USA > Michigan > History of Michigan, civil and topographical, in a compendious form; with a view of the surrounding lakes > Part 7
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CONDITION OF MICHIGAN UNDER THE FRENCH.
great lakes, and its islands were alleged to abound in golden sands, and to be watched, like the golden fleece, by huge ser- pents, which lay coiled upon their banks ; birds of prey, and enormous giants. To these they offered sacrifices of tobacco. pipes and other articles of little value. When Charlevoix vi- sited this region in 1721, he was told by the Indians that Mi- chabon was the Manitou of the lakes, the God of the waters ; that the island of Mackinaw* was the place of his birth, and that he formed all the lakes and streams of the country. Sacri fices were at that time made by the Indians to Lake Superior, as it was created by this deity in order to permit the savages to catch beaver ; and they believed that the fragments of rock which break the Falls of St. Mary, and the other rapids in this quarter, were the remains of a causeway he had erected to dam up the waters of the rivers.t If these forest-gods were ap- peased by the savages, they were entitled to the celestial re- gions beyond the mountains ; but if they neglected them, they would be consigned to wander for ever " up and down," amid dreary solitudes, under the care of monsters " sixty feet in height," and to be " stung by gnats as large as pigeons."#
The form of land distribution in Michigan was calculated to prevent agriculture, and to keep the French peasantry in rigid allegiance to their lords. Grants of land were made by the French governor of Canada and Louisiana, which were required to be confirmed by the king of France. The com- mandants of the forts were also allowed to grant permissions of occupancy to the settlers, and lands were occupied by the
French settlers without permission. On that ground are based some of the old French titles to land in the state. The regular grants made to the settlers were encumbered with the most illiberal and burdensome conditions, calculated to cripple the freedom of the tenant and the progress of husbandry.
* The name of this island is derived from the words michi-mackinac, a great turtle, from its resemblance to that animal ; or from the Chippewa terms michi ni maukinonk, signifying the place of giant fairies.
t Charlevoix's Journal, vol. 2, p. 44, 45. See also, for an account of the Indian mythology, the old Jesuit journals ; Carver Henry ; and also a work of Henry R. Schoolcraft, to be entitled " Algic Researches."
# See Henry's Travels.
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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
Even the first grant which was made at Detroit, in 1707, six years after Detroit was founded, by Antoine de la Motte Ca- dillac to Frangois Fafard Delorme, interpreter for the king, clearly exhibits the feudal spirit of the French policy. It con- veyed only thirty-two acres. The following were its general conditions .* The right of hunting hares, rabbits, and par- tridges, was reserved. The grantee was required to pay five livres quit-rent on the 20th of March of each year ; and also the sum of ten livres in peltries, until a current money should be established, and that sum was thenceforward to be paid in money. He was also required to begin to clear and improve the concession within three months from the date of the grant on pain of forfeiture. He was required to plant, or help to plant, a long May-pole at the door of the princi- pal manor on the 1st of May in every year. If the gran- tee failed in this, he was bound to pay three livres in money or peltries. He was also bound to pay for the right of grind- ing at the moulin bannal, or mill of the manor. A pre-emp- tion right was reserved to the grantor. All the timber wanted for the construction of fortifications, boats, and other vessels, was reserved; and no person was permitted to work on the land at the trade of a blacksmith, gunsmith, armorer, or brew- er, within the first ten years from the date of the grant, with- out the consent of the grantor. On every sale of the lands, the duty was to be paid called the lods et ventes. All effects carried to or from Montreal were required to be sold by the grantee or other person, who, with his family, was a resident, and not by clerks, foreigners, or strangers. If the grantee sold to a foreigner with permission, the duties required werc increased to a great degree. The grantee was forbidden to trade brandy with the Indians, and in some cases he was bound to obtain a brevet of confirmation within two years.f Similar grants, equally burdensome, were also made in 1734, by Charles Marquis de Beauharnois, Governor for the king in Canada, and Louisiana to St. Aubin ; and in 1750 by
* Consult American State Papers, class VIII. p. 191. Only three French grants at Detroit appear on record previous to 1753.
{ Consult note A at the end of this volume, where the grant may be found.
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CONDITION OF MICHIGAN UNDER THE FRENCH.
