al for such assistance
was forwarded to the king, as the result of the deliberations of the
assembly. This application was immediately answered by the dispatch of
200 soldiers to New France, and by a remonstrance addressed to the King
of Great Britain, who instructed Colonel Dongan, the English governor of
New York, to encourage more friendly relations with his French
neighbors.

While M. de la Barre pushed on his preparations for war against the
Iroquois, he still kept up the hope of treating with them for peace in
such a manner as not to forfeit the dignity of his position. In the mean
time, however, he received intimation that a formidable expedition of
1500 warriors had assembled, ostensibly to wage war with the Illinois,
but in reality for the destruction of the Miamis and Ottawas, both
allies of the French. The governor promptly dispatched an envoy, who
arrived at the village where the Iroquois had mustered on the evening of
the day appointed for the beginning of their campaign. The envoy was
received with dignity and kindness; and he succeeded in obtaining a
promise that the expedition should be deferred, and that they would send
deputies to Montreal to negotiate with the French chief. But the wily
savages had promised only to deceive; and in the month of May following,
the governor received intelligence that 700 of these fierce warriors
were on their march to attack his Miami and Ottawa allies, while
another force was prepared to assail the settlements of the French
themselves. He attributed these dangerous hostilities to the instigation
of the English.

The governor made urgent representations to the minister at home as to
the necessity of crushing two of the Iroquois tribes, the most hostile
and the most powerful. For this purpose, he demanded that a
re-enforcement of 400 men should be sent to him from France as soon as
possible, and that an order should be obtained from the Duke of York, to
whom New York then belonged, to prevent the English from interfering
with or thwarting the expedition.

The Iroquois found the free trade with the English and Dutch more
advantageous than that with the French, which was paralyzed by an
injudicious monopoly; but they were still unwilling to come to an open
rupture with their powerful neighbors. They therefore sent deputies to
Montreal to make great but vague professions of attachment and good
will. For many reasons, De la Barre placed but little confidence in
these addr