1^6 An Hijîorical Journal of 



I {omà here feveral OifHcers, who muft return in a few Day« 

 to ^eheCf which obliges me to clofe this Letter, that I may fend 

 it by this Opportunity. As fçr myfelf, I forefee I lhall have 

 Time enough after their Departure to write you another ; and the 

 Place Itfelf will furnifli me with enough to fill it, with that 

 which I {hall learn farther from the Officers I have mentioned. 



/ amy Sec. 



LETTER XIV. 



W/:pût paffed hetnveenthe Tfonnonthouans and the Englifh, onihe Oc- 

 cajion of our Settlement at Niagara. The Fire-Dance : A Stot'j 

 on this Occajîon» A De/criftion of the Fall of Niagara. 



Madam, Fall of Niagara, 26. 



I Have already had the Honour to inform you that we have 

 here a Project of a Settlement. To underftand well the Oc- 

 cafion of it, you muft know, that by Virtue of the Treaty of 

 Utrecht y the Englijh pretend to have a Right to the Sovereignty 

 ©f all the Country of the Iroquois, and of Confequence to have 

 110 Bounds on that Side but the Lake Ontario. Neverthelefs, it 

 was conceived that if their Pretenfions took Place, it would 

 foon be in their Power to fettle themfelves (Irongly in the Cen- 

 tre of the French Colony, or at leaft to ruin their Trade entirely. 

 It was therefore thought proper to guard againft this Inconveni- 

 ence ; neverthelefs, without any Infringement of the Treaty : 

 And there was no Method found better than to feat ourfelves in 

 a Place which fhould fecure to us the free Communication of the 

 Lakes, and where the Englijh had no Power to oppofe our Set- 

 tlemeî?.!. The Commiffion for this Purpofe was given to M. de 

 yoncaire ; who having been a Prifoner in his Youth amongfl the 

 Tfonnonthouans y gained fo much the Favour of thefe Savages, 

 that they adopted him : And even in the greateft Heat of the 

 Wars which we have had againftthem, in which he fervedvery 

 honourably, he has always enjoyed the Privileges of his Adop- 

 tion. 



As foon as M. de Jcncaire received his Orders for the Execu- 

 cution of the Proje6l I have mentioned, he went to the Tfonnon- 

 thouansy and a/Tembled the Chiefs ; and after having affured them 

 that he had no greater Pleafure in the World than to live among 

 his Brethren, he added alfo, that he would vifit them much 

 oftener, if he had a Cabin among them, where he might retire 

 whea he wanted to enjoy his Liberty. They replied, that they had 



never 



