128
DENONVILLE*S EXPEDITION TO THE GENESEE COUNTRY AND NIAGARA.
he sent off last year before my arrival, has fled and deserted the Country , to pass over to Orange(Albany) and thence without doubt by way of England to France .
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What is disagreeable in it is, that he will have informed Governor Dongan of every thing heknows of our expeditions to the Baie du N<yrd (Hudson’s Bay) and has learned of the interests ofthe country and our designs. I beg of you, my Lord, to permit of the confiscation of whateverproperty may be found belonging to him for the benefit of the two hospitals of the Colony.
FROM GOV. DONGAN TO M. DE DENONVILLE.
[London Doc. V. j Par. Doc. III.]
Sir—I have sent for the five Nations of Indians y‘ belongs to this Governmb to meet me at thisplace, to give them in charge that they should not goe to your side of the Great Lakes nor disturbeyour Indians and Traders, butt since my coming here I am informed that our Indians are apprehen-sive of warr by your putting stores into Cataract [Cataraqui] and ordering some forces to meet there.I know you are a man of judgment and that you will not attack the King of England’s subjects.Being informed that those Indians with whom our Indians are engaged in war with, are to the Westand Southwest of the greate Lakes (if so) in reason you can have no pretence to them. It is myintention that our Indians shall not warr with the farr Indians. Whether they doe or not it doesnot seem reasonable that you should ingage yourself in the quarrell of Indians wee pretend to,against our own Indians. Whether these Territories belong to our or the French King is not to bedecided here, but by our Masters at home; and your business & mine is to take Mapps of theCountry so well as we can and to send them home for the limits to be adjusted there.
I am likewise informed that you are intended to build a ffort at a place called Ohniagero on thisside of the Lake within my Masters territoryes without question (I cannot believe it,) that a personthat has your reputation in the world would follow the steps of Mons r Labarre and be ill advised bysome interested persons in your Governm 1 to make disturbance between our Masters subjects inthese parts of the world for a little pillitree; when all these differences may be ended by an amicablecorrespondence between us, If there be any tiling amiss I doe assure you it shall not be my fault,though we have suffered much, and doe dayly by your People’s trading within the King of England’sterritoryes. I have had two letters from the two Fathers that lives amongst our Indians, and I findthem somewhat disturbed with an apprehension of war, which is groundlesse, being resolved that itshall not begin here, and I hope your prudent conduct will prevent it there, and referr all differenceshome as I shall doe. I heare one of the Fathers is gone to you, and the other that staid I have sentfor him here lest the Indians should insult over him, tho’ its a thousand pittys that those that havemade such progress in the service of God should be disturbed, and that by the fault of those thatlaid the foundation of Christianity amongst these barbarous people.
Setting apart the station I am in I am as much Mons r Desnonville’s humble Servant as any friendhe has, and will omit noe opportunity of manifesting the same
S'
Your humble Serv 1
Tho 8 Dongan.