Page:American History Told by Contemporaries, v2.djvu/383

No. 123] They have not, up to the present time, however, maintained that these rivers belong to them ; they pretend only that the Iroquois are masters of them and being the Sovereigns of these Indians, that they can exercise their rights. But 'tis certain that these Indians have none, and that, besides, the pretended sovereignty of the English over them is a chimera. Meanwhile 'tis of the greatest importance to arrest the progress of the pretensions and expeditions of the English in that quarter. Should they succeed there, they would cut off the communication between the two Colonies of Canada and Louisiana, and would be in a position to trouble them, and to ruin both the one and the other, independent of the advantages they would at once experience in their trade to the prejudice of ours. Any complaints that may be presented to the Court of England against the English Governors would be altogether futile. On the one hand it would be very difficult to obtain proofs of the most serious facts ; and on the other, no matter what proofs may be produced, that Court would find means to elude all satisfaction, especially as long as the boundaries are not settled.

It is necessary then to act on the spot, and the question to be determined is, what means are the most proper. . ..

Therefore, without undertaking, as the Marquis de la Jonquiére appears to have proposed, to drive from the River Ohio the Indians who are looked upon as rebels or suspected, and without wishing even to destroy the liberty of their trade, it is thought best to adhere to two principal points.

To make every possible effort to drive the English from our territory, and to prevent them coming there to trade. To give the Indians to understand at the same time that no harm is intended them, that they will have liberty to go as much as they please to the English to trade, but will not be allowed to receive these on our territory. There is reason to believe that by this course of conduct ; by providing our posts with plenty of goods and preventing our traders dictating to the Indians, our trade will soon recover the superiority over that of the English in those parts ; for tis certain the Indians do not like to go into their towns, nor forts. . . . However that be, 'tis considered proper to direct Mr Duquesne to lay down henceforward in Canada a different system from that always