CONTENTS OF VOL. LXX CCXXIV. Mission des Hurons du Détroit, die, and Pierre Potier. [Second CCXXV. Catalogus Personarum et Offici- CCXXVI. Lettre du Père *** Mission- naire chez les Abnakis. Saint- 80 90 204 I. Photographic facsimile of handwriting of II. Photographic facsimile of handwriting of III. Reduced facsimile of Franquet's plan of Fort du Saut St. Louis, 1752. Facing 86 PREFACE TO VOL. LXX Following is a synopsis of the documents contained in this volume: CCXXIV. Potier's account-book of the Huron mission at Detroit was commenced in Vol. LXXIX., and is now concluded. This second installment begins with La Richardie's "return to the Mission (in the summer of 1747). The transactions recorded are similar to those for preceding years-sales of goods, payments for work done at the mission, loans given and received, exchanges of accounts, orders for the saying of masses, etc. Women often figure in these memoranda as receiving or selling goodsobviously sharing the business cares and responsibilities of their husbands. A soldier in the Detroit garrison purchases from the mission, on credit, 400 livres' worth of liquor, probably as part of the supplies requisite for barter with the Indians of that region. La Richardie sends to Montreal, by the Detroit interpreter, a large quantity of "porcelain " (wampum) to be sold there, the proceeds to be paid to the resident factor or agent of the mission, Couagne. A new list of assets and liabilities is begun "with the arrival of the Convoy in 1748." Contracts are made (1748) by the Fathers for enlarged. more building, the church being On September 1, 1748, the mission farm is let on shares to Nicolas (locally known as "Niagara ") Campeau; the terms of his lease are here recorded. The forge is also leased (April 10, 1749), to Charles Chauvin. It curiously appears that drafts on Montreal are discounted at 30 per cent in Detroit. La Richardie gives (August 30, 1750) a list of the articles given or lent by the Fathers to Campeau, and tools made by the latter for the farm; also of the animals on the farm. He notes the quantities of seed sown, in that year, and the crops resulting therefrom. In the summer of 1751, "Niagara" Campeau ceases to work the mission farm, and is succeeded (September 1) by Nicolas F. Janis. The terms of settlement with the former, and the contract made with the latter, are given in detail. This ends the "book of accounts." We have noted only the points of special interest or importance; the intervening spaces are filled in with a multitude of items which record petty and everyday transactions, but in their very commonness give a most intimate and accurate view of life in the frontier post a century and a half ago, in its social and economic aspects. The blank leaves remaining in Potier's book were utilized by him and other priests for recording baptisms; we reproduce such of these as were performed by the Jesuits, Potier and Salleneuve. They are dated from August, 1752, to December, 1756, inclusive. CCXXV. The official catalogue of the Jesuit order for 1756 names the persons then employed in its North American missions. In the college of Quebec are eight priests and as many lay brethren, |