280 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



had not suffered a greater loss by the French, 

 whose designs undoubtedly were to destroy 

 them all ; and that he would provide them with 

 such necessaries as they wanted. He advised 

 them not to destroy their captives, but to keep 

 them as prisoners, for the redemption of their 

 own countrymen whom the French had taken ; 

 To keep up a correspondence with him as to all 

 their designs and measures ; to send away the 

 French priests from their country ; to point 

 out a place on Lake Ontario, where he might 

 build a fort to supply them with stores and pro- 

 visions ; and above all not to pretend to make 

 any treaties with the French, but by his advice 

 and consent.* These measures and speeches 

 of Dongan served to encourage and animate 

 the Indians. Soon after a considerable party of 

 them beset the French fort at Chambly, bur- 

 ned several of the houses, and returned to Alba- 

 ny with a considerable number of captives. A- 

 bout the same time forty of the Onondagoes sur- 

 prised some of the French soldiers at fort Fron- 

 tinac, whom they confined and reserved for 

 tliQ redemption of their countrymen, who had 

 been sent to the gallies. Great pains were ta- 

 ken to recover these Frenchmen out of the hands 

 of the Indians. The French priests interposed to 

 persuade the savages to treat them with kind-, 

 ness, and return them to their countrymen ; 

 and a message was sent to the governor of New 

 York, to engage his influence in the affair. 

 Dongan informed the governor of Canada that 

 1^0 peace could be made with the five nations^, 



* Smith's liijt. New-York, p. 69, 



