THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Raymond to Roulli
(October 1, 1751)
De Raymond in: Wisconsin
Historical
Collections, XVIII, pp. 94-98.
. . .
[Letter from De Raymond to the French minister, dated Oct. 1, 1751. Source, same as preceding document, but folio 389.]*
. . . In 1749 The General Detached Him from the
Command of That Garrison And Sent Him orders to go and take Command at the
Miamis post where he stopped le pied froid, the Great Chief of the Miamis
Nation, and All his Band who were about to abandon that post and Go over to The
English. By his Continual efforts and watchfulness and The care he took to
Maintain Spies among the Revolted Miamis and Their allies, he Discovered The
Intrigues of a Conspiracy, Balked its plans and Frustrated their Execution.
That Conspiracy had Been hatched by the pianguichias, The ouyatanons of the
Band of le Comte, The Revolted Miamis, the Chaouanons and a number of Renegade
yrocois who Had Withdrawn to the Belle Rivire and had Drawn into Their Plot the
nations of the ylinois Country who were to act at the time Indicated to Them.
The letter Written to Him on the Subject by Monsieur Benoist, the Commandant of
the ylinois, he Sent to Monsieur de la jonquire, who Stated that he had
Forwarded It to Your Grace; a copy thereof is (page 96)
hereto annexed.41 By those negotiations he Won over The families of le pan
and of le Sac ptun, the leading ones among the Revolted Miamis. Their Return to
the post brought back there The remainder of That nation and restored Harmony
everywhere. He had Managed Matters on That Occasion and Had Reason to Hope for
a successful Result When his unexpected and unseasonable recall, which
surprised That Nation, caused them to Suddenly Change their attitude, and
matters Became So unsatisfactory from that time, that they were in a Desperate
condition and Without any Chance of Improvement. This Should now show Monsieur
de la jonquire, If he would open his eyes, How Messieurs de Celoron And Varin
had deceived him By Asking the former to Relieve him and replace him by the
Sieur de Villiers, who, according to The project that Was Sent you,
Monseigneur, was to Bring back the Revolted Miamis At once And restore
tranquility everywhere through the great Experience And the Great Credit he was
supposed to have, but who, Nevertheless, obtained no other result than seeing
The Band of le pied froid leave the post of Miamis and Go over to the English,
without being able to stop them; and there Remained with the Sieur de villiers
at that post only le pied froid and his family, Making 3 or 4 Lodges. The
families of le pan and of le Sac ptun, who had just come to Miamis to join him
[de Raymond] would no longer Hear of Returning when they learned of his recall.
Had he been Retained at that Post, They Would have come there and he Would have
Availed himself of their Influence over the remainder of the Revolted Miamis to
induce them to Return. The Band of le pied froid, whom he would have
Strengthened in their loyalty on their arrival, would not have left that post.
Such was the result of his Recall and When The Sieur de villiers appeared at
Rivire la Roche, Far from Having The Credit of Bringing back the Revolted
Miamis, the latter would not Listen to Him but Sent Him back in so Contemptuous
a manner that he Returned to (page 97) His
post without a Word and quicker than he left it.
____________________
* The same letter, with some differences in wording, may be found in the Illinois Historical Collections, French Series, Vol. III, pp. 393-401.
41 See ante, pp. 58-60.- ED.
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