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DE LA BARRE’s EXPEDITION TO HUNGRY BAY.

portant [council] fire in your children’s cabin. I pray God that He conduct matters for His gloryand the country’s good and that He preserve you long, which is the wish, my Lord, of

Your very humble & very ob‘ Serv 1 ,

J. DE LAMBERVILLE.

FROM THE SAME TO THE SAME.

18 July, 1684.

Sir—The Council convoked at Onnontague was, at length, held on the 16 th and 17 th of July. Youwill see by the memoir I enclose in this letter what you said to the OnnontaguGs and what they re-ply by three Belts. Since you spoke, or I have made you speak to the Senecas assembled here in abody, Chiefs and Warriors, and their answer, we have spoken to them by three Belts and they haveanswered you by nine.

These are twelve Belts which your ambassadors take to you. I know not if you will accept thetrifling pains we have taken to cause satisfaction to be given you, and to extricate you from thefatigues, the embarrassments and consequences of a disastrous war, and procure at the same timefreedom of trade; for the Senecas informed me at night, by express, that they would give you moresatisfaction than you expected, because they wished through respect for you, not to wage war anymore against the Oumiamis, if you so wish it, and even any other nation if you insist on it. In fine,they do not wage war save but to secure a good peace. They return without striking a blow, with-out shedding blood, etc. The Seneca Iroquois offer you more than you would have believed.

The Onnontagues considered their honour engaged to this meeting, and have put all sorts ofmachinery in motion to induce the Senecas to condescend to place their affairs in their hands. Onthe first day of the Council every thing was almost despaired of, and the plenipotentiaries all excitedcame to see me, saying they gained nothing on the Senecas, and that up to that time they most wil-lingly accepted war; that they rejected the presents which you and they had made them. Theysent me back a collection of belts, that the chiefs and warriors acted with great zeal in combatingthe obstinacy of the Senecas so that having gained the Oneidas and Cayugas over to their side ?they came to high words. Deputies, notwithstanding, succeeded one another to sound me on thestate of affairs and to learn the true cause of the withdrawal of our Missionaries. Finally I toldthem that the real cause was, that the displeasure which they perceived you felt, and whichthey also entertained at being disparaged by the Senecas, had caused them to withdraw to you,until they should have satisfied you. At length the Onnontagu6s persuaded them to confide inthem and to place their affairs in their hands—that if you did not accept their mediation, theyshould unite according to their policy, with all the other Iroquois against you. La GrandeGueule and his triumvirate have assuredly signalized themselves in this rencounter. My brother,who will inform you of every thing, will relate matters more in detail. We, however, awaityour orders which you will please convey to us by M. le Moine whom the Onnontagues requestyou to send instantly to them at Choueguen [Oswego] in all security and without the least fear.