They say they were the first instigators in the war, and were generally beaten in the contest. Both tribes became greatly wasted in the conflict. They often made peace; but the first opportunity the Senecas could get an advantage against them, they would destroy all they could, men, women, and children.

The Wyandots, finding they were in danger of being exterminated, concluded to leave their country and go far to the west. With their canoes, the whole nation made their escape to the upper lakes, and settled in the vicinity of Green bay, in several villages; but after a few years, the Senecas made up a war-party, and followed them to their new settlements, fell on one of their villages, killed a number, and returned.— Through this long period, they had no instruments of war but bows, arrows, and the war-club.

Soon after this, the French came to Quebec, and began trading with the Indians, and supplied them with fire-arms, and various other implements. The Senecas having got supplied with guns, and learned the use of them, made out a war-party the second time, against the Wyandots, came upon them in the night, fired into their huts and terrified them exceedingly: they thought at first, it was thunder and lightning. The Senecas did not succeed so well as they expected. After a few years, they made up a third war party, and fell upon the Wyandot villages and took nearly all of them; but it so happened at this time, that nearly all the young men had gone to war with the Fox tribe of Indians, living on the Mississippi.

Those few, that escaped the massacre by the Senecas, agreed to give up, and go back with them, and become one people; but requested of the Senecas, to have two days to collect what they had, and make ready their canoes, and join them on the morning of the third day, at a certain point, where they had gone to wait for them, and hold a great dance through the night.

The Wyandots sent directly to their other two villages, which the Senecas had not disturbed, and got all their old men and women, and such as could fight, to consult on what measures to take. They came to the resolution to equip themselves in the best manner they could, and go down in perfect stillness, so near the enemy as to hear them. They found them enga ged in a dance and feasting on two Wyandot men they had killed and roasted, as they said, "for their beef," and as they danced, they shouted their victory and told how good their Wyandot beef was. They continued their dance until the latter part of the night, and being tired, they all laid down and soon fell into a sound sleep. A little before day, the Wyandot party fell on them and cut them all off; not one was left to carry back the tidings. Thus ended the war, for a great number of years.

Soon after this, the Wyandots procured guns from the French traders, and began to grow formidable. The Indians, who owned the country where they had resided for a long time, proposed to them to go back to their own country. They agreed to return, and having proposed themselves as a war-party, they returned-came down to where Detroit now stands, and agreed to settle in two villages, one at the place above mentioned, and the other, where the British fort, Malden, now stands.

But previously to making any settlement, they sent out in canoes, the best war-party they could make, to go down the lake some distance, to see if there was an enemy on that side of the water. They went down to Long Point, landed, and sent three men across to see if they could make any discovery. They found a party of Senecas bending their course around the Point, and returned with the intelligence to their party. The head chief ordered his men, in each canoe, to strike fire and offer some of their tobacco to the Great Spirit, and prepare for action.

The chief had his son, a small boy, with him; he covered the boy in the bottom of his canoe. He determined to fight his enemy on the water. They put out into the open lakethe Senecas came on. Both parties took the best advantage they could, and fought with a determination to conquer or sink in the lake. At length the Wyandots saw the last man of the Senecas fall; but they had lost a great proportion of their own men, and were so wounded and cut to pieces, that they could take no advantage of the victory, but only gain the shore as soon as possible, and leave the enemy's canoes to float or sink among the waves. Thus ended the war between the two nations, forever.

The Wyandots afterward settled in this country, and their principal town was upon the Sandusky. But little was known of them or their country prior to the war of the Revolution. During this conflict, they became extremely troublesome to the back counties of Pennsylvania and Virginia; particularly to those of Washington, Youghiogany and Westmoreland.

In the early part of the year 1782, these irregular excursions became so galling, that the ill-timed, and melancholy expedition of the unfortunate CRAWFORD, was concerted against them, particulars of which, have already been given in the Introduction. After this defeat, which stands upon record, as one of the most calamitous and disastrous expeditions that ever stained the American arms, the aggressions of the savages were much more frequent. The frontiers were continually harassed by them, indiscriminately murdering those of every age or sex; or hurrying them captives to the wilderness, to be tortured with all the cruelty which savage ingenuity could devise.

The fury of the Indians of north-western Ohio, was not checked, until they were aroused from their coverts by the victorious Wayne. In 1794, he dictated to many of the nor. thern tribes, the terms of peace. From this event, down to the

renewal of the war, under the auspices of Tecumseh and the Prophet,* they remained comparatively tranquil. The death of their chief, and their total defeat by Harrison, destroyed forever their power in the north-west.

On the 29th of September, 1817, a treaty was held at the foot of the rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie, between Lewis Cass, and Duncan McArthur, commissioners of the United States, on the one part, and the sachems, chiefs and warriors of the Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, Shawanee, Patawatima, Ottawa, and Chippewa tribes of Indians, when all their lands within the limits of Ohio, were ceded to the United States, forever.— At this time, there was not a single white settler within the present limits of Seneca county.

At the treaty just mentioned, the United States granted to Takawmadoaw, Captain Harris, Isahowmasaw, Joseph, Tawgyou, Captain Smith, Coffeehouse, Running-about, and Wipingstick, who were chiefs of the Seneca tribe of Indians, a tract of land, containing thirty thousand acres, lying upon the east side of, and adjoining the Sandusky river, and mostly within the present limits of this county. There was an addition of ten thousand acres, lying south of this tract, granted to the Senecas, by the United States, on the 17th of September, 1818; at which time, a treaty was held, supplementary to the treaty of the Miami of Lake Erie. The whole tract, consisting of forty thousand acres, has since been known as the "Seneca Reservation."

Although this nation was called the "Seneca tribe of Indians," there was not, in reality, a Seneca among them. They were chiefly Cayugas; with a few Mohawks, Onondagas, Tuscarawas, Wyandots and Oneidas. But the Mingoes were originally, Cayugas, and their chief was the celebrated Logan.

* During the late war, the Wyandots, Shawanese and Senecas, remained friendly to the United States.

After the murder of his family, of which he speaks in his masterly speech, sent to the governor of Virginia, the Mingoes were scattered in bands, over the territory north west of the Ohio.

Their hunting grounds, were principally, upon the Scioto, and Olentangy; and as one of the Seneca chiefs very significantly remarked, "their children were raised upon their backs," indicating that they had no particular home. At the time of the treaty, they had concentrated upon the Sandusky, and it is a fact worthy of notice, which has been attested by a Seneca chief who knew him well, that upon its banks, were spent some of the last days of Logan, the Mingo chief.

The Senecas lived upon their grant, until their removal to the west, which was agreed upon at a treaty held at Washington city, on the 29th of February, 1831. This treaty was made between James B. Gardiner, commissioner on the part of the United States, and Comstock, Seneca Steel, Captain Good-hunter, Hard-hickory and Small-cloud-Spicer, chiefs of the Seneca tribe. George Herrin, acted as interpreter; and Henry C. Brish, as sub-agent. The whole of their grant of forty thousand acres of land, was ceded to the United States, giving them full authority to sell the same; and the proceeds were to be placed in funded stock, at five per cent. interest; which was to be paid to the Indians as an annuity, after deducting the cost of building for the latter, a saw and grist mill. The United States also gave them seventy-six thousand acres of land, lying upon the Neosho and Cowskin rivers, north-west of the state of Arkansas, and ninety miles above Fort Gibson.

In the fall of 1831, this tribe to the number of five hundred and ten, started for their new home in the west. A part undertook their journey by land, and after experiencing numerous hardships, and meeting with many accidents, finally succeeded in reaching Missouri by the next spring. The division