THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Report of the Colonies and
Criticism of Cadillac
(November 14, 1708)
Vaudreuil, Marquis de and Raudot in: Michigan Historical
Collections, XXXIII, pp. 401-424.
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They have the honor to represent to you that a vessel from His Majesty, by increasing the number of those that come to this country, brings it abundance; and to beg you to be good enough to send one every year. They hope, and flatter themselves, that you would not discontinue this favor to this Colony, which only exists and is maintained by the benefits you have deigned to bestow upon it, which you will graciously continue.
The merchants of this country have suffered heavily from the loss of money bills, but that has been a general misfortune; as this loss is now much reduced, that will tend to make trade a little better. The bills of exchange for beaverskins, which the Sieur Aubert pays for in ready money, will do the country good and will induce the merchants to buy the skins from the savages at a rather better price.
The Sieur de Vaudreuil applies himself as far as he can, My Lord, to maintain a cordial alliance with all the savages; only this alliance can secure the happiness and safety of this Colony. War with these tribes is by no means expedient for the French; they have nothing to gain by it. The savages are to be found everywhere in the country; and they will remain in hiding behind a tree trunk ten days until they can assassinate a man or woman, living in this condition on an ear of Indian corn. Moreover their warfare is the cruellest in the world, for, not content with burning houses, they also burn the prisoners they take, and they do not put them to death until they have kept them constantly in the most cruel torments they can devise. The Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot cannot preserve this good understanding, nor prevent these tribes from allying themselves with the English, without making them presents; it is a necessary evil. They would be very glad not to be obliged to make any; and what they do give is so small a matter compared with the large quantity of goods which the English make them presents of, besides the cheap prices they offer them, and the brandy they give them at Orange as they desire, and the heavy prices they put on beaverskins, that the said Sieurs de Vandreuil and Raudot cannot help being constantly in fear of too good an understanding between these savages and the English, who practice every art to attract them. They also, on their side, use every means to inspire the savages with distrust of the English; and, so far, they have succeeded tolerably well. The Sieur de Vaudreuil was obliged, on the request of the Outavois savages of Michilimakina to be allowed to go to Orange to get brandy, to permit them to take back one barrel of four pots in each boat. The Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot are convinced that it was impossible to act otherwise, if these savages were to be prevented from making their journeys, and so getting accustomed to the advantages of trade with these English, which would have been of great moment as regards the future. The Outavois savages came down to Montreal last year, as the Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot had the honor of informing you, in order to sue for pardon for the act they had committed at Detroit (page 403) in the year 1706, when they killed three Frenchmen. The Sr. de Vaudreuil proposed that they should hand over to him the offending savage, who had been the cause of this deed; and, as these savages represented to him that they had not sufficient control over one another to be able to give up one of their men, which is true, and that the offender was allied to several tribes of savages which would never suffer him to be surrendered to the French, the Sr. de Vaudreuil answered that he would believe that it was not in their power to deliver him the man he demanded of them; but that, as when they killed the Frenchmen, they had killed some of the savage tribes, it was necessary for them to go up to Detroit where they would find the Sr. de La Mothe and all those tribes, and that there the said Sieur de La Mothe would, in accordance with his orders, find means by which they might atone for the evil deeds they had committed; but that he would warn them beforehand, that if ever they killed any Frenchman, they would have to bring him the head of the murderer, and that the blood of Frenchmen was not to be wiped out by beaverskins nor by slaves. The Srs. de Vaudreuil and Raudot, with the Srs. de Ramezay and la Forest, whom they consulted on this occasion, thought that they could not take any more prudent course than they did; for, although they had risked the proposal of demanding the offender, they were almost certain that it would not be granted; the savages have no sufficient authority over each other to be able to hand anyone over. If they had been absolutely determined on it, they would have had to wage war, and consequently to abandon the Outavois to the Iroquois. This course would have been by no means expedient, seeing that the only policy that can be pursued in regard to the savages is to prevent any connection between the natives of the upper country, namely the Outavois, and the peoples round the Lakes, with the Iroquois, so that, in the event of one of the two tribes wanting to make war on this Colony, we could set the other against it. This was