mSTORY OF VERMONT. 32^ 



French governors exerted themselves on these 

 occasions ; wrote, complained, and sent mes- 

 sengers to each other ; tried to engage their 

 European sovereigns to interfere ; flattered, de- 

 ceived, and made speeches to the Indians, to 

 convince them that all they meant was to pro- 

 mote their safety, by taking possession of their 

 country : thus murmuring and wondering at the 

 injustice and fraudulence of each ctlier's pro- 

 ceedings, they agreed in the event, to keep firm 

 possession of all the posts they had established 

 in the Indian territory. 



1 2-7 this kind of enterprise and manoeuvre, the 

 French generally discovered the most activity 

 and address : and v/hile the attention of New 

 York was taken up with the affairs of the west- 

 ern lakes, the French determined to make near- 

 er approaches to the vicinity of Albany. In 

 puri>aancc of this plan, in the year 1731, they 

 came up lake Champlain with a considerable 

 force ; and immediately began to erect a fort at 

 Crown Point. No measure could have been 

 better adapted to yjromote their own interest. 

 It was through lake. Champliiin that their troops 

 had m.arched in their expeditions as-ainst Sche- 

 nectady, the Mohawk's castles, and Deerficld. 

 It was through this lake that their scouting par- 

 ties found the most easy, and the safest pas;jagc, 

 in their excursions ao'ainst the Ensrlish colonies. 

 In all the attempts of the English to effect the 

 conquest of Canada, the attacks upon Montreal 

 were always contemplated to have been effected 

 by the waters of lake Champlain. To erect a 

 fortress at the south end of this lake, was to se- 

 cure the whole navigation of it ; and the com- 