De la Jonquiere to Antoine Robert, of lands on the Detroit River .* The abridgment of the rights of the tenants was further effected in 1745, by an edict which was passed, or- daining that no country-houses should be built on planta- tions of one acre and a half in front and forty back, and the scarcity of springs in the interior thus confined the settle- ments along the banks of the streams. The influence of na- tional policy is nowhere more strongly exhibited than in the contrast with that period, of the sturdy American enterprise which is now acting on the soil.
Beside the unequal and burdensome tenure of land dis- tribution, springing from the Coutume de Paris,t equal and exact justice could not be administered in doubtful matters, except on application to the Governor of Canada, At a subsequent period numerous grants were made by Rquottlec de Bellestre, the commandant of Detroit; and there is on record a cause of Claude Campeau against M. Cabacier. praying for an injunction to prevent the demolition of a mill when M. Landrieve was commandant of that post. In 1753 a temporary order was given, sent to the Governor-general, and finally received the signature of the Marquis Du Quesne.# The record shows that the government of the posts on the lakes was subject to the authority of the commandants under the cognizance of the Governor-general ; and it also es- tablishes the fact, that there was no organised court or settled system of jurisprudence.§
In 1749 a number of emigrants were sent out at the ex- pense of the French government, who were provided with farming utensils, and all the means necessary to advance a
* See American State Papers, class VIII. p. 270, 1, 2.
t The principal conditions springing from grants under the Coutume de Paris were, the Quint, which was the fifth part of the purchase money of an estate held in fief. Relief, the rent or revenue of one year, for mutation fine. Lods et Ven- tes were fines of alienation of one twelfth part of the purchase money, paid to the seigneur by the purchaser on the transfer of property. Franc aleu noble, was a freehold estate, acknowledging no lord but the king. Censive, wasan es- tate held in the feudal mode, subject to the seignorial dues. Communante de bien, was a partnership in property by marriage.
į Consult American State Papers, class VIII. p. 273.
§ See Note B at the end of this volume.
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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
colony. These were settled at Detroit ; but no material advan- tage was gained to the posts on the lakes, because there was too little energy and system in the government, and too little enterprise in the people. Surrounded by streams and forests yielding abundance, removed from the settled portion of the world, there was but little motive presented to their minds for the exertion of energy and ambition.
About this period the policy of the French Government was exercised to establish a chain of posts from Quebec to the mouth of the Mississippi, in order to secure the trade, over- awe the Indians, and environ the English power, which was then confined to the Atlantic sea-board. In 1751 the fort of Detroit, as well as those on the upper lakes, continued to be in a weak condition. About thirty French farms or planta- tions were scattered along the banks of the river, and the co- lony contained a population of about five hundred, besides the Indians in the three villages, who could at that time com- mand about four hundred warriors. Detroit was then an im- portant point of French influence on the north-western lakes .*
The progress of the country under the French government was obstrueted by the fact that this region was long under the monopoly of exclusive companies chartered by the French crown. The design of these companies, especially the go- vernors and intendants, was to enrich themselves by the fur trade ; and accordingly they had little motive to encourage agriculture or general settlement. By that policy the intend- ants accumulated large fortunes by the trade, while they avert- ed from the observation of the French crown the actual con- dition of the colonies in Canada. They much preferred that the French inhabitants should undergo the labor of procuring furs, while they might reap the profits, rather than that these tenants should become the free husbandmen of a fertile soil. It was reverence for rank, ignorance of the true principles of republican freedom, and, in some measure perhaps, a vir- tuous loyalty which they felt toward their monarch, that
* See a Pamphlet, entitled "Contest in America," &c., a part of which was published in the Universal Magazine at London in the year 1759.
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CONDITION OF MICHIGAN UNDER THE FRENCH.
induced them to yield their allegiance to the colonial admi- nistration.
