442 |
ANNUAL MEETING, 1903. |
altogether, which would also go to the English, through Hudson's Bay, for
Detroit is too far away to be able to transact it.
This trade in the north is the only good trade there is in Canada, on account of the good quality of the furs obtained from there.
Those of Detroit and all other places to the south, on the contrary, are of very poor quality. The beaver skins obtained there have thick leather and are but sparsely covered with hair. The other furs are no better; the beaver-skins there are not so well covered with hair as those in the north. There are no skins there but those of the roebuck only which are worth anything, and that again is only for the use of the settlers of Canada, most of whom make capotes of them; for, as far as their value in France is concerned, I do not think they are worth much there. It is certain therefore, My Lord, that the furs of the South are not as valuable as those of the North; but the beaver on the mainland here is especially to be preferred in every way to that of the South, and I venture to assert that two livres of the latter are not worth one livre of the other; that from the South having, as I said above, thick leather and scanty hair while the other has very fine leather and plenty of hair. For all of these reasons the northern trade is preferable to the southern.
The officers of Detroit who have sent you word, My Lord, that there was no better or more beautiful country in the world have imposed on you. The whole surface of the land, for about nine or ten inches in depth, is nothing but sand; and under this sand is a clay soil, so strong and so unbroken in its extent that water never passes through it. From this it follows that places which are quite on a level could never be drained, and that the further parts of the woods, where the slope leads down, are completely soaked, as well as the greater part of the prairies which are of enormous extent, and should rather, for this reason, be called marshes. Such of these lands as can be drained will grow wheat for a few years, because new lands, however bad they may be, always yield for the first few years; but that can only last so long as the manure arising from the rotting of the leaves from the trees continues, after which they will not continue to yield unless they are manured again. There was occasion to observe this this year, for the wheat was not so fine as that of last year; and I am sure that next year's will be still poorer, and that it will always go from bad to worse, so that, in five or six years, these lands will yield almost nothing. The Indian corn, however, seemed to me rather fine especially that of the Hurons, whose fort is an eighth of a league from Fort Pontchartrain; but that is not to be wondered at, for almost all land produces Indian corn, provided it is well cultivated, especially new lands like that of these savages, for it is only a very short time since they were cleared.
Wheat sown in autumn is not so bad as spring wheat, and is not so liable to be eaten by the starlings [etourneaux-meadow larks], for these
|
CADILLAC PAPERS. |
445 |
and got 30, would be as rich as one who required only the same quantity but had
200.
Looking at this country from the point of view of the fur trade it seems to offer no more advantages. The only skins that can be obtained from it are bear skins of poor quality, and the skins of cats, stags, and roebucks which are of little value in France. As for the beaver, we must not count upon it, as the savages settled there have adopted the course of taking it to the English. They will never be prevented from doing so except by giving them goods at the same price as they let them have them, which is impossible.
It follows from all that has been said above, My Lord, that Detroit is a post that is a great burden to the Colony of Canada, and will bring about its complete ruin if we continue to keep it up. It will perhaps be said that this is true, but if we abandon it the English will seize upon it. I know nothing about that, but I can certainly assure you that it is far more to their advantage for us to have it, than if they had it themselves, for it costs them nothing and they do all the trade there. Even if it were true that the English would wish to take possession of this post if we abandoned it, I do not think the Iroquois would permit it, for if they were masters there, they would do the whole trade independently of the Iroquois, which would certainly not suit them. They are quite willing for the English to do this trade, but want it to be done through them, so that they may share the profit on it with them.
It did not prove to be true that M. de La Mothe took 15 barrels of brandy to Detroit when he went up there. I have ascertained, My Lord, beyond a doubt that he did not have two barrels of it. Even that quantity would not have been sufficient if he had given it to all to whom he ought to have given it.
As to powder and lead, he took a large quantity of them; and it may have been that which occasioned people to say that he had taken such a large quantity of brandy.
It is certain that M. de La Mothe had asked the Marquis de Vaudreuil for 200 men, and that he only gave him 150. But, My Lord, he has since offered him his company, and that of M. de la Forest. I do not think he can reasonably claim anything else on that head, more especially as the soldiers remaining in the colony are so poor that a sufficient number of good men can hardly be found for the parties it is advisable to despatch for the King's service.
