USA > New York > Franklin County > A history of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, New York : from the earliest period to the present time > Part 6
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 6
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31st 8ber 1749. Mr. de la Jonquière sends a plan drawn by Sieur de Lery of the ground selected by the Abbé Picquet for his mission and a letter from that Abbé containing a relation of his voyage and the situa- tion of the place.
He says he left the fourth of May of last year with twenty-five French- men and four Iroquois Indians; he arrived the thirtieth at the River de la Presentation, called Soegatzy. The land there is the finest in Canada. There is oak timber in abundance, and trees of a prodigious size and height, but it will be necessary, for the defence of the settlement, to fell them without permission. Picquet reserved sufficient on the land he had cleared to build a bark.
He then set about building a store house to secure his effects; he next had erected a small fort of pickets and he will have a small house con- structed which will serve as a bastion.
Sieur Picquet had a special interview with the Indians; they were satisfied with all he had done; and assured him they were willing to follow his advice and to inimediately establish their village. To accomplish this, they are gone to regulate their affairs and have pro- mised to return with their provisions.
The situation of this post is very advantageous; it is on the borders of the River de la Presentation, at the head of all the rapids, on the west side of a beautiful basin formed by that river, capable of easily holding forty or fifty barks.
* The following extract from Paris Doc. X., furnishes the date of the Abbe Picquet's depart- ure to establish his colony on the Oswegatchie river :- " 30 Sept. 1748. The Abbe Picquet's departs from Quebec for Fort Frontenac ; he is to look in the neighborhood of that fort for a location best adapted for a village for the Iroquois of the Five Nations, who propose to em- brace Christianity.
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
In all parts of it there has been found at least two fathoms and a half of water and often four fathoms. This basin is so located that no wind scarcely can prevent its being entered. The bank is very low, in a level country, the point of which runs far out. The passage across is hardly a quarter of a leagne, and all the canoes going up or down, can not pass elsewhere. A fort on this point would be impregnable; it would be im- possible to approach, and nothing commands it. The east side is more elevated, and runs by a gradual inclination into an amphitheatre. A beautiful town could hereafter be built there.
This post is moreover so much the more advantageous, as the English and Iroquois can easily descend to Montreal by the river de la Presenta- tion, which has its source in a lake bordering on the Mohawks and Cor- lar. If they take possession of this River they will block the passage to Fort Frontenac, and more easily assist Choueguen. Whereas by means of a fort at the point, it would be easy to have a force there in case of need to dispatch to Choueguen, and to intercept the English and Indians who may want to penetrate into the Colony, and the voyage to Missilimakinac could be made in safety.
Moreover, this establishment is only thirty-five leagues from Montreal ; twenty-five from Fort Frontenac, and thirty-three from Choueguen ;* a distance sufficient to remove the Indians from the disorders which the proximity of forts and towns ordinarily engenders among them. It is convenient for the reception of the Lake Ontario, and more distant Indians.
Abbé Picquet's views are to accustom these Indians to raise cows, hogs and poultry ; there are beautiful prairies, acorns and wild oats.
On the other hand it can be so regulated that the bateaux carrying goods to the posts, may stop at La Presentation. The cost of freight would become smaller; men could be found to convey those bateaux at fifteen to twenty livres instead of forty-five and fifty livres which are given for the whole voyage. Other bateaux of La Presentation would convey them farther on, and the first would take in return plank, boards and other timber, abundant there. This timber would not come to more than twelve or fifteen livres, whilst they are purchased at sixty-eight livers at Montreal, and sometimes more. Eventually this post will be able to supply Fort Frontenac with provisions, which will save the king considerable expense.
The Abbé Picquet adds in his letter, that he examined in his voyage the nature of the rapids of the Fort Frontenac river, very important to secure to us the possession of Lake Ontario on which the English have an eye. The most dangerous of those rapids, in number fourteen, are the Trou (the Hole) and the Buisson (the Thicket). Abbé Picquet points ont a mode of rendering this river navigable; and to meet the expense he proposes a tax of ten livres on each canoe sent up, and an ecu (fifty cents) on each of the crew, which according to him will produce three thousand livres, a sum sufficient for the workmen.
