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ANNUAL MEETING, 1903. |
about it hereafter. All the tribes settled at Detroit assert that it was a
strange savage who did this deed, or rather- they say- some Frenchman who has
been paid for doing this wicked act; God alone knows.
The 8th fact is that the Miamis aoüyatanoüns came and attacked the savages of Detroit; they killed one Outavois, two Hurons, and one Poutoüatanis. This act of hostility set all the tribes of Fort Pontchartrain in arms, but I made them suspend [action in] that matter. I sent to the Aoüyatanoüns, who number four hundred men, to tell them that if they did not come promptly and make atonement for that insult, I was going to set out, myself, to exterminate them; and I sent them a flag to serve as a passport for them during their journey. The tribe submitted; it sent chiefs to Detroit who replaced the dead men by living ones, according to their custom, and made large presents to the relatives of those who had been killed. In this way I put a stop to that war at its origin.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE 8TH FACT.
Father Mermet, a Jesuit, is the missionary of the village of the Aoyatanoüns Miamis. This attack was made after the Miamis of the St. Joseph river had set out from their village to come and settle at Detroit.
The 9th fact is that at the same time that the Aoyatanouns made an attack on Detroit, the Illinois came their on the war path with a party of fifteen warriors who, having been discovered, were made prisoners. We contented ourselves with whipping them with birch rods when they arrived at the fort, to make them understand that I was treating, them like a father, saving their lives which they had deserved to lose, and so that they should not be rash enough to carry war into that place again. After this I sent four of them to the village of the Illinois to tell them to send a deputation of some [men of] importance, to learn from them the reasons they had had for declaring war against the tribes of Detroit; that matter was settled and peace maintained, in consequence. The Illinois said that Eloüaoüssé, one of the chiefs of the Utavois of Missilimakinak, had been amongst them to arrange a war against his own tribe which is at Detroit, and that he had gained over fifteen young men to begin it, who set out unknown to the older men, who were not implicated in that affair.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE 9TH.
Father Gravier, a Jesuit, is the missionary to the Illinois, and M. Deliete a relative of M. de Tonty also resides there. The aims they had in having the tribes of Detroit killed by the Illinois and the Miamis tended to induce all the savages to retire to Missilimakinak so as to avoid war, for the former, who are not boatmen, could not go to Missilimakinak because of the strait which it was necessary to pass through as it forms the separation of Lake Huron from the Lake of the Illinois. Now Eloü-
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ANNUAL MEETING, 1903. |
others; ten boats and Simon with them, have gone to look for food at Saguinan
on the way; 4th Those who have arrived say that there was a final fight at
Detroit, and that the French went out with the Miamis and Hurons to attack the
Outaouaks in their fort; that two Frenchmen were killed there in this fight by
a Miamis. 5th Some are afraid they have killed some Iroquois from the Sault, if
it is true that there were some with the Hurons in their fort. 6th All say that
the Miamis were the masters at the French fort; that they plundered their
wheat, their ammunition, &c.; that they had burned an Outaouaks there. 7th.
That the Hurons had burnt an Outaouaks woman in their fort; that they had sent
four slaves to the Miamis of St. Joseph, and that two had escaped and had told
their people that the Miamis had not ill-treated them and threw the whole [
?blame] on Quarente Sols. 8th That the same Hurons were keeping two other
Outaouaks prisoners, whom they wished to give either to the Miamis, who were
very soon to come back from Detroit, or to M. de la Mothe. 9th That most of the
fields at Detroit had been laid waste. 10th That there was no one remaining at
Detroit but the few Miamis who were settled there before the attack. 11th That
the Loup Indians had also retired. 12th That they had no news yet of Monsieur
de la Mothe.
The Sr. Menard* will tell you everything and will explain it to you at more length; you may rely on his report. He has certainly done his duty, and has shown in everything, that he is in truth the King's servant and yours. If any one should make complaints to you about him I can assure you he would be very wrong, whether it be those who have gone up with him, or others. He will tell you how the people here have set their hearts on continuing the war against the Hurons and the Miamis but you know how important it is to preserve the post with the Miamis. If M. de la Mothe should draw the Miamis away from it in order to attract them to Detroit, he would do a vital injury to the country and would draw down upon him war with all the tribes of the Lakes.
