NIAGARA FORT. 95 
the mouth of the river, on a point of land, one 
side of which is washed by the river, and the 
other by the lake. Towards the water it is 
stockaded ; and behind the stockade,, on the 
river side, a large mound of earth, rises up, at 
the top of which are embrasures for ‘‘guns; on 
the land side it is secured by several batteries 
and redoubts, and by parallel lines of fascines. 
At the gates, and in various different parts* 
there are strong blockhouses; and facing the 
lake, within the stockade, stands a large forti¬ 
fied stone house. The fort and outworks oc¬ 
cupy about five acres of ground; and agar* 
risen of five hundred men, and at least from 
thirty to forty pieces of ordnance would be 
necessary to defend it properly. The federal 
garrison, however, consists only of fifty men ; 
and the whole of the cannon in the place 
amounts merely to four small field pieces* 
planted at the four corners of the fort. This 
fort was founded by the French, and constitut¬ 
ed one link of that extensive chain of posts 
which they established along the lakes and the 
western waters. It was begun by the building 
of the stone house, after a solemn promise had 
been obtained from the Indians that the artifi¬ 
cers should not be interrupted whilst they were 
going on with the work. The Indians readily 
made this promise, as, according to their no¬ 
tion, it would have been inhospitable and im- 
