USA > New York > Franklin County > A history of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, New York : from the earliest period to the present time > Part 5
USA > New York > St Lawrence County > A history of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, New York : from the earliest period to the present time > Part 5
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" From l'Isle aux Gallots, to l'Isle aux Cheves, (Goat Island) three leagues to a point, which is forty-three degrees thirty minutes; thence to la pointe de la Traverse, (Stoney Point,) a league and a half. The river de Assomption is a league from point de la Traverse; that des Sables, (Sandy Creek ? three leagues further; that de la Planche, (Little Sandy Creek?) two leagues beyond ; that de la Grande Famine, (Salmon river?) two other leagues; that de la Petite Famine, a league, that of de la Grosse Ecorce, (Thick Bark,) a league.
Colden in his history of the Five Nations mentions La Famine river, called by the Indians, Kaihahage, as falilng into the south side of Cadaracui lake, about thirty miles from Onondago, (probably the mouth of Oswego river.) See vol. II. p. 64, of third London edition of Colden's History, 1755.
'This correctton is made with the knowledge and by the consent of Dr. O Callaghan.
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
tobacco, to pass the batteaux and largest canoes, a feat which was accom- plished in two days, and without accident.
On the morning of the fifth, the governor had reached La Galette, where the provisions were taken from the canoes, which were sent back to La Chine for a new load.
The strong winds from the southwest which constantly prevailed, and which continued through the month, delayed the return of the canoes some time, and prevented the chance of his arriving at the fort at Cataraqui, until the ninth. After his arrival he despatched eight of his largest canoes to La Galette, for ten thousand weight of flour, provisions beginning to fail in the camp, which caused him much uneasiness, and which eventually contributed largely to his disasters.
This supply of flour was to be immediately baked into biscuit, and forwarded to the troops who had gone forward and encamped at La Famine, a post favorable for hunting and fishing, and which was four leagues from Onontague,
The canoes despatched to Galette returned with far less flour than was expected, and was immediately baked and sent to the troops.
The unfortunate result of this expedition is well known. Famine and sickness overtook the French army, and the governor was driven to the humiliating extremity of asking peace of those he had come to conquer.
The ever memorable speech of Garangula, the Onondaga orator, has often been quoted, and has ever been admired as a master-piece of eloquence.
Mortified and ashamed he returned to Montreal in September, having been to much pains to prove to the savages, that the French were not altogether invincible, but were, like themselves, liable to suffer from sick- ness and hunger, and doubtless did much towards weakening the confi- dence formerly reposed in their prowess.
In a letter from Father Lamberville to M. de la Barre, dated July 11, 1684, the establishment of a fort at La Galette, is alluded to as one of the best measures calculated to attain their ends with the natives. It was against the advice of this missionary, that the expedition was under- taken. In the same letter he wrote as follows:
" I do not believe you will derive any advantage this year from war, if you should wage it, for not only will the whole of the Iroquois prosecute the war in Canada, but you will not find the Senecas in their villages, in which they give out they will not shut themselves up, but conceal them- selves in the grass and prepare ambuscaders for you everywhere. *
* The warriors are to prowl everywhere, killing, without if possible being killed.
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*
If their Indian corn be cut, it will cost much blood and men. You must also resolve to lose the harvest of the French grain, to which the Iroquois will set fire."
Causes of difficulty continued to exist between the Iroquois and the French, principally due to the jealousies which the English succeeded in disseminating among the former. This led to the expedition of the Marquis Denonville in the summer of 1687 against the Senecas, and that of the Count de Frontenac against the Onondagas in 1686. In neither of these did the French succeed in conquering their enemies, although in the former they succeeded in overrunning the country, and making a great many captures. Their prisoners were distributed among friendly tribes on the north shore of the lake.
Denonville founded the military post at Niagara, on the occasion of his expedition, and this formed one of the most important stations of the French, as it was at a portage between two navigable waters of great extent, and commanded the trade of an immense region of country.
The French were not always the aggressive party, for in 1688, the savages laid waste their country to the very gates of Montreal, and no- thing but ignorance of the modes of attack practiced by civilized soldiers, prevented the entire destruction of their settlements.
