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gov. dongan’s report on the province of new-york.

it has been formerly patented to people at Albany @ have promised the Indians that they shall havepriests and that I will build them a church @ have assured the people of Albany that I would ad-dress his Ma‘y as to your Lo’p 8 that care may bee taken to send over by the first five or six it beinga matter of great consequence.

These Indians have about 10 or 12 castles (as they term them) @ those at a great distance fromone another, soe that there is an absolute necessity of having soe many priests, that there bee threealways travelling from castle to castle, @ the rest to live with those that are Christians, Bv thatmeans the French Priests will be obliged to retire to Canada, whereby the French will be divested oftheir pretence to y e Country @ then wee shall enjoy that trade without any fear of being diverted,

I find a very small matter will serue the French for a pretence of right. About 30 years ago6 or 700 of them taking advantage of the Indians being abroad soe farr as Cape Florida at warr camedown @ burnt a castle of the Maquaes wherein there were none but old men women @ childrenwhich the rest of the Indians hearing pursued the French to a place called Sconectade about 20 milesabove Albany where they had every man been cut off had not one Corlarr (a Dutchman so belovedof the Indians that in memory of him they call all Governors by that name) interposed

However from that time they have fancied to themselves that they have a right to the country sofarr as that place

The great difference between us is about the Beaver trade and in truth they have the advantage ofus in it @ that by noe other meanes than by their industry in making discoveries in the countrybefore us.

Before my coming hither noe man of our Governm 4 ever went beyond the Sinicaes country, Lastyear some of our people went a trading among the farr Indians called the Otfcwais inhabiting aboutthree months journey to the West @ W. N. W. of Albany from whence they brought a good manyBeavers. They found their people more inclined to trade with them than the French the French not being able to protect them from the arms of our Indians, with whom they have had a continuedwarr, soe that our Indians brought away this very last year, a great many prisoners,

Last week I sent for some of our Indians to New York where when they came I obtained a promisefrom them that some of themselves would goe along with such of our people as goe from Albany &Esopus to there far nations @ carry with them the captives they liaue prisoners in order to the resto-ring them to their liberty @ and bury their hatchetts with those of their enemys by which means apath may be opened for these farr Indians to come with safety to trade at Albany , and our peoplegoe thither without any let or disturbance.

I hear the French have built a Wooden Fort or two in the Way thither @ that there are two offi-cers with men in them to obstruct our passage, I am sending a Scotch Gent called M c Greger (thatserved formerly in France ) along with our people, he has orders not to disturb or meddle with theFrench and I hope they will not meddle with him, Ever since my coming hither it has been no smalltrouble to keep the Sinicaes from making warr upon the French , Monsieur De la Barr was very hotupon it @ brought a great many men to a place called Cadaraque lying on the lake with intent tofall on the Indians, who hearing of it came to me for leave to enter Canade with fire @ sword, whichI refused to permit but immediately I wro 4 to La Barr @ let him know that those Indians were hisMaty 8 of Great Britain ’s subjects @ that he must not molest them @ that if the Indians had done theGovernm 4 of Canada any injury, upon his making the same appear, I would cause that hee shouldhave satisfaction as also I sent the arms of his Royal Highness now his Majesty to bee put up in eachcastle as far as Oneigra which was accordingly done, @ thereupon De la Barr retired without doinganything after having been at vast expense and all to no purpose.

The new Governor Mons r de Nonville has written mee that hee desires to have a very goodcorrespondence with this Governm 4 @ I hope hee will bee as good as his word, notwithstanding heput a great deal of provisions into @ keeps four or five hundred men at Cadaraque