ABORIGINAL PLACE NAMES OF NEW YORK 159 



some of it." Romer did not go beyond Onondaga lake, and made 

 no report of this. Galinee was there in 1669 with La Salle, and 

 said : " It forms a small brook as it issues from a rather high rock. 

 The water is very clear, but has a bad odor, like that of Paris mud, 

 when the mud at the bottom of the water is stirred with the foot. 

 He put a torch in it and immediately the water took fire as brandy 

 does, and it does not go out until rain comes. This flame is, amongst 

 the Indians, a sign of abundance, or of scarcity when it has the 

 opposite qualities. There is no appearance of sulphur or saltpeter, 

 or any other combustible matter. The water has no taste even." 

 This is in the town of Bristol. 



O-nagh'-e or On-na'-chee was a Seneca town. In 1720 there was 

 mentioned " One of the furthermost Castles of the Ceneca's called 

 Onahe, within a Day's Journey of Yagerah." In Cammerhoff's 

 journal it appears as " old Indian settlement, where a city by the 

 name of Onnachee is said to have stood, but which is now unin- 

 habited." This was in the town of Hopewell. This journal also 

 calls Canandaigua lake Onnachee, meaning a place behind some 

 other. 



O-neh'-da, hemlock^ is Morgan's name for Hemlock lake. The 

 Moravians called the creek and lake Noehnta. 



On-ta'-ri-o has already been mentioned. It was not only the 

 name of a great lake, but in its full form is also the title of a prin- 

 cipal Seneca chief, and was borne by the prophet of the New 

 Religion. Schoolcraft gave one of his characteristic interpretations 

 of this, ignoring the principal word, lake. His analysis was on, 

 increment for hill, tarac, rocks standing in the zvater; io, how beau- 

 tiful; making this an allusion to the Thousand islands. 



O-toch-shia-co, in Cammerhoff's journal, was a place and creek 

 a little west of Onnachee. It is now Fall brook. 



Seneca lake and town. In the Revolutionary War the lake some- 

 times had this name, which is not an Iroquois word but an Algon- 

 quin name of the nation. It will be treated under the head of 

 Seneca county. 



In Dr Campfield's journal of 1779 he spoke of Honeoye lake, and 

 said it was " one of the three lakes called Seneke — and it is said to 

 be the source of the little Seneke river." This river was the 

 Genesee. 



