272 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



the English missionaries, the natives concluded 

 that the Jesuits were ihe men who were the fa- 

 vorites of the Great Spirit above ; and that he 

 neither did or would work much bv the other 

 missionaries ; especially by the formal, unac- 

 commodating', metaphysiciil English Priests. 



To this influence and instigation of the French 

 •priests, the English ascribed the commence- 

 itient of hostilities which took place in the year 

 1683, on the back parts of Virginia and Mary- 

 land, by sorae of the five nations. This was 

 the first time that any of those nations had ev- 

 er been engaged against the English ; and the 

 prospect of a war with the Iroquoise, occasion^ 

 ed a most serious alarm to the country. If 

 they had proved so formidable to the French, 

 when they had only their bows, arrows, and 

 clubs, it was concluded they must prove a most 

 fofmidable enemy now, when they were gener- 

 ally armed with guns and hatchets, and knew 

 how to use them. To guard against so dan- 

 gerous an event, a geneml convention of the 

 English colonies was held at Albany in the 

 year 1684. Lord Howard, governor of Virginia, 

 was present. Col. Dongan, governor of New 

 York, and other influential characters attended. 

 The convention succeeded in averting the storm. 

 Howard, as President, made a treaty with the 

 five nations, and entered into a plan of peace, 

 trade, and alliance. This covenant was again 

 confirmed in 1685, and has been renewed at 

 several other times, since that period. 



While the convention of the Enjrlish colo- 

 nies were engaged in this treaty with the fi"\'c 

 nations, aR event took place,, which tended to 