It is true, My Lord, that M. de Tonty had sold almost all the powder belonging to the fort of Detroit, so that M. de La Mothe found only 40 livres of it when he arrived.
It appears from the formal statement of the Sr. de Grandmenil, formerly agent to the Company and now to M. de La Mothe, dated the 2nd of June, 1706, the time at which the Outaois fired on the French fort,
|
CADILLAC PAPERS. |
481 |
turned three or four days afterwards to Detroit, where M. de La Mothe received
them, being unable- he says- to do otherwise, because he had no one to put them
under arrest. I do him justice, and am satisfied that he had no share in the
desertion of these ten men. It is not every one here who does him so much
justice, and many believe that these ten soldiers acted only under his orders.
I have seen the memorandum of the Sr. de Remouville, My Lord. The small number of settlers residing at Detroit, which consists I believe of seven men, the rest being voluntary residents who do not remain there cannot be of much assistance to the establishment of Louisiana. If, however, his Majesty thinks fit to send these settlers there, this country will sustain no great loss.
The proposal of the Sr. de Remouville to let these settlers establish a post at Ouabache might be carried out, if a silver mine, a small sample from which was shown to me this year, shall be found to be productive. I have sent there, My Lord, or rather have given a settler at Detroit permission to go there, with orders to bring me as great a quantity of it as he possibly can, so that I may send you some next year. This mine, from which I have seen a piece of pure silver worth about five sols, produced in the gross like a musket bullet from the marcasite or stone of this mine, is among the heights of Ouabache, about a hundred leagues from Detroit, and in, or at least near, the same spot where it is stated that there are also very productive coppermines. If that is true, as there is reason to hope, it would be more to the purpose to place the settlers who are at Detroit there rather than to send them to La Mobile. The Ouabache river, from its source to the place where it loses itself in the Mississipy is nearly two hundred leagues in length; and it is to be observed that, from the sea up to the head of this river is navigable throughout for large boats. There is likewise a very fine river from the heights of Ouabache to go to Detroit, by which very complete and easy communications could be kept up with the settlers who were established there. As I am hoping, My Lord, next year, to have a number of samples from this mine, I shall have the honor of sending you some, and at the same time of informing you fully of all the facilities there will be for success in this matter, either for this country or for La Mobile.
In accordance with your orders, My Lord, I have the honor to send back to you the commissions of the Sr. Bernapré as captain on half pay and naval second lieutenant, as the said Sr. Bernapré has not returned to this country.
M. Raudot and I have the honor of sending
you, in our joint letter, the remonstrances of the Company of this country as
to the salary which the Sr. Riverin demands. M. Raudot junior, who is going [to
61
|
CADILLAC PAPERS. |
501 |
the upper part of Lake St. François, and having arrived there will wait until
the navigation is free, if it is not so on their arrival; they will proceed to
Fort Frontenac to obtain news and will deliver our letters there, and will then
repair, as speedily as possible, to Fort Pontchartrain at Detroit; and if they
fall in with any Mississagues, Saulteurs or other savages allied to us, they
will tell them that the Sr. d'Argenteuil has gone to Fort Pontchartrain at
Detroit by the great river, and that there is news of importance to be told
there, and will write them to go and hear it there, without giving them any
further explanation.
When the Sr. de Vincenne reaches Detroit he will find out the place where the Miamis are now settled, and if he can go to it in his boat by the great river, which is in Lake Erie, he will go; if not, he will proceed overland, sending his boat, together with that of the Sr. Desliettes, to the St. Joseph River to wait for him. In this case the Sr. Desliettes will put a man from his boat into the Sr. de Vincenne's so that the said Sr. de Vincenne may take two of his men with him by land, to accompany him and to carry part of the King's presents, if necessary.
The Sr. de Vincenne, being fully aware of our intentions, and of the necessity that exists for bringing some of the Miamis to us here, so that the other tribes may not have reason to fear them during their absence, will leave no stone unturned to bring some of them down here, especially chiefs and men of importance; and if he thinks, when he is at Detroit, that the children of St. Souanne would be of use to him for the success of our orders, he may employ them, our will being that the Sr. d'Argenteuil and the Sr. Dubuisson, to whom we are writing, should act in concert with him in this matter.
The Sr. de Vincenne will induce the Miamis and other savages whom he may meet, to come by the St. Joseph River, so as to avoid passing through the Lakes, for the reasons we have stated above, and also that they may join the rest of the tribes who are to go by the French River, in accordance with our orders, to come down here.
