ty. To show his power, De Frontenac conceived the idea
of a great expedition against the Indians. He collected regulars,
militia, and all the friendly Indians to be procured, and, marching to
Cataraqui, passed into the country of the Onondagos. On entering a
lake, it was ascertained by the symbol of two bundles of rushes, that
1,434 fighting men were in readiness to receive them. De Frontenac
threw up an earthwork, or log fort, to fall back upon, and proceeded.
De Callieres, Governor of Montreal, commanded the left wing; De
Vaudreuil the right; and De Frontenac, now 76 years of age, was
carried, like Menschikoff at Alma, in the centre, in an elbow chair.
The Indians fell back, and as they did so, pursued the Russian policy
of destroying their own forts by fire. The French never came up with
the Onondagos or Oneidas, but contented themselves with destroying
grain, and returned to Montreal.

De Frontenac's next expedition was to join Admiral, the Marquis
Nesmond,--who had been despatched with ten ships of the line, a
galliot, and two frigates,--with a force of 1,500 men at Penobscot,
with the view of making a descent on Boston; to range the coast of
Newfoundland; and to take New York, from whence the troops were to
return overland to Canada, by the side of the River Hudson and Lake
Champlain. The junction was not effected, and the expedition failed. A
treaty of peace, on the 10th of December, 1697, concluded between
France and England, at Ryswick, in Germany, put an end to colonial
contention for a short time. By that peace, all the countries, forts,
and colonies taken by each party during the war, were mutually given
back. De Frontenac, an exceedingly courageous and skilful officer, now
became involved with his government at home. The French government
began to perceive that advanced posts for the purpose of trading with
the Indians for furs, were of little, if, indeed, they were of any
advantage, while they were a continued source of war. It was proposed
to abolish these stations, so that the Indians might, to the great
saving of transport, bring in their furs themselves, to Montreal. De
Frontenac demurred. These forts were the sign of power, as they were a
source of patronage. The fur trade was a monopoly, carried on by
licenses granted to old officers and favorites, which were sold to the
inland traders as timber limits are now disposed of. Profits of 400 per
cent were made on successful fur adventures, under a licens