The fur trade was the principal subject of mercantile traf- fic upon the coast of Michigan, and its central point was the shores of the north-western lakes. Large canoes, laden with packsof European merchandize, advanced periodically through the upper lakes, for the purpose of trading for peltries with the Indians ; and these made their principal depots at Michili- mackinac and Detroit. In order to advance the interests of the trade, licenses were granted by the French king, and un- licensed persons were prohibited from trading with the In- dians in their own territory under the penalty of death. The ordinary price of these licenses was six hundred crowns. They were generally purchased from the Governor-general by the merchants, and by them sold out to the Canadian tra- ders or the Coureurs des Bois. The privilege granted in a single license, was the loading of two large canoes, each of which was manned by six men, and freighted with a cargo valued at about a thousand crowns. They were sold to the traders at an advance of about fifteen per cent. more than they could command in ready money at the colony. The actual profits on these voyages was generally about one hundred per cent. In this traffic the merchant acquired most of the profit, while the trader endured most of the fatiguc. On the return of the expedition, the merchant took from the bulk of the profit six hundred crowns for his license, and a thou- sand crowns for the prime cost of the exported goods. From this sum the merchant took forty per cent. for bottomry, and the remainder was then divided among the six Coureurs des Bois, whose share, for all their hardship and peril, was only a small consideration.
The active agents of the fur trade were the Coureurs des Bois, the pilots of the lakes. Sweeping up in their canoes through the upper lakes, encamping with the Indians in the solitude of the forests, they returned to the posts, which stood like light-houses of civilization upon the borders of the wil- derness ; like sailors from the ocean, to whom they were not dissimilar in character. They were lavish of their money
64
HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
in dress and licentiousness. They ate, drank, and played all away, so long as their goods held out ; and when these were gone, they sold their embroidery, their lace and clothes ; and they were then forced to go on another voyage for subsist- ence .*
The scope of French enterprise upon the lakes was mainly confined to the fur trade during the whole period of the French domination ; and the general course of the traffic may be known by the words of La Hontan, written at Montreal in 1685 :
"Much about the same day, there arrived twenty-five or thir- ty canoes belonging to the Coureurs des Bois, being homeward bound for the great lakes, and laden with beaver skins. The cargo of each canoe amounted to forty packs, each of which weighs fifty pounds, and will fetch fifty crowns at the far- mer's office. These canoes were followed by fifty more of the Ottawas and Hurons, who came down every year to the colony, in order to make a better market than they can do in their own country of Michilimackinack which lies on the banks of the
* La Hontan, vol. 1, p. 20, 21.
It has been remarked, that the character of the French people can be infer- red from their songs. This is peculiarly true in regard to the boat-songs of the Coureurs des Bois, which they timed with their paddles upon the waters. They demonstrate the gay, licentious, and reckless character of these forest mariners. Among the most popular are the two following, which are now heard upon the north-western lakes ; and they were probably imported from the French provin- ces whencc the traders emigrated :--
1. Tous les printemps Tant de nouvelle, Tous les amants Changent de maitresses Le bon vin ni endort L' amour me reveille.
Tous les amants Changent de maitresses Qu'ils changent qui voudront Pour moi je garde la mienne Le bon vin ni endort L'amour me reveille.t
2. Dans mon chemin j'ai rencontre Trois cavalieres bien montecs Lon lon laridon daine Lon lon laridon dai.
Trois cavalieres bien montees L'un a cheval et l'autre a pied Lon lon laridon dainc Lon lon laridon dai.
These songs have before been published in a work of talent, entitled " Tales of the North-west."
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CONDITION OF MICHIGAN UNDER THE FRENCH.
