102 LA BARRE AND THE IROQUOIS. [1684. 



» 



safe for a time. These are assuredly the sole 

 motives of this war, which has for principle and 

 end nothing but mere interest. He says himself 

 that there is good fishing in troubled waters. 1 



" With all our preparations for war, and all the 

 expense in which Monsieur the general is involving 

 his Majesty, I will take the liberty to tell you, 

 Monseigneur, though I am no prophet, that I dis- 

 cover no disposition on the part of Monsieur the 

 general to make war against the aforesaid savages. 

 In my belief, he will content himself with going in 

 a canoe as far as Fort Frontenac, and then send 

 for the Senecas to treat of peace with them, and 

 deceive the people, the intendant, and, if I may 

 be allowed with all possible respect to say so, his 

 Majesty himself. 



" P. S. — I will finish this letter, Monseigneur, 

 by telling you that he set out yesterday, July 10th, 

 with a detachment of two hundred men. All 

 Quebec was filled with grief to see him embark 

 on an expedition of war tete-a-tete with the man 

 named La Chesnaye. Everybody says that the 

 war is a sham, that these two will arrange every 



1 The famous voyageur, Nicolas Perrot, agrees with the intendant. 

 " lis (La Barre et ses associe's) s'imaginerent que sitost que le Francois 

 vienclroit a paroistre, PIrroquois luy demanderoit misericorde, qu'il seroit 

 facile d'establir des magasins, construiredes barques dans le lac Ontario, 

 et que c'estoit un moyen de trouver des richesses." Me'moire star les 

 Mcmrs, Coustumes, et Relligion des Sauvages, chap. xxi. 



The Sulpitian, Abbe Belmont, says that the avarice of the merchants 

 was the cause of the war ; that they and La Barre wished to prevent the 

 Iroquois from interrupting trade ; and that La Barre aimed at an indem- 

 nity for the sixteen hundred livres in merchandise which the Senecas 

 had taken from his canoes early in the year. Belmont adds that he 

 wanted to bring them to terms without fighting. 



