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His Majesty's Will & Pleasure that if then the said General
Braddock should find it necessary to march his whole Force to
make himself Master of the Posts before mentioned at Niagara
he should take the most prudent means of Joining his said
Force with the British Batalions to effect that most essential &
necessary Service.
6thly That if the said General Braddock should find that the
two British Regiments would be sufficient for performing the
Service at Niagara, he might then employ the two American
Regiments at the same time in Dispossing the French from
their Posts at Crown Point on the Lake Champlain, which was
the next point he was to endeavour to gain, but that no posi-
tive Instructions could be given him on this head, as he could
only judge thereafter, whether such a seperate Operation could
be undertaken at the same time that he was making himself
Master of the most Material one at Niagara, however that
after he should have possessed himself of the Niagara Forts &
should have opened a safe Communication betwixt that &
Oswego it was His Majesty's Will & pleasure that the next
Service which he should proceed upon should be
7thly The Reduction of the Fort at Crown Point & Erecting
another upon the Lake Champlain in such place as he should
find most effectual for Bridling the French Indians in those
Parts & for securing & protecting the Neighbouring Colonies —
His Excellency thereupon observed to the Council that the
Reasons assigned in His Majesty's Instructions for ordering
General Braddock to begin his Operations upon the Ohio
seems to be principally founded on some information which
had been given that the Support of the French Forts &
Settlements upon that River is drawn from their Settlements
upon the Missisippi.
His Excellency the General then acquainted the Council that
none of the Attempts made for effecting the before mentioned
Services in the last Summer had been carried into Execution
but that these several before mentioned Parts of the Expedi-
tion ordered by His Majesty remained to be executed in the
ensuing Spring —
His Excellency then observed to the Council that the only
practicable Entrance which His Majesty's Subjects have into
the Lake Ontario is at Oswego thro the River Onondaga which
is the only Harbour fit to receive Vessels of any Force that His
Majesty hath upon that Lake & that Oswego is situated in the
Country of the Onondagoes which lies in the middle of that
Inhabited by the Six Nations & is the only Trading House the
English have for carrying on a Commerce & Correspondence
with the Western Indians That the only practicable Entrance
the French have into the same Lake is thro the River by them
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