Lake of Hurons, at the mouth of the lake of the Illinese. Their way of trading is as follows: upon their arrival they encamp at the distance of five or six hundred paces from the town. The next day isspent in ranging their canoes, unloading their goods, and pitching their tents, which are made ofbirch bark. The next day they demand audience of the Governor-general, which is granted them that same day in a public place. Upon this oc- casion each nation makes a ring for itself. The savages sit upon the ground with their pipes in their mouths, and the Governor is seated in an arm-chair ; after which there starts up an orator or speaker from one of these nations, who makes an harangue, importing that his brethren are come to visit the Go- vernor-general, and to renew with him their wonted friendship : that their chief view is to promote the interest of the French, some of whom, being unacquainted with the way of traffic, and being too weak for the transporting of goods from the lakes, would be unable to deal in beaver skins if lis brethren did not come in person to deal with them in their own colo- nies ; that they knew very well how acceptable their arrival is to the inhabitants of Montreal, in regard of the advantage they reap by it ; that in regard the beaver skins are much valued in France, and the French goods given in exchange are of an inconsiderable value, they mean to give the French sufficient proof of their readiness to furnish them with that they desire so earnestly. That by way of preparation of another year's cargo, they are come to take in exchange, fusees, pow- der, and ball ; in order to hunt great numbers of beavers, or to gall the Iroquese, in case they offer to disturb the French settlements. And, in fine, that in confirmation of their words, they throw a porcelain colier, with some beaver skins, to the Kitchi-Okima (so they call the Governor-general), whose protection they lay claim to, in case of any robbery or abuse committed upon them in the town. The spokesman having made an end of his speech, returns to his place and takes up his pipe, and the interpreter explains the substance of the harangue to the Governor, who commonly gives a very civil answer, especially if the presents be valuable ; in considera- tion of which he likewise makes them a present of some tri-
9
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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
fling things. This done, the savages rise up and return to their huts to make suitable preparations for the ensuing truck.
" The next day the savages make their slaves carry the skins to the houses of the merchants, who bargain with them for such clothes as they want. All the inhabitants of Montreal are allowed to traffic with them in any commodity but rum and brandy ; these two being excepted upon the account that when the savages have got what they wanted, and have any skins left, they drink to excess, and then kill their slaves ; for when they are in drink they quarrel and fight, and if they were not held by those who are sober, would certainly make havock one of another ; however, you must observe that none of them will touch either gold or silver .*
" As soon as the savages have made an end of their truck, they take leave of the Governor, and so return home by the river Ottawas. To conclude, they did a great deal of good, both to the poor and rich ; for you will readily apprehend that every body turns merchant upon such occasions."
Such was the condition of Michigan under the French domination. The energies of the colonists were directed to the aggrandizement of their seigneurs through the fur trade. Agriculture was checked by feudal clogs. The few French peasants scattered around their posts, or mixed with the sava- ges, adored their lords and their priests. Amiable, contented, removed from the populated parts of the world, dwelling in bark or log cottages, stretching along the banks of the streams, and surrounded by pickets, many of which are now standing, they were goaded by no impulse of ambition or avarice ; they felt no fear, save when bands of the Iroquois advanced to the surrounding forests ; for the Iroquois, says Charlevoix, " set all Canada on fire."t They yielded a cheer- ful allegiance to their lords, because they loved monarchy. The free schools of the east had scattered intelligence through
* La Hontan, vol. 1, p. 47.
t The recollection of the incursion of the Iroquois now remains upon the shores of Lake Superior, like that of the Mohawk upon the hills of New England. At the sound of their name the infant savage of the Chippewas will run to his wigwam, and wrap himself closer in his blanket.
67
CONDITION OF MICHIGAN UNDER THE FRENCH.
the English settlements, but they were in ignorance. The conciliatory and mild but artful spirit, first sent abroad by Ig- natius Loyola in founding the order of the Jesuits, diffused its influence through the frame-work of society in Michigan ; and the thunders of the Vatican had crossed the ocean, and rolled along the shore of the lakes.
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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
CHAPTER V.
French and English claims to the country -- Rival Discoveries-Wars between the two Nations-Massacre of Schencetady-Projected Conquest of Canada -- Projected Conquest of North America by the French-Treaty of Utrecht -. Intrigue of Father Ralle -- War renewed-Rival claims stated -- Letter to Uncas -- Campaign of 1759 -- Battle of the Plains of Abraham-Surrender of the country by the French to the English-Condition of Michigan at that period.
