FIRST SETTLEMENT OF THE ENGLISH IN WESTERN NEW-YORE.

[ Lond. Doc. XXII. ]

Gov. Burnet to the Board of Trade. '

New York, Oct. 16, 1721.

That I might improve their (the Indians’) present good humor to the best advantage I haveemployed the five hundred pounds granted this year by the Assembly chiefly to the erecting andencouraging a settlement a Tirandaquet a Creek on the Lake Ontario about sixty miles on this sideNiagara 1 whither there are now actually gone a company of ten persons with the approbation of ourIndians and with the assurance of a sufficient number of themselves to live with them and be aguard to them against any surprize, and because the late President of the Council Peter Schuyler’sson 2 first offered his service to go at the head of this expedition I readily accepted him and havemade him several presents to Equip him and given him a handsome allowance for his own salaryand a Commission of Captain over the rest that are or may be there with him and Agent to treatwith the Indians from me for purchasing Land and other things which I the rather did that I mightshew that I had no personal dislike to the family.

This Company have undertaken to remain on this Settlement and that never above two shall beabsent at once, and tho’ these have the sole encouragement at present out of the public money yetthere is nothing that hinders as many more to go and settle there or any where else on their ownaccount as please.

This place is indisputably in the Indians possession and lies very convenient for all the far Indiansto come on account of Trade from which the French at Niagara will not easily hinder them becausefirst it must be soon known and is against the Treaty and besides they may easily slip by them incanoes and get to this place before the French can catch them in the pursuit if they should attemptto hinder them.

This, my Lords is the beginning of a great Trade that may be maintained with all the Indiansupon the Lakes and the cheapness of all our goods except Powder above the French will by de-grees draw all that Trade to us which can not better appear than by the French having found itworth while to buy our Goods at Albany to sell again to the Indians. Wherefore to break that Prac-tice more effectually I have placed a sufficient Guard of Soldiers on the Carrying Place to Canada and built a small Blockhouse there 3 with the remainder of the five hundred pounds before men-tioned.

As to Niagara I did write to the Governor of Canada to complain of all the unwarrantable stepshe has taken and among others of his erecting a Blockhouse at Niagara before the Treaty of Limits had settled who it belong to

I received his answer at Albany in which he flatly denies most of the Facts I complain of.

But as to Niagara he pretends possession for above fifty years first taken by M r de la Sale.

1. Irondequoit bay, Monroe Co. 2. Major Abraham Schuyler.

3. Now Fort Edward, originally Fort Lydius, Washington Co.

37

[Von. l.J