Genesee Country. 357 
ral fact is entitled to some degree of credit, but in relation to par- 
ticular incidents and details, it must naturally be received with 
suspicion; when we reflect upon the deceptiveness of memory, 
the various proprieties and characters of the narators, together 
with the love of the marvelous which ever characterize a rude 
and illiterate people, we may distrust a minutely wrought tale, 
which has descended for a term of generations through such a 
channel. The general tradition that these forts were constructed 
by the whites is of value, when we find it confirmed by other cir- 
cumstances. Mr. Stone, in his life of the Indian chief, Brant, 
says that the latter in a visit that he made to France endeavored 
to obtain some light upon this subject, as many of the tools dug 
up in those places were evidently of French origin; and that re- 
searches were made in the public libraries with the assistance of 
several literary gentlemen; nothing, he says, could be found in 
their histories concerning the object of their inquiries, excepting 
that about the year 1520, several ships were fitted out and sailed 
from L'Orient bound to North America, freighted with goods 
suitable for that market, and carrying out a number of traders 
and enterprising persons with their families, to plant a colony in 
that part of the world. This date referred to by Mr. Stone, 
however, is evidently incorrect and doubtless refers briefly to an 
expedition which I shall immediately make mention of. His- 
torical statements inform us that this region remained unknown 
until 1508, Av hen some Norman and Briton adventurers accidently 
approached it; they examined superficially some portions of the 
coast, but that it subsequently became known to some of their 
countrymen who went to fish upon their shores; the information 
which they imparted induced Francis 1st to cause it to be ex- 
amined; minute directions were accordingly drawn up, for 
equiping and victualing the expedition and adventurers when 
sojourning in Canada, which consisted of 6 ships of about 110 
tons each, with two barks of 45 or 50 tons, wuth numerous boats 
for ascending the streams, and 120 mariners to man the latter 
and guard the ships which were to remain in Canada. The ex- 
pedition was to consist of harquebussiers, carpenters, masons, men 
to make lime, tile makers, charcoal burners, farriers, locksmiths, 
smiths to search for iron, vine dressers, barbers, apothecaries, a 
physician, goldsmiths, tailors and hosiers, joiners, rope makers, 
cannoneers and 6 churchmen, in all 276 men, to be victualed for 
two years; the amount of stores which was to attend the expedition 
was minutely particularized, among which were mill-stones for 
water mills, wind mills and hand mills, all kinds of domestic beasts 
and birds, as well to do the work, as to breed in the country, 
together with all sorts of grains and seeds. To these were added 
munitions of war to land for the fortsj artillery, pikes, hal- 
