Canada

Louis XIV, the greatest of the Bourbon monarchs, had now taken into his own hands the reins of power. Nominally he had been king of France since 1642, when he was only five years old, but it was not until 1658 that the control of affairs by the regency came to an end. Moreover, Colbert was now chief minister of state, so that colonial matters were assured of a searching and enlightened inquiry. Richelieu's interest in the progress of New France had not endured for many years after the founding of his great Company.

The ten years following 1663 form a decade of extraordinary progress in the history of New France. The population of the colony had trebled, and now numbered approximately seven thousand; the red peril, thanks to Tracy's energetic work, had been lessened; while the fur trade had grown to large and lucrative proportions. With this increase in population and prosperity, there came a renaissance of enthusiasm for voyages of exploration and for the widening of the colony's frontiers. Glowing reports went home to the King concerning the latent possibilities of the New World.

The greatest and most enduring achievement of Frontenac's first term was the exploration of the territory southwestward of the Great Lakes and the planting of French influence there. This work was due, in large part, to the courage and energy of the intrepid La Salle. Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, like so many others who followed the fleur-de-lis into the recesses of the new continent, was of Norman birth and lineage. Rouen was the town of his nativity; the year 1643 probably the date of his birth.

NATIVE TRIBES.

 OSSOSSANE. - THE NEW CHAPEL. - A TRIUMPH OF THE FAITH. - 
 THE NETHER POWERS. - SIGNS OF A TEMPEST. - SLANDERS. - 
 RAGE AGAINST THE JESUITS. - THEIR BOLDNESS AND PERSISTENCY. - 
 NOCTURNAL COUNCIL. - DANGER OF THE PRIESTS. - BREBEUF'S LETTER. - 
 NARROW ESCAPES. - WOES AND CONSOLATIONS.

 HURON TRADERS. - BATTLE AT THREE RIVERS. - ST. JOSEPH. - 
 ONSET OF THE IROQUOIS. - DEATH OF DANIEL. - THE TOWN DESTROYED.

More than two centuries have elapsed since the Hurons vanished from their ancient seats, and the settlers of this rude solitude stand perplexed and wondering over the relics of a lost people. In the damp shadow of what seems a virgin forest, the axe and plough bring strange secrets to light: huge pits, close packed with skeletons and disjointed bones, mixed with weapons, copper kettles, beads, and trinkets. Not even the straggling Algonquins, who linger about the scene of Huron prosperity, can tell their origin.

 DU PERON'S JOURNEY. - DAILY LIFE OF THE JESUITS. - 
 THEIR MISSIONARY EXCURSIONS. - CONVERTS AT OSSOSSANE. - 
 MACHINERY OF CONVERSION. - CONDITIONS OF BAPTISM. - BACKSLIDERS. - 
 THE CONVERTS AND THEIR COUNTRYMEN. - THE CANNIBALS AT ST. JOSEPH.

 ST. LOUIS ON FIRE. - INVASION. - ST. IGNACE CAPTURED. - 
 BREBEUF AND LALEMANT. - BATTLE AT ST. LOUIS. - SAINTE MARIE THREATENED. - 
 RENEWED FIGHTING. - DESPERATE CONFLICT. - A NIGHT OF SUSPENSE. - 
 PANIC AMONG THE VICTORS. - BURNING OF ST. IGNACE. - 
 RETREAT OF THE IROQUOIS.

And now, before entering upon the very curious subject of Indian social and tribal organization, it may be well briefly to observe the position and prominent distinctive features of the various communities speaking dialects of the generic tongue of the Iroquois. In this remarkable family of tribes occur the fullest developments of Indian character, and the most conspicuous examples of Indian intelligence. If the higher traits popularly ascribed to the race are not to be found here, they are to be found nowhere.