THE horizon is here widened in order to take a brief view of facts which, although transpiring beyond the organized bounds of Michigan, had an important bearing in moulding its destiny. For the full understanding of the grounds on which were based the claims of France and England to the domain of New France, it is proper to state their alleged dis- coveries and appropriations in chronological order. In Octo- ber, 1492, Columbus had discovered North America ; on the 5th of March, 1496, a commission was granted from the En- glish crown, to John Cabot and his sons, to make discove- ries, take possession, and carry on exclusive trade with the natives in countries to the east, north, and west, then unknown to Christian people. In May, 1498, Cabot embarked on that enterprise, and continuing his course westward, after having descried Newfoundland and St. Johns, he soon reached the continent of North America, and sailing along from the coast of Labrador to Virginia, he endeavored to find some inlet which might open a passage to the west. Failing in this, he returned to England without an attempt at settlement. The foundation of the English claim to the country reaching from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Pole, may be traced to that expedition, and also to discoveries made in the interior during the years 1568, 1654, 1672, 1678, and from 1725 to 1740 .*
The prominent ground of the French claim to the conti- nent, was the fact, that I.Escarbot, who visited America in
* Pitkin
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GENERAL VIEW OF OPERATIONS ABROAD.
1606, affirmed that at that period the language which was spoken on the eastern coast of Newfoundland and the Great Bank was half Biscayan ; from which it was inferred that fishermen from the western coasts of France had navigated those seas before the expedition of Cabot in 1498. Ample evidence is, in fact, adduced to show, that in 1504 the Biscay- ans, the Normans, and the Britons had frequented the Great Bank of Newfoundland, the coasts of the adjacent continent, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, for the purpose of fishing ; that a map of the coast was published in 1506, and that a Cana- dian was brought into France from those regions in 1508. As early as 1000, the Northmen had navigated these shores, and a particular account of their discoveries and explorations has recently been placed on record .*
In 1578 Sir Humphrey Gilbert of Compton in Devonshire, had obtained letters patent from the Queen of England, au- thorizing him, his heirs and assigns, to discover and take pos- session of such remote heathen and barbarous lands as were not actually possessed by any Christian prince or people -- pay- ing to her Majesty the fifth part of all the gold and silver ore which might be found within their bounds-and to exclude all persons who might be found trading within these limits with- out his license. Under this liberal grant, Gilbert embarked for America, but from the pressure of causes beyond his con- trol, he did nothing more than to take possession of New- foundland in due form.
On the 26th of March, 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh, a noble- man of romantic temper but great energy, obtained a grant similar to that of Gilbert ; and the same year despatched two vessels, which approached the North American continent by the way of Florida. They soon arrived at Roanoke, where the mariners carried on a profitable traffic with the natives. They then embarked for England. The glowing descriptions which they gave of the country so pleased Elizabeth, that she gave it the name of Virginia, denoting that it was discovered while a virgin queen was on the throne. In 1585 Raleigh
* Antiquitates Americanæ.
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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
fitted out seven small ships with the necessary stores and ar- maments, and placed them under the command of Sir Richard Grenville for the purpose of establishing a colony. This colony, consisting of 103 persons, was settled on the Island of Roanoke, and its guidance was committed to Mr. Ralph Lane ; and on the 25th of August the ships set sail for England. Gold was the object of the expedition, as it was believed that the precious metals abounded in this region. In 1586 Sir Francis Drake found the colony worn out by toil for the dis- covery of the precious metals ; neglecting agriculture, which would have provided permanent means of support ; at enmity with the savages, and in a state of the utmost distress. The colonists requested to be returned, and on the 19th of June they set sail for England in his fleet.
On the 10th of April, 1606, letters patent were issued under the great seal of England, to Sir Thomas Gates and a com- pany, by James I ; granting to them those territories in Ame- rica lying on the sea-coast between the 34th and 45th degrees of north latitude, and which either belonged to that monarch, or were not then possessed by any other Christian prince or people ; and also the islands adjacent thereto, or within one hundred miles thereof.
In 1603 Henry IV. of France had granted to De Mont a com- mission as lieutenant-general over that part of America, which lies between the 40th and the 46th degrees of north latitude, with power to settle and to rule it. In consequence of the grants to the Virginia companies, Captain Argal attacked and dispersed the settlements made by the French on the Bay of Fundy. The settlements of the French had extended as far south and west as St. Croix, and of the English as far north and east as Penobscot ; and those of the English were nearly contemporaneous.
In 1620, a grant was made to the Plymouth colony by James, of all the territory which lies between the 40th and ASth degrees of north latitude ; and in 1621 he, as the king of Scotland, granted to Sir William Alexander, with the con- sent of the Plymouth colony, the country bounded on the north, and east, and south, by the river St. Lawrence and the
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