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.
Vaudreuil to the Minister
(July 29, 1707)
Vaudreuil, Marquis de in: Michigan Historical
Collections, XXXIII, pp. 328-331.
THE OTTAWAS COME TO QUEBEC IN THE SPRING OF 1707.
Endorsed- M. de Vaudreuil. Quebec, this 24th July 1707.
My Lord,
M. Raudot and I had the honor of sending you a joint letter a week ago by a small brigantine which came from Plaisance and has gone back there. We have the honor of sending you a duplicate of the same letter by this opportunity, namely a ship from Provence which came to Quebec this year. But, as the letter which we have the honor of writing to you only informs you generally of the present condition of the country, I thought you would not disapprove of my taking the liberty of giving you a statement on my own account of what concerns myself and the various reasons I have had for my action according to the circumstances which have presented themselves.
As the chief concern of this country, My Lord, according to what I have always had the honor of telling you, and also according to your own instructions, is to keep the savages who are allied to us completely united, I have always applied myself to that as far as it was possible.
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[p. 2 of transcript, and p. 3 to end of first paragraph, omitted.]
The season being too far advanced prevented the Outavois from coming down here, and prevented me at the same time from being able to take all the steps I should like to have taken, either to punish the Outavois or to find a way to pardon them, while making them give me such satisfaction as should make a stir among the savages; and I found no better device, while awaiting the end of the winter, than to have all the tribes kept in a kind of truce until I had declared my will. For that purpose I sent orders to the Iroquois, to Detroit and to Michilimakina. They have been strictly carried out by the Outavois and the Iroquois, and it was only the Miamis and Hurons who, though they did not in fact move, yet according to what the Sr. de la Mothe tells me, especially as regards the latter [tribe], would have very much liked to destroy the Outavois.
The Outavois, My Lord, remained all winter extremely impatient to learn what I thought. At last, in the early spring, they dispatched twelve chiefs or head men from among them, Jean le Blanc being one of them, to come and speak to me. They arrived at Montreal on the 16th of June, and, after having put themselves in my hands, and having fully acknowledged their misdeeds,- Jean le Blanc speaking throughout for them all they presented me with two slaves, as substitutes for the Recollet father, Recollet father, (page 329) and protested that they would do nothing in future which could displease me, and begged me to forget the past.
I showed them, My Lord, by my answers, of which I will do myself the honor of sending you a copy this autumn, as well as what they said to me, how easy it was for me to take vengeance on them, how little confidence I ought to place in their word, and lastly how great the fault was which they had committed, and also how important it was for me to exact reparation for it. I demanded of them the head of Le Pezant, one of their chiefs, as it was he alone who was the cause of all that had occurred. They did not dare to promise me it, and Jean le Blanc, having shown me that it was impossible, seeing the various tribes to which Le Pezant is allied, who would not fail to avenge his death if they undertook to kill him, offered to give himself as a victim, rather than promise a thing which he could not perform.
The submissive, and apparently sincere manner in which he has always spoken to me, together with the blind obedience he has shown to my orders and in doing my will, in coming down merely on the message which his brother Miscouaky had taken to him from me, prevented me from pressing matters too far. Moreover it is not just to punish an innocent man for a guilty one, Le Pezant being the sole originator of all that has taken place at Detroit. I therefore took another course, My Lord, and as I knew that the Sr. de la Mothe had sent word to this same Jean Le Blanc, before he left Michilimakina to come to Montreal, to go to him at Detroit, I thought- as I did not wish to lose the Outavois- that I could not do better, for the purpose of making known to the Iroquois and all the other tribes that these savages had come to make their submission to me, than to make them go and make reparation on the very spot where they had offended against me. After I had said all I thought I ought to say to them, I referred this matter to the Sieur de la Mothe, and gave him orders to try and find expedients for making peace between them and the Hurons and the Miamis. And, in order that I might be more certain, My Lord, of all the Outavois did, and that the Iroquois also might be the sooner informed of the steps I was making them take, I sent them by way of the Lakes instead of by the great river, their ordinary route, and I sent along with them a boat in which I put an officer who had served as an interpreter for me at Montreal and will be a witness, at Detroit of all they have said to me, and all they say there, as well as all that passes on their return to Michilimakina, where I have ordered him to proceed with them, returning thence before the ships leave down here, so that I may be able to give you an account of it. And by way of making it impossible for anyone to accuse him of going to trade, I have forbidden him and those with him to take any goods, under any pretence whatever, not even for the purpose of obtaining provisions; and I have written to the Sieur de la Mothe to have such as are necessary supplied to them, both for (page 330) going from Detroit to Michilimakina and for coming down here again.