The enemy disappeared as quickly as they came, and before they had recovered from the shock, and made preparations for defence, the assail- ants had vanished.
These vindictive wars were conducted along the valley of the St Lawrence for several years .*
In 1720 - 21, Father Charlevoix, a Jesuit, undertook, by command of the King of France, a journey to Canada. His observations, in an epi- stolary form, addressed to the Duchess de Lesdiguieres, were published at Paris in 1744; from the fifth volume of which we translate the fol- lowing extracts from a letter dated " Catarocoui, 14th May, 1721 :
"Above the Buisson, the river is a mile wide, and lands on both sides are very good and well wooded. They begin to clear those which are on the north side; and it would be very easy to make a road from the point which is over against the island of Montreal, to a bay which they call la Galette. They will shun by this forty leagues of navigation, which the falls render almost impracticable and very tedious. A fort would be much better situated and more necessary at la Galette than at Catarocoui, because a single canoe can not pass here without being seen, whereas at Catarocoui they may slip behind the islands without being observed.
* In January, 1851, a Mr. W. Merritt a wheelwright at Malone, when dressing out wagon spokes, of oak timber, found a leaden bullet, which at some ancient period had been shot into the tree. It had been cut in Brasher, and the tree was eighteen inches in diameter, and the bail lay within an inch of the heart of the tree. It must from the appearance of the concen- tric lines of growth have laid in this situation about one hundred and seventy-five years, and may have been discharged by these early belligerents.
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Moreover the lands about Galette are very good, and they might in con- sequence have always provisions in plenty, which would save many charges. Besides this, a bark might go in two days with a good wind to Niagara. One of the objects which they had in view in building the fort Catarocoui, was the trade with the Iroquois; but these savages would come as willingly to la Galette as to Catarocoui. They would have indeed something further to go, but they would avoid a passage of eight or nine leagues which they must make over the Lake Ontario. In short, a fort at la Galette would cover the whole country which is between the great river of the Outaouais and the river St. Lawrence; for they can not come into this country on the side of the river St. Lawrence, because of the falls, and nothing is more easy than to guard the banks of the river of the Ou- taouais. I have these remarks from a commissary of the Marine ( M. de Clerambaut d'Aigremont), who was sent by the King to visit all the dis- tant posts of Canada. * * * From Coteau du Lac to Lake St. François is but a good half league. This lake, which I passed on the fifth, is se- ven leagues long and three at the widest place. The land on both sides is low, but appears to be good. The course from Montreal to this is a little to the southwest, and the lake S. Francois runs west-southwest and east-northeast. I encamped just above it, and in the night was aroused by piercing cries as of persons in distress. I was at first alarmed, but soon recovered myself, when they told nie they were huars, a kind of cormorants. They added that these cries prognosticated winds on the morrow, which proved true.
The sixth I passed the Chesnaux du Lac, thus called from some chan- nels which form a great number of islands which almost cover the river in this place. I never saw a country more charming, and the lands appear good. The rest of the day was spent in passing the rapids, the principal one of which they call le Moulinet [the vortex] : it is frightful to behold, and we had much trouble in passing it. I went, however, that day seven leagues, and encamped at the foot of the Long Saut, which is a rapid half a league long, which canoes can not ascend with more than half a load. We passed it at seven in the morning, and sailed at three o'clock P. M .; but the rain obliged us to encamp, and detained us the fol- lowing day. There fell on the eighth [ May] a little snow, and at night it froze as it does in France in the month of January. We were never- theless under the same parallels as Languedoc. On the ninth we passed the Rapide Plat [ opposite the village of Waddington], distant from the Saut about seven leagues, and five from des Galots, which is the last of the rapids. La Galette is a league and a half further, and we arrived there on the tenth. I could not sufficiently admire the beauty of the country between this bay and les Galots. It is impossible to see finer forests, and I especially notice some oaks of extraordinary height.
