BUFFALO SOCIETY OF NATURAE SCIENCES 365 



The first period may be termed the Stone Age of the Senecas. 

 It is of unknown duration, but it embraces their prehistoric occu- 

 pancy and terminates with the first coming' of the white traders. 



The second period extends from the coming of the Europeans 

 until the first ministrations of the Jesuit missionaries in 1657. 



The third period extends from the coming of the Jesuits until 

 the devastation of the country by the French army under Denon- 

 ville in 1687. 



The fourth period begins with the reconstruction of the 

 Seneca towns in 1687 and ends with their destruction in 1779 by 

 the colonial army under Gen. Sullivan. 



The fifth period extends from 1779 until today. 



This monograph has to do with the country of the Senecas 

 during the third period only, that is, from the coming of the 

 Jesuit missionaries until 1687. 



Our knowledge of the Senecas during this period is derived 

 from three sources, viz. from accounts by the French of Canada; 

 from accounts by the Knglish at Albany, and from archaeologic 



research. 



Owing to the fact that for many years the Seneca Nation 

 was the greatest obstacle to the French in their imperial plans for 

 Canada, French writers and cartographers were busy during the 

 entire period describing the Senecas and their country. Priests, 

 diplomats, explorers, soldiers and traders wrote about them, and, 

 with good reason, their descriptions were never flattering. 



The Dutch of New Netherlands had no trouble with the 

 Senecas. Dutch traders had evidently reached them very soon 

 after the Hudson River settlements were made, but as they were 

 interested only in the needs of the Senecas from the point of view 

 of trade, they left no descriptions of the country they visited. 



The English who succeeded the Dutch at New York and 

 Albany succeeded them also in the Seneca trade, and, like their 

 Dutch predecessors, they never had trouble of any kind with 

 them, nor at first any reason for being at all interested in them 

 other than as customers. It was not until the administration of 

 Governor Dongan began in 1683 that these Indians became of 

 interest politically, or to others than Indian traders. It is not 

 until 1677 that we have any first hand information about the 

 vSenecas from an English source. Practically all the information 



