hem by dint of power, the sense of which drove them for
refuge into our party, had behaved with more tenderness to them, and
conciliated their affection by humoring them properly, and distributing
a few presents, they might easily have made useful and valuable subjects
of them. Whereas, disgusted with their haughtiness, and scared at the
menaces and arbitrary encroachments of the English, they are now their
most virulent and scarce reconcileable enemies. This is even true of
more parts in America, where, though the English have liberally given
presents to ten times the value of what our government does, they have
not however had the same effect. The reason of which is clear: they make
them with so ill a grace, and generally time their presents so
unjudiciously, as scarce ever to distribute them, but just when they
want to carry some temporary point with the savages, such, especially,
as the taking up the hatchet against the French. This does not escape
the natural sagacity of the savages, who are sensible of the design
lurking at bottom of this liberality, and give them the less thanks for
it. They do not easily forget the length of time they had been
neglected, slighted, or unapplied to, unless by their itinerant traders,
who cheat them in their dealings, or poison them with execrable spirits,
under the names of brandy and rum. Whereas, on the contrary, the French
are assiduously caressing and courting them. Their missionaries are
dispersed up and down their several cantonments, where they exercise
every talent of insinuation, study their manners, nature, and
weaknesses, to which they flexibly accommodate themselves, and carry
their points by these arts. But what has, at least, an equal share in
attaching the savages to our party, is the connivence, or rather
encouragement the French government has given to the natives of France,
to fall into the savage-way of life, to spread themselves through the
savage nations, where they adopt their manners, range the woods with
them, and become as keen hunters as themselves. This conformity endears
our nation to them, being much better pleased with seeing us imitate
them, than ready to imitate us, though some of them begin to fall into
our notions, as to trafficking and bartering, and knowing the use of
money, of which they were before totally ignorant. We employ besides a
much more effectual method of uniting them to us, and that is, by the
intermarriages of our people with the sav