182 THE IROQUOIS INVASION. [1689. 



England. James II., the friend and ally of France, 

 had been driven from his kingdom, and William of 

 Orange had seized his vacant throne. Soon there 

 came news of war between the two crowns. The 

 Iroquois alone had brought the colony to the brink 

 of ruin ; and now they would be supported by 

 the neighboring British colonies, rich, strong, and 

 populous, compared to impoverished and depleted 

 Canada. 



A letter of recall for Denonville was already on 

 its way. 1 His successor arrived in October, and the 

 marquis sailed for France. He was a good soldier 

 in a regular war, and a subordinate command ; 

 and he had some of the qualities of a good gover- 

 nor, while lacking others quite as essential. He 

 had more activity than vigor, more personal bravery 

 than firmness, and more clearness of perception 

 than executive power. He filled his despatches 

 with excellent recommendations, but was not the 

 man to carry them into effect. He was sensitive, 

 fastidious, critical, and conventional, and plumed 

 himself on his honor, which was not always able to 

 bear a strain ; though as regards illegal trade, the 

 besetting sin of Canadian governors, his hands were 

 undoubtedly clean. 2 It is said that he had an 



i Le Roy a Denonville, 31 Mai, 1689. 



2 "I shall only add one article, on which possihly you will find it 

 strange that I have said nothing ; namely, whether the governor carries 

 on any trade. I shall answer, no ; hut my Lady the Governess {Madame la 

 Gouvernante), who is disposed not to neglect any opportunity for making 

 a profit, had a room, not to say a shop, full of goods, till the close of last 

 winter, in the chateau of Quehec, and found means afterwards to make a 

 lottery to get rid of the ruhbish that remained, which produced her more 

 than her good merchandise." Relation of the State of Affairs in Canada, 

 1688, in N. Y. Col. Docs., IX. 388. This paper was written at Quebec. 



