Page:History of the Ojibway Nation.djvu/444

434 "My Lord: By my letter of the 24th of August last year, I had the honor to let you know, that in order to thwart the movements, that the English do not cease to make, in order to seduce the Indian natives of the north, I had sent the Sieur Chevalier de Repentigny to the Sault Ste. Marie, in order to make there an establishment, at his own expense; to build there a palisade fort, to stop the English; to interrupt the commerce they carry on; stop and prevent the continuation of the 'talk,' and of the presents which the English send to those natives to corrupt them, to put them entirely in their interests, and inspire them with feelings of hate and aversion for the French.

"Moreover, I had in view in that establishment to secure a retreat to the French travellers, especially to those who trade in the northern post, and for that purpose, to clear the lands which are proper for the production of Indian corn there, and to subserve thereby the victualling necessary to the people of said post and even to the needs of the voyageurs.

"The said Sieur de Repentigny has fulfilled in all points the first objects of my orders. As soon as he arrived at Missilimakinac, the chief of the Indians of the Sault Ste. Marie gave to him four strings of wampum, and begged of him to send them to me, to express how sensible they were for the attention I had for them, by sending the Sieur de Repentigny, whom they had already adopted as their nephew, which is a mark of distinction for an officer amongst the Indians, to signify to them my will in all cases to direct their steps and their actions.

"I have given orders to said Sieur de Repentigny to answer at the 'talk' of that chief, by the same number of strings of wampum, and to assure him and his natives of the satisfaction I have at their good dispositions.