1681] ACCUSATIONS OF MEULES. 101 



While Meules thus wrote to the governor, he 

 wrote also to the minister, Seignelay, and expressed 

 his views with great distinctness. " I feel bound 

 in conscience to tell you that nothing was ever 

 heard of so extraordinary as what we see done in 

 this country every day. One would think that 

 there was a divided empire here between the king 

 and the governor ; and, if things should go on long 

 in this way, the governor would have a far greater 

 share than his Majesty. The persons whom Mon- 

 sieur la Barre has sent this year to trade at Fort 

 Frontenac have already shared with him from ten 

 to twelve thousand crowns." He then recounts 

 numerous abuses and malversations on the part of 

 the governor. " In a word, Monseigneur, this 

 war has been decided upon in the cabinet of Mon- 

 sieur the general, along with six of the chief mer- 

 chants of the country. If it had not served their 

 plans, he would have found means to settle every 

 thing ; but the merchants made him understand 

 that they were in danger of being plundered, and 

 that, having an immense amount of merchandise 

 in the woods in nearly two hundred canoes fitted 

 out last year, it was better to make use of the 

 people ,of the country to carry on war against the 

 Senecas. This being clone, he hopes to make ex- 

 traordinary profits without any risk, because one 

 of two things will happen : either we shall gain 

 some considerable advantage over the savages, as 

 there is reason to hope, if Monsieur the general 

 will but attack them in their villages ; or else we 

 shall make a peace which will keep every thing 



