"Second, the Oneida River running northward falls into Oneida Lake, which empties itself into the Cadarackin Lake at Oswego; from this Lake the great River St. Lawrence takes its rise which, passing Montreal and Quebec, empties itself into the Ocean opposite to Newfoundland.

"Thirdly, a Branch of Susquehana River, which running Southerly passes through Pennsylvania & Maryland, and empties itself into Chesapeak Bay in Virginia.

"The Province of New York has, for the conveniency of Commerce, advantages by its scituation beyond any other Colony in North America For Hudson's River, running through the whole extent of the Province, affords the inhabitants an easy Transportation of all their Commodities, to & from the City of New York. From the Eastern Branch there is only land carriage of sixteen miles to the Wood Creek, or to Lake St. Sacrament, both of which fall into Lake Champlain, from whence Goods are transported by water to Quebec. But the chief advantages are from the western Branch of Hudson's River. At 50 miles from Albany the Land Carriage from the Mohawks river to a lake from whence the Northern Branch of Susquehana takes its rise, does not exceed 14 miles. Goods may be carried from this lake in Battoes or flatt bottomed Vessels, through Pennsylvania, to Maryland & Virginia, the current of the river running every where easy, without any cataract in all that large space. In going down this River two large branches of the same River are met, which come from the westward, & issue from the long ridge of mountains, which stretch along behind Pensylvania, Maryland, Virginia & Carolina, commonly call'd the Apalachy Mountains. By either of these Branches Goods may be carried to the mountain & I am told that the passage through the Mountains to the Branches of the Misissipi which issue from the West side of these Mountains, is neither long nor difficult; by which means an Inland Navigation may be made to the Bay of Mexico.

"From the Head of the Mohawks River there is likewise a short land Carriage of four miles only, to a Creek of the Oneida lake, which empties itself into Cadarackui Lake at Oswego; and the Cadarackui Lake, being truly an Inland sea, of greater breadth than can be seen by the eye, communicates with Lake Erie, the Lake of the Hurons, Lake Michigan & the Upper lake, all of them Inland seas, By means of these Lakes, & the Rivers which fall into them, Commerce may be carried from New York, through a vast Tract of Land, more easily than from any other maratime Town in North America."

On February 17, 1738, Lieutenant-Governor Clarke in his report to the Lords of Trade, says:

"No Province is more happy in its situation for trade and navigation. This town (New York) is not above 21 miles from the sea, having a bold and safe channel to it for vessels even of a large size, and an excellent harbor before the town: Our inland navigation is inferior to none, for besides that to New Jersey and Connecticut, the Hudson river is navigable through the heart of the Province 150 miles from New York to Albany: From Albany to Schenectady is but 15 or 16 by land, and there you enter the Mohocks river, which is navigable for canoes and battows to the head of it, being about 120 or 130 miles; From thence there is a short land carriage of a few miles to the Wood Creek, which leads through the Oneidas Lake to Oswego, and the lakes and rivers even to the branches of Messasippi; It is from the Indians that inhabit near, and to the northward and westward of those lakes, that we have our beaver in exchange chiefly for goods of the manufacture of England."1

In the Remonstrance of the General Assembly to Governor George Clinton, under date of October 9, 1747, among other things, appear references to such garrisons and forts as that at Saraghtoga and at Albany, and the garrison and trading house at Oswego, which were considered of such importance that they "should be supplied and preserved at all events from falling into the hands of the enemy.""

Mr. Clinton in his letter to the Lords of Trade under date of July 25, 1745, represents that "Forts and trading houses" were erected "along the Lake in the Senekes Country (contrary to the faith of Treaties)," which enabled the French to exert great influence over the Indians to the detriment of the English.3

On August 7, 1755, Lieutenant Governor De Lancey reports to Secretary Robinson that "Captain Bradstreet, who was sent in command at Oswego having in three hours time passed the great carrying place between the Mohawks River and the Wood Creek, with his Company,

Clarke to the Lords of Trade: 6 Col. Hist. N. Y., 113.

I.

3. Ib. 645. The Morris map of 1749 in the British Museum shows several portages in New York, forming routes to the St. Lawrence.

provisions, Battoes and Baggage, which is less time than what the Traders generally take with a single Battoe when they hasten to the Mart at Oswego." Proceeding further in the same report Lieutenant Governor De Lancey in relation to transportation by water says:

"The same Battoes which carry the train, provisions ettc for the Army to Oswego, may carry them to Niagara, and being transported above the falls, the same may carry them to Presque Isle, the Fort on the South side of Lake Erie, so that it will be practicable to bring the expence of such an expedition into a moderate compass, far less, than the expence of Waggons, horses ettc which are necessary in an expedition by Land from Virginia to the Ohio."2

