endeavoring to get to Niagara, but the wind blowing constantly from the westward, were forced to return, having made no discovery but what related to a further knowledge of the Lake.
Last Wednesday, seven nights, we sailed on a second cruise, and the Sunday following, at day dawn, as we were steering a course for Oswego, (having promised Col. Mercer to return off the harbor in four days,) we saw four sail of French vessels, from whom we were glad to
make all the sail we could.
As I make no doubt this affair will be variously represented at New York, I shall give an impartial account of the same, which is as follows At half past two, A. M., we saw two sail standing towards us from the N. W., on which we immediately made the signal for the Ontario to chase, and got all ready for action, wore ship, and stood for them. At three quarters past three, we saw two more sail :
from the same quarter. At this time, one of the two vessels, which proved to be the Commodore, fired two guns to leeward and hoisted a French flag at his foretop mast head, which we took for a signal for the two sternmost vessels to make sail and join, as he and the next to him directly hauled on the wind, and clewed up their main top sails. At 5 o'clock, being then about one and a half miles from them, we found they were all four schooners, and the two whose distance I have just mentioned, very large vessels with several guns of a side. The other two appeared as large, but of what force we could not see, they being farther off On which, Capt. Lafory came on board and a council being called,