the want of the necessary means prevented him from filling with dignity to himself, or benefit to the colony.* THE GOVERNMENT OF M. DE LAUSON. The new Governor, who arrived in Canada in 1651, must have been previously well acquainted with the wants of the 1651. colony. He had hitherto had the greatest share in the management of the Company's affairs in France, and negotiated in England for the restitution of Quebec, while in the possession of the Kirks. He was a man of integrity, had always taken a great interest in the welfare of "New France," departed thither with the best intentions, and was expected to retrieve its affairs. But he found its situation much worse than he had expected. Disorder and distress everywhere prevailed, and the several settlements were rapidly on the decline. Elated by their recent victories, and the possession of fire-arms, of which they had procured several from the Dutch at Albany, the Iroquois no longer feared the French, and spread themselves over the colony in every direction, plundering and murdering the inhabitants without distinction of age or sex. The remnant of the Huron and Algonquin nations had already fled to the north and west, whither also most of the smaller Canadian tribes retreated, leaving the Iroquois in full possession of their ancient hunting-grounds. Even the French had to withdraw from all their smaller settlements, and were virtually blockaded in Quebec, Three Rivers, and Montreal, from under the very cannon of which they and their allies were sometimes carried off by bands of the enemy, who also frequently set fire to the crops in these neighbourhoods. At Three Rivers they routed a party of French who went out to attack them, and killed their officer; and so severely did they harass the settlement at Montreal, that Maisonneuve, its Governor, was compelled to make a voyage to France, to solicit in person the succours which his letters had been insufficient to procure. He returned in the spring with a reinforcement of one hundred men, and supplies of the more necessary descriptions.t Finding themselves unable to make any impression on the fortified places of the French, and having inflicted upon them and their allies all the injury possible, the Iroquois next turned their arms against the Eriez or Cat Tribe, whose hunting-grounds embraced the principal part of the Canadian peninsula, extending from Lake Ontario westward. The Governor, with the view of making the most of this * Heriot's Hist. Can. p. 72. + Smith's Hist. of Can. vol. i. p. 29. Heriot's Hist. Can. p. 73. 1653. circumstance, resolved to send an agent to the Onondaga Iroquois, who had always been more favourably disposed towards the French than the other confederated tribes, to ascertain whether it was possible to effect a peace. He chose for this purpose the Jesuit Father, Simon Le Moyne, who departed on his hazardous mission the 2d July. In his progress upwards to the Onondaga 1654. country, the Father was kindly entertained by the Christian Iroquois, whom he states in his journal "to have enriched him from their poverty," and likewise met many of the Huron captives, “who received him with joy." On the 10th of August he met the deputies of the Cayugas, the Senecas, the Oneidas, and the Onondagas in council, whom he astonished by the knowledge he had of their language and of the principal men of their nation. The council terminated satisfactorily, the various deputies expressing themselves disposed to form a lasting peace with the French, and treating the Father with the greatest consideration. The Mohawks, the most hostile of the confederates, and whose country lay nearest to Lower Canada, had no representative at this council, and consequently did not indorse the peaceable professions it originated. Subsequent events proved that in making these professions, the Onondagas alone were sincere, and that the object of the other tribes was to amuse De Lauson, and to prevent him from assisting the Cats, who were a brave people, and had prepared for a most vigorous defence of their country. The Mohawks, especially, never for a moment abated their hostility to the French, and irritated by this attempt to separate the confederates, and divert the trade of the western tribes from passing through their country to Albany and New York, they resolved upon wreaking their vengeance upon Canada, the moment the destruction of the Cats enabled them to turn their arms in that direction. Father Le Moyne arrived safely at Quebec in the month of September, and influenced by the gratifying report he made of his success, and the favourable report of the other missionaries, the Governor determined to comply with the solicitations of the Onondagas to establish a settlement in their country. Fifty men were 1655. chosen for this purpose, the command of whom was entrusted to Dupuys, a clever officer of the Quebec garrison. Four Jesuit Fathers, one of whom was the Canadian Superior, accompanied the expedition (which their order aided most liberally to equip) to found the first Iroquois church. Vide Relation de la New France, 1654, for the Father's own account of this journey. 1656. On the 7th of May Dupuys put his little band in motion for their destination. The Mohawks were fully apprised of the objects of the expedition, and had already made preparations for its destruction. Four hundred warriors of their tribe proceeded to intercept it, but failing in their object, they avenged themselves by pillaging some canoes, which had dropped behind the main body and were insufficiently guarded. It was not deemed expedient by De Lauson to make this insult a ground of quarrel, as hopes were entertained that the influence of the western Iroquois would be sufficiently strong to compel the Mohawks to make reparation. But the latter soon showed that no concessions need be looked for at their hands. Presuming on the vacillating conduct of the Governor, and whom no doubt they despised for the impolitic course he had pursued in permitting their war against the Cats, and leaving that tribe to their fate without. daring to aid them, they made a descent on the Isle of Orleans, one morning before sunrise, fell upon a party of ninety Hurons of both sexes who were in the fields, killed six of these helpless people, and carried off the rest. As they returned homewards they boldly passed up the river before Quebec, and compelled their prisoners to sing psalms when opposite the fort, as if to challenge the Governor to attempt their rescue. On arrival in their country the Huron chiefs were tortured, and the remainder of the prisoners held in severe captivity.