ne hand
leaving the west to the keeping of the Jesuits, and confining the
population to the borders of the St. Lawrence; on the other, the
occupation of the interior of the continent by posts of war and
trade.[21] Through the force of events the latter view had prevailed;
yet while the military chiefs of Canada could not but favor it, the
Jesuits were unwilling to accept it, and various interests in the colony
still opposed it openly or secretly. Frontenac had been its strongest
champion, and Cadillac followed in his steps. It seemed to him that the
time had come for securing the west for France.

The strait--_detroit_--which connects Lake Huron with Lake Erie was the
most important of all the western passes. It was the key of the three
upper lakes, with the vast countries watered by their tributaries, and
it gave Canada her readiest access to the valley of the Mississippi. If
the French held it, the English would be shut out from the northwest;
if, as seemed likely, the English should seize it, the Canadian
fur-trade would be ruined.[22] The possession of it by the French would
be a constant curb and menace to the Five Nations, as well as a barrier
between those still formidable tribes and the western Indians, allies of
Canada; and when the intended French establishment at the mouth of the
Mississippi should be made, Detroit would be an indispensable link of
communication between Canada and Louisiana.

Denonville had recognized the importance of the position, and it was by
his orders that Greysolon Du Lhut, in 1686, had occupied it for a time,
and built a picket fort near the site of Fort Gratiot.[23]

It would be idle to imagine that the motives of Cadillac were wholly
patriotic. Fur-trading interests were deeply involved in his plans, and
bitter opposition was certain. The fur-trade, in its nature, was a
constant breeder of discord. The people of Montreal would have the
tribes come down every summer from the west and northwest and hold a
fair under the palisades of their town. It is said that more than four
hundred French families lived wholly or in part by this home trade, and
therefore regarded with deep jealousy the establishment of interior
posts, which would forestall it. Again, every new western post would
draw away trade from those already established, and every trading
license granted to a company or an individual would rouse the animosity
of those who had been licensed before. The prosperity of Detroit wou