The whole of the Hurons are waiting only Had I not by the care of Father de Lamberville fortunately avoided the for the moment to do it. war this year, not a single canoe would have come down from the forests without having been captured and plundered in the river of the Outtawas. We should have lost a great number of good ;

men. This, My lord, is a long narrative about the state of the affairs of the country with the Iroquois

which absolutely require that we wage war without longer delay. Every person sees its necessity so I hope that on clearly that those concur in it now, who had been hitherto the most opposed to it. In regard to the sketch I give you of our wants, you will aid us both in men and other necessaries. troops, My lord, I had the honor to ask you for Regulars, for in truth the employment of people picked up anywhere is very unwise. It requires time to make them fit for service and on their If you propose to send us some it would arrival they will have to take arms in their hands and drill. about the the season when the North West winds them arrive May which is end of be well to have For that reason, the ships ought to leave Rochelle in the month of March. prevail in our River. Sieur Dambour, one of our best ship captains that come to Canada, can give good advice thereupon. Our march cannot begin before the fifteenth of May, for we must let the sowing be finished, and the storms before that time are furious on our river and Lake Ontario. I say nothing of the risks to be incurred that the harvest will not be saved next year on account of the war, nor of the necesBy sending us troops, many things will be done of which we dare not sity of making store-houses.