1687.] DENONVILLE EMBOLDENED. 131 



for your oranges. It is a great pity that they 

 were all rotten." 



The French governor, unlike his rival, felt strong 

 in the support of his king, who had responded 

 amply to his appeals for aid ; and the temper of 

 his letters answered to his improved position. " I 

 was led, Monsieur, to believe, by your civil lan- 

 guage in the letter you took the trouble to write 

 me on my arrival, that we should live in the 

 greatest harmony in the world ; but the result has 

 plainly shown that your intentions did not at all 

 answer to your fine words." And he upbraids 

 him without measure for his various misdeeds : 

 " Take my word for it. Let us devote ourselves 

 to the accomplishment of our masters' will ; let us 

 seek, as they do, to serve and promote religion ; 

 let us live together in harmony, as they desire. I 

 repeat and protest, Monsieur, that it rests with you 

 alone ; but do not imagine that I am a man to 

 suffer others to play tricks on me. I willingly 

 believe that you have not ordered the Iroquois to 

 plunder our Frenchmen ; but, whilst I have the 

 honor to write to you, you know that Salvaye, 

 Gedeon Petit, and many other rogues and bank- 

 rupts like them, are with you, and boast of sharing 

 your table. I should not be surprised that you 

 tolerate them in your country ; but I am astonished 

 that you should promise me not to tolerate them, 

 that you so promise me again, and that you per- 

 form nothing of what you promise. Trust me, 

 Monsieur, make no promise that you are not will- 

 ing to keep." l 



1 Denonville a Dongan, 21 Aug., 1G87; Ibid., no date (1687). 



