4. That he has sent to recal the Iroquois Christians belonging to the Mohawk tribe, who have settled a long time ago at Saut Saint Louis, adjoining the Island of Montreal, where they have been established by us and converted by the care of our Reverend Jesuit Fathers, and that he would give them other land and an English Jesuit, to govern them.

5. That he wishes that they should have Missionaries only from him throughout the whole of the Five Iroquois Nations, and that they cause our French Jesuits to withdraw, who have been so long established there.

6. That if Monsieur de Denonville attacks them, he will have to do with him.

7. That he orders them to plunder all, the French who will visit them; to bind them and bring them to him, and what they'll take from them shall be good prize.

THE IROQUOIS.— He accompanied his orders with presents to the Five Iroquois Nations, and despatched his thirty English, escorted by Iroquois, to make an establishment at Missilimaki

nak.

The Iroquois pillage our Frenchmen every where they meet them, and threaten to fire their settlements which are much exposed and unfortified.

These measures, and the discredit we are in among all the savages for having abandoned our allies in M. de la Barre's time, for having suffered them to be exterminated by the Iroquois and borne the insults of the latter, render war against them absolutely necessary to avert from us a General Rebellion of the Savages which would bring ruin on our trade and finally the extirpation of our Colony.

It is likewise necessary for the establishment of Religion which will never spread itself there, except by the destruction of the Iroquois so that on the success of the war which the Governor-general of Canada proposes to commence against the Iroquois on the 15th of May next, depends either the Rain of the Country and of Religion if he be not assisted, or the Establishment of Religion, Commerce and the Kings' Power over all North America if he be granted the aid he demands.

If the merit in the eyes of God, the Glory and utility which the King will derive from this succor be considered, it is easy to conclude that expense was never better employed since, independent of the Salvation of the quantity of Souls in that vast Country to which His Majesty will contribute by establishing the Faith there, he will secure to himself an Empire of more than a thousand leagues in extent, from the mouth of the River Saint Lawrence to that of the River Mississipi in the Gulf of Mexico; a country discovered by the French alone, to which other nations have no right, and from which we shall eventually derive great Commercial advantages, and a considerable augmentation of His Majesty's Revenues in those countries.

The Marquis de Denonville, whose zeal, industry and capacity admit of no addition, requires a reinforcement of 1500 men to succeed in his enterprize. If less be granted him, success is doubtful and a war is made to drag along, the continuation of which for many years will cost His Majesty more to sustain than would the immediate expense necessary to guarantee its success and prompt termination.

It is necessary to attack the Iroquois in two directions. The first and principal attack, through the Seneca Nation on the borders of Lake Ontario; the second, by the River Richelieu and Lake Champlain on the side of the Mohawk Nation. Frenchmen will be required for that purpose. Of these there are sixteen companies which make 800 men and 800 selected from the habitans, 100 of the best of which the Governor General destines to conduct 50 canoes which will go and come incessantly to convey provisions. Of these 3000 Frenchmen, of which he has only the half though he boasts of more for reputation's sake, because the other habitans are necessary to protect and cultivate the farms of the Colony, a part must be employed in guarding the posts of Fort Frotenac, Niagara, Toronto, Missilimakinak so as to secure the aid he expects from the Illinois and other Savages, on whom however he cannot rely unless he will be able alone to defeat the Five Iroquois Nations.

The Iroquois force consists of two thousand picked warriors (d'elite) brave, active, more skilful in the use of the gun than

our Europeans and all well armed; besides twelve hundred Mohegan (Loups), another tribe in alliance with them as brave as they, not including the English who will supply them with officers to lead them, and to fortify them in their villages.

I they be not attacked all at once at the two points indicated, it is impossible to destroy them or to drive them from their retreat, but if encompassed on both sides, all their plantations of Indian corn will be destroyed, their villages burnt, their women, their children and old men captured and other warriors driven into the woods where they will be pursued and annihilated by the other savages.

After having defeated and dispersed them the winter must be spent in fortifying the post of Niagara, the most important in America, by means of which all the other nations will be shut out from the lakes whence all the peltries are obtained; it will be necessary to winter troops at this post and at others, to prevent the Iroquois returning and reëstablishing themselves there, and to people these beautiful countries with other savages who will have served under us during this war.

EXTRACT FROM A MEMOIR OF THE KING

TO SIEURS MARQUIS DE DENONVILLE AND DE CHAMPIGNY, DATED VERSAILLES, 30th MARCH, 1687.

[Paris Doc. III.]

His Majesty has no knowledge of the claim of Colonel D'Unguent for 25m lbs which he pretends to be due him in France; therefore He has nothing to say about it.

His Majesty has seen the Memoir that the said Sieur de Denonville has sent of the measures he has adopted and the orders he has given for the ensuing campaign. He approves of them and doubts not of success, and that it will be as favorable as can be expected having to do only with Savages who have no experience

as to regular war, whilst, on the contrary, those he will be able to collect, being led by a man so capable and so experienced as he is, will be of great utility.

Finally, He expects to learn at the close of this year, the entire destruction of the greatest part of those Savages. And as a number of prisoners may be made, and His Majesty thinks he can make use of them in his Galleys, He desires him to manage so as to retain them until he have vessels for France; by the return of His Majesty's Ships which will convey the troops he can, even, send those which will have been captured before the departure of these ships.

COLL. DONGAN TO FATHER DE LAMBERVILLE.

[Lond. Doc. V.]

20 May. 1687,

Reverend Father-I have received yours of the tenth currant from the Onnondages and am heartily glad that you are in good health and as much as lyes in me you may bee assured I will do all my endeavors to protect you from the danger you apprehend from those people and all those others of your fraternity that continue in doing good service, I am sorry that our Indians are soe troublesome to the Indians of Cannida but I am informed from Christians that it is the custom of those people, that what country they conquer belongs to them as their own, yet I lay no stress on that, but I am still in doubt whither that land where the Indians goes to warr belongs to our King or to the King of France, but in all probability if I bee truly informed it must depend on the King of England territories it lying west and by south of this place and your countryes lye to the northward of us but that is no material reason for the Indians to disturbe the people of Canada and I will use my endeavour that they shall disturbe them no more but leave the decision of that to my master at home as I leave all other things which relates to any difference between us and the people of Canada and I am sure that Moner de Noville will do the same

I have not spoke to the Indians as yet. Your messenger being in hast cannot give an account what they can say for themselves, but to continue a right understanding between the Government of Canada and this if any of the Indians will doe any thing to disturbe the King of France's subjects, let the Governour sent to me and I will doe all the justice that is possible for me to do and if he will do the same it will be a meane to keep those people in, and to see both Governments in a good correspondence one with another. But I hear they pretend that they are affraid of the French but I hope that Mons de Nonville will well weigh the business before he invades any of the King of England's subjects -I have no time to write to him at present but assure him of my humble service and that I will write to him before I goe, haveing no other businesse here in sending for the Indians but to check them for offering to disturbe the people of Canada

I am informed that the English have given notice to the Senecas that I am going to attack them, and have obliged them to run after six hundred men of their tribe who were at war against the Miamis, our allies, to induce them to return to defend their country. against us. Other war parties who had gone against the people towards Virginia have also returned through the same troubles. The consternation of our enemies thus costs Corel Dongan very dear. I have learned that a party has come from Virginia who brought a dozen prisoners, Englishmen, whoni they will also burn, and this is a matter about which Monsieur Dongan gives himself scarce any trouble.