Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/44

20 HISTORY OF This accession of territory gave the British exclusive con- trol of the Atlantic coast, from Maine on the north, to Florida on the south. The English remained in peaceable possession of their newly acquired territory until 1673, when, through the treachery of the English commanding officer,* the Dutch again obtained possession of their territory, but which they permanently restored to the English crown by the treaty of 1674. The importance of conciliating the favor of the Indian tribes, and of preserving the amicable relations existing between them and their predecessors in power, the Dutch, was not overlooked by the English, who succeeded them in the government of New York. In this scheme they were not unsuccessful. A system of negotiations was established through agencies appointed by the crown, with the Iroquois and other neighbouring tribes. Valuable presents, imple- ments of agriculture, art, and war, together with articles of clothing, were freely distributed amongst them with the most satisfactory results. Missionaries were sent to instruct and civilize them — to plant the standard of the white man's God in the rude uncultivated soil of the Indian's soul. Traders, with their stores of notions, penetrated far into their territory, and carried on a successful and lucrative traffic, in exchange for their goods receiving furs and other Indian commodities. From these two sources were derived all the information of the vast unexplored wilderness in the interior portions of the State — of its lakes, its rivers, and the mighty ranges of moun- tains that traverse its surface, except what was gleaned from the natives themselves, until the expedition fitted out by the colonists in 1779, under the command of General Sullivan, which will be referred to in a subsequent chapter. This expe- dition penetrated several hundred miles into the Indian terri- Japtaiu John Manning. See Documentary History of X. Y.