We are impatient for the return of M. Boudor with the Outaouaks chiefs. I have
not yet sent to the St. Joseph River. I hope to do so very soon. I am being
urged to finish, assuring you that I am respectfully, Sir, Your most humble
and most obedt. servt. Joseph J. Marest, Missionary of the Company of Jesus.
______
*Maurice Menard, dit Lafontaine, also referred to in this letter as Maurice, was the son of Jacques Menard, dit Lafontaine, and Catherine Fortier, his wife. He was born at Three Rivers, June 7, 1664 married Madeleine Couc, also called Lefebore. He was an interpreter at Michillimakinac. Tanguay says (vol. 5, p. 591) that Menard's son Antoine was born at Michillimakinac April 28, 1695. This would disprove the allegation that Madame Cadillac and Tonty were the first white women of the west. Some of the descendants of Menard moved to Detroit in the latter part of the eighteenth century and many of the descendants live in and about Detroit now. -C. M. B.
CADILLAC PAPERS. |
293 |
to us a place within gun-shot of the French fort where they fixed up poles,
enjoining us to take presents there commensurate with the favor they were doing
us. Our men, believing, they were acting in good faith, returned there and,
everyone having done his utmost, even the necklaces of our children were
brought. Hardly had they placed on the poles ten beautiful porcelain necklaces,
twenty kettles, two parcels of beaverskins, and in fact all they had brought,
when, even while Quarente Sols was giving his hand to Jean le Blanc, Jean le
Blanc was shot. At the same time they fired from the fort on all our men who,
as they had gone in confidence and without arms, counting on the good faith of
the French, were compelled to take flight. The Hurons and the Miamis having
sallied forth, the remainder of the men in our fort came to the relief of those
who were in flight, and the rest of the day passed in fighting on both sides.
By this treachery we lost two men killed on the spot by the fire from the
French fort, and five wounded.
>The last attack, my Father, which was made upon us by the Miamis, was made in our waste lands by some young men. They killed one woman on the spot and took another prisoner; and when we sent afterwards to learn what they were doing with her, our people heard her cries from the French fort where she was being burned.
Hunger, and the toils of war, compelled our people to send Onabemamtou, one of our chiefs, to speak to the Oniatanous; formerly the Oniatanous had danced a calumet dance of peace with him; our people employed this man to go and speak with the Miamis. He said to them, my Father, that the Oniatanous had treated us like sons by dancing this calumet dance, my Father. "I am surprised that you continue so long to slay us around our palisade. Are you not weary of slaying us and of being slain yourselves? Have you no pity on your young men?" The Oniatanou replied that it was not they who did that, but the Hurons and the French who wanted to make them remain there until the autumn so as to cause the Outavois to perish of hunger in their fort. And as the Oniatanous, after this parley resolved to return home, the slaves were divided; two of our men were given to the Oniatanou, two to the tribe of La Grüe, who are Miamis from the St. Joseph River, one was burnt in the French fort, and another shot, while the son of Koutache, a Mississaguez was granted his life by the intervention of the French commandant. There is one of our men, married to a Loup woman, whom we have no news of; the Sr. de la Mothe has sent back the other two to the Missisaguez. That is all that I know, my Father; and the old men have charged me to tell you that after all the treachery with which the Hurons have treated them, they will have great difficulty in preventing their young men from going on the war-path against them as long as they remain at Detroit, from which place we have withdrawn only so that we may no longer be exposed to it.
The two Outavois, my Father, who had been allotted to the Oniatanous
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ANNUAL MEETING, 1903. |
have taken, and the trust you have reposed in me; I will give you a blanket, a
shirt of Mitasse, some powder, bullets and tobacco to spur you on to use
diligence in returning; and I shall have regard to you according to your
conduct up there, of which Father Marais will send me word; and it rests with
you alone to have proofs of my favor when you return with the others.
______
AMOUNTS EXPENDED FOR THE KING'S SERVICE BY CADILLAC.
Endorsed-29th Sept., 1706.
