My lord,--I had the honour to inform you by my letter of the 2d inst. that the English were deploying a large force towards Chouaguen ; that they had built some 10 gun brigs there and two descriptions of galleys 1 that a body of 3000 men were also assembling at Fort Necessity about 40 -,

leagues from Fort Duquesne and that its vanguard of 700 men had already arrived there. She 1 The first English vessel on Lake Ontario was a little schooner 40 feet keel with 14 sweeps or oars and 12 swivels. was launched on 28th June, 1755.

[Vol. I.]

'

PAPERS RELATING TO OSWEGO.

We had confirmation of this news from reliable Indians of different villages and they gave us assurances sufficiently convincing not to allow us to doubt certainty that 4000 men

it.

They even added, as a matter of

were going to Choueguen ; that the five nations were spread on the wings

of this army ; that the English would seize Niagara and Fort Frontenac, and moreover that they had

constructed 600 batteaux at Orange ; that they were still busy at a great

many others

;

that there

were, likewise, 5000 men encamped outside Orange covering two leagues of Country ; that this army

was to march against Fort St. Frederic [Crown Point] and finally advance on our settlements on this Continent. I am, my lord, about to send some reinforcements to this last fort, but this diversion will not cause me to change my design on Lake Ontario which I had the honour to communicate to you. The preservation of Niagara is what interests us the most if our enemies became masters of it and keep Chouaguen, the Upper Countries would be lost to us, and besides, we should have no more communication with the river Oyo. ;