Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/646

 632 ONONDAGAS ONTAKIO yield large quantities of salt, the value in 1870 being $1,017,569. The Erie canal traverses the county, connecting at Syracuse with the Oswego canal, which extends to Lake Ontario. The New York Central railroad passes through Syracuse, from which various branches radiate. The chief productions in 1870 were 573,183 bushels of wheat, 566,558 of Indian corn, 1,119,263 of oats, 541,770 of barley, 51,249 of buckwheat, 589,816 of potatoes, 2,375,577 Ibs. of butter, 821,562 of cheese, 339,740 of wool, 1,257,603 of tobacco, 233,399 of hops, 56,505 of flax, and 118,629 tons of hay. There were 15,162 horses, 29,394 milch cows, 17,835 other cattle, 63,265 sheep, and 16,826 swine ; and numerous manufacturing establishments, of which the principal were 14 of agricultural implements, 17 of brick, 50 of carriages and wagons, 27 of cheese, 69 of cooperage, 2 of edge tools and axes, 7 of hardware, 18 of iron in various forms, 12 of machinery, 7 of musi- cal instruments, 11 of paper, 20 of plaster work, 96 of salt, 31 of tobacco and cigars, 7 of woollen goods, 32 flour mills, and 34 saw mills. Capital, Syracuse. ONONDAGAS ("Men of the Mountain"), one of the five Iroquois tribes in the state of New York. They were the head of the confederacy, the atotarho, its great sachem, being the first of the 14 sachems of these tribes. The coun- cils of the confederacy were held at Onon- daga, and the wampum belts or records of treaties were here preserved. Their territory extended from Deep Spring near Manlius, Onondaga co., W. to a line between Cross and Otter lakes. The Onondagas were early at war with the Hurons, Montagnais, and Algon- quins of Canada, and later with the French. They took a prominent part in the destruc- tion of the Hurons and Neuters. Finding the Eries and Susquehannas less easy to subdue, they made peace with the French in 1653 and solicited missionaries. A French settlement was formed among them at Ganantaa in 1657, but was abandoned the next year in conse- quence of a plot for the massacre of the set- tlers. Garakonthie, an Onondaga chief, for many years labored to effect a lasting peace with the French. In 1662 a large Onondaga force ravaged Montreal island and killed Lambert Closse, the greatest Indian fighter of Canadian annals. After De Tracy's Mohawk campaigns they made peace, and in 1668 the French mission was reestablished. England was now extending her influence, and Onon- daga became the centre of the intrigues of the two nations. After the fall of James II. the Iroquois were won to the English side, and a fort was erected at Onondaga. In 1696 Fron- tenac, at the head of a large force, invaded the Onondaga country, and the Indians retired to the woods after destroying the fort and their village. French envoys were sent to Onon- daga in 1700, and deputies of the tribe soon after signed the general treaty of peace at Montreal. In 1709 the Onondagas again took up the hatchet against the French, and the missionaries finally retired. After this the Onondagas generally served against the French, though occasionally neutral, till the overthrow of the French power. At the outbreak of the American revolution a council was held at On- ondaga, but as the Oneidas and the Tuscaroras opposed their joining the English side, each tribe was left to its own course ; and in 1777 the council fire at Onondaga was formally ex- tinguished. After Van Schaick's expedition against them, they joined the English. The war left them helpless. On Sept. 12, 1788, they ceded all their lands to the state of New York, except a reservation specially set apart for them, and a small annuity was promised them. They have continued to hold this tract, a part having embraced Christianity, while others adhere to their ancient rites. Schools are maintained on the reservation, and they have improved slowly. Of 464 Onondagas, 339 are on the reservation, the rest being with the Senecas and Tuscaroras. Their population has not increased or diminished materially during the past 50 years. In the province of Ontario, Canada, there are 410 Onondagas, making the whole tribe 864. Two centuries ago (1677) they were able to raise 350 fight- ing men. The Onondaga is regarded by the Indians themselves as the noblest and purest of the Iroquois dialects. A French Onondaga dictionary, from a manuscript of the 17th century, was published at New York in 1859. ONSLOW, a S. E. county of North Carolina, bordering on the Atlantic ocean, and drained by New river ; area, about 700 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 7,569, of whom 2,396 were colored. The surface is level, and comprises extensive swamps and sandy pine barrens. The soil is productive. The chief productions in 1870 were 117,420 bushels of Indian corn, 31,385 of peas and beans, 62,186 of sweet potatoes, 881 bales of cotton, and 10,590 Ibs. of rice. There were 469 horses, 323 mules and asses, 1,700 milch cows, 2,956 other cattle, 1,849 sheep, and 8,786 swine ; 4 manufactories of tar and turpentine, and 7 flour mills. Capital, Onslow Court House. ONSLOW, George, a French composer, born in Clermont, Auvergne, July 27, 1784, died there, Oct. 3, 1853. He studied music under Hull- mandel, Dussek, and Cramer, was instructed in harmony by Reicha, and devoted himself to composition. His life was passed mainly upon his estate in Auvergne. He left three operas. UAlcade de la Vega was brought out at the Theatre Feydeau in 1824, Le colpor- teur in 1827, and Le due de Guise in 1837. Neither these nor his symphonies were suc- cessful, but his quartets and quintets for stringed instruments were more popular. He succeeded Cherubini as a member of the acad- emy of fine arts. Halevy pronounced his eulo- gy before this body. ONTARIO, a W. county of New York, drained by the Honeoye outlet, a tributary of the