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.

you by my letter of the 6 th June last that the orders I have from my Master manifest merely the zeal which His Majesty entertains for the progress of Religion and for the support and maintenance of the Missionaries. I expect from your piety that you will not be I had the honor to inform

opposed to that, knowing well how much you love religion.

Do you think, Sir, that they will reap much fruit whilst the savages are allowed no peace in the villages in which our Missionaries are established 1

When I came here, I thought Peace was assured between the Iroquois and us and our Savage allies. You see, Sir, what has been the conduct of the Iroquois in this rencounter.

Can you say, Sir, that I

am wrong in distrusting them 1 They are alarmed at the war which they fancy I shall wage against them their conscience only could have impressed them with this idea, since I have not done the least thing to make them believe that I want any thing else from them than to see peace well established throughout all the country. What have I done to cause them the least uneasiness 1 And what do they want 1 In respect to the pretensions which you say you have to the lands of this country, certainly you are not well informed of all the entries into possession (prises de possessions) which have been made in the name of the King my Master, and of the establishments which we have of long standing on the lands and on the lakes and as I have no doubt but our Masters will easily agree among them;