carried out at the time of the war with the Iroquois, and was the cause of its coming to an end, from the various parties that the Outavois always kept in the field. It is in order to prevent the latter from being destroyed by the Iroquois, that we have tried to compose all disturbances; for, if the Iroquois could have destroyed the Outavois, as they would then have had nothing more to fear from the people of the upper country, they would afterwards have made war on this country. The Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot also thought that this affair ought to be adjusted at Detroit, since the Miamis and the Hurons were concerned; they felt sure they had done all they could in the matter. The Sr. de Vaudreuil had issued his orders to the Sieur de La Mothe, but he, thinking to do something brilliant which he believed must do him honor, has spoilt everything; and he was the cause of the attack which the Miamis made on the French at Detroit this year. The Sieur de La Mothe no sooner got the Outavois at Detroit than he told (page 404) them that he would have the offender, and that this was the only way to atone for their misdeeds. The Outavois set out from Detroit, with the Sr. d'Argenteuil to Michilimackinac; and when they got there, after great councils had been held, the offender gave himself up to them, but at this time he was quite sure of his life being spared, and that he would be secure, provided he and his family came and settled at Detroit this having been promised him by the emissaries of the Sr. de La Mothe, whom he had sent with the said Sieur d'Argenteuil. When the offender came to Detroit, the said Sr. de La Mothe held great councils with the Hurons and the Miamis. They wanted the death of the offender, but he wished to save him, and it would not have suited him to put him to death, because the family of the said offender would not have come and settled at Detroit. He hit upon a plan which was to make him escape; and the offender did, in fact, escape. The said Sr. de La Mothe immediately called the savages together and told them that there was no need for the offender to escape, nor to fear, for he gave him his life. Since then the offender has returned to Detroit with all his family. That affair, and the sight of the said offender at that place, irritated the Hurons and the Miamis to such a degree that this spring they plotted with 20 Iroquois, who were returning from war against the Têtes Plattes [Flat heads] to murder the said Sr. de La Mothe and all the French who were at the Fort with the Outavois savages settled there. This scheme would have been carried out if they had had enough men to seize on all the houses and huts; but as they had not a sufficiently large number, it was put off, and this caused it to be discovered, by the greatest good fortune possible. The Miamis, enraged at their plan having been found out, made an attack on three Frenchmen, whom they killed, and brought disgrace on the Sieur de La Mothe. They afterwards came back to make amends, for that wrong-doing. The said Sr. de La Mothe demanded from them those who had made the attack, and payment for the cattle. The savages paid him for the cattle and promised to hand over to him, in twenty days, the Miamis who had made the attack. They did not keep their word, so that the Sieur de La Mothe thought himself bound to go and attack the Miamis in their forts. He did this because he fancied they had fled; his behaviour on this occasion clearly shows that he did not expect to find them there. He set out to go and attack the Miamis at the head of four hundred men, including French and savages; he would have them go to the fort although he was assured that they were not there, and not having found them there he was obliged to go further on. He found them in a fort constructed of logs laid crosswise, where there was a clearing of fifty feet. They attacked this fort, but the Sr. de La Mothe stopped the attack, and had not taken the precaution of bringing a supply of powder to distribute. When The powder- which had been sent for in boats- came, they only continued the fight by shooting. Dur- (page 405) ing all this time, the said Sr. de La Mothe, for fear he should get wounded, stationed himself behind a tree which was eighteen feet in circumference, nor did he venture out except to go and get out of the range of the shot. This is such a public matter, and the Sr. de la Mothe makes so little effort to hide it, to his very great disgrace, that they feel they cannot help informing you of it. If the said Sr. de La. Mothe had wished, he could have carried this fort at the point of the sword, for sixty men headed by a good sergeant could have done so, according to those who were present at that attack. Such an act would have created a great stir among the tribes and made them respect the French name; it would also have punished the Miamis, by the large number of them that would have been killed, for the evil deed they had done in killing the Frenchmen. But the said Sr. de La Mothe, more prudent, contented himself with letting his men fire on the fort, so that the heavy musketry fire compelled the Miamis to hoist a French flag. An arrangement was talked of; and the Miamis got quit of the matter by giving him three hostages with a promise to deliver to him those who had slain the Frenchmen, and on giving him furs to the value of a thousand crowns, five or six packets of which he had kept, apparently to pay him for the trouble he was put to in proceeding to that fort.
