( Iff ) 



Your Grace may from thence judge, what a 

 imOlonary is capable of doing in midft of this 

 diforder, and how difagreeable it muft be to a good 

 man, who has in a manner exiled himfelf, in order 

 to gain fouls to God, to be obliged to become a 

 witnefs of it, without being able to remedy it. 

 Thefe barbarians themfelves well know, that drun- 

 kennefs is their ruin and deftruction but when one 

 goes about to perfuade them, that they ought of 

 themfelves to requeft that no more of this deftruc- 

 tive beverage mould be fold them, they anfwer you 

 cooly : " It is you who have accuftomed us to 

 ** it, we are now no longer able to difpenfe with 

 * c the want of it, and fhould you refuie to give 

 * c us any, we fhould certainly go to the Englifh 

 <c for it. This liquor kills and deftroys us we con- 

 <c fefs, but it is to you we owe this mifchief which 

 * c is now paft remedy." It is, however, without 

 juft grounds that they blame us alone \ for had it 

 not been for the Englim, I do believe it poflible to 

 have put an end to this commerce in the colony, 

 or at leaft to have reduced it to its juft limits ; it 

 will perhaps very foon be neceffary to permit the 

 French to carry on this traffick, taking the proper 

 meafures to hin ler the abufe of it ; and the more, 

 as the Englifh fpirituous liquors are much more 

 mifchievous than ours. 



A diforder which attacks the morals never goes 

 alone ; it is always either the caufe or the effect of 

 feveral others. The Indians before they fell into this 

 vice, if we except war which they have always car- 

 ried on in a barbarous and inhuman manner, had 

 nothing to trouble their happinefs ; drunkennefs 

 has rendered them interefted, and has deftroyed 

 all the fweets, whether of domeftick and publick 

 3 life. 



