232 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



In that year 20 English trading canoes passed Oswego Falls, 

 going west, and 200 Scnecas went against the Miamis. There 

 was a good deal of spicy correspondence between Dongan and 

 De Nonville. In 1686 the latter wrote : "Think yon, Sir, that 

 Religion will make any progress whilst your Merchants will 

 supply, as they do, Eau de Vie in abundance? " To which Dongan 

 replied : '' Certainly our Rum doth as little hurt as your Brandy, 

 and in the opinion of Christians is much more wholesome." So 

 both gave the Indians all they wanted. 



All this time De Nonville regarded war as certain and prepared 

 for it more prudently than honorably. The details of his treach- 

 ery are somewdiat confused, but that they were disreputable, 

 there is no question. He employed Father Jean de Lamberville 

 to draw the Iroquois chiefs to Fort Frontenac, intending to hold 

 them prisoners, as he did, but said, *' the poor Father, however, 

 knows nothing of our designs," and left him to his fate. The 

 Onondagas were more merciful. Knowing that he was incapable 

 of such treachery, the chiefs and old men came quietly to him, 

 told him of the situation and their opinion, and sent him away, 

 safely guarded, to the French, fearing the violence of the young 

 men. Charlevoix ascribed this considerate act to Garakontie' 2. 



The Iroquois chiefs visited the Cayuga towns west of Fort 

 Frontenac before coming there, and 60 men were seized and 

 imprisoned at the fort. According to La Hontan, they were ill- 

 treated and had much sympathy from the French. De Nonville 

 sent 13 of them to France as galley slaves, following the advice 

 given to De la Barre ; but King Louis returned them, sending 

 Count Frontenac as governor, and the latter may have showed 

 him that the act was impolitic. Oreaoue' and another Cayuga 

 chief were captured on the St Lawrence before this, but the 

 former came back with Frontenac and became so attached to 

 him that he took the French side in council and field. 



De Nonville followed the southern shore of Lake Ontario 

 unopposed, his large army being in boats. Among others, he 

 had 100 Iroquois of the Sault and of the Mountain with him. 

 Garonhiague' led the former, and Tegaretwan the latter, lx>th 