The hostages were taken to Detroit where they have complete freedom, and are in a position to escape whenever they like; and the Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot have not heard that these savages have kept their word with the said Sr. de la Mothe, but are convinced of the contrary. The Sieur de Vaudreuil always pays great attention to keeping all the savage tribes on good terms with one another. The Iroquois still observe the same neutrality, and he hopes that it will continue, notwithstanding the arts which the English constantly practice to make that tribe break it. We did not begin last year to prepare to resist the English until we heard the news that the armament had set out from Baston. The work which has been done on the batteries, by reconstructing all the platforms which were quite rotten, was absolutely necessary. We could not have served a single gun. The citadel battery was constructed entirely of walls, without mortar, a foot and a half thick, and the embrasures of part of it were too high and too narrow, and were constructed like windows so that a gun could not be leveled properly there; it has been necessary to cover the whole of this battery with gabions, without which it would have been impossible to serve it, because the enemy's cannon shots, coming and striking against this wall, would have wounded everyone who was there, with splinters. The said Srs. de Vaudreuil and Raudot have tried to save expense as far as possible, and have only had done what was absolutely necessary on this occasion, according to the decisions of the councils of war which have been held here, for putting
They will promise, as you do them the honor to tell them, that those who have discovered them shall be rewarded when His Majesty has the mines worked.
The Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot will do themselves the honor of informing you further on in this letter, of the expedition which was sent against the English this year. They hope His Majesty will be pleased with the valor of his troops, of the settlers, and of the savages who were in this expedition.
His Majesty, My Lord, grants so little for the extraordinary expenses of the war, of which we have to use a part for presents to the savages, which go much further than they are thought to do; another part for the fortifications, the workmen, the traveling and journeys, the hospitals, and other matters laid down in the statement, that almost nothing remains. And expeditions cost so much that the Sieurs. de Vaudreuil and Raudot cannot despatch as many as they would like to do. In the past they have induced the savages to make expeditions, which cost much less. That despatches this year have greatly diminished the funds, as to which they have to represent to you, My Lord, that you caused the freight of the salt sent to them in 1706 by the "Hero" and the store-ship "La Holland" to be retained. They hope, of your kindness to this country, My Lord, that you will be good enough to countermand this order, and have the said funds remitted to them.
The Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot beg you, My Lord, to be so good as to cause the pension of her father to be sent to Madame de la Chesnaye in her name; he died this year. They can assure you that this lady is very badly in need of it, being burdened with many children.
The Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot will have the honor of informing you that there are only sixty-three houses at Detroit instead of 120, as the said Sr. de La Mothe tells you there are, that as regards the savages, there are about a hundred and fifty huts, in place of 1,200 as the said Sr. de La Mothe informs you; that the whole of the settlers number sixty-three, twenty-nine of whom are married soldiers, while the others are voyageurs of the country, and settled here, who go up every year and only have houses within the fort for the purpose of trading.
The Sr. de La Mothe is the biggest colonist of Detroit, for he has 157 arpents of land all to himself, turned to account, while all the others together have only 46. And this brings him a very large profit; for since the settlers can only grow wheat for themselves by working with the (page 415) mattock, there is a large quantity of wheat which he makes into bread and sells for 10 and 15s the livre to the French and the savages.
