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

10

Last spring lie sent one De la Croa with fifty soldiers @ one hundred young men of Canada to theNorth West passage where as I am certainly informed from Canada they have taken three forts.About two years since there came a thousand men from Prance to Canada with the new Gov @ threehundred came the year after. But the most part of them as I hear are since dead the country provingtoo cold for them. We need not feare them soe long as the Indians continue to bee our friends @ theless if we can prevail with the Indians that are Christians to come from them to us, they being gene-rally the youngest @ lustiest men.

The number Last year there was a list brought into the new Gov of 17000 French Inhabitants inCanada 0 ' 1 m Canada , men women @ children of which 3000 fit to bear arms.

It will be very necessary for us to encourage our young men to goe a Beaver hunting as the French doe.

I send a Map by Mr. Spragg whereby your Lopp 3 may see the several Governm 43 &c how they lyewhere the Beaver hunting is @ where it will be necessary to erect our Country Forts for the securingof beaver trade @ keeping the Indians in community with us

Alsoe it points out where theres a great river discovered by one Lassal a Frenchman from Canada who thereupon went into France @ and as its reported brought two or three vessels with people tosettle there which (if true) will prove not only very inconvenient to us but to the Spanish alsoe (theriver running all along from our lakes by the back of Virginia @ Carolina into the Bay Mexico) @its beleeved Nova Mexico can not bee far from the mountains adjoining to it that place being in 36dNorth Latitude if your Lop 3 thought it fit I could send a sloop or two from this place to discover thatriver.

In answer to the Fifth

The strength This query is for the most part answered in the precedent what is not answered followeth

of our ,

neighbors here

Connecticut according to the nearest conjecture I can make may have about 3000 men able to beararms

In it there are but few Indians having been generally destroyed or removed into this governmentin the time of the last warrs

They have but a small trade, what they have is to the West-Indies Boston and this place.

They have not above a Ketch or two and about 6 or 7 sloops belonging to the place.

The country is very good accommodated with several good harbors @ two considerable riversNew London is @ very good harbor for shipping where they may ride secure from all winds As fortheir timber its the same as ours here

To the Sixth

The Correspondence wee hold with our neighbors is very amicable @ good wee on all occasionsdoing to each other all the offices of Friendship @ Service wee cann: which has soe much endearedthem to us that they desire nothing more than to be a part of this Go verm 1 those of Connecticut choosing farr rather to come under this Govern 4 than that of Boston for the reasons afore mentionedand the Jerseys wishing the like as having once been a part of ns. And seeing that in this separa-tion they are not soe easy nor safe, as they might expect to bee, were they re-united to us

To the Seventh

Ac ^ 4S answered in the answer to the Fourth

To the Eighth

boundaries'* 10 ^or tlie longitude latitude and contents of this Govern 4 1 refer yo r Lop 3 to the afore men-lamudeit tioned Map wherein you will see in what narrow bounds we are cooped up

The land of this Goverment is generally barren rocky land except the land wee have right to onthe Susquehanna river @ up into the country amongst our Indians where there are great quantitiesvery good