122 DENONVILLE AND DONGAN. [1685-86. 



and uniting with them as one nation, insomuch 

 that the English claims include no less than the 

 Lakes Ontario and Erie, the region of Saginaw 

 {Michigan), the country of the Hurons, and all the 

 country in the direction of the Mississippi." l 



The most pressing danger was the defection of 

 the lake tribes. " In spite of the king's edicts," 

 pursues Denonville, " the conreiirs de bois have 

 carried a hundred barrels of brandy to Michilli- 

 mackinac in a single year; and their libertinism 

 and debauchery have gone to such an extremity 

 that it is a wonder the Indians have not mas- 

 sacred them all to save themselves from their 

 violence and recover their wives and daughters 

 from them. This, Monseigneur, joined to our 

 failure in the last war, has drawn upon us such 

 contempt among all the tribes that there is but one 

 way to regain our credit, which is to humble the 

 Iroquois by our unaided strength, without asking 

 the help of our Indian allies." 2 And he begs 

 hard for a strong reinforcement of troops. 



Without doubt, Denonville was right in think- 

 ing that the chastising of the Iroquois, or at least 

 the Senecas, the head and front of mischief, was 

 a matter of the last necessity. A crushing blow 

 dealt against them would restore French prestige, 

 paralyze English intrigue, save the Illinois from 

 destruction, and confirm the wavering allies of 

 Canada. Meanwhile, matters grew from bad to 

 worse. In the north and in the west, there was 



1 Denonville a Seignelay, 12 Juin, 168G. 



2 Ibid. 



