New-York daily tribune., 1859-02-09

lishments was not agriculture and coionz son, but
merely trade with the Iudisns-a bug;nen ~ to
which they csme into armed collision With the
New England colonists. Tho Plymouth people,
adyt nturous Indian traders, had established for
that purpose fortified trading houses On the Ken
nebec, the PenobscOt and as far east IS MaehiS;
but the latter pos.s were broken up By the French,
who claimed the coas. and tie monopoly Of the
Indian traffic. in which its only value then con.
,;sted. a. far east as Pemaquid Point-abou.
half way from the Penobscos TO the Kennebec
T1ey also feized and consscsted all such trading
barks from New England as they found traficking
in their waters When to these special rivalries
in trade and the hereditary antipathes Of English
men and Frenchmen, was added the fact thst
they were "pspi,ts and idolaters," OF course they
were regarded by the Jealous puritan, Of New
Epsl.rd as very bad and dangerous neishsors. 1t
happered however, about the year 164O, that
a great rivalry sprung up between the two sdven-
turers in this French American fur trade, who ap
pear. indeed to have divided the whole Of it be-
tween them D'Aulnay, who had commission as
Governor of Acadie from the French company,
who then held royal grant Of it, had hi, principal
establishment in the Penobscot Bay, With posts
also, at Port Royal in the Bay Of Fundy,
AID at lie Have, on the exterior coast
of the peninsula OF Nova Scotia. L, Tour,
who had inherited from his father, an Old H1gue-
| not nobleman, one of the earliest French adven-
turers il this traffic, an establishment at tie mouth
of the 81. Johns River, scorned to have put over
his head q man of inferior birth, who had been
lately only a mercantile clerk. The dopute was
carried TO France where La Tour obtained royal
letter confirming him in possession of his fort and
trading house on the ST. Johns. But this triumph
on La Tours part was only transitory, as three
years after D'Aulnay procured roy al letter, au-
tboriziDg him to arrest his rival and send him 70
France.
La Tour had formerly had some sharp encounters
with the New -EDsls traders. II was be who
had broken up the Plymouth trading house at Ma
chiss but finding himself now in precarious
position, and in danger Of being cut of from
France as q market where he could cell bis flrs
and purchase bis supplies, be sent an Embass,dor
TO Boston, asking assistance against DAulnsy,
and proposing free trade, supply Of goods from
London, to be obtained through the Boston msr.
chants and the shipment of furs thither by the
same conveyance. This offer was accepted by the
Massachusetts, authorities. A Boston vessel was
sent TO ST. Johns and La Tours wife, who was
very capable woman, came to Boston and there
took passsge for France, via England, in hopes to
reettabish ter husbands affairs. DAulnay, hear
ing of these doipgs, sent word to Boston that Is
Tour was rebel, and that he should seize al yes-
sells attempting to trade with him.
Such WAS the state OF affairs when one Nay morn
ing La Tour, uaob:erved, entered the hsrbor Of
Boston, with large ship full Of armed men. Dis
covering boat passing near he cent shallop to
speak with it, but those on board taking fright
made with all haste, followed by the stranger boat,
for an island, where Gov. Winthrop had a farm,
and where he happened to be at that moment with
all his family. The good people of Boston were
not little alarmed at this sudden appearance of
an armed vessel in their harbor, and at what seemed
TO them attempt to kidnap their Governor, for
whose rescue they ran to arms, sending three
armed shallops to bring him of. In fact, the
town at that moment was not in a very good pos
ture of defense In passing the fort on Castle
Island La Tour hsd salusd it, but there was
nobody to answer him. The last General Court,
in fit of economy, had Ienounced the
idea of repairing the fort, large part of
the walls having tumbled down. They had
given orders to have il deserted so that had
La Tour been intent on hostilities, he might not
only have taken all the ordnance there, also the
Governor and bis family, bat might, as Winthrop
tells us in his Journal" have "gone and spoiled
"Boston," and taken the two ships which consti-
tuted the whole fleet Of merchantmen then lying 10
tie barbor Fortunately, however he came not
as an enemy, but asa suppia1t His wife, whom
be had sent to France, had obtained for him at
Rochelle this ship with the armed men and cargo
on board; but The vessel on arriving of the St.
Johns had been unable to enter that river, as
D'Aulnay was then bOckading tie mouth Of it
with two ships, three pinnaces, gslliot, and five
hundred men. La Tour, however, managed to
steal out in his shalop and, getting on board the
chip steered for Bo,ton-hs obje:t being TO get
assistance there to drive of D'Aulnay, and to
raise the blockade under which his fort was held.
He desired leave to land and refresh his men,
which was granted on condition that they landed !
in small companies so thai the women and other
tmerous persons might not be afrighted. But the |
Boston training day occurring coon after, it |
was resolved, at his request, that he might land
and exercise his whole force. The prudence Of |
this step, however, was not by any means uaani. |
mously conceded. One of the Ministers, whom |
Winthrop with his usual respect for the clergy, |
describes as "judciou,," hearing that this leave