te 47: _Le Ministre a la Galissoniere, 14 Mai, 1749_.]

[Footnote 48: _Memoires sur le Canada, 1749-1760_. The charges made here
and elsewhere are denied, somewhat faintly, by a descendant of La
Jonquiere in his elaborate _Notice biographique_ of his ancestor.]

[Footnote 49: _Le Ministre a La Jonquiere, Mai, 1749_. The instructions
given to La Jonquiere before leaving France also urge the necessity of
destroying Oswego.]

[Footnote 50: _Ordres du Roy et Depeches des Ministres; a MM. de la
Jonquiere et Bigot, 15 Avril, 1750_. See Appendix A. for original.]

[Footnote 51: _Ordres du Roy et Depeches des Ministres, 1750_.]

[Footnote 52: Chalmers, _Collection of Treaties_, I. 382.]

[Footnote 53: _La Jonquiere a Clinton, 10 Aout, 1751_.]

[Footnote 54: Deposition of Morris Turner and Ralph Kilgore, in
_Colonial Records of Pa._, V. 482. The deponents had been prisoners at
Detroit.]

The French on their side made counter-accusations. The captive traders
were examined on oath before La Jonquiere, and one of them, John Patton,
is reported to have said that Croghan had instigated Indians to kill
Frenchmen.[55] French officials declared that other English traders were
guilty of the same practices; and there is very little doubt that the
charge was true.

[Footnote 55: _Precis des Faits, avec leurs Pieces justificatives_,
100.]

The dispute with the English was not the only source of trouble to the
Governor. His superiors at Versailles would not adopt his views, and
looked on him with distrust. He advised the building of forts near Lake
Erie, and his advice was rejected. "Niagara and Detroit," he was told,
"will secure forever our communications with Louisiana."[56] "His
Majesty," again wrote the Colonial Minister, "thought that expenses
would diminish after the peace; but, on the contrary, they have
increased. There must be great abuses. You and the Intendant must look
to it."[57] Great abuses there were; and of the money sent to Canada for
the service of the King the larger part found its way into the pockets
of peculators. The colony was eaten to the heart with official
corruption; and the centre of it was Francois Bigot, the intendant. The
Minister directed La Jonquiere's attention to certain malpractices
which had been reported to him; and the old man, deeply touched,
replied: "I have reached the age of sixty-six years, and there is not a
drop of blood in my veins that does not thrill for the service of my
King.