IV. EARLIEST IMPROVEMENTS OF WATERWAYS.

There appeared on the topographical map of the country between the Mohawk river and Wood creek, from a survey taken in 1758, at the time General Abercrombie sent instructions to General Stanwix to build a fort at the Oneida carrying place, drawings of sections of the Mohawk and its tributaries and also of a section of Stoney creek, a part of Wood creek, with a sluice and dam in Stoney creek to raise a head of water to float batteaux to Fort Bull. It is stated in the notes that a sawmill with dam was built there on a branch or tributary of the Mohawk in 1758, at the time of the building of Fort Stanwix, and that there was a wood dam made by a prodigious number of trees thrown promiscuously by freshets across the Mohawk. The shortest distance in a straight line as represented on that map from the waters of the Mohawk to those of Stoney creek is 5,000 feet and the road over the carrying place was some longer, said to be 5,940 feet. It was also represented, if a ditch were cut between these two streams, loaded batteaux might pass without any portage, "besides by a sluice it might be made a dry or a navigable channel at pleasure."

The sluice in Stoney creek, "by being shut 6 or 8 hours before the batteaux were to go to and from Fort Bull, gave sufficient water to float them." 1

When General Philip Schuyler was in England, in 1761, he observed what England was doing in the way of canal construction and upon his return to this country prevailed upon Governor Sir Henry Moore to look into the matter of rendering the Mohawk river navigable by the construction of such canals as might be necessary to overcome the rapids at Little Falls and elsewhere.2

In the French report of the topography of the country between Oswego and Albany made in 1757, is contained, in addition to many other things of interest commercially, the following description of Wood creek:

"From Lake Oneida we enter the River Vilcrick, which empties into that lake, and ascend nine leagues to Fort Bull. This river is full of sinuosities, narrow and sometimes embarrassed with trees fallen from both banks. Its navigation is difficult when the water is low. It is, however, passable at all times with an ordinary bateau load of 14 to 1,500 weight. When the waters of this stream are low, an ordinary bateau load cannot go by the river further than a league of Fort Bull. It becomes necessary then to unload and make a carrying place of the remainder by a road constructed to the Fort, or to send back the bateau for the other half load."s

Jonathan Carver, a captain in the Provincial troops during the French and Indian war, gives an account of a journey in 1766 from Boston to the western country, and in his description of the rivers and lakes says that "Oniada lake, situated near the head of the river Oswego, receives the waters of Wood creek, which takes its rise not far from the Mohawks river. These two lie so adjacent to each other that a junction is effected by sluices at Fort Stanwix," about twelve miles from the mouth of the former. This statement has

1. Col. Montresor to Capt. Green, July, 1758; 4 Doc. Hist. N. Y., 326. A good description of the Oneida portage and its several forts, and a copy of a British Museum map of the Oneida portage, 1756, are given in Hulbert's "Portage Paths" (7 "Historic Highways of America"), 138-150.

2.

Lossing's "Empire State," 347. Hosack's "Memoir of DeWitt Clinton,"

been frequently quoted by writers and men no less eminent than De Witt Clinton, but there seems to be little to substantiate the statement, that artificial water communication had been effected between Oneida lake and the Mohawk river by sluices prior to 1766, other than the word of Captain Carver. Had such water communication existed at that time, it is difficult to understand why Sir Henry Moore, Governor of the Province, who traversed that region in 1768, did not make mention of it, and especially so in view of his desire to establish water communication up the Mohawk past Little Falls to Fort Stanwix. The sluices constructed or proposed on the topographical map of 1758 were about one mile apart and did not then connect the waters of the Mohawk and Stoney or Wood creek.'

In a letter from Major General Gage to the Earl of Shelburne, dated at New York, May 27, 1767, he says:

"In order to lessen expenses

I have it now under con

sideration to ease the Crown of the expense of supporting Fort Stanwix, which stands upon [the] carrying place between the Mohawk River and the Wood Creek; the last a small River whose Waters lead to Lake Ontario. The use of Fort Stanwix was, that being situated upon a carry Place, the Garrison assisted in the Transportation of the Boats & Stores, but as the Stores formerly demanded are now greatly reduced, I am of opinion that the Service can be carried on in the manner proposed without being at the expense of supporting a Fort and maintaining a Garrison at so great a distance."2

No mention of water communication between the Mohawk and Wood creek was made in 1767 by General Gage, who proposed to discontinue Fort Stanwix.

In an official report to the Earl of Hillsborough, dated August 17, 1768, Governor Sir Henry Moore says in relation to his tour through the Province:

I. On the general unreliability of Carver, see "The Travels of Jonathan Carver," by Edward Gaylord Bourne, American Historical Review, Jan. 1906. The book is shown to be largely plagiarized from other travelers and may indeed have been written by Dr. John Coakley Lettsom, the ostensible editor of Carver's mss. Published in 1778, the reference to "sluices at Fort Stanwix" is probably based, not on what Carver found there in 1766, but on Moore's report of 1768, proposing the construction of sluices. This report, as well as that of Gov. Tryon in 1774, was no doubt familiar to the compiler of the "Travels" attributed to Carver.

2. 7 Col. Hist. N. Y., 985.