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318 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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at first called the River Iroquoise but in some of their late
Maps the River St Lawrence, & near Fort Frontenac which is
situated on the North East Edge of that Lake at about
50 Miles Distance from & nearly opposite to Oswego, that
whilst the French are in possession of that Fort & the Harbour
there with a free Passage into the Lake thro the River Iroquois
together with their Harbour at Tronto on the Lake they will
have it in their power to build & maintain Vessels of Force
upon the Lake which unless His Majesty shall keep up at least
an equal Naval Force there, may not only greatly annoy any
Fort which should be erected by His Majesty's Subjects at the
North East End of the Pass at Niagara, but endanger the Loss
of Oswego itself to the French which would inevitably be
attended with the Defection of the several Castles of the
Indians of the Six Nations to the French Interest in a short
time & with the Loss of the whole Country as far as Schenectady,
& very possibly be soon followed with the Loss of the City of
Albany —
That from the best Information he can procure it appears to
him that the French Forts & Settlements at Niagara upon
Lake Erie & the Ohio & even as far as Misilimakinack upon
the Lake Huron are wholly supported with Stores & pro-
visions from Montreal by Water Carriage thro the River
Iroquois & across the Lake Ontario & not from the French
Settlements on the Missisippi which being at near the Distance
of 2000 Miles from any of them are too remote to afford them
any Support, especially as the Navigation from thence to the
French Settlements on the Ohio is against the Stream &
attended with other Difficulties in many Places That conse-
quently the Dislodging the French from Fort Frontenac &
their small Fort at Tronto & barring up their Entrance into the
Lake Ontario thro the River" Iroquois would cut off all their
Forts & Settlements upon that & the other Lakes & the River
Ohio from all Support from Canada without which they could
not possibly long subsist —
That therefore His Excellency proposes the following Plan
of Operations for the ensuing year Viz.
That a Body of 5000 Troops should be assembled at Oswego
by the last week in April & Fort Frontenac & La Galette upon
the River Oswegatie be attacked with 4000 of them in the
beginning of May leaving 1000 at Oswego for the Protection
of that place.
That after dislodging the French Troops at Cataracui & La
Galette they should be employed in attacking the French
Forts & Settlements at Niagara Presqu' Isle the River au Beuf,
Detroit & Misilimakinac & to secure the several Posts there ;
That 3000 Troops should at the same time be marched to Fort
Duquesne by Land from Wills's Creek to attack that Fort.
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