The Sr. Desliettes, being appointed to take our orders to the great river, where Companissé is, and to the Sakis, Poutouatamis and other savages settled on the St. Joseph River, will set out from Detroit as soon as the Sr. de Vincenne has taken his detachment, and will go to the great river, where Companissé is, and will invite him to come to Montreal, as well as the other savages with him. He will afterwads go to the St. Joseph River to explain our orders to the savages there, and will there act in concert with the Reverend Father Chardon who is there, and with the Sieur de Vincenne when he arrives. Above all he will not forget to bring Oulamek down here, and in going back by the great river he will take Companissé and the others who have promised
|
CADILLAC PAPERS. |
503 |
WORDS OF THE MARQUIS DE VAUDREUIL, TO THE SAVAGES
WHO CAME DOWN FROM THE UPPER COUNTRY.
Index letter F.
Endorsed-
Words of the Governor General to the savages who came down from the upper country.
I am greatly pleased, Outtavois of Michilimakina, Saulteurs, Malominy, Sakis, people of Longekain, Poutouatamis, Outtavois of Detroit, Hurons, Miamis, Outtagamis, land folk, and generally, all the tribes here present, who have come down to hearken to my word. I am greatly pleased to see you assembled before me, and to know that you have all come down on the invitations which were given to you by the officers and others of my French people whom I sent to the upper country to bring you down.
Since the season is advancing, I have resolved to send you back in a short time; but I am very glad first to explain to you what my opinions are. I am also very glad to make known to you all that it is not the assistance I have claimed from you, which compelled me to bring you down. My intention was, seeing you all here, to reunite your minds and to induce you to live together as brothers, so that forming but one and the same body, you may henceforth have but one and the same mind.
I will not repeat, what I have already said several times to you all separately, how much trouble and care I have taken, since the general peace was concluded, to keep you at peace and in union with one another, or between you and your brothers, the Iroquois. You all know quite well of what I am speaking, and there are none of you here to whom I have not made known, either in public or in private, how greatly your dissensions affected me. I desire to open my heart to you again; and, that no one may be able to complain, I shall speak to you all, tribe by tribe, one after another.
* * *
|
Words to the savages |
You, Outtavois of Detroit and Hurons, were witnesses of the culpable attack
which the Mississagues, who were returning from trading with the English, made
upon the Miamis, who like you, were coming down to hear my word. You know that
those who made this attack were not intoxicated, and this should satisfy you
that those men were hired by the English to stir up quarrels and to prevent you
from coming to listen to me.
_________________
Vol. 6, p. 1258.
|
CADILLAC PAPERS. |
531 |
point this spring; that in regard to the agreements which the Sr. de la Forest
and he had made together at Quebec in the presence of the Intendant, that they
did not amount to a decision given by the Intendant but were only conditional
agreements which the Sr. de la Forest had nullified by adopting the course of
proceeding to his post himself; that the proposal that the command should be given
to the Sr. de Marigny was not advisable in the interests of the service, for
although he was personally a very worthy man he was still too young and too
little acquainted with the affairs of the savages; that I found it hard to
believe that the command of that post and its trade could be separated from one
another; that, in order to make certain matters easier for him, the Sr. de la
Forest pledged himself, in writing, to permit him to send any agent he might
think fit up there to sell the goods which he says that he has there; that as
regards the other points in dispute, it appeared to me that there was no one
who could decide upon them but you alone, My Lord, since no one could know your
intentions but yourself; that it had appeared to me and did still appear from
the Intendant's letters, that this was his opinion, and as for me, I could only
obey the orders I had received; that my orders were to have the command and the
trade of Detroit transferred to the Sr. de la Forest; that I could make no
change in that without receiving fresh orders. That, My Lord, was the reply I
made to the Sr. de La Mothe as to his last memorial. Since then the news came
about the English, and I found it impossible for me to allow the Sr. de la
Forest to go up to his post. I had, however, given him permission to go up this
autumn in two lighters with twelve men; but on the news that the enemy had
entered the river, M. de Ramezay stopped him at Montreal because his going
would have served many of the savages as a pretext for disbanding. M. de
Ramezay reported it to me on his arrival, and I approved. Moreover, from my
last letters from Detroit, it appears to me that things are much quieter there
than they have been. The Sr. de la Forest will go there in the early spring and
I will grant him any two officers he may ask me for. As for M. de La Mothe,
since he is going to France with his family, he will have the honor of stating
to you himself the reasons which prevented him from proceeding to his
governorship overland.
