has caused us to come here, that the blood of JESUS CHRIST, shed for all men, may be useful to them, and that His glory may be great throughout the earth.

If you will please to honour me with a line from your hand, you can have your letter given to one named Garakontié who is deputed from the Onnontagués to repair to the Diet which you have convoked at Albany. Do him the charity to exhort him to be a good Christian, as he was whose name he bears, and who was his brother. Recommend him I beseech you not to get drunk any more, as he promised when he was baptized, and to perform the duties of a Christian. One word from you will have a wonderful effect on his mind, and he will publish throughout that it is not true that the English forbid them to be Christians since you who command them will have exhorted them to persevere therein.

I pray God, who has given us the grace to be united in the same Catholic faith, to unite us also in Heaven; and that he may heap his graces on you here on earth, is the wish of him who is perfectly and with all manner of respect, My Lord,

Your very humble and

very obedient servant,

JEAN DE LAMBERVILLE,

of the order of Jesuits, (called in Indian, Teiorhensere.) Oblige me, I request you, to have the enclosed sent to its ad

dress.

Please, My Lord, pardon me the liberty which I take to present my humble respects to the Governor of Virginia, who is called among the Indians, Big Sword or Cutlass, who I learn is with you at Albany, to whom, some time ago, I caused to be restored an Englishman named Rolelman, whom these Indians here had plundered and captured and whom I took into my hut to save him from the fury of some refractory people and from those who would make him their slave. It is the least service I would desire to render him.

PRESEN

MEMOIR CONCERNING THE PRESENT STATE OF CANADA

AND THE MEASURES THAT MAY BE ADOPTED FOR THE SECURITY OF THE

COUNTRY. 12 NOVEMBER 1685. (Extract.)

[Paris Doc. III.]

The most to be feared is the Iroquois who are the most powerful in consequence of the facility with which they obtain arms from the English and the number of slaves they make daily among their neighbours by carrying away at an early age their children, whom they adopt; this is the only means of their increase, for thro' their debaucheries of Brandy which lead them into frightful disorders, the few children their women raise could not of themselves assuredly sustain them, if they did not make prisoners.

The great trade in arms and ammunitions at a low rate, among the English has given them hitherto that advantage which they have over other nations who in order to be disarmed have been destroyed by the former who are all of them insolent. Even the English in Virginia have suffered and still suffer from them every day; but the interest of the trader at Orange and Manatte supersedes the public interest, for if they would not sell them powder, that nation could be more easily conquered than any other. It consists of five principal villages, each of which have other smaller ones dependant on them; the first is called Annié (Mohawk) which can furnish two hundred men fit for service and are ten leagues from Orange (Albany); the second is Oneyoust (Oneida) which can furnish one hundred and fifty men at from 15 to 20 leagues from Annié; the third is Onontagué which could bring out three hundred men, ('tis one hundred leagues from Montreal); the fourth is Goyoguoain (Cayuga) which could put two hundred men a-foot, at twelve leagues from Lake Ontario, and the Sonoutouans (Senecas) the fifth, who comprize, as it is reported, twelve hundred men bearing arms, at five leagues South of the Lake.

The Senecas being the strongest, are the most insolent. The idea must not be entertained that this Nation can ever be reduced except by being in a position to pounce on them; which cannot be done without approaching them, occupying some posts where

provisions can be placed for the troops who will be sent after them. To accomplish this sufficiently apropos without being perceived by the enemy, in consequence of the navigation of the river, which is full of Rapids and Cascades, impassable except by portages, independant of the distance-herein consists all the care and difficulty.

The post of Catarokuy appears to me the most advantageous, by placing it in a better state of defence than it is. It is at the entrance of Lake Ontario from the extremity of which the Senecas are distant only five or six leagues, in a beautiful country towards the South.

The position of this fort is sufficiently favorable to secure the barks against the storms and the attacks of the Indians at a trifling expense which will require to be made on it. The passage to be made through this lake is forty or fifty leagues before disembarking near the Senecas. The three barks at Catarokuy will be particularly useful in this enterprize by putting them in repair, for they have been much neglected.