* The remainder of the Hurons on the Isle of Orleans, very justly considering themselves no longer in security there, took refuge in Quebec. Having found the French unable to protect them, in a moment of despondency they now secretly sent a proposal to the Mohawks, offering to unite with them, and become one people. To this arrangement the latter promptly acceded, and finding that the Hurons after a while regretted their offer, they at once took measures to compel them to fulfil it. Scouting parties were spread around Quebec in every direction, which massacred or carried into captivity every Huron whom they encountered; and when they had, as they supposed, sufficiently humbled this unfortunate people, they sent thirty deputies to De Lauson, to demand the surrender of such as still remained under his protection. Nothing could equal the haughtiness with which these deputies acquitted themselves. They demanded to be heard in an assembly of the French and Hurons, to which the Governor pusillanimously acceded, and was most deservedly punished by the insolence of * Heriot's Hist. Can. p. 75. Murray's Brit. Amer. vol. i. p. 174. their language. "Lift up thy arm, Ononthio," said their spokesman, "and allow thy children whom thou holdest pressed to thy bosom to depart; for, if they are guilty of any imprudence, have reason to dread, lest in coming to chastise them, my blows may fall on thy head. I know," continued he, after presenting a belt of wampum, "that the Huron is fond of prayers: that he confesses and adores the Author of all things, to whom in his distress he has recourse for succour. It is my desire to do the same. Permit the missionary therefore who quitted me to return with the Hurons; and as I have not a sufficient number of canoes to carry so large a number of people, do me the favour to lend me thine." The council broke up, without the Hurons having come to any definite conclusion as to their future course. One clan alone finally determined to keep their promise to the Mohawks, and departed with them to their country accompanied by Father Le Moyne. The Governor was severely censured by the public, for the want of courage he had displayed throughout the entire transaction, and it was generally supposed that had he pursued a contrary course the Mohawks would not have dared, engaged as the confederacy were in a war with the Cats, to press their demands in the insolent manner they had done. De Lauson finding that his pacific policy was disliked by the colonists, and tired of a government which he now felt sensible required the energy of a military man to control it 1657. with effect, quit his post without waiting to be recalled, and returned to France in disgust, leaving M. De Ailleboust in temporary charge of the Province.* Meanwhile, the Iroquois had pursued the war against the Cats with the utmost vigour, the possession of fire-arms giving them a great superiority in the contest. Out-post after out-post was captured and broken up, and 700 warriors of the confederates finally stormed the principal stronghold of the enemy, although defended by 1500 fighting men. This success completely annihilated the Eriez, or Cats, as a distinct tribe. Those who were not killed or taken into their tribes by the victors fled westward and northward; and were it not that the great lake which washed the southern borders of their country still retains their name, every memorial of their existence would have passed into oblivion. The Iroquois about this period likewise turned their arms against the Outawas or Ottawas, a branch of the great Algonquin race, whose hunting-grounds lay along the Ottawa from Ottawa City upwards. This tribe did not make the slightest resistance, and sought shelter * Heriot's Hist. Can. p. 38. 1 amid the marshes along their river, or fled to the islands of Lake Huron, whence a portion of them subsequently penetrated to the south-west, where they joined the Sioux. A great part of Lower, and all Upper Canada, were now completely in the possession of the Five Nations. They had become the terror of all the Indian tribes of the north, and even on the side of New England, the cry of "a Mohawk," echoed from hill to hill, caused general consternation and flight.* The Iroquois having attained to this formidable position among the native tribes, and esteeming the neutrality of the French as now no longer of any value, the destruction of the settlement in the Onondaga country was resolved upon. The Christian Hurons were first massacred, some of them in the very arms of the Jesuit missionaries, and Dupuys, who still continued to command this post, saw at once that unless he and his people made a timely flight, they must shortly expect to share the same fate, an opinion in which he was confirmed by the secret warnings of .some native converts. Day after day the position of this little band became more and more critical. Luckily for them, three Frenchmen had been scalped and murdered near Montreal by the Oneidas, which was promptly revenged by De Ailleboust seizing a dozen of Iroquois, and placing them in irons. This proceeding, although it added to the irritation of the confederates, now compelled them to proceed more cautiously, not wishing to endanger the lives of the prisoners. Dupuys was destitute of canoes and other means of transport, but he remedied this want by having several light batteaux constructed in the garret of the Jesuits' dwelling, which stood apart from the other buildings. A day at length was appointed for departure, and every preparation made so secretly that the Indians knew nothing of what was going forward. To conceal the launching of the batteaux a great feast was given to them. As much noise as possible was made: the boats were speedily launched. Gorged with food and drugged with brandy, the Iroquois slept heavily, and awoke to find the dwellings of the Frenchmen tenantless, and their occupants spirited away in a most mysterious manner.† 1658. After a dangerous journey of fifteen days' duration, Dupuys conducted his detachment in safety to Montreal. But his gratification at this fortunate occurrence was diminished by the reflection, that his precipitate flight was highly discreditable to his Heriot's Hist. Can. p. 77. Colden's Hist. Five Nations, vol. i. pp. 3, 4. + Vide Father Paul Ragueneau's Report to the Jesuit Superior in France, for full details. |