Five or six leagues from la Galette is an island called Tonihata, where . the soil appears fertile, and which is about half a league long. An Iro- quois, whom they call the Quaker, I know not why, a very sensible man, and very affectionate to the French, obtained the dominion of it from the jate Count de Frontenac, and shows his patent of concession to whoever wishes to see it. He has nevertheless sold the lordship for four pots of brandy, but has reserved to himself all other profits of the land, and has assembled here eighteen or twenty families of his nation. I arrived on the twelfth at his island, and paid him a visit. I found him laboring in his garden, which is not the custom of savages; but he affects all the customs of the French. He received me very kindly, and wished to regale me, but the beauty of the weather invited me to prosecute my
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journey. I took my leave of him, and went to pass the night two leagues from thence in a very fine place.
I had still thirteen leagues to Catarocoui: the weather was fine, and the night very clear, which induced me to embark at three o'clock in the morning. We passed through the midst of a kind of archipelago, which they call Mille Isles [Thonsand Isles]. I believe there are about five hun- dred. When we had passed these, we had a league and a half to reach Catarocoui. The river is more open, and at least half a league wide: then we leave upon the right three great bays, very deep, and the fort is built in the third. This fort is square, with four bastions built with stone ; and the ground it occupies is a quarter of a league in circuit, and its situation has really something very delightful. The banks of the river present in every way a varied scenery, and it is the same at the entrance of Lake Ontario, which is but a short leagne distant: it is studded with islands of different sizes, all well wooded, and nothing bounds the horizon on that side. This lake for some time bore the name of Saint Louis, after- wards that of Frontenac, as well as the fort of Catarocoui, of which the Count de Frontenac was the founder; but insensibly the lake has gained its ancient name, which is Huron or Iroquois, and the fort that of the place where it is built. The soil from this place to la Galette appears rather barren ; but it is only on the edges, it being very good farther back. Op- posite the fort is a very fine island, in the midst of the river. They placed somne swine upon it, which have multiplied aud given it the name of Isle des Porcs [Hog Island, now Grand Island]. There are two other islands somewhat smaller, which are lower, and half a league apart: one is named l'Isle aux Cedres, and the other l'Isle aux Cerfs [Cedar Island and Stag Island, neither of which names are now retained].
The bay of Catarocoui is double; that is to say, that almost in the midst of it is a point which runs out a great way, under which there is good anchorage for large barks. . M. de la Salle, so famous for his discoveries and his misfortunes, who was lord of Catarocoui and governor of the fort, had two or three vessels here which were sunk in this place, and remain there still. Behind the fort is a marsh, where a great variety of wild game gives pleasant occupation for the garrison.
There was formerly a great trade here, especially with the Iroquois; and it was to entice them to us, as well as to hinder their carrying their skins to the English, and to keep these savages in awe, that the fort was built. But this trade did not last long, and the fort has not hindered the barbarians from doing us a great deal of mischief. They have still some families here, on the outskirts of the place; and also some Missisaguez, an Algonquin nation, which still have a village on the west side of Lake Ontario, another at Niagara, and a third at Detroit."
An English writer (Jeffrey) has written a book, entitled, "The French Dominion in America" (London, 1760, folio), in which he has freely quoted, without acknowledgment, from Charlevoix and other Freuch writers, statements of facts and descriptions of places, of which he evidently had no knowledge beyond what he derived from these works.
The following is an extract from this writer (p. 15), which may be compared with the translation from Charlevoix which we have given.
"A fourth rift, two leagues and a half hence, is called the rift of St Francis, from whence to Lake St. Francis, you have only half a league. This lake is several leagues in length, and almost . three in breadth
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
where broadest. The land on both sides is low, but appears to be of an excellent soil. The route from Montreal hither lies a little towards the south-west, and the Lake St. Francis runs west-south-west and east- north-east.
From hence you come to the chesneaur du lac, for thus are called those channels formed by a cluster of islands. which take up almost the whole breadth of the river at this place. The soil seems here extraordi- marily good, and never was prospect more charming than that of the country about it. The most remarkable falls here are, that of the Mouli- net, which is even frightful to behold,* and exceeding difficult to get through, and that called the Long Fall, half a league in length, and pass- able only to canoes half loaded.
