70
DE LA BARRE’s EXPEDITION TO HUNGRY BAY.
I have great esteem for your person, and considerable desire to preserve the honor of his Brittan-nick Majesty’s good graces as well as those of my Lord the Duke of York, and I even believe thatthey will greatly appreciate my chastisement of those who insult you and capture you every day asthey have done this winter in Merilande. But if I was so unfortunate as that you desired to protectrobbers, assassins and traitors, I could not distinguish their protector from themselves. I pray you,then, to attach faith to the credit which I give Sieur de Salvaye to explain everything to you • and,if the Senecas and Cayugas wish your services as their intecessor to take security from them, not inthe Indian but in the European fashion, without which and the honor of hearing from you, I shallattack them towards the 20 th of the month of August, New Stile.
Sir
Your very humble Servant
Le Febure de la Barre.
[ Par. Dos. II. ; Lonil. Doo. V. ]
INSTRUCTIONS
WHICH SIEUR DE LA BARRE KING’S COUNCILLOR IN HIS COUNCILS, GOVERNOR & HIS LIEUTENANTG ENERALIN ALL THE COUNTRIES OF NEW FRANCE AND ACADIA, GIVES TO SIEUR DE SALVAYE HIS AMBASSADORTO COLONEL DONGAN, GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK, TO EXPLAIN TO HIM THE UNFAITHFULNESS ANDVIOLENCES COMMITTED BY THE SENECAS AND CAYUGAS AGAINST THE FRENCH .
He is, in the first place, to make known to him the quarter where the pillage of the seven canoeswas perpetrated, and that it is more than 400 leagues distant from here and an equal distance, atleast, Southwest from Albany, in the 39«» or 40 th degree.
That the place has been occupied over 25 years by the French who there established CatholicMissions of the Jesuit Fathers, and traded there (on fait la traitte) since that time, without thfEnglish having ever known, or spoken of, that country.
That the question is not about the country of the Iroquois , nor the Eastern shores of Lake Erie .That the Iroquois having lived, previous to the arrival of M. de la Barre, with little considerationfor the French , he was desirous to speak with them, to see if they were friends or foes, and for thatpurpose they were all assembled at Montreal last August where every thing was arranged on a friendlybasis; even the Senecas and Cayugas had demanded the said Sieur de la Barre to withdraw Sieur de la Salle from the government of Fort St. Louis, in Illinois ; which he caused to be done and had thesaid Sieur de la Salle sent to France in the month of last November.
That notwithstanding this, and all the protestations they had made, a band of 200 warriors, Senecasand Cayugas having met in the month of March of this year, seven canoes manned by 14 French men , with fifteen or sixteen thousand pounds of Merchandize, who were going to trade with theScious, towards the Southwest, pillaged them and took them prisoners, without any resistance fromthe said Frenchmen , who considered them as friends, and after having detained them nine days, withthousands of taunts and insults, released them without having given them either arms or canoes forprovisions and to cross the rivers. After which the said Iroquois went and attacked Fort St. Louis,where Sieur Chevalier de Blangy was in the place of said Sieur de la Salle who had been withdrawnat their request. Having made three assaults and been vigorously repulsed, they withdrew frombefore the said Fort the 29 th of said month of March.