THE FRENCH AND THE CANADIAN INDIANS. 203 



natives were made of sterner stuff, and sanguinary 

 battles were frequent. 



Now in the case of the French in Canada, we feel 

 bound to say that a generally humane and generous 

 policy actuated their governors; and though there were 

 wars and fightings, these things could not be helped, 

 and were the natural results which follow- all occupations 

 of wild countries by Europeans, when they have to 

 govern savage races; in this case also, great stir was 

 made about "the conversion of the heathen" and so 

 forth, and the country was inundated by monks and 

 nuns of the different religious orders, who quarrelled 

 fiercely among themselves for the love of God, and did 

 their little best to render all other more practical govern- 

 ment impossible in fact a species of dual government 

 existed, represented by the civil power on one side, 

 and the ecclesiastical on the other: and between them, 

 such a mess was made of the whole business that in 

 many cases the colonists themselves were by no means 

 sorry when the Naval and Military power of England 

 compelled the surrender of the French forces, and so 

 in 1761 completed the conquest of Canada. 



Now in their dealings with the Indians the British 

 were more practical ; in their schemes of conquest there 

 was less affectation of religious motives; just as they 

 are doing now in Africa they desired simply to obtain 

 new markets for their commerce, and to pre-empt waste 

 lands upon which their superabundant population could 

 settle. Our fathers had sense enough to see that the 

 preposterous idea of combining conquest with mis- 

 sionary enterprise was bound to fail : for surely to come 

 to a country, land in force upon its shores, erect forts, 

 and seize upon its fairest provinces, is one of the least 



