French and put himself at their head, in order to support his reason ng and to have more authority to reconcile them in concert ..th Father Arjeblan Jesuit Missionary at Missilimakina.

We shall, however, lose no time in putting ourselves in a position to resent the insults that the Iroquois may offer the Colony, which would suffer very much if we were mastered, and we will not let pass any negotiations that offer so as to lul the Senecas who are the most insolent, and with whom there is no permanent peace to be expected, much less that they will observe it with our allies whose total destruction they contemplate.

Chevalier de Tonty commandant of M de Lasalle's fort among the Illinois, coming next week, we shall agree together as to what is best to be done to secure the conquest of this Nation, which I understand can be done if he can march with a sufficiently large body of Illinois behind lake Erie and come to Niagara, as Sieur de la Forest who commanded at Fort Catarokvy told me could be done, who also assured me that powder and at least four or five hundred guns would be required to arm these people. This is but a loan, which the said Sieur de Laforest is certain will be reimbursed in cash, by the said Sieur de Tonty.

The said Sieur de La Forest having demanded my permission to go and join said Sieur de Tonty on M de Lasalle's business, I deemed it proper to select a capable person to guarantee the safety of the Post of Catarokvy. I chose Sieur D'Orvilliers a very prudent and intelligent man and who has much experience, whose conduct during M de Labarre's administration is praised and approved by all persons of property in the country.

I gave him his company as a garrison, with some workmen as well to refit the vessels as to repair the barracks, and to put the fort in the best possible condition to pass the winter.

And as there is a great resort of Iroquois at that place, and as there is quite a number established there, I requested the Jesuit Fathers to station Father Milet there to act as Interpreter and to correspond with Father de Lamberville who is a Missionary among the Onontagues who evince a desire for peace.

In regard to Sieur Duluth I sent him orders to repair here so that I may learn from himself the number of savages on whom I may

i.

depend he is accredited among them and rendered great services to M de Labarre by a considerable number of savages whom he brought to him to Niagara, who alone would have attacked the Senecas were it not for an express order from M de Labarre to the contrary.

On arriving here I found neither batteaux nor canoes for our troops, and as they are absolutely useless if not adapted to pass from one point to another; knowing by experience that the expense of canoes is too great and that they require too much attention and repair, I thought I could not do better than to order plank to be prepared for one hundred flat batteaux, which will carry twice more than cances and will be much cheaper both in cost and repair, because a batteau that will carry two thousand pounds will not cost more than a canoe which will carry only one...

The means for preparing to wage war against the Iroquois, if the King approve of it, so that that Nation may not have any suspicion, remain to be considered.

It is very much to be desired that first of all, sufficient flour and other provisions might be put into Catarokvy next year, so as to have nothing to do the following year but to march against the enemy; but as I do not think it possible to convey the whole quantity of provisions necessary thither without the savages naturally suspicious taking umbrage, measures must be adopted to accomplish all in the same year with great diligence, which cannot be effected without trouble and expense, for in truth, the difficulties in surmounting rapids and cascades, twenty-five to thirty leagues in extent, are immense.

This, however, is not all; for it is well to consider that the arrangements are not easy to be made so as to secure punctuality, since from the Illinois country there are four hundred leagues to be travelled to arrive at Niagara, the place of rendezvous; and from the Outaouacs and Savages of lake Superior, three hundred leagues, and from Quebec nearly two hundred to the said place of Niagara. All this must make me think of putting myself in a condition to be, myself, sufficiently strong to. fight them without any other aid than that of this country.

The conveyance of supplies and the expense are my sole diffi

cult es. The neighbourhood of Catarokvy indifferently fertile in grain, produces good peas; M. de Laforest assures me that he has nearly three hundred minots. I caused him to give orders to have them all sown, and M. d'Orvilliers not to allow any to be consumed, but will make the soldiers work and oblige them to plant some. That will be a trifling supply of four or five hundred minots. for next year.

It will require considerable expense to render the river navigable; the Map I have caused to be made of it will afford some imperfect idea by remarking the pitch in several places there.

*

The surest remedy against the English of New-York would be to purchase that place from the King of England who in the present state of his affairs, will, without doubt, require money of the King. By that means we should be masters of the Iroquois without waging war.