I have no doubt, My Lord, that the Sr. de la Mothe will find it very easy to arrange this peace, all the more since- as I have already had the honor of telling you above,- he himself sent word to this same Jean le Blanc, whom I am sending to him to come to him. But what further makes me think that he will give every attention to it is that, in one of his letters of the 11th of May, which I received while the Outavois were at Montreal, he urges me to make peace for these savages with the other tribes, warning me, as I have already known a long while, and have also had the honor of notifying to you, that everything was to be feared from too close a connection between the Miamis and Hurons and the Iroquois. However, in referring this matter to him, as I would not belie myself in what I had said to these savages, and in order that this might serve as a rule in future with all the tribes, I notified to the Sieur de la Mothe, and I declared to the Outavois who were present when I spoke, that, whatever expedient he might decide upon for pacifying everything with them, I would not permit Le Pezant to be included in it in any way, for I would never pardon him, nor any others who should attack the French in future. I am doing so, My Lord, not that I hope they will bring me his head, but in order to destroy his influence with the tribe until such time as I may be able to make an opportunity of taking vengeance on him.
I am aware, My Lord, that I could very well have settled that matter myself without referring it to the Sr. de la Mothe. But, besides the fact that it would have cost the King enormous sums for bringing all the tribes down and assembling them at Montreal, I was very glad to give the Sr. de la Mothe this opportunity to bring him into repute among all the savages so as to promote his settlement still further, and also My Lord, in order to show you that when it is a question of the interests of the service, I do not think of what may concern myself. I know, however, that the Sieur de la Mothe often behaves badly towards me.
In addition to the reasons which obliged me, in accordance with what I have just had the honor of telling you, to refer the affair of the Outavois to Sieur de la Mothe rather than to settle it here, there is one more which is no less cogent than the others. It is the rumor which is current, and is confirmed from all parts, that the English are to besiege us at Quebec. 1 did not think, looking to all the information I have received that I ought to let the savages know the arrangements I should be obliged to make; and I thought it was my policy to keep them occupied in their own places, seeking means to pacify everything, while, on my part, I did the same to get ready.
* * *
Before closing this letter, I am very glad, My Lord, to assure you that I am carrying out precisely your orders regarding the post of Detroit. I (page 331) wanted to give the Sieur de la Forest, whom the Sieur de la Mothe sent here this spring to look after matters concerning his post, the additional fifty soldiers whom you order me to send him. The Sieur de la Forest, on my wishing to include among these fifty men the rest of the Sieur de la Mothe's company and his, and on some difficulty arising as to the vehicles, requested me to await the reply to a letter which he wrote to the Sieur de la Mothe on this subject, assuring me that the post would not suffer in any way from the delay in sending these fifty men. Otherwise, My Lord, although the Sieur de la Mothe has no means of transport ready at Montreal for conveying these fifty men, I should nevertheless have sent them, leaving it to you to be good enough to give instructions yourself concerning the expense. I am with great respect,
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My Lord |
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Vaudreuil. |
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Quebec, this 24th of July, 1707.
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COUNCIL HELD AT DETROIT ON THE 6th OF AUGUST.
Endorsed-
Summary of the words of Monsieur de la Mothe Cadillac, Commandant of Fort Pontchartrain at Detroit, on the 6th of August, 1707, to Jean le Blanc, Kinougé, Meatinan and Menukoueak four chiefs of the four Outtavois tribes, sent to him by the Governor-General.
First Council.
Monsieur de la Mothe speaks: Otontagan, Kinongé and the rest of you, listen to me well. I will not repeat the words you said to Onontio, nor the answers he gave you; you know well enough what they were, and so do I.
Monseiur de Vaudreuil writes word to me that he sends you back here with the two slaves which you gave him; that he gives me power to make peace; that I may take whatever means I please to procure it for you; and that he leaves the whole matter to me. Hearken to me Otontagan. I had kindled a great fire here, I had planted four great trees near this beautiful fire, two on my right hand and two on my left. You, O Outtavois, were the greatest of the trees. I often said within myself- see, that is good now, I shall often rest in the shadow of that tree, I shall often take refreshment there, and under its shade I shall have none but good thoughts.
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