Statement of sums spent for the King's service by Monsieur de la Mothe in order to prevent the Miamis, Pepitakokia and Onyatonuns from going to war against the Outavois this winter, and to prevent the tribe of the Pchauguissa from going to attack the Iroquois.
| Three belts at 20#1 each Two hundred livres of powder at 4# per# Six guns with their cases at 36# each Thirty livres of tobacco at 40s. per livre Fifteen ounces of vermilion-total Given to Quarante Sols, Chief of the Hurons, sent with Mons. Boucherville to support the orders of Mons. de la Mothe; ten livres of powder at 4# per livre A fine shirt with ruffle A red coat ornamented with imitation gold lace 1 linen bag to hold powder A barrel of brandy holding 4 pots at 20# a pot Given to Pakoumakoüá, chief of the Miamis, to go with Mons. de Boucherville to support the orders of Mons. de la Mothe; ten livres of powder at 4# per livre Five livres of bullets at 40s. per # Two linen bags for the bullets and powder at 20s. each Given to Mons. de Boucherville for his journey with four soldiers, to go and carry the orders of the M. de la Mothe; 30 livres of powder at 4 francs per # Sixty livres of lead at forty sols per # |
#60:
800: 216: 60: 46: 40: 12: 45: 1: 80: 40: 10: 2: 120: 120: |
___________
1The term livre indicated by # refers to both money and weight, and corresponds to the modern franc. It varied in value; in Tours passing for 20 sous and in Paris for 25, and is valued at about 20 cents American money. Sous indicated by S or sol were one-twentieth of a livre and dernier indicated by d was one-twelfth of a sol. In earlier times the latter varied, being rated at one-fifteenth or one-twentieth of a sol.
In weight the livre equals about 1.1 English pounds avoirdupois.
___________________
Vol. 4, p. 888.
CADILLAC PAPERS. |
297 |
| Four roe-buck skins for making saddles for the soldiers at 50s. each; total Two livres of tobacco at forty sols a # Forty gun-flints One boat-total one hundred livres One sail made of six ells of Mélis* cloth for Tackle for the sail Three linen bags to hold powder, bullets and lead A copper-kettle weighing five livres at six francs per # One large axe 1# of tobacco at 40s 1 barrel to hold powder for their journey One sponge Given to Pipouhet, a Loup Indian, who is going with M. Boucherville to serve as interpreter, one gun and its case, value 36 Livres 10 livres of powder at four francs per # A bag to hold the said powder One ounce of vermilion Total |
#10: 4: 2: 100: 30: 1: 3: 30: 10: 2: 2: 5: 36: 40: 1: 3:2s.:6d. _________ #1,931:2s.:6d. |
We the undersigned certify that M. de la Mothe, Commandant, on behalf of the King of Detroit, Pontchartrain has spent the sums stated above, and on the other side, as set down, for the service of the King, and that the goods included in this statement are reckoned and priced at the current values at the said place; given at Fort Pontchartrain this 29th Sept. 1706. And after that is written, We Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, commandant of Fort Pontchartrain, certify what is contained above to be true; given on the day and year as above.
(Signed) Lamothe Cadillac; De la Forest; Derané;
Boucherville; Dufiguier; Brother Dominique de Lamarche, Lecturer in Theology and missionary of the said fort; and Grandmenil. |
______
MEMORIAL OF THE S. DE LA MOTHE CADILLAC, WITH THE
REPLIES OF M. DE VAUDREUIL IN THE MARGIN.
Endorsed-Annexed to the letter of the 30th Oct. 1706.-
To the Marquis De Vaudreuil, Knight of the military order of St. Louis, the
Governor-General of all New France.
_____
*Sail cloth manufactured at Mélis.
_____________
Vol. 4, p 838.
38
CADILLAC PAPERS. |
301 |
REPORT OF MARQUIS DE VAUDREUIL, GOVERNOR-GENERAL,
REGARDING THE CONDITION OF THE COLONY.
1Endorsed-The Marquis de Vaudreuil, 4th Nov. 1706. Colonies.
My Lord,
I have received the two letters you did me the honor of writing to me on the ninth and twenty-third of June last, and also the one about the Sieur de Montigny; and, after thanking you for all your kindness to me and begging that you will continue it, I hope you will permit me, My Lord, to express my joy that you appear satisfied with the assurance I gave you last year, that I held MM. Raudot, senior and junior, in all possible esteem and regard. I hope, My Lord, that you will be no less content concerning us this year; and, for my part, I cannot be other than well pleased with the obliging behavior of these gentlemen.