Messrs de la Jonquière and Bigot remark that they find this establish- ment necessary as well as the erection of a saw-mill, as it will diminish the expense in the purchase of timber; but as regards the rapids, they will verify them in order to ascertain if in fact the river can be ren- dered navigable, and they will send an estimate of the works.
* Ogdensburgh is 105 miles from Montreal; 60 from Kingston, Can., and about SO from Os- wego. The distances laid down in the text are very accurate, considering the time and the circumstances.
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They have caused five cannon of two pound calibre to be sent to the Abbé Picquet for his little fort so as to give confidence to his Indians, and to persuade them that they will be in security there.
M. de la Jonquière in particular says, he will see if the proprietors of batteaux would contribute to the expense necessary to be incurred for the rapids; but he asks that convicts from the galleys or people out of work (gens inutiles) be sent every year to him to cultivate the ground. He is in want of inen, and the few he has exact high wages.
1st 8ber, 1749. Mr. Bigot also sends a special memoir of the expense incurred by Abbé Picquet for improvements (defrichemens) amounting 10 three thousand four hundred and eighty-five livres ten sous .* Provisions were also furnished him for himself and workmen, and this settlement is only commenced. M. de la Jonquière can not dispense with sending an officer there and some soldiers. Sieur de la Morandiere, engineer, is to be sent there this winter to draw out a plan of quarters for these soldiers and a store for provisions. If there be not a garrison at that post, a considerable foreign trade will be carried on there.
7th 9ber 1749. Since all these letters M. de la Jonquière has written another in which he states that M. de Longueuil informed him that a band of savages believed to be Mohawks had attaaked Sieur Picquet's mission on the twenty-sixth of October last-that Sieur de Vassau, commandant of Fort Frontenac, had sent a detachment thither which could not prevent the burning of two vessels loaded with hay and the palisades of the fort. Abbe Picquet's house alone was saved.
The loss by this fire is considerable. It would have been greater were it not for four Abenakis who furnished on this occasion a proof of there fidelity. The man named Perdreaux had half the hand carried away. His arm had to be cut off. One of the Abenakis received the discharge of a gun the ball of which remained in his blanket.
M. de Longueil has provided everything necessary. M. de la Jon- quière gave him orders to have a detachment of ten soldiers sent there, and he will take measures, next spring, to secure that post. M. de la Jonquière adds that the savages were instigated to this attack by the English. The Iroquois who were on a complimentary visit at Montreal were surprized at it, and assured M. de Longueuil that it could only be Colonel Amson [Johnson ?] who could have induced them. He omitted nothing to persuade those same Iroquois to undertake this expedition, and to prevent them going to compliment the governor, having offered them belts which they refused.
To induce the natives to settle here, the governor is said to have placed a large magazine of all kinds of clothing fitted for Indians, as also arms, provisions and ammunition, which were distributed very liberally among them.
Father Picquet having fortified his position in the year 1751, com- menced the erection of a saw mill for the use of his settlement and the government.
In a document entitled " Titles and documents relating to the seignorial tenure," made to the Legislative Assembly of Canada in 1851, and pub- lished at Quebec in 1852, is a copy of the French grant to him. It is taken from pages 299 and 300, and runs as follows :
* Equal to $653-23.
1 4
.
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
" LE MARQUIS DE LAJONQUIERE, &C. FRANÇOIS BIGOT, &c.
On the representation made to us by Monsieur l'Abbe Piquet, priest, missionary of the Indians of La Présentation, that in virtue of the per- mission which we gave him last year, he is building a saw-mill on the river called La Présentation or Souegatzy, with the view of contributing to the establishment of that new mission; but that for the usefulness of the said mill, it is necessary that there should be attached thereto a tract of land in the neighborhood, on which to receive the saw-logs, as well as the boards and other lumber : wherefore he prays that we would grant him a concession en censive of one arpent* and a half in front on the said river, that is to say, three-fourths of an arpent on each side of the said mill, by one arpent and a half in depth, having regard to the premises.
