|
1718] |
FRENCH REGIME IN WISCONSIN. |
377 |
1718: CONFERENCE OF WESTERN INDIANS WITH GOVERNOR VAUDREUIL, AT MONTREAL.
[Part of a letter from Vaudreuil to Council; dated
Oct. 30, 1718.
Source, same as that of preceding document, but fol. 143.]
There is no warlike movement among the nations of the upper country; and everything has been quiet there since the expedition Made in 1716 against the Renards - except among the Kikapous and the Maskoutins, who have continued the war against the Ilinois, against whom they have made incursions, as the Ilinois have against them.
The Renards, although they are allies of the Kikapous and Maskoutins, far from taking any part in this war, have shown that they Are disposed to maintain peace with all the nations who Are allied with us. For, in spite of their fear of being ill received on coming here, Because they were not able to fulfil all the conditions of the treaty made with them by Monsieur de Louvigny, they nevertheless sent Five of their principal chiefs, accompanied by some others of their people, who arrived at Montreal on July 20th last, under the conduct of Maurice Mesnard and Pierre Reaume, Interpreters. Three Saki chiefs arrived at the same time; and next day those of the sauteurs of Chagouamigon and of Keouéouenan on lake Superior arrived also, with Sieur de St. Pierre, who conducted them. Sieur de Vincennes had arrived on the 19th, with the principal chief of the Miamis and three of the Ouyatanons.
A few days afterward, having assembled the chiefs of the nations of the upper country who were at Montreal, And Those of the savages at Sault St. Louis, at Sault aux Récolets, and at bout de l'Isle, I gave audience to the Renard Chiefs, who said that they were sent in behalf of Onechala of Kiuetonan and of all the other chiefs of their Village, by the Road which Pemoussa had made for them, to Beg me to take pity on Them. They confessed that it was owing to Monsieur de Louvigny that they still saw the light of day, and that they had not yet recovered from the fear which he had caused them when he had come among them. They added that they hoped I would be touched with compassion for their misery, and would not
382 |
WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. |
[vol. xvi |
Nations favorably disposed toward the French than in dealing with all the other
Nations of the upper country, and in maintaining peace among them. I would not
have sent to the Council the Collar which the five Iroquois Nations presented
to His Majesty, in 1717, if it had not been presented on The occasion of his auspicious
succession to the crown. Accordingly, I will conform with the order of the
Council in sending no more such Collars.
* * * * * * * *
It seems to me very necessary that Sieur Dubuisson should continue to serve in that country, as he is more capable than any other officer of managing the Ouyatonons and the Miamis, who Know and esteem him, and among whom he has had considerable reputation since the defeat of the Renards at Detroit, where he was in command during the absence of Sieur de la forest; and where the Miamis and the Ouyatanons used to come to trade, as their Village was not at that time very far distant from that post. Those two Nations have as yet made no movement to go, one to the St. Joseph River, and the other to the Tatiky.1 They promised me, in messages sent to me last Summer, that they would not fail to go there this autumn; But they have changed their minds since that time, For I learn from the last letters I have received from the Miamis that, Sieur de Vincennes having died in their Village, Those Savages had resolved not to go to the St. Joseph River, but to remain where they are.
As this
resolution is fraught with danger on account of the ease with which they can
communicate with the English, - who are incessantly sending them Collars
underground, in order to gain them over by means of certain Iroquois Couriers
and others who are in their hire, - I had intended that Sieur Dubuisson should
command at the post among the Ouyatanons, and, on his way thither, should Use
all his Influence among the Miamis to decide That Nation to go to the St.
Joseph River; or that he should remain in the place where they are settled, if
they did not wish to abandon it, so as to obviate the effect
__________
1Or Teatiky, more often written Theakiki; the early name of the
Kankakee river in Illinois. - ED.
|
1719] |
FRENCH REGIME IN WISCONSIN. |
383 |
of all these Collars which they receive only too frequently, and which have led
eight or ten Canoes of Miamis to go to carry on their trade at Orange this
year, and might lead that whole Nation to follow their example.
To prevent those Collars from producing such Results, much vigilance is necessary on the part of a commandant, in order to discover them; and, when he has done so, much ability is needed to render them of no avail. Sieur Dubuisson has all the necessary qualities for this; and there is no officer as capable as he is of dealing with those Nations and inducing them to do everything that we wish.
It will certainly be easier for him than for any other to succeed, owing to his disinterestedness and Liberality, and his firmness in matters that require it. I Beg the Council to take this into consideration.
I asked for him, two years ago, the Cross of St. Louis; And, as it has not been granted, I Beg The Council to please obtain from His Majesty this mark of distinction, which I think that he has merited by thirty-three years of service in this country, and by his Valor, his wounds, and his good conduct; while, moreover, it seems to me necessary in the post which I propose to confide to him, if the Council be pleased to excuse him from going to Isle Royale.
|
Approved: |
La Chapelle. |
|
Discussed on March 11, 1720. |
|
[Endorsed: "Colonies: Monsieur de Vaudreuil. Take this to Monseigneur the Regent."]
__________
1719: ACCOUNT OF DE LIGNERY FOR EXPENSES INCURRED BY HIM.
[Source, same as that of preceding documents, but vol. 44, c. 11, fol. 46.]
I humbly beg Monsieur the Governor-general to have the goodness, with Monsieur the Intendant, to attend to the reimbursement which I request for advances made, on the account of the King, at Missilimakinac, since 1715.
