so as to secure punctuality, since from the Illinois country there are four hundred leagues to be

and from the Outaouacs and Savages of lake

travelled to arrive at Niagara, the place of rendezvous ;

Superior, three hundred leagues, and from Quebec nearly two hundred to the said place of Niagara.

All this

must make me think of putting myself in a condition to be, myself, sufficiently strong to

fight them without any other aid than that of this country.

The conveyance of supplies and the expense are my sole difficulties.

The neighbourhood of Catarokvy indifferently fertile in grain, produces good peas M. de Laforest assures me that he has nearly I caused him to give orders to have them all sown, and M. d'Orvilliers not three hundred minots. to allow any to be consumed, but will make the soldiers work and oblige them to plant some. That supply a trifling of four or five hundred year. minots for next will be ;

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It will require considerable expense to render the river navigable ; the

Map I have caused to be

made of it will afford some imperfect idea by remarking the pitch in several places there. The surest remedy against the English of New York would be to purchase that place from the King of England who in the present state of his affairs, will, without doubt, require money of the King. By that means we should be masters of the Iroquois without waging war.

M.

DE DENONVILLE TO THE MINISTER, 8 May 1686. [