The said Sr. de La Mothe deceived your confidence in him when he wrote you that there was a large number of cattle at Detroit. There are three cows, six or seven bulls and calves, and one horse. It would not be to the advantage of the said Sr. de La Mothe that there should be a greater number of them, for he would not sell them as he does, milk at twenty sols the pot, and would not let out his horse at ten livres a day, if he had more animals. The Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot are greatly surprised that the said Sr. de La Mothe should have ventured to propose to you to set up a jurisdiction at Detroit, for the said Sr. de La Mothe is not sure of having twenty settlers, and that place is not at all well established, and will have great difficulty in becoming so under the command of the said Sr. de La Mothe. They are also surprised that the said Sr. de La Mothe proposes to My Lord to set up a notary there; he would in that way reduce the rights he has acquired, since he exacts the payment of four livres for every contract of concession he executes himself, which is the fee paid to notaries in this country.
The Sieur de La Mothe proposes to My Lord to form companies of savages at Detroit. This is only with the object of profiting by the funds which would be set apart for their pay. The Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot find this proposal impossible, after having discussed it with the Sr. D'Agremond. They have the honor to annex hereto a detailed memorandum thereon, with their opinion.
The best way, My Lord, to range all the savages on the side of the English is to establish a port at Niagara; those who are capable of making such a proposal to you are more the friends than the enemies of the English. As for the Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot, to whom you have done the honor of entrusting the care of this Colony, they would deem themselves unworthy of this favor if they did not notify you of all the difficulties which may arise if this post is established, which would afterwards end in entirely destroying this colony. There need be no fear, My Lord, of the English seizing this post; the Iroquois is too skillful, and understands his interests too well, to permit it. If the Englishman were settled there, the Iroquois would find himself deprived of the profit he makes out of the people of the lakes who pass through their territory to go to the English, or from the beaver-skins they trade in with them on which they make a profit out of the Englishman.
There is yet another reason which would cause the Iroquois to oppose it, namely, that if the English were settled there, the people of the lakes would no longer have need of the Iroquois for trading with the English, who would attract to them all the tribes of the lakes, so that, in this way, the Iroquois would be between the English and the lake tribes, who (page 416) would always side with the English because they would be attracted by the trade they would do with that nation.
Is it not the same thing with the French, My Lord? If they were settled there, they could never- whatever effort they might make- compete with the price of the English goods: so that, were this post established by the French, and the savages of the lakes attracted near to the Iroquois, tempted by the cheap prices at Orange, they would pass over the lands of the Iroquois to go there. It is certain that the nearer we bring the savages of the lakes to the Iroquois, the fewer furs we shall get, seeing that the Iroquois will trade with them for them all with English goods.
Our great policy should be to always keep the intercourse of these savages with the Iroquois distant, and to foster in them continual interest of the latter, which cannot be done if we bring them near to one another.
There would also be oppression from the Iroquois, if the French were to establish a post there. The Iroquois have not spoken of it to the Sieur de Vaudreuil, but he learnt that the English having expressed a desire to establish a post on the River Donnontagué near the Lake Ontario, and another on Lake d'Onoyonte, alleging to them as a pretext that the French wanted to set up posts at Niagara and La Gallete, they replied to the English, who had made the proposal to them, that they absolutely would not have them settle at either of these posts, and that they would oppose those which the French wanted to establish as far as they could.
The Iroquois, perturbed by this news, spoke to the Sieur de Joncaire about it, who told them that he knew nothing of the matter, but that he was sure that, if it were desired to establish these posts, we should speak to them about it first
The Iroquois do not understand their interests this time; for, if we establish this post, it can only do good to them and harm to us. Hence the advice of the Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot, who in this matter as in all others, have acted solely for the good of the service of His Majesty, and that of this Colony, is on no account to think of establishing this post.
The Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot thank you for the pension which you inform them that you have bestowed on Madame de la Nandiere.
The Sieur de Grandville died this year and has left a poor widow with four children. The Sieurs de Vaudreuil and Raudot beg you to be good enough to grant her the pension which His Majesty was so kind as to give to her husband from State funds. The company which he had, has been given to the Sr. de Montigny who had an order from you, My Lord, for the first company vacancy.
The Sieurs Vaudreuil and Raudot have the
honor to inform you of the
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