Old Quebec: The Fortress of New FranceParker, Gilbert
History
Old Quebec: The Fortress of New France
Parker, Gilbert
Québec (Province) -- History
Trouble, however, came in due course. With a natural distrust of
renegade Frenchmen, Governor Bailey suspected the two friends of being
concerned in a plot set on foot by certain Jesuit agents of the
Intendant Talon in 1673, by which the loyalty of the Indians was to be
alienated from the English traders. After scenes of personal violence,
the alleged traitors justified the suspicions of the Governor by
severing once more the slender tie of their allegiance and returning
to the service of France. Nor was it long before new fruits of their
restless energy appeared. In 1681 the _Compagnie du Nord_ was
organised as a rival to the "Adventurers of England"; and in the same
year the Intendant Duchesneau complained to his Government of the
aggressions of the English traders.
"They" (the English), he wrote, "are still in Hudson's Bay on the
north and do great damage to our fur trade....The sole means to
prevent them succeeding in what is prejudicial to us would be to drive
them by main force from that Bay, which belongs to us. Or, if there
would be an objection in coming to that extremity, to construct forts
on the rivers falling into the lakes, in order to stop the Indians at
these points."
From this time to the peace of Utrecht there was war between the
Hudson's Bay Company and the French. A veiled expedition set out from
Quebec in 1682, under the guidance of Groseilliers and Radisson, to
attack the forts on the Bay; and by their effrontery and good
generalship they at last became possessed of the newly built Fort
Nelson, with Bridgar its Governor, and returned next year with their
prisoners and spoils to Quebec. But this triumph was soon converted by
their lawless temper into disgrace and condemnation; and to escape
penalty for misappropriating large quantities of fur, the two leaders
were compelled to fly from New France for the second time, and once
more take refuge in Paris.
But now the English Company decided to make another bid for the
services of these versatile bushrangers, who once more proved their
graceful facility for playing a double game. Radisson was sent by the
English ambassador to London, where he became a lion of society, and
was presented to Charles II. John Selwyn thus describes his
appearance:[40]--
"To the Duke's Playhouse, where Radisson, the American
fur-trader, was in the royal box. Never was such a
combination of French, English, and Indian savage as Sir
John Kirke's son-in-law....He was not wont to dress so
when he was last here, but he has got him a new coat with
much lace upon it, which he wears with his leather
breeches and shoes. His hair is a perfect tangle. It is
said he has made an excellent fortune for himself."
[Footnote 40: Quoted by Beckles Willson, _The Great Company_, vol. i.
p. 141.]
[Illustration: The Earl of Durham.
Governor General of Canada May-Oct. 1838.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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