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DE LA BARRE’s EXPEDITION TO HUNGRY BAY.

conveyed thither during eighteen months, of which I have had most positive information, and ofwhich I had the honor to advise you in my last. Others supposed that he had the said provisionsput on board those barks in order to obtain time and by this address, to negotiate a peace with theIroquois , as he had sent Sieur Le Moyne to them who is a very brave man and who despaired of allthese negotiations, stating openly that they ought to be whipt. All the delays at Montreal , the Fort,and at La Famine caused the useless consumption of a portion of the supplies which, however, didnot fail; other convoys having been received from time to time, but these were always wastedwithout any thing having been done.

After the said General had determined in his own mind on this war, he sent the man named Bour-bon, an inhabitant of this country to Colonel Dongan to advise him that he was obliged to wage waragainst the Iroquois , requesting him not to afford them any aid; which he confided to me eight daysafter the departure of the said Bourbon. This obliged me to tell him that I was astonished that heshould have thus proceeded; that the Iroquois having insulted us and intending to fight with anddestroy them, I should not have deemed it proper to inform neighbours who have an interest in ourdestruction; and that he afforded thereby an opportunity to Col. Dongan, who is an Englishman, •and consequently our born enemy, to give underhand information of our designs to the Iroquois , andconvey secretly to them all that may be necessary for their defence against us. I asked him if hedid not perceive that the English would never desire our advantage, and that they would contributeall in their power to destroy us, though at peace as regards France ; that they would always bejealous of the Fur trade prosecuted by us in this Country, which would make them pi'otect theIroquois always against us.

This Bourbon negotiation gave Colonel Dongan occasion to use some rhodomontade as the Generalhas informed me; and this assuredly it was that obliged him, having this information, to send anEnglishman, who is in the habit of trading among the said Indians, to plant the Duke of York’sajms among the Onnontagu4s, which is an Iroquois village, wishing by that act to take the first pos-session of the Country. We have not heard talk of any other movement on the English side, andit is even certain that they will never cause us any dread from that quarter and that they couldnot prevent us to achieve that conquest this year, had the General bden willing to fight.

You can hardly believe, my Lord, that the General has, alone, undertaken the war without havingconsulted any person, neither officers of the army nor gentlemen, nor the people of the country whoare the most interested, nor any individual whosoever he might be, except Sieur de la Chesnayne,with whom he acts in concert for the entire destruction and ruin of the country. He has again madepeace in this manner without any communication with any of the officers or others of those whowere near his person. What seems a wonder in the country is that one individual, subject of hisMajesty like others, should, of his own will, make war and peace without having consulted or de-manded the opinion of any person. His Majesty never acted thus. He has his Council of War,and when he is about to wage it, he demands advice of those of his council, in communicating tothem the reasons which he may have to do so, and even causes the publication of manifests through-out the Kingdom, wishing to communicate to his people the justice of his undertakings. But theGeneral has treated of peace, like a sovereign, with the said Iroquois , having employed none of thosewho were nigh him and who were acquainted with the Iroquois tongue, except as Interpreters. Hedare not consult the officers, being certain that they would all have concluded on war; and but littlewas necessary to make them select a chief from among themselves to attack the enemy.

The said General proceeds at the head of a small force to make war against the Iroquois , and farfrom doing that, he grants them all they ask. His principal design was to attack the Senecas, butinstead of showing him any civility, they did not even condescend to come and meet him, and gavean insolent answer to those who proposed it to them. If people had any thing to say to them, let

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