We, in virtue of the power jointly entrusted to us by His Majesty, have given, granted and conceded, and by these presents do give, grant and concede unto the Abbé Piquet the said extent of land of one arpent and a half in front, by the same depth, as herein above described : to have and to hold the said unto him and his assigns in full property for ever, on condition that the said tract of land, and the mill erected thereon, can not be sold or given to any person holding in mortmain ( gens de main morte), in which case His Majesty shall reenter pleno jure into the posses- sion of the said tract of land and mill; also on condition of the yearly payment of five sols of rente and six deniers of cens, payable to His Majesty's domain, on the festival day of St. Remy, the first of October each year, the first payment of which shall be due on the 1st October of next year, 1752; the said cens bearing profit of lods et ventes, saisine et amende, agree- ably to the custom of Paris followed in this country; and that he shall have these presents confirmed within one year.
In testimony whereof, &c.
At Quebec, the 10th of October 1751.
Signed, LAJONQUIERE, and BIGOT.
True Copy. BIGOT.
It is rendered probable, from a comparison of dates, that Picquet on this occasion of his visit, took along with him a deputation of his neophites, to present them to the governor, as is shown by the following documents, which explains the object of their journey (Paris Doc. X, p. 264,et seq.). Speech of the Iroquois of the Five Nations, established at la Presentation, at Quebec, September 20, 1751.
SPEECH OF THE SAVAGES. 1. REPLY OF MONSIEUR THE GENERAL. 1.
God has favored us with good weather yesterday, to enable us to arrive safely to see you; we are a people who come from the foot of the islands; we rejoice to find you in good health. These are chiefs and warriors, who have come to wish you much happiness.
I am pleased, my children, to see you. I thank you for the interest you express for my health.
* An arpent is a hundred perches of land, eighteen feet to the perch, or about three quarters of an acre. This is an old French land measure.
-
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2.
We have not the talent of French- men. We are savages; and we pray you to pardon us, if our ex- pressions are not couched in appro- priate language.
3.
We are like new-born children. We have heard speak of the attack which has been made upon the peopley of the Saut, and we have made every effort that was possible to ascertain who were the authors of the attack.
4.
We have heard that it was the Chèraquis ; and we ask if it is your will that we raise the hatchet to attack them : they have destroyed those of our own blood; our bro- thers, the people of the Saut, of the lake, and all who are under your wings, will unite with us. 5.
As you desire us to do, so we will act; we are, as it were, born but to day, and have embraced the faith. Our young warriors who have taken refuge amongst us, are at leisure, and desirous to strike, if you promote our Mission.
We must avenge the death of our brethren, after which, our Mission will increase more and more. Our father who instructs us, is as em- barrassed as ourselves. He wit- nesses the arrival of young warriors who are anxious to set out on the war path the next morning.
By a Belt. 6.
We beg you to be assured, that we think like the French; we exe- cute our projects; and we assure you by this belt, that we will set off at the breaking up of the ice, hatchet in hand, to strike the blow.
2.
I know that you are still young, and not yet able to be great orators. I am meanwhile very well satisfied with your harangue. It is very well spoken. You can not fail to ac- quire greater abilities by becoming identified with our interests, and in doing whatever M. l'Abbe Pic- quet shall direct you, for the service of the king, my master.
3.
You can not but bewail the fate of your brethren at the Saut St. Louis, who have experienced a melancholy fate. I mourn for them equally with you.
4.
I can not disapprove of your raising the hatchet, to go and smite the Cheraques, who [have stained their hands with the blood of your brethren ; your brothers of the saut, of the lake, and all those who are under my wings, will afford me a pleasure by uniting with you. 5.
I agree that you ought not to defer striking this blow, and I re- peat, that I consent to it. And you ought not to omit any thing that will tend to increase your village, and afford me proofs of the zeal which you evince in favor of reli- gion.
6.
I am very glad that you exhibit a constancy in your project, and that you will execute it. I receive your belt with pleasure, and I return you one, to assure you that at the breaking up of the ice, I will have the powder and lead furnished you which you require.
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
7.
You now know the sentiments of your children, of La Presenta- tion. You know we possess no- thing. We throw ourselves into your arms. You know we are without weapons; yet we ask you for nothing. We leave you to in- fer what we require for the expe- dition which we are about to under- take.
