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within two hundred paces of their fort, I caused the two murderers to be shot."[1]
- ↑ While Du Luth was thus occupied Groseilliers and Radiseon, who had left the English, were in Paris, as will be seen from the following dispatches of Lord Preston, the English Ambassador, which have never been published in this country.
Preston, in 1683, informs the English government that the French Canadians had burned the Hudson Bay Company's house, taken prisoners John Bridge and servants, planted the French standard, and changed the names of two branches of the river, calling one Port Bourbon, and that in August they had seized an English ship called the "Bachelors' Delight," and requested the French authorities to arrest Radisson the leader of the assault on Port Nelson. Under the date of 19th of January, 1683–84, he writes to England: “Sent my Secretary, to know if the King had ordered any answer concerning the attack upon Nelson's Port. I find the great support of Mons. de la Barre, the present Governor of Canada, is from the Jesuits of this Court, which order always hath a great number of missionaries in that region, who besides the conversion of infidels, have had the address to engross the whole castor trade, from which they draw considerable advantage. The late Governor, the Marquis de Frontenac, did ever oppose himself to their designs, and executed the King his Master's right to that traffique, but they found the means by the interests of Father de la Chaise, to have him recalled and the present Governor sent, who complyeth wholly with them, and giveth them no kind of trouble in ther commerce. . . . . Raditon [Radisson] arrived about the time you mentioned, at Rochelle, and hath been in Paris these five days. There came on shore, at the same time, from a merchant vessel, Des Groselieres, a person whose story is well known, in those countries, and who accompanied the others in his action. I am told that they both took possession for the English, this very Nelson's River and Port, by a commission which they had from England. A friend of mine who hath seen the former since his arrival tells me that he finds him much alarmed with the charge against him."
After asking that charts, and the voyages of Baffin, Nelson, Fox, and others may be sent to him, Lord Preston continues: "I rather desire this, because I hear Radisson is come charged with a great number of them which are doubtless drawn for his purpose. I am told privately, that a relation of the taking possession of Port Nelson in the name of the English, by these very men Des Groselieres and Radisson may be found among the papers of Prince Robert [Rupert]."
On the 26th of January he writes again: "I am informed that Radisson and Des Groselieres have seen Mons. de Seignelay since their arrival, who informed him, that they had lived in that country for many years, in very good intelligence with the English, having furnished them with provender, but that they having a design once to insult them, and to take from them three or four hundred pounds of powder, they defended themselves, and that the English commenced hostilities."—Seventh Report of the Royal Historical Commission.
