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tigny had been carried when wounded. All the rest were consumed. The lives of between fiftyand sixty persons, old men, women and children, were spared, they having escaped the first fury ofthe attack. Some twenty Mohawks were also spared, in order to show them that it was the English and not they against whom the grudge was entertained. The loss on this occasion in houses, cattleand grain, amounts to more than four hundred thousand livres. There were upwards of eighty wellbuilt and well furnished houses in the town.
The return march commenced with thirty prisoners. The wounded, who were to be carried, andthe plunder, with which all the Indians and some Frenchmen were loaded, caused considerable in-convenience. Fifty good horses were brought away. Sixteen only of these reached Montreal . Theremainder were killed for food on the road.
Sixty leagues from Corlear the Indians began to hunt, and the French not being able to wait forthem, being short of provisions, continued their route, having detached Messieurs d’lbervile and DuChesne with two savages before them to Montreal. On the same day, some Frenchmen , who doubt-less were very much fatigued, lost their way. Fearful that they should be obliged to keep up withthe main body, and believing themselves in safety having eighty Indians in their rear, they werefound missing from the camp. They were waited for next day until eleven o’clock, but in vain, andno account has since been received of them.
Two hours after, forty men more left the main body without acquainting the commander, continuedtheir route by themselves, and arrived within two leagues of Montreal one day ahead, so that therewere not more than fifty or sixty men together. The evening on which they should arrive at Mon-treal , being extremely fatigued from fasting and bad roads, the rear fell away from M. de Sainte He-lene, who was in front with an Indian guide, and who could not find a place suitable for campingnearer than three or four leagues of the spot where he expected to halt. He was not rejoined by M.de Mantet and the others until far advanced in the night. Seven have not been found. Next dayon parade, about ten o’clock in the forenoon, a soldier arrived who announced that they had beenattacked by fourteen or fifteen savages, and that six had been killed. The party proceeded some-what afflicted at this accident, and arrived at Montreal at 3 o’clock, p. m.
Such, Madame, is the account of what passed at the taking of Corlear. The French lost buttwenty-one men, namely four Indians and seventeen Frenchmen . Only one Indian and one French-man were killed at the capture of the town. The others were lost on the road.
[ From Mortgage Book B, in County Clk’i Office, Albany. ]
Albany y e 9th day of FebruaryDie Sabbatki.
This morning about 5 o’clock y e alarm was brought here by Symon Schermerhoom who was shottthrew his Thigh y‘ y® french and Indians had murthered y e People of Skinnechtady; haveing gotinto y° Towne about 11 or 12 a Clock there being no Watch Kept (y e Inhabitants being so negligent& Refractory) and y‘ he had much adoe to Escape they being very numerous. They fyred several!times at him at last throw his Thigh and wounded his horse and was come over Canatagione 1 tobring y e news.
The allarm being given all People Repared to there Post y e fort fyred severall gunns to give y ealarm to y® farmers but few heard there being such an Extream Snow above Knee Deep Severall y®
1 Now NUkayuna.