Our skin is tender; we see the snows which will not delay to fall upon the mountains; if we have not mittens, we shall freeze with the cold, and our nails will fall off. 8.
I do not wish to weary you. I wish to depart in two days.
You know that the Five Nations are numerous. I wish to make an effort to assemble all those that it may be possible, to augment our village.
I cast my body into your hand. I wish to die for my dear Onontio Gwa.
9.
We have spoken to you, upon your word, and upon that of Mon- sieur the Bishop, to engage to in- crease our Mission. All those who have come to join our village, are under the hope that you will give us some utensils to assist us.
10.
If we were in a more comfort- able situation, our village would sensibly increase. We want 37 brass kettles ; our women make this requesi,
By a Belt.
I give you also this belt, by which I wish to bind myself to you; pre- sent it to the people of the saut, to the Iroquois of the Five Nations, and to all those who are under my wings. I bind them to you, that they may not separate themselves from it, until you shall have avenged the blood of your brethren.
7.
I open my arms to receive you. I repeat from the feeling of my heart, that I will provide for all your necessities. You see from others who are present, that I have done to them all you solicit for yourselves.
8.
You do well to resolve to induce your brothers of the Five Nations to join you, and settle in your vil- lage.
9.
There are quantities of these in the arsenals of the king at La Pre- sentation. Monsieur the Abbé Pic- quet will take care of your brothers, when they arrive at your mission.
10.
I will not forget your women; there are the kettles which they ask.
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The attempt of the French to establish a mission at Oswegatchie na- turally excited the jealousies of the English, whose relations with their Canadian neighbors were every day tending to open hostilities. The industry of the French in founding establishments among the Indian tribes at this period, sufficiently evinces the anxiety they felt to secure the interest and influence of the savages, to the prejudice of the English colonies. The following communication from Lieut. Lindesay to Col. Johnson relates to the station at Swegage, or La Presentation, shortly before founded.
OSWEGO, 15th July, 1751.
"This day came here from Niagra the Bunt and the Black Prince's son, with their fighters. He first gave me an account how it had fared with them : told me he found two forts built by the French since he went out; one at Nigra, carrying place, and the other by John Cair on the river Ohieo. He said he heard a bird sing that a great many Indians from his castle, and others from the five nations, were gone to Swegage: all this, he said, grived him, and he saw things going very wrong; and if a stop was not put to it, the five nations wou'd be ruined soon. He said he was come home, for he lookt on this place as such: that he was both hungry and poor; and hoped, as I represented the Governor and Coll. Johnson here, I would assist him in a little provisions and clothing to his fighters. I told him was sorrey for the loss he had sustained, but was glad to find his thoughts and mine the same as to the French's building forts, and the Indians going to Swegage; and told him how wrong it was in our Indjans going to Cannada, and the consequencess that would attend it, in the best light I could. He agreed with me in all I said, and promised to do everything in his power to have things better managed, and likewise promised in the strongest terms to all Coll. John- son would desire of him. I gave him provisions and cloathing, &c. for his people, to the ualue of five pounds above what he gave me when he spoke, which was three bevers.
27th. This day came the Couse, and some other Sinaka sacham, in order to go to Cannada. He came to see me, and told me he was sent by the consent of the five nations to go to the Govn. of Cannada about the building the above said two forts, &c. I told him the consequence of Indjans going there; but as he is intirely French, all I said was to no purpose, though he seem'd to own the force of what I said, as all the other Indjans did, and I belive all but him might have been stopt; but as things are, I could do no more.
By all the Indjans that have been here, I find the French army landed at Nigra about the 26th July, in 20 large canoes, to the number of 250 or 300 French, with 200 Arondaks and Annogongers : they are to gather all the Indians as they pase, and allso French, and will at least amount to 1000 or 1200 French and Indjans. Their designs is to drive the English of that are at or near Ohieo, and oblidge the Meomies to come and live where they shall order them. "All the Indjans who have been here, say they and all Indians are to join them. While the Bunt was here, I had him always with me, and did all lay in my powar to oblidge him. He showed the greatist sence of it, and said he would allways do what I asked, as he allways had done. He is much inclined to us; and am convinced that if Coll. Johnson sends for him, he will come and take our affairs in hand hertily; and I think he hath it more in his powar then any to bring things to rights, nor is it to be done without him. This is
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
my sentiments, and I hope you will pardon my liberty in giveing them. If you approve of what I have said, and desire me to bring him down with me, Ile do my indeavours, and he never yet hath refused what I asked of him. There are some French here, who mett the army about hundred miles to the west of Nigra. JOHN LINDESAY.
