Edge of Empire: Documents of Michilimackinac, 1671-1716 by Joseph L. Peyser, José António Brandão (review)

BookReviews127 2million people died in the Irish potato famine. The best estimate, by Joel Mokyr, is that 1,082,000 to 1,498,000 perished between 1846 and 1851. For thatmatter the authors assert that "a strong case can be made" that the famine was "opportunistic genocide" perpetrated by "English overlords" who exported Irish food to England (p. 7). Cormac 6 Grada, James S. Donnelly, Jr., and Mary E. Daly have long since challenged this nationalist interpretation. The Metresses should have acknowledged the debate over this question of genocide. Educators or those unfamiliar with Irish nationalism might keep these concerns inmind. Catherine M. Burns University ofWisconsin, Madison Joseph L. Peyser and Jose Antonio Brandao, eds. Edge of Empire: Documents ofMichi/imackinac, 1671-1716. Translated by Joseph L. Peyser. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press for theMackinac Island State Park Commission, 2008. Pp. 192.Appendices. Bibliography. Index. Maps. Notes. Cloth, $39.95. Although Jose Antonio Brandao and the late Joseph L. Peyser tided their compilation of Michilimackinac-related documents Edge of Empire, their volume makes clear that the post was central to the survival of New France. The usefully annotated documents in the editors' collection highlight the innerworkings of the fur trade in the pays d'en haut, or "Upper Country," and provide a rare glimpse into everyday life in a far-flung outpost of France's transatiantic empire. The French established Michilimackinac in the heart of Ottawa territory to protect the valuable beaver-pelt trade and to support the missionary efforts of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The documents in this book illustrate the first decades of this vital post's existence. One document, a "Statement of Expenditures" compiled by Michilimackinac's commander, underscores the post's value to New France. In it,Captain Olivier Morel de Durantaye itemized the vast expenses incurred by France's empire. Under orders from the governor-general to cement France's Native alliances in the Upper Country against their Iroquois enemies, Durantaye traversed the various Native territories of the region to dispense gifts and strengthen the bonds of friendship between Native and newcomer. Louis XIV eventually had to foot the bill, which proved to be prohibitively expensive. Despite his insistence to the new governor-general, Louis 128 MichiganHistoricalReview de Buade, Comte de Frontenac, in 1689 thatMichUimackinac was "of the greatest importance for the good" of the beaver trade (p. 88), subsequent documents reveal that the expenses of war and empire compelled the Sun King to proscribe the Upper Country fur trade in 1698. Edge of Empire ends in 1716, when renewed imperial competition with Great Britain as well as problems with France's erstwhile Fox allies necessitated the construction of a new Michihmackinac. In addition to Brandao's useful introduction, court cases presented in this book shed light on how the fur trade worked. Montreal merchants or politicians held conges,or royal licenses, that permitted them to engage in the fur trade in a specific location. Most of the conges were assigned toMichihmackinac because itwas centrally located in the heart of the best beaver-trapping territory.Merchants contracted with traders to carry their goods into the interior, trade them to Indian hunters for pelts, and thenmake an honest accounting of their efforts. As many of the court documents in Edge ofEmpire show, however, embezzlement by traders was a common occurrence. Likewise, false accusations of embezzlement by merchants against traders were common. In another enhghtening twist, the documents also reveal the substantial involvement of women not only in the fur trade, but also as merchants, proprietors, and litigants atMichihmackinac. Brandao and Peyser have rendered a valuable service to English speaking scholars by highlighting the French and Indian contributions to the early history ofMichigan, theMidwest, and theUnited States in general. Edge ofEmpire makes accessible to modern readers a world obscured by the passage of time and the difficulties involved in reading the French language of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Matthew L. Rhoades University ofHouston-Victoria Cynthia Furlong Reynolds. 'Jiffy": A Family Tradition, Mixing Business and Old-Fashioned Values. Chelsea, Mich.: Chelsea Milling Company, 2008 (distributed by theUniversity ofMichigan Press, Ann Arbor). Pp. 248. Index. Photographs. Cloth, $24.95. I judged this book by its cover...