ith zeal. To the clergy he hinted that their task was not
finished when they had baptized the Indians. After that came the duty
of converting them into good citizens.

Frontenac's next step was to reorganize the municipal government of
Quebec by permitting the inhabitants to choose two aldermen and a
mayor. Since these officials could not serve until they had been
approved by the governor, the change does not appear to have been
wildly radical. But change of any kind was distasteful to the Bourbon
monarchy, especially if it seemed to point toward freedom. So when in
due course Frontenac's report of these activities arrived at
Versailles, it was decided that such innovations must be stopped at
once. The king wished to discourage all memory of the Three Estates,
and Frontenac was told that no part of the Canadian people should be
given a corporate or collective status. The reprimand, however, did
not reach Canada till the summer of 1673, so that for some months
Frontenac was permitted to view his work with satisfaction.

His next move likewise involved a new departure. Hitherto the king had
{38} discouraged the establishment of forts or trading-posts at points
remote from the zone of settlement. This policy was based on the
belief that the colonists ought to live close together for mutual
defence against the Iroquois. But Frontenac resolved to build a fort
at the outlet of Lake Ontario. His enemies stated that this arose out
of his desire to make personal profit from the fur trade; but on public
grounds also there were valid reasons for the fort. A thrust is often
the best parry; and it could well be argued that the French had much to
gain from a stronghold lying within striking distance of the Iroquois
villages.

At any rate, Frontenac decided to act first and make explanations
afterwards. On June 3, 1673, he left Quebec for Montreal and beyond.
He accommodated himself with cheerfulness to the bark canoe--which he
described in one of his early letters as a rather undignified
conveyance for the king's lieutenant--and, indeed, to all the hardships
which the discharge of his duties entailed. His plan for the summer
comprised a thorough inspection of the waterway from Quebec to Lake
Ontario and official visits to the settlements lying along the route.
Three Rivers did not detain him long, for he was already {39} familiar
with the place, having visited it in the previous autumn. On the 15th
of the month his