the Senecas, for Michilimaquina, carrying with them the Huron prisoners to restore them on the part of the English Governor, who is desirous to prevail on the Outaouas, by the service which he renders them, to abandon our alliance in order to attach themselves to the English. They carry an abundance of merchandise thither to furnish it at a much lower rate than we.

This is not all. Colonel Dongan has given orders that one hundred and fifty other English should depart, accompanied by several Mohegan Indians to follow the first fifty Englishmen with goods. But this detachment is not to leave until spring: I believe there is no room to doubt but the design is to seize the post of Niagara. Were the English once established there, they must be driven off or we must bid adieu to the whole trade of the country.

The same man who came from Manat told me that within a short time fifty or sixty men, Huguenots, arrived there from the Islands of St. Christophers and Martinique, who are establishing themselves at Manat and its environs.I know that some have arrived at Boston from France. There, again, are people to operate as Banditti.

Whilst writing this, My lord, further advice is come from Orange that Colonel Dongan sent to tell the fifty men who are to winter among the Senecas, not to leave until the arrival at the Senecas of the one hundred and fifty men which he is to despatch' in the spring to support them. The reason of this order is that hc has learned by Indians that the Sieur Du Lhut is posted at the Detroit of Lake Erié. If those men commanded with the savages attack that post, you perceive, my lord, that I have nothing more to manage with the English. Send me, if you please, orders on this point, for my disposition is to go straight to Orange, drive them into their fort, and burn the whole.

The English governor prompted at present by the cupidity of the merchants and by his avarice to drag money from them, pretends that all the country is his, and will trade thither though an Englishman has never been there. He gives passes under pretext of hunting, to his creatures, from whom one was taken at Michi

limaquina, which I would have sent, had he who was bringing it, not upset in the water and been thereby drowned.

Whilst writing this letter here, My lord, I receive from Father de Lamberville confirmation of the news which I had the honor to communicate to you respecting Colonel Dongan. I send you what he writes me of the speech made by the said Colonel to the Iroquois assembled by his order at Manat. Be so good as to read it yourself my lord.1

COL. DONGAN TO M. DE DENONVILLE.

[Par. Doc. III.; Lond. Doc. V.]

1 Decem. 1686.

Sir-I had the honour to receiue your letter of the first of October 1686 and had sooner sent an answer, butt that I wanted a convenient opportunity to do itt, I find you was angry at the writing and therefore for fear it was ill turned into French for I have no great skill in your language, have sent a copy of it in English. I desire you to continue in your opinion that nothing shall bee wanting on my part that may contribute to a good and friendly correspondence, and that I will not protect either merchant or others that shall give any just occasion to suspect it. Bee assured, Sir, that I have not solicited nor bribed the Indians to arme and make warr against you, all the paines I have taken hath bin to keep those people in quiet who are so inclinable to warr that one word is enough for them. I have forbidden their joining (if they should be entreated) with any others against you neither have I ever allowed any to plunder, I have only permitted severall of Albany to trade amongst the remotest Indians with strict orders not to meddle with any of your people, and I hope they will finde the same civillity from you-It being so farr from pillageing that I beleeve it as lawful for the English as French nations to trade there we being nearer by many leagues than you are--I desire

1 See postea, "Susquehanna Papers," for an extract from this speech.

you to send me word who it was that pretended to have my orders for the Indians to plunder and fight you: that I am altogether as ignorant of any enterprise made by the Indians out of this Government as I am of what you meane by "mihillmiqum" and neither have I acted any thing contrary to what I have written, but will strickthy endeavour to immitate the ammity and friendship between our masters -I have desired you to send for the deserters, I know not who they are but had rather such Rascalls and Bankrouts as you call them were amongst their own countrymen than this people, and will w en you send word who they are, expell, not detain them and use all possible means to preuent your good wishes and hopes that our merchants may suffer by them-Tis true I ordered our Indians if they should meet with any of your people or ours on this side of the lake without a passe from you or me, that they should bring them to Albany and that as I thought by your own desire expressed in your letter, they being as you have very well remarked very ill people and such that usually tell lyes as well to Christians as Heathens, The Missionary Fathers if they please but do me justice can give you an account how careful I have bin to preserve them, I have ordered our Indians strictly not to exercise any cruelty or insolence against them and have written to the King my master who hath as much zeal as any prince living to propagate the Christian faith and assure him how necessary it is to send hither some Fathers to preach the Gospell to the natives allyed to us and care would be then taken to dissuade them from their drunken debouches though certainly our Rum doth as little hurt as your Brandy and in the opinion of Christians is much more wholesomę: however to keep the Indians temperate and sober is a very good and Christian performance but to prohibit them all strong liquors seemes a little hard and very turkishWhat I wrote concerning what was due to me for my service in France was very true, Mons' Charnell, the Intendant at Nancy, adjusted and sent them to Mons Lenoy signed by himselfe and me and I gave the copies of them to Mons Pagaion living in the street of St Hone to putt them into the hands of Mons" Carillon Chaplaine to the Duchesse of Orleans, but, Sir, you need not to trouble yourselfe about itt for I intend to get it represented out of

