elfe; and cannot but think, that a Hiftory of this Kind will be of great Ufe to all the British Colonies in North-America, fince it may enable them to learn Experience at the Expence of others: And if I can contribute any Thing to fo good a Purpose, I shall not think my Labour loft. It will be neceflary for me here to Say Something in Excufe of two Things in the following Performance, which, I am afraid, will naturally be found Fault with in it. The first is, the filling up fo great Part of the Work with the Adventures of fmall Parties, and fometimes with thofe of one fingle Man: And the fecond is, the inferting fo many Speeches at length. As to the firft, the Hiftory of Indians would be very lame, without an Account of these private Adventures; for their warlike Expeditions are almost always carried on by furprising each other, and their whole Art of War confifts in managing fmall Parties. The whole Country being one continued Foreft, gives great Advantages to thefe fkulking Parties, and has obliged the Chriftians to imitate the Indians in this Method of making War among them. And fome would, doubtless, be defirous to know the Manners and Customs of the Indians, in their publick Treaties especially, who could not be fatisfied without taking Notice of feveral minute Circumstances, and Things otherwife of no Confequence. We are fond of fearching into remote Antiquity, to know the Manners of our earliest Progenitors; and, if I am not mistaken, the Indians are living Images of them. My Defign therefore in the fecond was, that thereby the Genius of the Indians might appear. An Hiftorian may paint Mens Actions in lively Colours, or in faint Shades, as he likes beft, and in both Cafes preferve a perfect Likeness; but it will be a difficult Task to fhers the Wit, Judgment, Art, Simplicity, and Ignorance of the feveral Parties, managing a Treaty, in other Words than their own. As to my Part, I thought myfelf myfelf incapable of doing it, without depriving the ju dicious Obferver of the Opportunity of discovering much of the Indian Genius, by my contracting or paraphrafing their Harangues, and without committing often grofs Miftakes. For, on thefe Occafions, a skil ful Manager often talks confufedly, and obfcurely, with Defign; which if an Hiftorian fhould endeavour to amend, the Reader would receive the Hiftory in a falfe Light. The Reader will find a great Difference between fome of the Speeches bere given of those made at Albany, and thofe taken from the French Authors. Ours are genuine and truly related, as delivered by the fworn Interpreters, of whom Truth only is requi red; a rough Stile, with Truth, is preferable to Eloquence without it: This may be faid in Juftification of the Indian Expreffion, though I must own, that I fuSpect our Interpreters may not have done Juftice to the Indian Eloquence. For the Indians having but few Wirds, and few complex Ideas, ufe many Metaphors in their Difcourfe, which interpreted by an unfkilful Tongue, may appear mean, and ftrike our Imagina tion faintly; but under the Pen of a skilful Reprefenter, might frongly move our Paffions by their lively Images. I have heard an old Indian Sachem fpeak with much Vivacity and Elocution, fo that the Speaker pleafed and moved the Auditors with the Manner of delivering his Difcourfe; which however, as it afterwards came from the Interpreter, disappointed us in our Expectations. After the Speaker had employed a confiderable Time in baranguing with much Elocution, the Interpreter often explained the whole by one fingle Sentence. I believe the Speaker, in that Time, embellished and adorned his Figures, that they might have their full Force on the Imagination, while the Interpreter contented himself with the Senfe, in as few Words as it could be expreffed. He that firft riies the Hiftory of Things, which are not generally known, ought to avoid, as much as 3 poffible, poffible, to make the Evidence of the Truth depend intirely on his own Veracity and Judgment; and for this Reafon I have related feveral Transactions in the Words of the Registers, when this is once done, be that fhall write afterwards, need not at with fo much Caution. The Hiftory of these Indians, I promise myself, will give an agreeable Amufement to many; almost every one will find something in it fuited to his own Palate ; but every Line will not pleafe every Man; on the contrary, one will naturally approve what another condemns, as one defires to know what another thinks not worth the Trouble of reading; for which Reafon, I think, it is better to run the Rifque of being fometimes tedious to certain Readers, than to omit any Thing that may be useful to the World. I have fometimes thought, that Hiftories wrote with all the Delicacy of a fine Romance, are like French Difbes, more agreeable to the Palate than the Stomach, and lefs whole fome than more common and coarfer Diet. An Hiftorian's Views must be curious and extenfive, and the Hiftory of different People and different Ages requires different Rules, and often different Abilities to write it; I hope therefore the Reader will, from thefe Confiderations, receive this first Attempt of this kind, with more than ufual Allowances. The Inhabitants of New-York have been much more concerned in the Tranfactions, which followed the Year 1688, than in those which preceded it. And as it requires uncommon Courage and Refolution to engage willingly in the Wars against a cruel and barbarous Enemy, 1 fhould be forry to forget any that might deferve to be remembered by their Country, with Gratitude on that Occafion. A VO. A VOCABULARY O F Some Words and Names used by the French Authors, who treat of the Indian Affairs, which are different from the Names of the fame People or Places, ufed or understood by the English, and may therefore be useful to thofe who intend to read the French Accounts, or compare them with the Accounts now publifbed. Names used by the The fame are called by the Eng French. A Benaguies. Algonkins. Aniez. Bay des Puans. Chigagou. Corlaer, or Corlard. lifh, or by the Five Nations. |