328 NATURAL AND CIVIL. 



vent their extending any further into the Indiaa 

 or inland countries. Mr. Burnet, the intelli- 

 gent and vigilant governor of New York, well 

 acquainted H'ith the geography of tlie country, 

 very justly concluded that the most effectual 

 method of counteracting the French pursuits, 

 would be to get the command of lake Ontario. 

 For this purpose, in the year 1722, he began to 

 erect a trading house at Oswego, in the country 

 of the Senecas : and to make it a place of in- 

 creasing strength, trade, and general resort. 

 Nothing could more naturally excite the jeal- 

 ousy, and alarm the feai's of the French, than 

 this proceeding of governor Burnet. An Eng- 

 lish tmding house and fort at the mouth of O- 

 nondago river, could not fail to injure their 

 trade, to introduce the English into the heart of 

 the Indian country, and without a considerable 

 naval force on their part, would give them the 

 command of lake Ontario, and divert the In- ^ 

 dians from their customary route and resort to 

 fort Frontenac. Determined at all events to 

 preserve the Indian trade, and the command of 

 lake Ontario, in the year 1726, they launched 

 two vessels in the lake ; and transported mate- 

 rials to build a large store house and to repair 

 the fort at Niagara. The French already com- 

 manded the entrance into the lake at the eas.t 

 end, by fort Frontenac ; if they could now se- 

 cure the navigation by their vessels, and the en- 

 trance into the west end of the lake by the fort 

 and trade at Niagara, they would efiect their 

 purpose and render Oswego useless to the Eng- 

 lish, by carrying the Indian trade two hundred 

 miles further to the west. The English and 



