l ten years 1672-82 Canada
was free from fear of the Iroquois. Just at the close of Frontenac's
first term (1680-82) the Senecas were showing signs of restlessness by
attacking tribes allied to the French, but there is abundant reason to
suppose that had Frontenac remained in office he could have kept these
inter-tribal wars under control.

{74}

Bound up with the success of Frontenac's Indian policy is the
exploration of the West--an achievement which adds to this period its
chief lustre. Here La Salle is the outstanding figure and the laurels
are chiefly his. None the less, Frontenac deserves the credit of
having encouraged all endeavours to solve the problem of the
Mississippi. Like La Salle he had large ideas and was not afraid.
They co-operated in perfect harmony, sharing profits, perhaps, but
sincerely bent on gaining for France a new, vast realm. The whole
history of colonial enterprise shows how fortunate the French have been
in the co-operation of their explorers with their provincial governors.
The relations of La Salle with La Barre form a striking exception, but
the statement holds true in the main, and with reference to Algiers as
well as to Canada.

La Salle was a frank partisan of Frontenac throughout the quarrel with
Perrot and Fenelon. On one occasion he made a scene in church at
Montreal. It was during the Easter service of 1674. When Fenelon
decried magistrates who show no respect to the clergy and who use their
deputed power for their own advantage, La Salle stood up and called the
attention of the leading citizens to {75} these words. Frontenac, who
was always a loyal ally, showed that he appreciated La Salle's efforts
on his behalf by giving him a letter of recommendation to the court in
which La Salle is styled 'a man of intelligence and ability, more
capable than any one else I know here to accomplish every kind of
enterprise and discovery which may be entrusted to him.'

The result of La Salle's visit to Versailles (1674) was that he gained
privileges which made him one of the most important men in Canada, and
a degree of power which brought down on him many enemies. He received
the seigneury of Fort Frontenac, he was made local governor at that
post, and, in recognition of services already performed, he gained a
grant of nobility. It is clear that La Salle's forceful personality
made a strong impression at court, and the favours which he received
enabled him, in turn, to secure