350 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



SO he resolved to move westward, starting in June with 250 

 Mohawks and armed white men. At Fort Stanwix he had a 

 conference with 260 Oneidas and Oquagas, whom he had to 

 leave, the whole country being in arms behind him. He sent 

 to Niagara and Oswegatchie for supplies, and held another coun- 

 cil at Ontario, or Oswego, of which Stone made two places by 

 mistaking the names. At that place he had 1458 Indians and 

 about 100 white men. With some difficulty he secured the aid 

 of the former, and left Oswego for Montreal July 11, reachinj^ 

 there July 17 wdth 220 Indians. Joseph Brant was then his 

 secretary. 



There was a council at ^Montreal July 26, with 1664 Canadian 

 Indians, who promised aid and were placed in different camps. 

 Little was done, and on Aug. 12 some of the Six Nations and St 

 Regis Indians " returned with their A\^ar Belt to Onondaga, after 

 assuring Col. Johnson they would be ready to return wdienever 

 there was a prospect of vigorous measures." Desultory hos- 

 tilities followed, and a message came from " the Six Nations 

 that the rebells had employed Agents to negociate a treaty with 

 the Caughnawagas." 



The commissioners of the 12 united colonies had a brief 

 conference with the chiefs and warriors of the Six Nations at 

 German Flats, Aug. 15, 1775. Two commissioners came, inviting 

 them to meet the other three at Albany, to rekindle the fire their 

 ancestors had placed there. As some were not present, they 

 were to invite them, and also the Caughnawagas and the seven 

 towns on the St Lawrence. This belt was declined, and seems 

 the one now belonging to the Douw family at Poughkeepsie. 

 After the business was opened, an Oneida answered : " The 

 day is far spent, and wc defer a reply till to-morrow, as we are 

 weary from having sat long in council. WT^ think it time for a 

 little drink, and you must remember that the Twelve United 

 Colonies are a great body." 



'idle next day they accepted the invitation for themselves, but 

 it would take a year to invite their distant allies. They would 

 do the business and then inform them. It was not best to send 



