236 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



taking a small fort. A party of 22 Iroquois was destroyed, but 

 one escaping. It must be remembered that the fears of the 

 French exaggerated their numbers, but all were in the utmost 

 terror when Frontenac came back from France in October 1689. 

 The old man had not lost all his youthful energy, and the French 

 took courage. He brought back the Indian prisoners, and this 

 and the smallpox restrained the Iroquois incursions. The cap- 

 ture of Schenectady followed ; and in this expedition the French 

 lost 21 men. Kryn commanded 80 French Iroquois in this. He 

 was killed in June 1690, his party being mistaken for enemies 

 by some of the Abenaquiois. It had been hoped that he would 

 draw all the Mohawks to Canada. 



This year the Albany people sent six men, with three teams of 

 horses, to aid the Mohawks in rebuilding one of their castles a 

 mile farther up the river. 



Golden said that the Leisler troubles and the change of gov- 

 ernment caused remarks among the Iroquois. The Mohawks 

 said: 



We hear that a Dutch Prince reigns now in England, why do 

 you suffer the English Soldiers to remain in the Fort? put all the 

 English out of the Town. When the Dutch held this Country 

 long ago, we lay in their Houses ; but the English have always 

 made us lie without Doors. 



Colden and Smith both described a council at Onondaga almost 

 unnoticed in other colonial records. There had been a previous 

 one at Albany, September 1689, in which the Five Nations con- 

 ferred with delegates from New England, who wished their aid 

 against some eastern Indians. They replied, '' We can not 

 declare War against the Eastern Indians, for they have done us 

 no Harm." At this time they told the English that 140 Iroquois 

 were scouting along Canada, and nothing would escape their 

 notice. Dec. 2^, 1689, messengers came to say that three of the 

 released prisoners were at Onondaga, with proposals from Can- 

 ada, and they wished the mayor of Albany, Peter Schuyler and 

 others, to come there to a council. The magistrates sent a Mo- 

 hawk chief, the interpreter and another person, but, unwisely, 



