New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-29
PARKMAN'S NEW VOLUMES.
The GREAT STRUGGLE FOR NORTH AMER
ICA
A HALrcENrrRY OF CONFLICT BY Francis


face, forming Part VI Of the series called France
and England in North America, fills the gap be-
tween Part V, Count Frontcnac. and Part VII,
'Montcalm and Wolfe; so that the series now
forms a continuous history Of the efforts OF
France to occupy and control this Continent. IN
the present volumes the nature OF the subject does
not permit an unbrokcn thread OF narrative, ana
the unity Of the book lies IN its being throughout
In one form or another an illustration of the
sinquarly contrasted characters and methods OF
the rival claimants to North America The
period treated OF extends from 1904 to l'oO, ana
the book consists of a series OF viva pictures
showing the course Of the conflict between the
English and the French in various parts OF the
contested territory and frontiers during the nail
century illustrated, from the war of the Spanish
Succession to the Peace of AiX-la- Chapelle. The
age was one in which nearly all the advantages
seemed to lie with the French The English Col
ones were untitled to cope with an adversary
who had clear purpose united power, harmony
of action, and a powerful ecclesiastical alliance
bis side
vital point at this time, both for Canada and
the Colonies, was the friendship of the great
Indian league known as the Five Nations OF the
Iroquois Now the French treated the Indians
with consummate tact They sent among them
Jesuits and priests who studied them deeply and
learned how to control them They kept them
rood-tempered with plentiful gifts They graft
fed their love of fighting and plumber by lncltlng
them to raids upon the English frontiers. On the
other hand New-York neglected the Five Nations
They had always been her allies against the
French, had guarded her borders and fought her
battles What they wanted in return was
gifts, attentions just dealings, and active ald III
war; but they got them in scant measure. ms
treatment by the province was short-slghted. II
mot uncrateful The Five Nations were
robbed by land-speculators, cheated by traders,
and fceby supported in their constant wars with
the French The latter, always awake to their
own interests, kept up steady pressure upon'th
Indians to detach them from their alliance to the
English, and the neglect of Ncw-1ork
several times rendered such detachment highly
probable On the eve of Queen Annes war; as
the war Of the Spanish Succession was called, the
Indians were, as often, in a state OF DOUBT ana
vacillation What probably influenced them most
was the fact that they much preferred the Eng
lish goods to the French, and this the Canadians
could not get over. |
Trade interests OF course were at all times
powerful and conflicting. Thus the Canadians
sought to draw the Indian traffic to Montreal;
the English sought to divert it to Albany: ana
the Five Nations in their turn opposed thls |
scheme as they wished TO hold the position of mid
as they were called, consisted of the tribes of
the Great Lakes and adjacent regions, Ottawas,
Pottawatamies. Sacs, Foxes, Sioux, and many
more Most of them were nominal friends and
allies Of the French, who were kept constantly
busy trying 10 maintain peace among them, and
especially in holding them from war against their
enemies the Five Nations-who would be turned
against Canada forever if such an event occurred,
since the Far Indians would lie sure to call upon
their French allies for help in such contest,
and If they responded they must lose not only
the trade but all hope of the friendship or the
neutrality of the Five Nations. In short the
Indian situation all around was full OF conpllca-
tions and difficulties. and what made it worse
was that the Indians were so VIGOROUSLY hcKe
and unstable that it impossible TO tell how
long they would remain in one mind. Other
troubles were caused by quarrels between the
French soldiers and the Jesuits, and the case OF
La Mothe- Cadillac and the founding of Detroit,
10 which Mr. Parlxman devotes chapter is in !,
point.
Cadillac protested against the methods Of the [
Jeeuts. who, he said cared only for the nominal
conversion of the Indians, and simply taught
them ceremonies ana dogmas, Of which they com
pretended nothing. Cadillac maintained that |
conversion without civilization was futile; and IN
this he was clearly right But he had long |
struggle with the JAsuits over the question |
He wished to found French colony at Detroit |
They wanted to make the post general muster
ing point for the Indians. But colonsts could
not be persuaded to go where the Indians were,
and after attempts to the new colony by
mercantile monopoly. which proceeded on the !
theory that the colonists were serfs with no
right but that of working for the benefit Of the
corporation, the experiments not unnaturally |
failed, and Cadillac was permitted once more
TO test his own theories. This method of col
onizing, however, was peculiarly French 1hey
tried it later in Louisiana, and with precisely !
similar results. The French Government often
assisted" such colonies by dispatching to them
the sweepngs of French jais and houses Of cor
rection Even the spirit Of eighteenth century
France protested against the character OF the
women who thus sent OUTPUT principally,
IL appears, upon the ground that they were ex-
asperatingy ugly On the founding of Detroit
the Five Nations were filed with jealousy and
alarm and to secure the protection Of the King
OF England conveyed to him the whole country
from Lake Ontario northward to Lake Superior.
O territory described in the deed as being about
eight hundred miles long and four hundred wide.
Nothing came of this at the time, but Mr.. Park
man says, the English put the deed on file, and
used it long after as the base OF their claim to
the region Of the Lakes
When Queen Anne's war broke out the French
determined TO assail the then infrequcnt and
solated settlements of Maine. The country was
an almost unbroken forest. The settlements
were many miles from one another. The only
defence they had consisted in bocishouses, built
mainly as places Of refuge during Indian attacks.
These rude forts were simply paisaded enclosures.
with wooden towers or :" iankcrs" at the four
corners. Within the enclosure were one or more
houses, and here upon an alarm. the people of
he neighborhood assembled. Mr.. Parkman has
some impressive descriptions of the French and
Indian raids in Maine. The outages committed
were bad enough, but in respect less horri-
Bile than those Of the Plains Indians and the
Apaches in own time For the French did