252 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



A council met in Albany June 13, and the Onondagas proposed 

 the building- of a fort in their country and the sending of a min- 

 ister there. The Dowaganhaes killed some Senecas near their 

 castle, and incursions of French Indians were frequent. The 

 French should prevent these in a time of peace. One important 

 act of this year was the restoration to the Mohawks of land 

 fraudulently obtained from them by Dellius. 



In 1700 there was an alarm that the Indians intended a general 

 massacre in the English colonies. Bellomont did not like the 

 provisioning of Fort Frontenac by the Onondagas and distrusted 

 the request of Father Bruyas to go among them and the Mo- 

 hawks. He favored a good sod fort at Onondaga, with a garri- 

 son of 100 men. It would cost from iiooo to £1200. The Five 

 Nations should have presents costing iSoo. He used to laugh 

 at the colonists for allowing 300 or 400 Indians to cut off four 

 or five times their number, but he was wiser now, knowing how 

 they fought. Yet their own losses were heavy. Before the war 

 the Mohawks had 270 men, and now no. The Oneidas were 

 reduced from 180 to 70, the Onondagas from 500 to 250, the 

 Cayugas from 300 to 200, the Senecas from 1300 to 600. Some 

 of these figures may be doubted. 



Robert Livingston was at Onondaga in April 1700, and this 

 was still east of Butternut creek. It was no place for a fort, 

 being 16 miles from water unless they went to Kaneenda on Onon- 

 daga lake. The town itself must soon be moved. The Onon- 

 dagas were uneasy and dejected about the French ; and two 

 thirds of the Mohawks were in Canada, kindly cared for by 

 them. The English ambassadors arrived at Kachnawaacharege, 

 an Onondaga fishing place on Chit.tenango creek, Ap. 23, 1700. 

 Thence they went to Onondaga and were heartily welcomed,! 

 having a satisfactory council. . 



Stories of poisoning were prevalent at this time and Aqueen-i 

 dero, the Onondaga head chief, went to live on SchuylerV 

 estate on this account, nor did he long survive. His son had 

 died by poison. 



M. de Maricourt, Father Bruyas and eight more Frenchmen 



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