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wrought upon to treat of peace if you on your parts were so disposed, but it seems (by a sad accidentintervening,) you are pleas’d to lay a greater burden upon them than they deserve after their sincereaffections to your peace. To both y r Letters directed to the Captain and Commissaries at Albanythemselves will return answer but hearing that you had Emploied Le S r Couture with y r Letters Itooke a suddaine Resolution to have discourse with him to w ch purpose I came hither but find thathe is return’d without the Knowledge of the Capt. or Commissarie. I could have wislit that hee hadstaid for mee, or that I could wait his coming for I now want the opportunity of enlarging myself tohim and by him to yselfe with how much Integrity I shall constantly attend the European Interestamidst the heathen in America as becomes a good Christain, provided that the bounds and limits ofthese His Majesties of Englands dominions be not invaded or the Peace and Safety of his subjectsinterrupted, In all other points I shall be found to entertaine y r Correspondence with Mutuall Civilityand respect the rather because the Reputation of y r honour hath spread itself in all these parts ofthe world, as well as it is known in Europe , whereof I can beare some Testimony, when I had thehonour to attend my master his R. H. the Duke of York and Albany a few yeares in the french army,and now that I serve the same Master in his interest in this part of the World, I should count myselfe very fortunate in an opportunity at least to acknowledge some part of y r great civilities to myMaster and all his Servants in their low estate and condition of Exile, The Memory whereof obligethme (a reasonable time and good occasion concurring) to give you certaine proofe with how muchtruth I am, Sir,
20th Aug: St; Vet: >
In fort Albany 1666. \
A Monsieur, Monsieur Le Chevalier et Seigneur de Tracy Lt. Generali Du Roy tresChrestien dans toute L’Amerique .
M. TALON TO M. COLBERT, 13 Nov. 1666.
[ Paris Doc. I. J
Monsieur de Tracy and Monsieur de Courcelles are returned from their Expedition, the Iroquois having concluded to retreat and abandon their settlements. The said M. de Tracy could do nothingelse than burn their forts and lay waste everything. These two gentlemen will inform you o w lat-ever occurred throughout their march which occupied fifty-three days. What I leam from pu icopinion is that in what has been performed nothing has been left undone, and that the King’s oidershad been executed and his expectations entirely realized had those savages stood their ground. Itwould, in truth, have been desirable that a part had been defeated and some others taken prisoners.
The advanced age of M. de Tracy must greatly enhance the merit of the service he has renderedthe King, by assuming in a broken down frame such as his, a fatigue of which no correct idea canbe formed. I am assured that throughout the whole march of three hundred leagues, including thereturn, he suffered himself to be carried only during two days, and then he was forced to do so bythe gout. M. de Courcelles, though stronger than he, could not help being carried in like manner,having been attacked by a contraction of the nerves. Both in truth have endured all the fatigue thathuman nature is capable of.
M. de Tracy incurred some expenses on his march for the conveyance of the cannon and other
extraordinary services rendered the troops, which I wished to reimburse, but his modesty would notsuffer it.