394 |
WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. |
[vol. xvi |
Moderation- especially as Ouacantapé, Chief of the Sious, has decided to
abandon their Cause, which will greatly humiliate Them; And as they will be
obliged, in case the League of nations should march against them, to make a
firm peace with the latter, by yielding the Satisfaction they ask, or by going
so far away that they can no longer Trouble those tribes. Accordingly I shall
not hesitate to abandon the Renards to these nations, if I learn next year that
they have not made suitable amends to the Miamis, and that they Continue to
make War against the Ilinois.
According to advises received from St. Joseph River and the Ouyatanons post, some savages of That nation, to the number of forty or 50, have gone to settle at the Teatiky, And it was Hoped that the rest would Follow Them this autumn. It is, however, to be Feared that the Pianginchias, who are more numerous than all the rest, may decide to remain where they are; for they have been solicited by the Canadians who have fled to Caskakias, Who have told the Savages that they would take care to bring them merchandise, and that the officer who was in command in the country of the Ilinois, claiming that they were his dependents, was on the point of having their post occupied by an officer with a Garrison. This, according to my views, is wholly Prejudicial to the welfare of This Colony and to the union which ought to exist between the ouyatanons and the Miamis; for they are one and the same nation, having separated into two Bodies on account of the Jealousy of the Chiefs who formerly governed them. Besides, that nation has never been Considered as belonging either to the Ilinois country or to Louisiana.
A part of the Miamis, numbering about one hundred men, have gone to Settle on the St. Joseph River, where still others were expected. However, The majority of the Savages of that nation continue to remain in their usual territory, and do not appear at all disposed to go to the St. Joseph River. Some of their Chiefs, who are very much under the influence of the English and the Iroquois, on seeing that I was causing all the French who were in their Village to withdraw, have taken advantage of this to insinuate that I wished to abandon the na-
|
1720-21] |
FRENCH REGIME IN WISCONSIN. |
399 |
As it is important to keep up this favorable disposition on the part of the
Kikapous and mascoutins, in this matter of withdrawing to the St. Joseph River
to Settle there, he has written to Sieur de Montmidy to send those two chiefs
to him, and to raise no difficulties about receiving those two nations at his
post, when they present themselves to settle there, provided that no objection
is made by the Poutouatamis and Miamis who are Established there. The number of
the latter has not increased at this post since last year, as none of those who
had remained in the old village have left it.
Sieur Dumont, whom he sent last year to persuade them to abandon it, has informed him that on his assembling them on the 11th of last February, they all unanimously declared that they were positively resolved to remain in their old village alleging, as a reason for refusing to leave it, that they are in safety there, and that there is game in the neighborhood; while, if they went to Settle at the St. Joseph River, they would be in danger of being killed by the Renards, and would have to travel a long distance to reach the place where they usually hunt. The Ouyatanons have also refused to go to the Teatiky, and the little band which had Settled there abandoned the place on finding that the rest of the nation would not come. Thus the Hopes which he had had of drawing the Miamis to the St. Joseph River, and the ouyatanons to the Teatiky, have come to nothing. But as it is of great importance not to abandon those two nations, he sent, in the month of August last, Sieur Du Buisson, Captain, to Occupy a post among the Miamis, and to assume command there as well as among the ouyatanons. He will reside among the Miamis, as it is necessary that he remain there in order to forestall the effect of the intrigues of the English, who continue them by means of certain Iroquois, who go among the Miamis almost every year, under pretext of visiting them as friends. Some of those Emissaries, who passed the winter this year in their village, chose the time when Sieur Dumont was among the ouyatanons, to Take along 8 or 10 Canoes of Miamis to Orange to do their trading there. He hopes that Sieur Du Buisson will find means of putting an end
|
1723] |
FRENCH REGIME IN WISCONSIN. |
429 |
that we can Count assuredly upon all the Nations of Canada to oblige That of
the Renards to live in peace.
That nation has not made any Attack on The French since The peace concluded with Monsieur de Louvigny in 1716; and it engaged in the war of the Quiquapous and Mascoutins against the Ilinois only after having been attacked by the latter, who in various encounters had killed or taken prisoners many Renard savages from 1718 Up to 1719 - while that nation was laboring to Persuade the Kicapous and Mascoutins to cease making Attacks Upon the Illinois; and notwithstanding the fact that on eight different occasions the Renards had Sent back to them several Slaves of their nation, whom the Quiquapous had presented to them, and they had charged These Slaves to tell the Ilinois chiefs that, if they desired to make peace, their had only to Come to the village of the Renards, where they could negotiate it in all safety. If these advances on the part of the Renards had been favorably received, and if Monsieur De Boisbriant1 who must have been Informed by Sieur De Liette, had urged the Ilinois to respond by some Concession on their side, I am convinced that the War between Those Nations would long since have been ended.
The Renards last
year besieged The Ilinois of Le Rocher. They reduced them to such extremities
that they were Obliged to Sue for their lives, which the Renards granted; and,
raising the siege, retired to their village. As soon as they had returned, they
sent Deputies to Sieur de Montigny, Commandant at the post of la Baye, to
excuse themselves for having engaged in That enterprise against his wishes; and
to assure him at the same time, in the name of all the chiefs, that the War was
entirely at an end, and that they no longer wanted to go to war with any nation
unless they were first attacked. I thought, Monseigneur, that you would not be
averse to seeing their speeches On this occasion which I therefore enclose.
__________
1Pierre Dugué, sieur de Boisbriant, was born in 1675, and died in
1740. His name is prominent in the early history of Canada and Illinois, and he
was commandant in the latter region during 1718-24. In 1720, he built Fort
Chartres, at a spot about sixteen miles northwest of Kaskaskia, and a mile from
the Mississippi. - ED.
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