The next you come to, is called the Flat Rift [Rapide du Plat, opposite Ogden's Island and the village of Waddington], about seven leagues above the Long Fall, and five below that called Les Galots, which is the last of the falls. La Galette lies a league further, and no one can be weary of admiring the extraordinary beauty of the country, and of the noble forests, which overspread all the lands about this bay and La Ga- lette, particularly the vast woods of oak of a prodigious height. A fort would perhaps be better situated, and much more necessary at La Ga- lette, than at Cadaraqui, for this reason, that not so much as a single canoe could pass without being seen; whereas at Cadaraqui they may easily sail behind the isles without being perceived at all. The lands moreover about La Galette are excellent, whence there would always be plenty of provisions, which would be no small saving.
And, besides, a vessel could very well go from La Galette to Niagara, in two days, with a fair wind. One motive for building the fort at Cada- raqui was, the conveniency of trading with the Iroquois. But those Indians would as willingly go to La Galette as to the other place. Their way, indeed, would be much longer, but then it would save them a tra- verse of eight or nine leagues on Lake Ontario ; not to mention that a fort at la Galette would secure all the country lying between the great river of the Outawais and the river St. Lawrence; for this country is inaccessible on the side of the river, on account of the rifts, and nothing is more practicable than to defend the banks of the great river; at least, these are the sentiments of those sent by the court of France to visit all the different posts of Canada.
One league and a half from La Galette, on the opposite shore, at the mouth of the Oswegatchi river, the French have lately built the fort La Presentation, which commands that river, and keeps open a communi- cation, by land, between Lake Champlain and this place.
Four leagues above La Presentation, is the isle called Tonihata, about half a league in length, and of a very good soil. An Iroquois, called by the French writers, for what reason we are not told, the Quaker, a man of good natural sense, and much attached to the French nation, had, as they say, got the dominion of this island of a count of Frontenac, the patent of which, it seems, he was proud of showing to any body.
He sold his lordship for a gallon of brandy; reserving, however, the profits to himself, and taking care to settle eighteen or twenty families of his own nation upon this island.
It is ten leagues hence to Cadaraqui, and on your way to this place, you pass through a sort of Archipel, called the Thousand Isles, and there
* This is probably what is known at present as the Lost Channel, on the north side of Long Saut island. It has within a year or two been descended by steamers, and found safe, although the war of waters is frightful.
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may possibly be about five hundred. From hence to Cadaraqui, they reckon four leagues.
The river here is freer and' opener, and the breadth, half a league. On the right are three deep bays, in the third of which stands Fort Cadaraqui or Frontenac."
From the earliest period of their settlement, the French appear to have been solicitous to withdraw the Iroquois from the interests of the English, and to establish them near their own borders, as well to secure their religious, as their political adherence to their interests. To effect their conversion, Father Ragueneau was sent to Onondaga, in 1657-8; Isaac Joques to the Mohawks (among whom he had been a captive, pre- viously), in 1646; Frs. Jos. Lemercier to Onondaga, in 1656-8; Frs. Dupe- ron to Onondaga, in 1657-8; Simon Le Moyne to Onondaga, in 1654, and subsequently to the Mohawks and Senecas; and many others, but none with more success than Jacques de Lamberville, who was among the Mohawks in 1675-8, subsequently at Onondaga, which place he left in 1686, and again in 1703 to 1709, he was engaged most zealousy in his work of proselyting to his faith the Indians of New York.
The result of the labors of these missionaries, was the emigration of a part of the Mohawk tribe, in 1675-6, to the saut St. Louis, in the vicini- ty of Montreal.
Some account of this emigration is given by Charlevoix which will here be given, as a specimen of the zealous devotion and religious strain in which the Catholic writers of that period were accustomed to speak and write, rather than for its importance as a historical document.
The success of their enterprise was proportioned to the zeal and energy with which it was prosecuted. The room in which Charlevoix dwelt while at this mission of the saut St. Louis is still pointed out to visitors, and the table on which he wrote forms a part of the furniture of the priest's house at that mission.
From vol. v of Charlevoix's Journal of Travels in North America, page 258, and subsequently. Letter to the Dutchess de Lesdiguieres:
Of the Iroquois Village of the Saut St. Louis, and of the different People who inhabit Canada.