I had the honor of writing to you last year about a silver mine which a settler at Detroit believed he could discover towards the heights of Ouabache. That has had no result, for this settler could not succeed in finding what he was looking for; but as to copper mines it is certain that there are plenty of them in those parts. I am sending Madame de Vaudreuil a few fragments from them which were given to me this summer by some Miamis savages who came to Montreal. They assert that it is very abundant, and that it will be quite possible to convey some here. For my part, from what these same savages told me, it seems
532 |
ANNUAL MEETING, 1903. |
to me that it will be much easier to convey it by the Ouabache River and then
by the Mississipy. As I was obliged to send an escort back with these savages,
one of their men having been killed on the way by some Mississagues returning
from Orange, I gave orders to the Sr. de Vincenne, for whom they asked me, to
go to the place where these mines are, if possible, and to examine thoroughly
the facilities there might be for conveying it here or through Ouabache.
I saw from the memorandum of His Majesty the reasons he has for not deciding to grant the re-establishment of the licenses at once. I venture to assure you, My Lord, that nothing is more essential if we would prevent the tribes allied to us in the upper country from going to trade with the English. It is certain that there is no time to be lost, and that before long, if we do not take care, the English will be more the masters of these tribes than we ourselves. I am sending Madame de Vaudreuil a letter from Father Chardon, the missionary at St. Joseph's River, which will show how greatly the savages at his mission are disposed to go there. The savages from Lake Superior go there every year; and this year the Frenchmen, whom I sent to the upper country to send down the savages there, met two boats returning from Orange, laden with very fine goods, and with several belts to give to the other tribes. The Foxes, who came to settle at Detroit, only did so in order to get nearer to the English, because they are people who do not use canoes, and it is even to be feared that they may form a settlement near the Iroquois, to become afterwards embodied with them. It was this which compelled me to speak as I did to those who came to Montreal. I have the honor of informing you of it in my letter of the 25th of October.
With regard to the irregularities which the licenses formerly gave rise to, that can easily be remedied; and as for the loss in numbers that that would cause the Colony, it is certain that the number of savages it would attract to us at Montreal every year, as compared with the French for whom they would come down, or with whom they would come would amply replace the French who would be employed in managing these licenses. It is nothing but the welfare of the service, My Lord, that makes me speak thus; and, if I were not afraid of saying too much I would say that those who present memorials against it do not know the country, or else have objects which I cannot discern.
The Sr. de Louvigny, My Lord, has not gone up to Michilimakina; I have had too much need of him here and he is too good a man for me to have dispensed with at a time when I learnt from so many different sources that I was to be attacked. This summer I sent him up to Montreal while the tribes that had come down from the upper countries were there; they were really glad to see him, and were truly pleased when I told them that it was His Majesty's intention to give him to them as a Commandant. The Sr. de Louvigny was of the greatest use to me while
550 |
ANNUAL MEETING, 1903. |
father celebrated a high mass to give thanks to God for having preserved us
from this enemy.
The Outtagamis and Mascoutins had, as I said before, constructed a very good fort within a pistol-shot of mine. Our men did not dare to attempt to storm them in it, say what I could to them; there were three hundred men to defend it and we should certainly have lost a large number, but the siege would not have been so long. Our savages lost sixty men killed and wounded, of whom I had indeed about thirty killed in my fort, and a Frenchman named Germain, with five or six others wounded by arrows. The enemy lost a thousand souls, men, women and children.
I must not forget to inform you that there were about twenty-five Iroquois in this fight, who had joined the Hurons from the foot of the lake. These two tribes together distinguished themselves above all the others, and also lost more men. They were made much of by all the savages, more especially by the Poutouatamis who made them reparation for their old ground of complaint, by slaves and calumets. It was I who induced them to make friends as to this matter.
I venture to assure you, Sir, that this general assembly of all the tribes has put them all at peace with one another, and has renewed their former alliance. They all count on large presents, which they say, Sir, you have promised them.
