DENONVILLE's EXPEDITION TO THE GENESEE COUNTRY AND NIAGARA.

my sending a gentleman to Quebec to conam constrained to make use of y e Father for j* safe

This Rumor of y r coming to Cataracto has prevented gratulate your arryval in y e Governm* soe

conveyance of this to your hands

M.

DE DENONVILLE TO GOV. DONGAN. [Par. Doc. III.l Ville marie, June 20. 1686.

I received, Sir, the letter

which you did me the honour

to write

me on the 22 n May last, «i

You will sufficiently learn, in the end, how devoid of all foundation are the advices which you have had of my pretended designs and that all that has been told you by the deserters from the Colony ought to be much suspected by you.

You are, Sir, too well acquainted with the service and the manner that things must be conducted, to take any umbrage at the supplies which I

send to Cataracouy for the subsistence of the soldiers

which I have there.

You know the savages sufficiently to be well assured that it would be very imprudent on my part You are not ignorant that it is impossible to get up there at all seasons if I were to have them conveyed to leave that place without having enough of supplies and munitions there for one year's time. ;

for a large force, I should have

used other means.

The natural treachery of a people without faith and without religion, require us to be so far distrustful of them that you ought not to blame me for using precaution against their restlessness and caprice.