England and doubt not but the King your master who is so bountiful a prince will be so just as to pay what became my due by a great deal of fatigue and labour, however I humbly thank you for the civill obliging offers you make and doe assure you shall bee heartily glad of any occasion to requite them desiring you to believe I earnestly wish and contend for the union (you say) you desire and will contribute all in my power to promote and preserve it which is all the refflection I shall make on your letter being— Sir, assuredly with all due respect your most humble

and affectionate

servant-T. DONGAN.

MEMOIR FOR THE MARQUIS OF SEIGNELAY

REGARDING THE DANGERS THAT THREATEN CANADA, THE MEANS OF REMEDYING them, and of FIRMLY ESTABLISHING RELIGION_COMMERCE AND THE KING'S POWER IN NORTH AMERICA.

[Paris Doc. III.]

JANUARY 1687.

CANADA is encompassed by many powerful English Colonies who labour incessantly to ruin it, by exciting all our savages, and drawing them away with their peltries for which the English give them a great deal more merchandize than the French, because they pay no duty to the King of England. This profit attracts towards the English, also, all our Bush rangers (Coureurs de bois) and French libertines who carry their peltries to them, deserting our Colony and establishing themselves in those of the English who take great pains to attract them.

They advantageously employ these French deserters to bring the far savages to them who formerly brought their peltries into our Colony which wholly destroys its trade.

The English began by the most powerful and best disciplined [Indians] of all America. They have excited them entirely against us by the avowed protection they afford them, and the manifest usurpation they claim to the sovereignty of their country, which belongs beyond contradiction to the King for nearly a century

without the English having up to this present time had any pretension to it.

They also employ the Iroquois to incite all our other Indians against us. They set them last year to attack the Hurons and the Outawas, our most antient subjects; swept by surprise from them more than 75 prisoners among whom were some of their principal Chiefs, killed several others, and finally offered them peace and the restitution of their prisoners, if they would quit the French and acknowledge the English.

They sent the same Iroquois to attack the Illinois and the Miamis our allies who are in the neighbourhood of Fort St. Louis, built by Mons de la Salle on the Illinois River which empties into the River Colbert or Mississipi; massacred and burnt a great number of them and carried off many prisoners with threats of entire extermination if they would not unite with them against the French.

Colonel Dongan, Governor of New York, has pushed this usurpation to the point of sending Englishmen to take possession, in the King of England's name, of the post of Mislimakinac which is a Strait communicating between lake Huron and lake des Illinois, and has even declared that all those lakes including the river St. Lawrence which serves as an outlet to them and on which our Colony is settled, belong to the English.

The Reverend Father Lamberville, a French Jesuit who has been 18 years a Missionary among the Iroquois in company with one of his brothers also a Jesuit, wrote on the first of November to Chevalier de Callières, Governor of Montreal, who informed the Governor General that Colonel Dongan has assembled the Five Iroquois Nations at Manatte where he resides, and declared to them as follows:

1. That he forbids them to go to Cataracouy or Fort Frontenac and to have any more intercourse with the French.

2. That he orders them to restore the prisoners they took from the Hurons and Outawacs, in order to attract them to himself.

3. That he sends thirty English to take possession of Missilimakinak and the lakes, rivers and adjoining lands and orders the Iroquois to escort them and to afford them physical assistance.