M. DE DENONVILLE TO THE MINISTER, 8 May 1686.

[Paris Doc. III.]

There

I learn that the news which I had the honour to send you of the appearance on Lakes Ontario and Erie of English Canoes accompanied by French Deserters on their way to the Outaouacs is true! There are ten of them loaded with merchandize. upon, my Lord, I sent orders to Missilimakina, to Catarokouy and other places where we had Frenchmen, to run' and seize them, and I am resolved to send another officer with twelve reliable men to join Sieur D'Orvilliers at Catarosky, who is to go with Sieur de Lasalle's bark to Niagara to treat there with the Iroquois Indians on their return from hunting. He will take some men with him. This officer, with the aid of this bark and some ca noes which shall be furnished him, will post himself with twenty good men at the River, communicating from the Lake Erié

with that of Ontario, near Niagara by which place the English who ascended Lake Erié must of necessity pass on their return home with their peltries I regard, my Lord, as of primary importance the prohibition of this trade to the English, who without doubt, would entirely ruin ours both by the cheaper bargains they could give the Indians and by attracting to them the Frenchmen of our Colony who are accustomed to go into the woods.

I am persua led that the Iroquois are very anxious for peace now that they see troops, but I do not at all believe that they will submit not to make war any more against the other Nations our allies, therefore there is no doubt but we must prepare to humble them.

What I should consider most effectual to accomplish this, would be the establishment of a right good post at Niagara.

The manner in which the English have managed with the Iro quois hitherto, when desirous to establish themselves in their neighbourhood, has been to make them presents for the purchase of the soil and the property of the land they wish to occupy. What I see most certain is, whether we act so by them or have peace or war with them, they will submit with considerable impatience to see a fort built at Niagara which would secure to us the communication between the two lakes; would render us masters of the road the. Senecas take in going to hunt for furs, none of which they have on their own grounds; it is likewise their rendezvous when hunting for their supplies of meat with which, as well as with all sorts of fish, this country abounds.:

This post would be of great advantage to the other nations who are at war with these, and who durst not approach them, having too long a road to travel when retreating. It would keep them in check and in obedience, especially by building, a Fort sufficiently large to contain a force of 4 or 500 men to make war on them; this cannot be done without expense because it must be enclosed by a simple, ordinary picket fence to place it beyond all insult, not being in a position to be relieved by us.

To guarantee its construction, it must not be doubted for a

moment, though at peace with them, but a guard would be necessary there for the security of the workmen. The freight of provisions as well for the garrison as the troops to be stationed there is very high, since a thousand pounds wt which is a load for a canoe, costs 110 liv. from Ville Marie on the Island of Montreal to Catarakouy. Independent of mere provisions, how many other necessaries and munitions are required!

This post, my Lord, would absolutely close the entire road to the Outaouacs against the English, and would enable us to prevent the Iroquois carrying their peltries to the latter; for with the redoubt at Catarokouy which would serves us as an Entrepot to shelter our barks from the storms in winter, we having posts at both sides of the Lake could render ourselves Masters of the hunting of that Nation who can support itself merely by that means and would draw but little from the English if it had no more peltries to give them: What is very certain, they would carry them much fewer than heretofore.

I propose to send Sieur d'Orvilliers to Niagara this year with Sieur de Villeneuve, the draughtsman whom you gave me, to draw the plan, and after I shall have seen the Iroquois at Villemarie on the Island of Montreal and we shall know what we have to expect from them, I'll see if I shall not be able to take a trip thither myself, in order to furnish you with a more certain report thereon; for to rely on Sieur de Villeneuve alone, he is a very good, very accurate, very faithful draughtsman, but in other respects he has not a very well ordered mind; it is too confined to be able to furnish out of his own head any ideas for the establishment of a post and its management.

I am assured that the land in the neighbourhood is very fine and fertile, easy of cultivation; it is situate about the 44th de gree. Every thing I learn confirms me in the opinion which I entertain, that this post would, in three years at farthest, support itself. It is to be feared that fortifying it would draw war on us, if you wish to avoid it; but at the same time I believe that were the Senecas to see us well planted there, they would be more pliant.

Should this plan be agreeable to you, my Lord, please send