Produced by Robert Fite Tom Allen David Moynihan Charles Franksand the Online Distributed Proofreading TeamTranscribers Note Lengthy footnotes or those consisting of morethan one paragraph have been numbered and relocated to the end of thechapter in which they occur They are marked by 1 2 etcCOUNT FRONTENACANDNEW FRANCEUNDER LOUIS XIVBYFRANCIS PARKMANAUTHOR OF PIONEERS OF FRANCE IN THE NEW WORLD THE JESUITS IN NORTHAMERICA THE DISCOVERY OF THE GREAT WEST AND THE OLD REGIME INCANADAPREFACEThe events recounted in this book group themselves in the main about asingle figure that of Count Frontenac the most remarkable man whoever represented the crown of France in the New World From strangelyunpromising beginnings he grew with every emergency and rose equalto every crisis His whole career was one of conflict sometimes pettyand personal sometimes of momentous consequence involving thequestion of national ascendancy on this continent Now that thisquestion is put at rest for ever it is hard to conceive the anxietywhich it wakened in our forefathers But for one rooted error ofFrench policy the future of the Englishspeaking races in Americawould have been more than endangeredUnder the rule of Frontenac occurred the first serious collision ofthe rival powers and the opening of the grand scheme of militaryoccupation by which France strove to envelop and hold in check theindustrial populations of the English colonies It was he who madethat scheme possibleIn The Old Regime in Canada I tried to show from what inherentcauses this wilderness empire of the Great Monarch fell at last beforea foe superior indeed in numbers but lacking all the forces thatbelong to a system of civil and military centralization The presentvolume will show how valiantly and for a time how successfully NewFrance battled against a fate which her own organic fault madeinevitable Her history is a great and significant drama enactedamong untamed forests with a distant gleam of courtly splendors andthe regal pomp of VersaillesThe authorities on which the book rests are drawn chiefly from themanuscript collections of the French government in the ArchivesNationales the Bibliotheque Nationale and above all the vastrepositories of the Archives of the Marine and Colonies Others arefrom Canadian and American sources I have besides availed myself ofthe collection of French English and Dutch documents published bythe State of New York under the excellent editorship of DrOCallaghan and of the manuscript collections made in France by thegovernments of Canada and of Massachusetts A considerable number ofbooks contemporary or nearly so with the events described also helpto throw light upon them and these have all been examined Thecitations in the margins represent but a small part of the authoritiesconsultedThis mass of material has been studied with extreme care and peculiarpains have been taken to secure accuracy of statement In the prefaceof The Old Regime I wrote Some of the results here reached are ofa character which I regret since they cannot be agreeable to personsfor whom I have a very cordial regard The conclusions drawn from thefacts may be matter of opinion but it will be remembered that thefacts themselves can be overthrown only by overthrowing the evidenceon which they rest or bringing forward counterevidence of equal orgreater strength and neither task will be found an easy oneThe invitation implied in these words has not been accepted The OldRegime was met by vehement protest in some quarters but so far as Iknow none of the statements of fact contained in it have beenattacked by evidence or even challenged The lines just quoted areequally applicable to this volume Should there be occasion acollection of documentary proofs will be published more thansufficient to make good the positions taken Meanwhile it will Ithink be clear to an impartial reader that the story is told not inthe interest of any race or nationality but simply in that ofhistorical truthWhen at the age of eighteen I formed the purpose of writing onFrenchAmerican history I meant at first to limit myself to the greatcontest which brought that history to a close It was by anafterthought that the plan was extended to cover the whole field sothat the part of the work or series of works first conceived wouldfollowing the sequence of events be the last executed As soon as theoriginal scheme was formed I began to prepare for executing it byexamining localities journeying in forests visiting Indian tribesand collecting materials I have continued to collect them ever sinceso that the accumulation is now rather formidable and if it is to beused at all it had better be used at once Therefore passing overfor the present an intervening period of less decisive importance Ipropose to take as the next subject of this series Montcalm and theFall of New France   BOSTON 1 Jan 1877CONTENTSCHAPTER I16201672COUNT AND COUNTESS FRONTENACMademoiselle de Montpensier and Madame de FrontenacOrleansTheMaréchale de CampCount FrontenacConjugal DisputesEarly Lifeof FrontenacHis Courtship and MarriageEstrangementScenes atSt FargeauThe Lady of Honor dismissedFrontenac as a SoldierHe is made Governor of New FranceLes DivinesCHAPTER II16721675FRONTENAC AT QUEBECArrivalBright ProspectsThe Three Estates of New FranceSpeechof the GovernorHis InnovationsRoyal DispleasureSigns ofStormFrontenac and the PriestsHis Attempts to civilize theIndiansOppositionComplaints and HeartburningsCHAPTER III16731675FRONTENAC AND PERROTLa SalleFort FrontenacPerrotHis SpeculationsHisTyrannyThe BushrangersPerrot revoltsBecomes alarmedDilemma of FrontenacMediation of FénelonPerrot inPrisonExcitement of the SulpitiansIndignation of FénelonPassion of FrontenacPerrot on TrialStrange ScenesAppeal tothe KingAnswers of Louis XIV And ColbertFénelon rebukedCHAPTER IV16751682FRONTENAC AND DUCHESNEAUFrontenac receives a ColleagueHe opposes the ClergyDisputes inthe CouncilRoyal InterventionFrontenac rebukedFreshOutbreaksCharges and CounterchargesThe Dispute grows hotDuchesneau condemned and Frontenac warnedThe QuarrelcontinuesThe King loses Patience More AccusationsFactions andFeudsA Side QuarrelThe King threatensFrontenac denounces thePriestsThe Governor and the Intendant recalledQualities ofFrontenacCHAPTER V16821684LE FEBVRE DE LA BARREHis Arrival at QuebecThe Great FireA Coming StormIroquoisPolicyThe Danger imminentIndian Allies of FranceFrontenac andthe IroquoisBoasts of La BarreHis Past LifeHisSpeculationsHe takes AlarmHis Dealings with the IroquoisHisIllegal TradeHis Colleague denounces himFruits of hisSchemesHis Anger and his FearsCHAPTER VI1684LA BARRE AND THE IROQUOISDonganNew York and its Indian NeighborsThe Rival GovernorsDongan and the IroquoisMission to OnondagaAn IroquoisPoliticianWarnings of LambervilleIroquois BoldnessLa Barretakes the FieldHis MotivesThe MarchPestilenceCouncil at LaFamineThe Iroquois defiantHumiliation of La BarreThe IndianAlliesTheir Rage and DisappointmentRecall of La BarreCHAPTER VII16851687DENONVILLE AND DONGANTroubles of the New GovernorHis CharacterEnglish RivalryIntrigues of