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and vessels on lake Erie which is only two leagues distant, by the Niagara River, from thi3 lake On-tario ; but as this post cannot be established until after the Iroquois are conquered, I shall, beforeentering into a detail of the means of conquering that Nation, again say, regarding the importanceof occupying those posts, that the English have so great a facility to establish themselves there thatit is the power of the Iroquois alone which has prevented them having posts there, since Lake On-tario can be easily reached on horseback from Manatte and Orange, there being a distance of onlyone hundred leagues through a fine country.
The importance of the post to be occupied on lake Erie is easily perceived, since we-can easily goin vessels from that lake to Missilimakina which would be a great facility for the trade of the country,to keep the Outaouacs in check and in obedience to the King; besides, we should have the means ofreaching through this lake the Illinois , and surmount by this communication with ships many of thedifficulties experienced in the Rivers in consequence of the number of portages. Being masters ofthese two lakes and cruizing there with our vessels, the English would lose the Beaver trade in thatquarter, of which they have abundance.
A durable peace with the Iroquois Indians would be more advantageous to the Colony than prose-cuting a war; but this Nation has assumed such excessively insolent and haughty airs towards allthe other tribes against whom they wage war and at whose expense they daily increase; and joinedto that, the odds they have had from a disadvantageous peace concluded last year with us, has placedthem in a position that, we may be assured, they will break with us on the first opportunity. It isyet more certain that if they be not checked, they will reassume their former insolent air the momentthere will be no more troops in this country, however they may promise us at present, and will nodoubt insult us, and subject us to all possible outrage.
It is necessary, then, to examine the most certain means of destroying and conquering their fivevillages, which according to the above estimate, may bring into the field about two thousand menbearing arms, and in a condition to go to war.
I consider that what troops we have, and what militia we can collect together, if we had them allwith some of our Savages, would suffice to attack them; but as it is not sufficient to make them letgo their foot, and it becomes necessary to deprive them of all means of disturbing us in our settle-ments, we must not go after them to chastise them by halves but to annihilate them if possible. Thiscannot be done without the aid of a number of Savages sufficiently great to pursue them in securityto the distant forests towards Maryland and Andastes whither they will retreat if they find that weare more powerful than they; and as it is of extreme importance not to declare war against themuntil we are in a condition to vanquish them, it will be absolutely necessary to adopt measures withthe Illinois , their enemies, and with the Savages our allies, to engage them to unite with us in attack-ing them and pursuing them into the woods whither they never fail to retire, daring not to standagainst us. For as it would be very unfortunate not to vanquish them if we attack them, nothingought to be neglected that can be done, to endeavor to destroy them and put it beyond their powerto injure the Colony. If we succeed, I calculate the English will lose their trade in that quarter.
I find all our allies so discontented with us, and so dissatisfied on account of the idle march whichwe caused them to make last year, that according to what I learn, I do not believe that any of themcan be relied on.
Before engaging in a war, then, I considered it prudent to permit the continuance of the negotia-tions of a certain Onontague savage, accredited by them and the other Iroquois , who is said to wishfor nothing but peace. Notwithstanding I bethought me of managing the Illinois by promising themevery protection, and as Chevalier de Tonty, who is in command at the fort on behalf of M. de La-Salle, has considerable influence among the Illinois , I have deemed it a duty to advise him of my