To the Honourable Coll. WM. JOHNSON.
On the 19th of June 1754, there assembled at Albany the celebrated Congress of Representatives from the several English colonies, to agree upon a plan of union, for the common defence against the encroachments of the French, and the hostilities of the Indians who were incited by them to make inroads upon the back settlements of the English: Among the commissioners from the several colonies, appeared those who afterwards shone with distinguished reputation in the revolutionary war; and none more so than Benjamin Franklin.
The measure which was the great object of this congress ultimately, failed, from its strong republican tendency, which alarmed the minions of royalty then in power; but several points of interest were discussed, which have a direct relation with our subject. In the representation of the affairs of the colonies which was agreed upon, were the following statements :
" That the Lake Champlain, formerly called Lake Iroquois, and the country southward of it as far as the Dutch or English settlements, the Lakes Ontario, Erie, and all the countries adjacent, have, by all ancient authors, French and English, been allowed to belong to the Five Cantons or Nations; and the whole of these countries, long before the treaty of Utrecht, were by said nations put under the protection of the Crown of Great Britain. * * *
" That they [the French] are continually drawing off the Indians from the British interest, and have lately persuaded one half of the Onondaga tribe, with many from the other nations along with them, to remove to a place called Oswegatchie, on the River Cadaraqui, where they have built them a church and fort; and many of the Senecas, the most numerous nation appear wavering, and rather inclined to the French; and it is a melancholy consideration that not more than 150 men of all the several nations have attended this treaty, although they had notice that all the governments would be here by their commissioners, and that a large present would be given."+
Hendrick the Mohawk chief, the warrior and orator, and ever the firm friend of the English, endeavored to dissuade the confederates of New York from joining the settlement at Oswegatchie; and at a conference of the Indian tribes with Sir William Johnson, held at Mount Johnson, September 24th, 1753, he thus addressed them in a speech replete with native eloquence and rhetorical ornament:
* See Doc. Hist. New York, Vol. 2, p. 623.
t A full account of the proceedings of this congress will be found in the 2d vol. Doc. Hist. of New York, pp. 545 - 617.
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" It grieves me sorely to find the road hither so grown up with weeds for want of being used, and your fire almost expiring at Onondaga, where it was agreed by the wisdom of our ancestors that it should never be extinguished. You know it was a saying among them, that when the fire was out here, you would be no longer a people.
I am now sent by your brother, the Governor, to clear the road, and make up the fire with such wood as will never burn out; and I earnestly desire you will take care to keep it up, so as to be found always the same when he shall send among you .- A belt.
I have now renewed the fire, swept and cleared all your rooms with a new white wing, and leave it hanging near the fireplace, that you may use it for cleaning all dust, dirt, &c. which may have been brought in by strangers, no friends to you or us .- A string of wampum.
I am sorry to find, on my arrival among you, that the fine shady tree which was planted by your forefathers for your ease and shelter, should be now leaning, being almost blown down by northerly winds. I shall now endeavor to set it upright, that it may flourish as formerly, while its roots spread abroad, so that when we sit or stand on them, you will feel them shake : should any storm blow, then should you be ready to secure it .- A belt.
Your fire now burns clearly at the old place. The tree of shelter and protection is set up and flourishes. I must now insist upon your quench- ing that fire made with brambles at Swegachey, and recall those to their proper home who have deserted thither. I can not leave dissuading you from going to Canada; the French are a delusive people, always endeavoring to divide you as much as they can, nor will they let slip any opportunity of making advantage of it. 'Tis formidable news we hear that the French are making a descent upon the Ohio: "Is it with your consent or leave that they proceed in this extraordinary manner, endeavoring by force of arms to dispossess your own native allies, as well as your bretheren, the English, and establishing themselves?" * A large belt.
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