one at Niagara would render us entire masters, and keep the Iroquois in great check and respect, and give us immense advantages in our trade with the Illinois and Outtawas; that road being shorter, and much less difficult than the one we take, in which there is an infinitude of portages and rapids, much more dangerous than those on the Cataracouy side.

The letters I wrote to Sieurs du Lhu and de la Durantaye, of which I sent you copies, will inform you of my orders to them to fortify the two passes leading to Michilimaquina. Sieur du Lhu is at that of the Detroit of Lake Erie, and Sieur de la Durantaye at that of the portage of Taronto. These two Posts will block the passage against the English, if they undertake to go again to Michilimaquina, and will serve as retreats to the Sayages our allies, either while hunting or marching against the Iroquois.

I send you again, My lord, copy of the orders I have issued for the assembling, marching and repairing of our Savage allies to Niagara with Sieurs du Lhu and de la Durantaye. You will, also, see, My lord, the orders I have issued for marching the Illinois in the rear of the Iroquois. It looks very well on paper, but the business is yet to be executed. Many difficulties may be encountered as well in regard to the nature of the Savages who are little accustomed to obedience and the prosecution of a design during several months, which are required to reach the rear of the Senecas from their country. Chevalier Tonty, who came to see me at Montreal in the month of July last, has taken charge of all these matters. I gave him twenty good Canadians, with eight canoes loaded with one hundred and fifty muskets, which was all I could collect in the country. He carries powder and lead and other things for the trade. Had the guns you sent me arrived I should have given him a good number. He left at the end of August and calculates to arrive at Fort St. Louis' before the departure of the hunters. He could not assure me of the number of Savages he could bring with him, but I'm certain he will make great exertions to succeed in this affair in which he will participate largely if the Indians will allow themselves to

1 Now Peoria, Ill.

1

be governed and led by him. I cannot sufficiently praise his zeal for the success of this enterprize. He is a lad of great enterprize and boldness, who undertakes considerable. He left Fort des Illinois last February to seek after M de la Salle at the lower end of the Mississippi. He has been as far as the sea, where he learned nothing of M. de la Salle except that some Savages had seen him set sail and go towards the South. He returned on the receipt of this intelligence to Fort St. Louis des Illinois, and thence to Montreal where he arrived in the beginning of July with two Illinois Chiefs, to whom I had made some presents, and to another who had not come. They promised me wonders. Nothing remains but the execution which is in the hands of God, for according to what I'm told of the temper of these Savages, a mere nothing sometimes is only necessary to cause them to change their minds. He will have about twenty good Canadians with him to march at the head of the Indians, which he hopes will encourage them. He will have to walk three hundred leagues over land, for those Savages are not accustomed to canoes (ne sont pas gens de Canot.)

I should have greatly desired to shorten my letters to you. But, My lord, as it is necessary to inform you of the state of our affairs and to render you an account of my conduct, I thought I would send you all the orders as I had issued them, so that I might be corrected if I fail in any respect, being very anxious to satisfy you.

I receive letters from the most distant quarters; from the head of the River Mississippi, from the head of Lake Superior, from Lake des Lenemyngon' where they propose wonders to me by establishing posts for the Missions and for the Beavers which abound there. But in truth so long as the interior of the Colony is not consolidated and secured, nothing certain can be expected from all those distant posts where hitherto people have lived in great disorder and in a manner to convert our best Canadians into banditti. All these distant posts cannot maintain themselves except from the interior of the Colony, and by a secure communi

1 Most probably, Lake Aleminipigon of the old maps; now L. St. Ann, north of Lake Superior

cation with them from here. Whilst we have the Iroquois on our hands, can we be certain of any thing? Solicited by the English, they daily plunder our canoes and openly declare they will continue (to do so) being unwilling that we should carry ammunition to the Savages, their enemies and our allies.

The principal affair at present is the security of this Colony which is in evident danger of perishing whether the Iroquois be let alone or we make war without having a decided advantage over them, and however decided ours may be, the people, separated as they are will always be in danger. Yet My lord, if you aid us with troops, war will be the least inconvenience, for if we do not wage it, I do not believe that the next year will pass away without the whole trade being absolutely lost; the savages, our friends, would revolt against us, and place themselves at the mercy of the Iroquois, more powerful because better armed, than any of them. The whole of the Hurons are waiting only for the moment to do it. Had I not by the care of Father de Lamberville fortunately avoided the war, this year, not a a single canoe would have come down from the forests without having been captured and plundered in the river of the Outtawas. We should have lost a great number of good men.

