A fishery was also begun about this time at Mount Louis, on the south coast of the St. Lawrence. The French suffered little further molestation from the Indians; but animosities still continued between the Algonquins and Iroquois, and frequent hostilities among the other tribes. Ourèharè, in whom M. de Frontenac placed great and deserved confidence, and through whose influence he expected to bring the Iroquois to terms of friendship and permanent peace, died this year at Quebec. Peace was concluded by England and France in 1698; and the English and French governors entered mutually into arrangements for maintaining harmony with the Indians. Although either the English or French would now have crushed for ever the power of the Iroquois, yet the anxieties manifested by each government to conciliate the regard of those savages, were carried to an extent, which gave them an opinion of themselves that nothing but the jealousies of the English and French could warrant, and of which the Indians well knew how to avail themselves. Soon after the conclusion of an understanding of friendship with the Iroquois, Louis, Count de Frontenac died, in the seventy-eighth year of his life, twenty of which he had spent in Canada; where his vigorous administration and his great personal abilities, preserved the colony with little assistance from France, and always secured to him the confidence of the king, the respect of his officers, even of those opposed to many of his measures, and the esteem of the Indians. He was succeeded by the Chevalier de Callieres, who had been for some years Governor of Montreal, which office was supplied in the person of the Chevalier de Vaudreuil. Some difficulties arose soon after, in maintaining a good understanding with the savages, which were principally occasioned by the English governor; but the address of the French missionaries gave M. de Callieres an ascendant, which he held with great tact and able management, until his death in 1703. His loss was great to Canada; and although his powers of mind wanted the splendid points that cast such brilliant lustre on the government of M. de Frontenac, yet, from his great excellence of character, he was beloved and respected by all; and, having never violated his word to the Indians, he always retained their implicit confidence. The Marquis de Vaudreuil was then appointed to the chief command, on account of his great services in Canada; and agreeably also to the unanimous petition of the inhabitants to the king. The Indian tribes, among whom jealousies were fomented by the English, and by numerous murders among themselves, occasioned much embarrassment in the affairs of Canada during the administration of M. de Vaudreuil. He, however, managed to prevent the colonists from being molested, and the trade and cultivation of the country continued to improve and prosper. England and France being now, (1709,) however, at war, an expedition was sent from New York, which was joined by a great body of Iroquois and Mahingans. M. de Ramsay, with 1000 regular troops, together with a body of militia and savages, were sent to intercept them; but the want of confidence in this commander, or some jealous feeling entertained by the other officers, rendered the expedition fruitless, and it returned to Montreal with a few prisoners only. M. de Vaudreuil, however, lost no time in putting Quebec in a proper state of defence, and took every precaution, by strengthening the outposts, to prevent the English entering Canada. The English were at this time fully confident of success, but the policy of an Iroquois chief not only blasted the hopes they had reasonably entertained, but subjected the army to the most severe distress. While the Iroquois warriors were exulting in the prospect of entirely destroying the French, this crafty leader, to whom they had always listened with respect and deference, said to his people, "Ah! but I have been considering what will become of us, if we destroy the French, who keep the English in check.* The latter will then assuredly crush us, in order to possess our country. Let us not, therefore, foolishly bring certain ruin upon ourselves, merely to indulge our passions, or to please the English. Let us rather leave the French and English in a position which will make either of them set a high value on our friendship." This was their former and favourite system, but as they considered it shameful to desert the English openly, they concluded on effecting their purpose by enveloping their treachery under the most profound secrecy and diabolical cruelty. "The lawless savages," says Raynal, "the * The same argument would have been just, if made in respect to the conquest of Canada by the English. Had France remained mistress of Canada, it is not probable that the Americans would have established their independence until a later period. The nationality of the lower Canadians, if preserved, will form the most lasting and formidable defence of British power in North America. religious Hebrews, the wise and warlike Greeks and Romans; in a word, all people, whether civilised or not, have always made what is called the rights of nations to consist in craft or violence." The English army halted on the banks of a small river, where they encamped and waited for the artillery and ammunition, which were following at a slower rate than the march of the main body of the troops. The Iroquois, who, in the mean time, spent their leisure hours in hunting, flayed all the animals they killed, and sunk their skins in the river, a little above the English camp. The English, who had no suspicion of the fatal treachery, continued to drink of the poisoned water; and so many were carried off in consequence, that it soon became necessary to suspend all military operations. They were therefore compelled to return to New York, where they learned that the destination of the fleet which was to proceed with troops to besiege Quebec, was changed, and sent to Lisbon to protect Portugal from the Spaniards. The English colonists soon after renewed their preparations against the French; and an army, accompanied by some Iroquois, marched towards Canada; but, meeting with great difficulty, they returned, on receiving information that a second fleet, with the troops intended to besiege Quebec, was dispersed, and eight of the largest vessels lost near Seven Islands Bay. M. de Vaudreuil had, however, by this time, managed to engage such numerous bodies of Indians, and to fortify Quebec so strongly, while he, at the same time, guarded the advanced posts with such vigilance, that had the fleet and the troops from New York even arrived safely before Quebec, there would have been little risk of France losing Canada, although there would have been, in all probability, great loss of life on both sides. The Treaty of Utrecht, in 1712, gave peace to Canada, and M. de Vaudreuil had now leisure to direct his attention to the local affairs of the province. A little before this time, a powerful tribe of Indians, called the Autagamis, or the Foxes, were instigated by the Iroquois to besiege Detroit, where they built a fort near that of the French. The allies of the latter, however, arrived in great numbers, and a furious attack was made upon the fort of the Autagamis. The latter defended themselves with the most extraordinary obstinacy; but, finding that nothing but death awaited their surrender, they contrived to escape from the fort at night, during a snow-storm. They were, however, soon afterwards. overtaken, many of them massacred, and the remainder, amounting to 150 men, women, and children, were distributed among the allies, and nearly all put to death. The loss of the Autagamis amounted to about 1000, and that of the allies to no more than sixty. The result of this expedition prevented the English from building a fort at Detroit, as they intended, which would have been ruinous to the fur trade of Canada. Soon after the peace of Utrecht, the English built a fort on the banks of Lake Ontario, which secured them a great share of the fur trade. The French also rebuilt the fort at Niagara, and strengthened their garrison at Detroit, which commanded the |