joyn the Dawaganhaes His Excell. offered his opinion to march up 400 men to the Castle of Onondage to encourage and confirme the Indians.

The Council do approve thereof, but affirm the impossibility for want of money which is not to be had our neighbours having denyed assistance the Revenue lessened much by the decay of trade

and great backwardness in bringing in the taxes

At a Council held at his Ma*' 8 ffort in New Yorke the 27* of July 1696. Present His Excellency Benjamin Fletcher &c. fired Phillips

Steph

:

Cortlandt

Gab Monvielle

) > Esq

John Lawrence

>

Caleb Heathcote

)

S(1 rs

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)

His Excell: did communicate a letter from Mr. Allyn of Connecticutt giving account of two fi'rench men taken prisoners neere the heads of their rivers and that they report there is 1000 ffrench

& 2000 Indians marched against the five Nations. Also a letter from Coll. Ingoldesby with a belt from Onondage bringing intelligence of a great body of ffrench & Indians on this side Mount Read on their march towards them 12 dayes aggo. His Excell desired the advice of the Council what is to be done offering his readynesse to march immediately to the frontiers in person and his opinion it were convenient to march up men for the frontiers that a body may be spared to go to Onondage to cover them and show our zeal for their preservacon which will give them encouragement. It is the opinion of the Council that there being no assistance of men from the neighbouring Colonies and a small summe of money sent from Virginia and Maryland to assist in the many great charges this Province is put to upon the alarms of the enemy it being harvest time and many of the South of the Province already listed to recruit the Companyes it will be very grievous to take the people from their labour and hardly possible there is likewise no money to answer the charge thereof :