* * * *
The portion not here translated is printed in Vol. IX, New York Colonial Documents, page 779.- C. M. B.
You can see, My Lord, from what Miscouaky says to me, that they neither desire peace nor fear war, but that they do not wish for war with us. I am temporizing until next year, not only for all the reasons I have had the honor of giving you above, but also because I have declared to them that I wish to have all the French people back who are up there, and I am very glad therefore to wait until this autumn when they are to come down, either to have a proof, from that of the obedience of the Outtavois, if they do not retain my people, or if they do keep them, to have a fresh ground for declaring war, such that the other tribes will not be able to complain of it. For you may see, My Lord, from the words of Miscouaky, that we have not only the Outtavois to deal with but also eight or ten tribes of their allies.
I had the honor, My Lord, in 1704, to give you an account of the reasons I
had for sending the Sieur de Vinseine to the Miamis is preference to anyone
else, because they were very fond of him. In a letter I wrote you at that time,
I set forth all the grounds of complaint I had against him, and you were good
enough to send us word in the common letter of 1705, that His Majesty had pardoned
him on account of what he had done at Detroit where he wrested six Iroquois
prisoners by force, from the hands
______
1This report is included in the N. Y. Col. Doc. Vol. IX, but the
compiler of that work omitted material not directly pertaining to New York.
This practice was usually followed, and the result is that much western historical
matter was omitted necessitating the re-examination and retranslation of many
manuscripts that were printed in the New York collection.- C. M. B.
_________________
Vol. 5, p. 957.
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>ANNUAL MEETING, 1903. |
| good. bad, very bad, he is not per- mitted to remove mission- aries for others, it is for the Superior to do so, &c. He speaks as if he were sup- reme; it is for him to obey, otherwise show him the influence and the injury he is doing himself, &c. Also write sharply to the Jesuits to control themselves. good. write. good. and how are the Fort and Colony going on? As far as I am concerned, you are independent, and let him be referred to concerning it. good. an absurd thing to say; let him comply, and an- swer in detail and definitely. cannot be done without an order, learn at what price, and who profits by the surplus; it is the King who ought to have it. good- see strictly to this. We know the meaning of this; to be always com- plaining of his superior of- ficer is not the way to ob- tain credence, nor to please nor to advance himself. |
He has induced the Miami Indians, who number 400 men bearing arms, and were
a long way from Detroit to come and settle at the Maurepas1 River
which is only
12 leagues away; it is the finest land under heaven- fishing and hunting are
most
abundant there.
The Jesuit who was acting as missionary among these Miamis did all he could
to
prevent them from taking this step and would not follow them; this has obliged
him to give this mission to a Recollet priest who will discharge the duty well.
As the Jesuits have refused to carry on the missions at the post of Detroit,
he is
determined not to receive any of them; he is convinced that they would thwart
him
in everything that they could.
The savages that are in these parts, and know the permanence and strength of
his
post, flock to it from all parts to settle there; and he was also expecting
the
Outaouacks.
He arranges all these savages so that they may not inconvenience one another,
whether as regards lands or hunting.
He begs that no change may be introduced in anything that concerns his post
without hearing what he has to say, because all that he does is only done with
the
object of establishing it well, and that His Majesty may be pleased with him.
He grants lands to the savages in the same way as he does to French people,
and
he will give an account of his action in that matter when he is in France, whither
he asks for permission to come as he has family business of great importance
to
him.
He has given an order for all the brandy that is taken to Detroit to be given
to one
man for sale, whether to the French or to the savages on the same conditions.
This
man has pledged himself by an oath not to give more than a certain quantity
to
either, so as to prevent drunkenness.
M. de Vaudreuil had orders to give him what soldiers he required for his post,
without first picking out the best men to be left in the country. This has not
been
complied with, so that he has only had the scum of the troops.
_____
1Maurepas river- probably the present Maumee or Miami river- the
subsequent
dwelling place of this tribe. -C. M. B.