This, My lord, is a long narrative about the state of the affairs of the country with the Iroquois which absolutely require that we wage war without longer delay. Every person sees its necessity so clearly that those concur in it now, who had been hitherto the most opposed to it. I hope that on the sketch I give you of our wants, you will aid us both in men and other necessaries. In regard to troops, My lord, I had the honor to ask you for Regulars, for in truth the employment of people picked up any where is very unwise. It requires time to make them fit for service and on their arrival they will have to take arms in their hands and drill. If you propose to send us some it would be well to have them arrive about the end of May which is the season when the North West winds prevail in our River. For that reason, the ships ought to leave Rochelle in the month of March. Sieur Dambour, one of our best ship captains that come to Canada, can give good advice thereupon.

Our march cannot begin before the fifteenth of May, for we must let the sowing be finished, and the storms before that time are furious on our river and lake Ontario. I say nothing of the risks to be incurred that the harvest will not be saved next year on account of the war, nor of the necessity of making store-houses. By sending us troops, many things will be done of which we dare not dream if you do not send any.

A few days since a man named Antoine L'Epinart, an old resident among the Dutch, at present among the English, came to Ville Marie on the Island of Montreal in search of a child he had boarding with the Jesuits. He reports that the English kept watch three months this summer, our deserters having told them that I would attack them for having armed the Iroquois against us. He also says, that the Iroquois are drawing to them the Loups (Mohegans) and other tribes toward the Andastes, with whom they are forming alliances; he believed the Iroquois had evil intentions towards us-that the English who had been to the Outtawas had been well received and invited to return among them with merchandize, and well nigh procured from the Iroquois the restitution of their prisoners, by which means they will be more attached to them than to us; that the Merchants at Orange had urgently entreated Colonel Dongan to request the Senecas to surrender the prisoners; that the Colonel had convoked a meeting of the Five Nations who went together to see him; that it is the general belief that the Colonel will obtain satisfaction of the Iroquois and thus the English will attract to them both the Outtawas and the Hurons and that their cheap bargains will ruin our trade. The said Antonie L'Epinart assures moreover, that there is a Company of fifty men formed to go to Missilimakina; that their canoes were purchased, and that the low state of the waters had prevented them starting; that they waited only the rising of the rivers by the rain; and that the Senecas promised to escort them.

I have heard that Sieur du Lhu is arrived at the post at Detroit of Lake Erié, with fifty good men well armed, with munition's of war and provisions and all other necessaries sufficient to guarantee them against the severe cold and to render them com

fortable during the whole winter on the spot where they will entrench themselves. M. de la Durantaye is collecting people to entrench himself at Michilimaquina and to occupy the other pass which the English may take by Taronto, the other entrance to Lake Huron. In this way our Englishmen will find some body to speak to.

All this cannot be accomplished without considerable expense, but still we must maintain our honour and our prosperity.

The Oumeamies and other savages of the Bay des Puans have expressed much joy to me on learning that Sieur du Lhu was posted at Detroit, but I am very sorry to hear that Tonty has learned on the road that these same savages had quarrelled with the Illinois, which would prevent the Illinois attacking the rear of the Senecas, as we had projected. It would, in truth be an afflicting circumstance to see our allies devouring one another instead of uniting with us to destroy the common enemy. But it is useless to be vexed at it. Nothing remains but to be prepared for every thing that may happen, and rely only on ourselves. If God give us the advantage, the people will rouse to our aid.

My lord ought to place no reliance on the changeable disposition of a people without discipline, or any sort of subordination. The King must be the master in this country to effect any sort of good, and success cannot be secured without expense.

THE M. DE DENONVILLE.

M. DE DENONVILLE TO THE MINISTER.

[From the same.]

Quebec, 16th Nov. 1686.

My Lord,-Since my letters were written a very intelligent man whom I sent to Manat, who has conversed and had much intercourse with Colonel Dongan, reports to me that the said Colonel has despatched fifty citizens of Orange and Manat among whom are some Frenchmen, to winter with the Senecas whence they will depart, at the close of the winter, under the escort of