250 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITLTE. [VOL. V. 



SO much at variance with his established policy. As early as the 9th of 

 February he wrote to Butler on this subject : — 



" I transmit to you the copy of a letter which has been sent to the 

 Indians of the Two Mountains and St. Regis, by Joseph, who is said to 

 have arrived at Niagara, late from New York. 



" I beg you will exert every means in your power to stop the Indians 

 of your neighbourhood, as has already been done by those above 

 mentioned, from joining in an enterprise which, besides the inhumanity 

 of it, cannot fail to be attended with consequences very detrimental to 

 His Majesty's interest, and I beg you will use your utmost efforts to 

 engage all the savages of every tribe you can communicate with to 

 join the King's armies early in the spring where they can be supplied 

 with officers and proper persons to direct their efforts to the proper 

 objects, and to prevent the impolicy as well as cruelty of confounding 

 the innocent with the guilty, which must unavoidably result from a war 

 such as is proposed by the letter circulated among the Indians of this 

 country. The force of the savages may be employed under proper 

 management to promote effectively where it is necessary, and this must 

 answer every end of this equally well, while it serves so much better the 

 King's cause." 



Addressing Captain Lernoult, the commandant at Niagara, on the 

 same day, he said : — 



" However proper and justifiable it may be to make use of the 

 Indians in a defensive war, or to chastize the real criminals, yet true 

 humanity forbids an indiscriminate attack such as is intended by the 

 savages wherein women and children, aged and infirm, the innocent as 

 well as the guilty, will be equally exposed to their fury. I desire there- 

 fore, that all means may be used to prevent this, and to turn the force 

 -of the Indians to the use which will be most for the King's interest and 

 their own good, by acting in concert with the troops." 



Brant spent most of the winter at the Cayuga village in the heart of 

 the country of the Six Nations, animating the Indians and preparing 

 them by every means in his power to take the field early in the spring. 

 But when he returned to Niagara, in high spirits over his success, to pro- 

 cure arms and ammunition, he was amazed and enraged to find not only 

 that he was refused both, but that every obstacle was thrown in the way 

 of his expedition by Colonel Butler and Captain Lernoult, without any 

 explanation being offered. As Carleton's instructions were unknown to 

 them, Butler's conduct was not unnaturally attributed by Brant and 



