I have the Honour to acquaint you that I arriv'd here the 18th of August.

I had before receiv'd Accounts from the Commandant of this Fort, that upwards of 1600 French had at several times, this summer, pass'd by in Sight of it towards Niagara in their Way, (as was suppos'd) either to the Ohio, or else to strengthen that Pass; and that in the Month of July part of them, vizt: 300 French and 200 Indians had encamp'd within five Miles of this Fort, with a Design, as the Commandant thought, to attack it, but that finding the Garrison too strong for their Force, they pass'd on towards Niagara.

The Night before my Arrival I receiv'd by Express from the Officer here an Account that an Onondaga Indian, who had arriv'd three Days before from Fort Frontenac, which is situated on the North East Edge of the Lake Ontario, (call'd also Cadaraqui) and about 50 Miles distant from this Place, had brought Intelligence, that the French design'd very suddenly to attack Oswego from thence; the Particu

1 P. R. O., C. O. 5, 46. A transcript is in the Library of Congress. See also Shirley to Col. Thomas Dunbar of equal date. Extract is in I Penna. Arch. 2, 417-418. A copy of Shirley's orders to Dunbar was sent by the former to Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia. In his reply of Sept. 20 Dinwiddie acknowledges its receipt and gives an account of Dunbar's conduct in disobedience of those orders. Dinwiddie Papers, 2, 208.

lars of which are contain❜d in the inclos'd Copy of the Officer's Letter.1

Upon my Arrival at this Place, I found it, notwithstanding Captain Bradstreet, the Commandant, had done every thing, that an active, able Officer in his Situation could do, in a very defenceless Condition. The Strength of the Fort, which was mounted with seven Cannon of 3 lb Ball, and two of 4 lb, consists of a Stone Wall of about 600 feet in Circumference, and three and a half feet thick, so ill cemented, as not to be able to stand against a Cannon of 4 lb. Shot. It is situated upon the South Edge of Lake Ontario on a small Eminence, but which is commanded at 450 Yards distance, to the North East, by a Point of much higher Ground on the opposite Side of the River, which forms its' Harbour, and by another Eminence behind it, Westward, at the distance of 540 Yards. And in this expos'd State of it, the French might have landed cannon out of their Vessells upon the Lake, within five Miles of the before mention'd Point, and one Mile of the Eminence behind the Fort.

Upon a Survey taken of both these Eminences on the afternoon of my Arrival, the high Point on the opposite Side appear'd to be a most advantageous one, not only for commanding the Harbour, the Lake, and the Fort, but likewise for defence against the Approach of an Enemy; and the high Ground behind the Fort a very advantageous one, and necessary to be secur'd, tho' not equally so with the opposite point.

From the late General Braddock's Instructions, which he communicated to me at Alexandria,2 I found he was restraind from building any Fort of great Expence, untill he should first transmit an Estimate of it for Approbation: But if that had not been the Case, the time, I had to erect any Work upon either of these two Eminences, would not have

1 Bradstreet to Shirley, Aug. 17, ante, p. 240.

2 The royal instructions of Nov. 25, 1754, to Braddock are printed Penna Arch. 2, 203; and the secret instructions of same date in Docts. rel. Col. Hist. N. Y. 6, 920, also 2 Penna. Arch. 6, 211.

allow'd of the raising a Regular, strong Fortification this Year: I therefore determin'd to have a Logg palisadoed Fort built, according to the inclos'd Plan of one, I had erected upon the River Kennebeck the last Year, capable of mounting large Cannon upon the middle Block House, and containing Barracks for 300 Men; and which I apprehend will, with a Garrison of that Strength, and from the Dimensions of it's Loggs, be defensible against small Cannon: and if it should be judg'd requisite to have a Strong, regular Fortification built round it another Year, may be of Service, not only whilst the new work shall be erecting, but after it is finish'd.

The work, I have concluded to erect upon the other Eminence, as soon as that upon the Point is finish'd, is a small square Fort of Earth and Masonry, with four Bastions, a Rampart, Parapet, Ditch and Cover'd way according to the inclos'd plan, with Barracks to contain 200 Men.1

I have so fully observ'd in my Letter to you, Sir, of the 12th of August upon the Importance of this Place, that I need add nothing to Shew the necessity of it's being secur'd, as soon as possible, against any Sudden Attempt of the French from Fort Frontenac, with which it hath been. threaten'd.

I have acquainted you, Sir, in my Letter of the 11th of August,3 that I had sent two trusty Indians with two Albany Traders from the Carrying Place at Oneida to Niagara, to gain Intelligence of the Strength and Designs of the French there, and to meet me at this Place; and soon after my Arrival here, I sent, at different times, two Parties of Indians and Albany Men to discover the Strength and Motions of the French at Fort Frontenac; the Party return'd from Niagara on the 4th Instant, and I beg leave to refer you to

1 Shirley inclosed three plans with this letter. The first is of Oswego, the second is of Fort Oswego at Oswego, and a third is called the Fort of the Six Nations at Oswego. See Doct. Hist. of N. Y. 1, 315, and Winsor, N. C. H. 5, 511. All the forts were destroyed by Montcalm on his capture of the town.