"SAUT ST. LOUIS, May 1, 1721.
MADAME: I have come to this place to spend a part of Easter. It is a period of devotion, and every thing in this village is suggestive of pious emotions. All the religious exercises are performed in a very edifying manner, and leave an impression of fervor on the minds of the Habitants; for it is certain that it has long been the case in Canada, that we may witness the brightest examples of heroic virtue, with which God has been wont to adorn the growing church. The manner itself in which it has been formed is very marvelous.
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The Missionaries, after having for a long time moistened the cantons of the Iroquois with their sweat, and some even with their blood, lost, at length, all hope of establishing there the Christian religion, upon a solid basis, but not of drawing a great number of savages under the yoke of the Faith. They felt that God had among these barbarians his elect, as in all nations, but they were convinced that to assure their calling and their election, it was necessary to separate them from their compatriots, and they formed the resolution of establishing in the colony, all those whom they found disposed to embrace Christianity. They opened their design to the Governor General and the Intendant, who carried their views still further, not only approving them, but conceiving that this establishment would be very serviceable to New France, as in fact it has been, as well as another, much like it, which had been established in the Isle of Montreal, under the name of la Montagne, of which the members of the Seminary of St. Sulpice have always had the direction.
To return to that which served as a model for the others, one of the Missionaries of the Iroquois opened his design to some of the Mohawks. They approved it, and especially that canton which had always most strongly opposed the ministers of the gospel, and where they had often been most cruelly treated. Thus, to the great wonder of French and Savages, were seen these inveterate enemies of God, and of our nation, touched with his victorious Grace, which thus deigned to triumph in the hardest and most rebellious hearts, abandoning all that they held most dear in the world to receive nothing, that they may serve the Lord with more freedomn. A sacrifice more heroic still for savages than other peo- ple, because none are more attached than them to their families, and their natal land.
The number was much augmented in a short time; in part, from the zeal of the first proselytes who composed this chosen band."
This measure led to much persecution, and the converts were often tortured to compel them to renounce the faith. Others were confined in miserable dungeons in New York, from which they could be liberated only by abjuring their new religion, or at least by promising to leave the French.
M. de Saint Valier thus wrote in 1688: "The ordinary life of all the Christians at this mission, has nothing usual, and one would take the whole village to be a Monastery. As they only left the goods of their country to seek safety, they practice on all sides the most perfect disen- gagement, and preserve among each other so perfect order for their sanctification, that it would be difficult to add any thing to it."
These savages of course carried with them their language and customs, but the latter gradually became adapted to those of the French, who labored to abolish those national ceremonies, and substitute in their place an observance of the ritual and requirements of the catholic religion. This measure succeeded so well, that, at the present day, the oldest In- dians at the missions have lost all recollection of the existence of their ancient customs, and do not preserve the memory of national ceremo- nies of the olden time.
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The emigration to Canada from among the Indians continued through many years, and at length, in 1749, led to the establishment of a mis- sionary station and fort at the mouth of the river la Presentation [Oswe- gatchie], by Francis Picquet, a Sulpitian. An account of this is given in the Documentary History of New-York, which was taken from the Paris documents collected by an agent sent to Europe by this state for the purpose of obtaining historical materials.
"A large number of Iroquois savages having declared their willingness to embrace Christianity, it has been proposed to establish a mission in the neighborhood of Fort Frontenac. Abbé Picquet, a zealous mission- ary in whom the nations have evinced much confidence has taken charge of it, and of testing, as much as possible what reliance is to be placed on the dispositions of the Indians .*
Nevertheless, as Mr. de la Gallisonnière had remarked in the month of October, one thousand seven hundred and forty-eight, that too much dependence ought not to be placed on them, Mr. de la Jonquière was written to on the fourth of May one thousand seven hundred and forty- nine, that he should neglect nothing for the formation of this establish- ment, because if it at all succeeded it would not be difficult to give the Indians to understand that the only means they had to relieve themselves of the pretensions of the English to their lands, is the destruction of Choueguen which they founded solely with a view to bridle these Na- tions; but it was necessary to be prudent and circumspect to induce the savages to undertake it.
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