With the consent of his tribe, I have detained the great chief of the Illinois, from the village of Le Roche, to send him down, (his name is Chachagouache, and he is a good man, with much influence) in order that you may compel him, Sir, to make peace with the Miamis. This matter is of very great importance, the Miamis having sent me word that, if it is not made, they are going to abandon their village and form another at the Oyau River at the end of Lake Erie. That is just where the English are to build a fort, according to the belts they have given to the tribes. They have also sent me word that they would feel safe if you sent them back a garrison, and a reverend Jesuit father, with some presents which they say you promised them. Maquisabé, the Poutouatami chief is also going down; he has great influence over the mind of this Illinois chief. The man Joseph who is going down deserves favor at your hands; I had great difficulty in saving his life.
I take the liberty, Sir, of begging you that the savages who go down with Monsr. de Vincennes may return pleased; their going down makes this post safe. Saguina showed me that he was aggrieved that Monsr. Desliettes would not wait for him last spring, as he thought it was out of contempt. Poor Otchipouac died this winter. This is a loss; he was a man of firmness, and his mind was well inclined toward the French.
We have another affair on our hands which is certainly a troublesome one. It is the Kikapoos at the mouth of the River of the Miamis who are going to make war on us now that all our allies have retired; about thirty Mascoutins have joined them. A boat load of the Kikapoos, who
|
CADILLAC PAPERS. |
551 |
came to Detroit to speak to the three villages, was destroyed by the Hurons and
Outtavois; there was a great chief whose head was brought to me with three
others. This attack was made out of revenge, because he had bound some Hurons
and an Iroquois last winter; moreover they looked upon him as really an
Outagamy. I do not know whether the Kikapoos would not have put the two Hurons
and the Iroquois to death even, if Mons. de Vincennes had not been at the mouth
of the River of the Miamis; it looked very much like it. Those same people also
arrested Langlois, who was on his way back from the Miamis, charged with many
letters from the reverend Jesuit fathers in the villages of the Illinois. All
these letters were torn up, which annoyed me very much as I felt sure that
there were some for you, Sir, coming from Louisiana. They sent back this
Langlois, a settler here, keeping all the furs we had, and charged him to go
back and learn the news; but he has no great desire to do so, nor have I to let
go. The Outtavois however might send there; the Kikapoos have with them one of
their wives and her children. I will contrive that the Outtavois shall join
with the Hurons in making some arrangement with this tribe, so that we may have
peace here.
All the tribes have retired in peace, with all their slaves. Saguina has abandoned his village, and is going to Michilimaquina. The Poutouatamis are also abandoning theirs, and are to come here or go to the Illinois. More than half of the Outtauois of this place are also withdrawing to Michilimaquina. The Saulteurs and Mississagues are going to Topicanich; they would on no account hear of making reparation to the Miamis for the murder of last year when Monsr de Tonty was here; the Miamis loudly demand justice from me. I am sparing no pains to make them have patience and understand that I am still working in their interests. I have the honor of telling you, Sir, that I arranged a matter last autumn which Monsr. de La Mothe was never able to succeed in doing, during the whole time he was here, viz. to compel the Outtavois to make a firm peace with the Miamis, and induce them to go to them which they would never do. I succeeded most happily; the Miamis could not have received them better, and they made a strong alliance with one another. I flatter myself, Sir, that you will approve of my doing myself the honor to assure you that Mons. de Vincennes has done his duty thoroughly well, and has taken great pains as well as in his journey to the Miamis and Ouyatanous last winter. lf I am so fortunate, Sir, as to have pleased you by my conduct, I shall have cause to console myself for all my troubles with which I could not have been more overwhelmed. I have extricated myself from these difficulties by the great influence I have over the tribes. Monsr. de Vincennes was a witness of this. I do not intend on that account to pride myself upon it, nor to put myself forward; I am indeed very tired of Detroit. You may easily judge, Sir, since I had no presents from the King in my
Continue to
next page
Continue
to Dft. Ex. 83
Return
to Docket 317 Table of Contents
Return to Ohio Valley -
Great Lakes Ethnohistory Archive Menu
Return to Glenn A. Black
Laboratory of Archaeology List of Publications
Return to Glenn A. Black
Laboratory of Archaeology Home
Last updated: 25
September 2000
Comments: webmaster@www.gbl.indiana.edu
Copyright 1997, Glen Black Laboratory of Archaeology and The Trustees of Indiana University.