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.
Letter From MM. De Vaudreuil and Raudot
(September 15, 1707)
Vaudreuil and Raudot in: Michigan Historical
Collections, XXXIII, pp. 342-346.
p. 343.
(page 343) is to pay for, and will see that His Majesty is reimbursed the expenses he advanced for this post.
The provisions necessary for the troops have always been conveyed by the Company. It is true that it is asking to be reimbursed for it by His Majesty but, My Lord, the Sr. de la Mothe is making profit enough to be charged with this conveyance, and it will cost him nothing, for in every boat which he permits to go there, 300 lbs weight is taken up for him in order to obtain that permission, and the boats going down again also bring back 300lbs weight for him to this colony.
Before the Sr. de la Mothe set out, and in order to make him do so, the Sr. Raudot, junior, was obliged to promise4 him to pay him for the presents he made to the savages at trading price, in accordance with the certificates of the almoners. He has sent him bills for presents made to the Miami savages, Pepikokia, and Onyatanous, to prevent them from going to war with the Outavois last winter, the prices of which are excessive, amounting to a total of 1982£ 7s. 6d. The said Sr. Raudot replied to him that these prices were too high, and that in future if he made presents he would request you, My Lord, in order to avoid any kind of dispute, to be good enough to decide on the prices. He has the honor to annex hereto the paragraph of the Sr. de la Mothe's letter in reply to his. You will see, My Lord, from the way in which he answers him, that the only pretext he catches at against your5 being good enough to settle these matters is that he cannot wait for his money, although the Sr. Raudot, junior, has offered him goods from the store until such time as these matters should be settled.
He has sent the Sr. Raudot, junior, a bill for a gross amount of 905£ 19s. for expenses which have been incurred at Detroit6 for the defence of that post which is only signed by the Sr. de Bourmont and the man named Grandmenil, agent of the said Sr. de la Mothe, and is not detailed at all. The Srs. de Vaudreuil and Raudot are convinced that no part of this bill is due to him, seeing that it is stated in it that this expense was incurred to keep the Miamis for the defence of that post, which cannot be, since it was the Miamis who were attacked by the Outavois, and it was not necessary to make them presents to induce them to defend their lives and those of their wives and children.
Among the presents which the said Sr. de la Mothe had made to the savages,
brandy is set down at 20 livres a pot; in this7
colony it was worth only 4 livres last year and two livres this year, retail,
so this price is excessive. The said brandy ought not to be priced more than a
hundred per cent higher at Detroit; and as for that of the Sr. de la Mothe, it
cost him very little more there than in this colony, because of the 300 livres
weight which each boat, to which he grants permission to go there, takes up for
him free. The price is excessively high, My Lord, only because the Sr. de la
Mothe has set up a brandy8 shop at Detroit, and
_____________
6 Do. to write sharply to La Mothe.
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