2 Ante, p. 221.

3 Ante, p. 217.

the inclos'd Copy1 of the Minutes of a Council of War for the Intelligence, they brought me. The Party, which I sent last to Fort Frontenac, return'd five Days after; and their Intelligence, together with that of an Indian, who arriv'd

1 The Minutes inclosed follow:

At a Council of Warr, held at the Camp at Oswego, on Lake Ontario, September 18th, 1755

His Excellency William Shirley, Esqr., Major General and Commander in Chief of all His Majesty's Forces in North America. [Names of Council members follow.]

His Excellency acquainted the Council, that through the great Desertion of Battoe-men, and Scarcity of Waggons on the Mohawk's River, and the Desertion of Slaymen on the Great Carrying Place at Oneida, the bringing up of Provisions and other Stores to this Place had been so much retarded, that there had not been, at any time since his Arrival, a sufficient Quantity of dry Provisions here to enable him to proceed upon the Expedition under his Command; That now as a Number of Battoes is hourly Expected, with a great Quantity of the Species of Provisions wanted, he has conven'd them in Council, to let them know his Intention of going immediately upon Action, and to ask their Opinions and Advice on several points relative to the Service, and in Order thereto, should inform them of the Intelligence, he had procur'd of the Situation and Strength of the Enemy.

His Excellency then acquainted the Council, that before he left the Great Carrying Place at Oneida, he employ'd two trusty intelligent Indians, and two Albany Traders to go to Niagara, and bring him from thence an Account of the Strength and Designs of the French; That they return'd about fourteen Days ago, with the following Account, vizt., the Indians, who went into the French Fort, and continu'd two Days there, report that their Works, which consisted part of Stone, but chiefly of Logs, are very weak and in ruinous Condition; That their Garrison then consisted of about sixty French, and that they had upwards of an hundred Indians about the Fort (chiefly Piarondacks ;) That the French told them they had, for some time, expected 900 Indians from Canada, and a large Quantity of Stores, and were under some Concern least the Vessels that were to have brought them should be taken by one of the English Vessells, they having heard nothing of them for some Weeks; That they had frequent Letters from Fort du Quesne, and expected every Day the Arrival of Troops and

here in their Absence, having left Fort Frontenac nine Days before, is likewise contain'd in the inclos'd Copy of the Minutes of Council.

The last Division of Sir William Pepperrell's Regiment, with part of the Artillery and Ordnance Stores, did not arrive here untill the first Instant; Carriages were to be Indians from thence; that they told them, they had never been in so sharp a Fight as the Engagement with the English, and that thirty of their Party were kill'd in it: The Indian Spies added, that the French Indians were much disgusted at the Treatment they had receiv'd from the French in the Division of the Spoils, and at their Behaviour during the Action, and were most of them returning to their Castles; that they saw there many English Scalps, and much Cloaths and Furniture in particular, one very rich Saddle, all which, they understood, had been taken from the English at Monongahela; and that the French had at Niagara seventy or eighty very large Battoes, with which they told them they intended to meet the English Vessels and board them, which last Circumstance, His Excellency observ'd to the Council, was confirm'd by another Indian who lately came from Niagara, and upon meeting one of our Row Gallies upon the Lake, caution'd Captain Ayscough, the Commander of it, against proceeding further, for that Reason.

His Excellency also inform'd the Council, that one of the Indian Spies, who, since his leaving Niagara, hath been with the Outawawa Indians, which had assisted the French in the Action at Monongahela, told him, that those Indians had declar'd their Readiness to him to lay down the Hatchet against the English, as were also others of the Western Indians; whereupon, His Excellency hath sent two Indians and two Albany Traders to them with Belts of Wampum, to invite them to enter into an Alliance with the English, or at least into a State of Neutrality between them and the French. His Excellency further acquainted the Council, that upon his Arrival at this Place, he sent a Party of the Albany men and two Indians to Fort Frontenac, upon the North East Edge of Lake Ontario, to procure Intelligence of the Situation and Strength of that Fort, as also of what Number of Forces were encamp'd about it; that they return'd about ten days ago with the following Account, vizt., That they landed upon an Island about three quarters of a Mile distant from the Fort, from whence they had a full View of it, and of the Land behind it, which was clear'd of Trees, and rises with a gradual Ascent; That the Fort stands a little way up a Bay, at a few Yards distance from the Water, and appears to be something bigger than the Fort at Oswego, and is surrounded with a