29g NATURAL AND CiViL 



village ; but were reduced to such want3 and 

 distress, that they apprehended they must sur- 

 render themselves prisoners of war, as the only 

 alternative to prevent perishing by hunger and 

 cold. To ascertain whether there was any pros- 

 pect of success, they had sent forward their 

 scouts to gain iiitelligence. The spies were one 

 or two days in tiie village, without being dis- 

 covered or suspected. On their return to the 

 French army, they informed tlie commander 

 that the village was in a state of the greatest in- 

 attention ; that the troops v/ere few, and under 

 Ho discipline ; ilrat the gates were not shut even 

 in the night ; that no preparation of any kind 

 was made for war ; nor did the inhabitants ap- 

 pear to be in any degree apprehensi^'e of dan- 

 ger. Encouraged by this intelligence, the 

 French officers determined to move forward, 

 and make a vigorous assault upon the place. 

 On February the eighth, 1690, at eleven o'clock 

 at night, they entered the city by the gates, 

 tvhich they found open ; and that every house 

 might be invested at the same time, they divi- 

 ded themselves into small parties of six or sev- 

 en to a division. -Never was there a place, that 

 was more compleatly surprized. The inhabi- 

 tants were in their beds -without fear, and with- 

 out any suspicion of danger ; the noise and vio- 

 lence of the onset, awakened them from their 

 slumbers ; but before they had risen from their 

 beds, the French and Indians had entered their 

 houses, and began the work of destruction and" 

 slaughter. Col. Schuyler, commander of the 

 Jnilitary force in that part of Newyork, has giv-=- 

 en the most accurate account of this tragedy. 