It appears to me extremely important that the King render himself absolute master of this Lake, which is more than three hundred leagues in circumference. I am persuaded that the English would like particularly to have a post there, which would be immensely prejudicial to the Colony and the King's power on this Continent; his Majesty could easily make himself master of it, without any opposition, by the permanent establishment of a post, with vessels on this lake, and by another fort and vessels on lake Erie which is only two leagues distant, by the Niagara River, from this lake Ontario; but as this post cannot be established until after the Iroquois are conquered, I shall, before entering into a detail of the means of conquering that Nation, again say, regarding the importance of occupying those posts, that the English have so great a facility to establish themselves there that it is the power of the Iroquois alone which has prevented them having posts there, since Lake Ontario can be easily reached on horseback from Manatte and Orange, there being a distance of only one hundred leagues through a fine country.

The importance of the post to be occupied on lake Erie is easily perceived, since we can easily go in vessels from that lake to Missilimakina which would be a great facility for the trade of the country, to keep the Outaouacs in check and in obedience to the King; besides, we should have the means of reaching through this lake the Illinois, and surmount by this communication with ships many of the difficulties experienced in the Rivers in consequence of the number of portages. Being masters of these two lakes and cruizing there with our vessels, the English would lose the Beaver trade in that quarter, of which they have abundance A durable peace with the Iroquois Indians would be more ad vantageous to the Colony than prosecuting a war; but this Nation has assumed such excessively insolent and haughty airs towards all the other tribes against whom they wage war and at whose expense they daily increase; and joined to that, the odds they have had from a disadvantageous peace concluded last year with us, has placed them in a position that, we may be assured, they will break with us on the first opportunity. It is yet more certain that if they be not checked, they will reassume their former insolent air the moment there will be no more troops in this country, however they may promise us at present, and will no doubt insult us, and subject us to all possible outrage

It is necessary, then, to examine the most certain means of destroying and conquering their five villages, which according to the above estimate, may bring into the field about two thousand men bearing arms, and in a condition to go to war.

I consider that what troops we have, and what militia we can collect together, if we had them all with some of our Savages, would suffice to attack them; but as it is not sufficient to make them let go their foot, and it becomes necessary to deprive them of all means of disturbing us in our settlements, we must not go after them to chastise them by halves but to annihilate them if possible. This cannot be done without the aid of a number of Savages sufficiently great to pursue them in security to the distant forests towards Maryland and Andastes whither they will retreat if they find that we are more powerful than they; and as it is of extreme importance not to declare war against them until we are

in a condition to vanquish them, it will be absolutely necessary to adopt measures with the Illinois, their enemies, and with the Savages our allies, to engage them to unite with us in attacking them and pursuing them into the woods whither they never fail to retire, daring not to stand against us. For as it would be very unfortunate not to vanquish them if we attack them, nothing ought be neglected that can be done, to endeavor to destroy them and put it beyond their power to injure the Colony. If we succeed, I calculate the English will lose their trade in that quarter.

I find all our allies so discontented with us, and so dissatisfied on account of the idle march which we caused them to make last year, that according to what I learn, I do not believe that any of them can be relied on.

Before engaging in a war, then, I considered it prudent to permit the continuance of the negotiations of a certain Onontague savage, accredited by them and the other Iroquois, who is said to wish for nothing but peace. Notwithstanding I bethought me of managing the Illinois by promising them every protection, and as Chevalier de Tonty, who is in command at the fort on behalf of M. de Lasalle, has considerable influence among the Illinois, I have deemed it a duty to advise him of my arrival and of the necessity which exists that he should speak, as soon as possible, for the King's interest. :

I likewise sent to M. de Ladurantaye who is at lake Superior under orders from M. de Labarre, and to Sieur Duluth who is also at a great distance in another direction, and all so far beyond reach that neither the one nor the other can have news from me this year, so that not being able to see them all, at soonest before next July, I considered it best not to think of undertaking any thing during the whole of next year, especially as a great number of our best men of the Colony are among the Outaouacs, and cannot return before the ensuing summer.

Morcover, learning that six tribes of our friends and allies are at war with each other, and as it is absolutely necessary to reconcile them before thinking of deriving any advantage from them, I sent presents and instructions to M. Ladurantaye to collect our