' of French in 17000 French Inhabitants in Canada, men women @ Canada children of which 3000 fit to bear arms

It will be very necessary for us to encourage our young men to goe a Beaver Hunting as the French doe

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I send a Map by Mr Spragg whereby your Lops may see the several Govermts &c how they lye where the Beaver hunting is @where it will bee necessary to erect our Country Forts for the securing of beaver trade @ keeping the Indians in community with us

Alsoe it points out where theres a great river discovered by one Lassal a Frenchman from Canada who thereupon went into France @ and as its reported brought two or three vessels with people to settle there which (if true) will prove not only very inconvenient to us but to the Spanish alsoe (the river running all along from our lakes by the back of Virginia @ Carolina into the Bay Mexico) @ its beleeved Nova Mexico can not bee far from the mountains adjoining to it that place being in 36d North Latitude if your Lops thought it fit I could send a sloop or two from this pace to discover that river

The

st nig of our

neighbors

In answer to the Fifth

This query is for the most part answered in the prece dent what is not answered followeth here Connecticut according to the nearest conjecture I can make may have about 3000 men able to bear arms

In it there are but few Indians having been generally destroyed or removed into this government in the time of the last warrs They have but a small trade, what they have is to the WestIndies Boston and this place.

They have not above a Ketch or two and about 6 or 7 sloops belonging to the place.

The country is very good accommodated with several good harbors @ two considerable rivers New London is @ very good harbor for shipping where they may ride secure from all winds As for their timber its the same as ours here

To the Sixth

The Correspondence wee hold with our neighbors is very amicable @ good wee on all occasions doing to each other all the offices of Friendship @ Service wee can: which has soe much endeared them to us that they desire nothing more than to be a part of this Govermt those of Connecticut choosing farr rather to come under this Govermt than that of Boston for the reasons afore mentioned and the Jerseys wishing the like as having once been a part of us. And seeing that in this separation they are not soe easy nor safe, as they might expect to bee, were they reunited to us

What armes &c

What are

the boun

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For the longitude latitude and contents of this Goverm daries lon- I refer yor Lops to the afore mentioned Map wherein you Jatitude will see in what narrow bounds we are cooped up

gitude &

& c

The land of this Goverment is generally barren rocky land except the land wee have right to on the Susquehanna river @ up into the country amongst our Indians where there are great quantities very good

What was good @did lye convenient and near the sea for yo

most part is taken from us by Connecticut East and West Jersey What is left is pretty well settled, as your Lops will perceive by the list of patents Mr. Sprag has with him

When I came to the Goverment, I found very little quit-rent reserved to his Maty however I have got the people with their own consent to the payment of a certainty as yor Lops may perceive by the afore mentioned list of patents. Such as pay noe quit-rents I bring into the aforementioned court for his Maty rents @ revenues where in a short time they are easily induced to doe it, @ I hope his Maty will have considerable revenue by it To the Ninth

What are princi

pal towns

The principal towns within the Govermt are New York the prive Albany @ Kingston at Esopus All the rest are country &c. villages the buildings in New-York @ Albany are generally of stone @brick. In the country the houses are mostly new built, having two or three rooms on a floor The Dutch are great improvers of land New York @ Albany live wholly upon trade with the Indians England and the West Indies. The returns for England are generally Beaver Peltry Oile @ Tobacco when we can have it. To the West Indies we send Flower, Bread Pease pork @ sometimes horses; the return from thence for the most part is rumm which pays the King a considerable excise @ some molasses which serves the people to make drink @ pays noe

custom Ships &

:

There are about nine of ten three mast vessels of about vessels. 80 or 100 tons burthen two or three ketches @ Barks of about 40 Tun and about twenty sloops of about twenty or five @twenty Tunn belonging to the Govermt All of which trade for England Holland @ the West Indies except six or seven sloops that use the river trade to Albany @ that way

How many

parishes

Precints & C

What rivers narbors or roads &c

The Tenth is answered in the answers to the four @ twentieth

To the Eleventh

A thousand ships may ride here safe from winds @ weather, I send herewith to your Lodp a Map from the coming in of Sandy Hook to the northermost end of this Island

wherein the Soundings are markt by which youil perceive the coming in @ conveniency of this harbor

Quit along the north side of Long-Island are very good harbors @roads but on the south side none at all

What comodity &c

To the Twelfth

What account I can at present give of this is for the most part contained in my answer to the fourth of your

Lops Queries

What timber

mast & other

To the Thirteenth

Both our neighbors and wee have conveniency suffimaterials &c cient either for transporting timber or building And for tryal if your Lodp think fit, I will send over boards of what dimensions you please the three inch planks I have for the Batteries cost me fifteen shillings the hundred foot

Petre &c

To the Fourteenth

Whether Salt I can give ye Lo noe account at present but by the next I may. I will make a diligent enquiry about it @ when I have got any thing worthy of your Lops knowledge I will acquaint you with it

What number of inhabitant

To the Fifteenth

Concerning the number of the Inhabitants merchant English @Forreigners, Servants Slaves @ how many able to bear arms it is not possible to give an exact account but in order to my being certainly informed I have issued forth several warrants to the Sheriffs within this goverment requiring them to make an inquiry thereof @ to return the same to mee on which returns I shall not fail to give your Lodps the account required To the Sixteenth

What number of English Scotch Irish

have come to

I believe for these 7 years last past, there has not or Forreigners come over into this province twenty English Scotch or inhabit &c Irish familys. But on the contrary on Long Island the people encrease soe fast that they complain for want of land @ many remove from thence into the neighboring province. But of French there have since iny coming here several familys come both from St. Christophers & England @ a great many more are expected as alsoe from Holland are come several Dutch familys which is another great argument of the necessity of adding to

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