and peaceable negotiation with them, oblige me to attack them as people from whose promises we have nothing to expect but murder and treason; but I did not wish to do so without advising you of it, and telling you at the same time, that the Mohawks and Oneidas, neighbours of Albany, having done me no wrong, I intend to remain at peace with them and not attack them.

The letters which I have recd from France inform me as does that which you were pleased to honour me with, that our two Kings desire that we should live in Union and Fraternity together. I shall contribute with the greatest joy, and with a punetuality with which you will be satisfied. I think that on the present occasion you can well grant me the request I make to forbid those at Albany selling any Arms, Powder or Lead to the Iroquois who attacked us and to the other tribes who may trade with them.

This proceeding alone may intimidate them, and when they sée the Christians united on this subject they will shew them more respect than they have done hitherto.

If you have any cause of complaint against their conduct, you can advance it now, & I shall consider your interests as those of my master, as soon as I shall hear from you I will answer regarding what you may require from my ministry in a manner entirely satisfactory to you, esteeming nothing in the world more highly than the opportunity to testify to you how truly I am

S-Yr dated the 15th I received the 23d of S. V. of this Instant; & am very sorry that I did not know sooner of the misunderstanding between you and the Indians that so I might (as really I would) haue vsed all iust measures to prevent it

those Indians are under this Governmt as doth appeare by his Rll High his patent from his Maty the King of England and their submitting themselves to this Govermt as is manifest by o Records, his R Highnesses territories reaching as far as the River of Canada and yet notwithstanding the people of yr Goverm Come upon the great lake as allso on this side of both lakes, av thing which will scarcely be beleeved in England

I desire you to hinder them from so doing; & I will strictly forbidde the people of this Province to go on your side of thes lakes this I haue hinted that there may be no occasion, as there shall not undoubtedly of mine, to break that desirable and faire' Correspondence between the two Kings: our Masters I am so heartily bent to promote the Quiet & tranquillity of this Country & yours that I intend forthwith to go myselfe to Albany, on purpose; and there send for the Indians, & require of them to do what is iust in order to a satisfaction to yr pretences; if they will not I shall not uniustly protect them, but do for yr Governm allt that can be reasonably expected from me; & in the mean time to continue & preserue a good Amity between us I think it convenient & desire that no Acts of hostility be comitted, such differ ences are of so weighty a concerne that they are most proper to be decided at home and not by us.

I do assure you Sthat nobody liueing hath a greater desires that there should be a strict friendshipp betwixt the subjects of this Govermt & yours then I haue and no body more willing upon all Occasionslivsly to approue my selffe Sr

Sir-I came to this town with an intention to sent for the Senequaes but was prevented by some of their Sachims. being come hither expressly to meet me.

They tell me that your Intentions are to make warr against them and they believe that you have already entered their countrey which repport I can scarcely give creditt to, after my last letter written to you.

You cannot be ignorant that those Indians are under this Govermt and I do assure you they have againe voluntarily given up both themselves and their lands to it, and in their application which they make to me, do offer, that if they have done anything amisse they will readily give all reasonable satisfation.

Sr I should be very sorry to hear that you invade the Duke's Territories, after so just and honest an offer, and my promisse, that the Indians shall punctually perform whatever can be in justice required for all these injuries which you complaine they have committed.

I'do not doubt but that if you please, this affair may be quietly* reconciled between you and the Indians, if not, as I wrote in my. former, wee have Masters in Europe to whom we should properly referr.

1

To prevent as much as I can all the inconveniencyes that may happen. I have sent the bearer with this letter and have ordered the Coates of Armes of His Ro, Highnesse the Duke of York to be put up in the Indyan Castles which may diswade you from acting anything that may create a misunderstanding between us Sir

Sir-I was much astonished by the receipt of your two letters of the fifth of July, New Stile, seeing one in French written by you, which I knew came from you as from friend to friend, and

that written in English which I knew came from your Council and not from people disposed to maintain the union of our two Kings.

I sent Sieur Bourbon to you to advise you of the vengeance which I was about to wreak for the insult inflicted on the Christian name by the Senecas and Cayugas, and you answer me about pretensions to the possessions of lands of which neither you nor I are judges, but our two Kings who have sent us, and of which there is no question at present, having no thought of conquering countries but of making the Christian name and the French people to be respected, in which I will spill the last drop of my blood.

'I have great esteem for your person, and considerable desire to preserve the honour of his Britannick Majesty's good graces as well as those of my Lord the Duke of York, and I even believe that they will greatly appreciate my chastisement of those who insult you and capture you every day, as they have done this winter in Merilande. But if I was so unfortunate as that you desired to protect robbers, assassins and traitors, I could not distinguish their protector from themselves. I pray you, then, to attach faith to the credit which I give Sieur de Salvaye to explain every thing to you; and, if the Senecas and Cayugas wish your services as their intercessor to take security from them, not in the Indian but in the European fashion, without which and the honor of hearing from you, I shall attack them towards the 20th of the month of August, New Stile.

[Par. Doc. II.; Lond. Doc. V.]

INSTRUCTIONS which Sieur de la Barre King's Councillor in his Councils. Governor & his Lieutenant General in all the Countries of New France and Acadie, Gives to Sieur de Salvaye his Ambassador to Colonel Dongan, Governor of New York, to explain to him the unfaithfulness and violences committed by the Senecas and Cayugas against the French.

He is, in the first place, to make known to him the quarter where the pillage of the seven canoes was perpetrated, and that it is more than 400 leagues distant from here and an equal distance, at least, Southwest from Albany, in the 39th or 40th degree.

That that place has been occupied over 25 years by the French who there established Catholic Missions of the Jesuit Fathers,. and traded there (ont fait la traitte) since that time, without the English having ever known, or spoken of, that country.

That the question is not about the country of the Iroquois, nor the Eastern shores of Lake Erie.

That the Iroquois having lived, previous to the arrival of M. de la Barre, with little consideration for the French, he was desirous to speak with them, to see if they were friends or foes, and for that purpose they were all assembled at Montreal last August where every thing was arranged on a friendly basis; even the Senecas and Cayugas had demanded the said Sieur de la Barre to withdraw Sieur de la Salle from the government of Fort St. Louis, in Illinois; which he caused to be done and had the said Sieur de la Salle sent to France in the month of last November.

That notwithstanding this, and all the protestations they had made, a band of 200 warriors, Senecas and Cayugas having met in the month of March of this year, seven canoes manned by 14 Frenchmen, with fifteen or sixteen thousand pounds of Merchandize, who were going to trade with the Scious, towards the Southwest, pillaged them and took them prisoners, without any resistance from the said Frenchmen, who considered them as friends, and after having detained them nine days, with thousands of taunts and insults, released them without having given them either arms or canoes for provisions and to cross the rivers. After which the said Iroquois went and attacked Fort St. Louis, where Sieur Chevalier de Blangy was in the place of said Sieur de la Salle who