Lecture - The twists and turns of the Lÿdius affair (1725-1732)

An elusive couple and a hushed-up “beaver fraud” scandal...

In October 1730, Dutch merchant Lÿdius and his wife Geneviève Massé were expelled from New France and sent back to France. The governor and intendant congratulated themselves on putting an end to the maneuvers of a troublesome character involved in illicit intercolonial trade. The case seemed closed.

However, the resourceful Lÿdius-Massé, who were multilingual and well connected, had not said their last word. It was forgotten pieces of evidence that, many years later, would reveal the extent of their networks.

Through the “Lÿdius affair,” David Ledoyen's lecture lifts the veil on the inner workings of the clandestine beaver trade between Montreal and Albany, New York. Merchants, so-called “domiciled” Indigenous peoples, Jesuits, informers, and colonial authorities all played a murky game, caught between private interests and political rivalries.

Much more than a simple case of fraud, this affair reveals the deep tensions that ran through the Canadian colony and its ties to the mother country.

David Ledoyen

David Ledoyen has worked for Parks Canada for over 30 years. He has contributed to the development of exhibitions and educational programs, notably for the Sir George-Étienne Cartier, Fort Lennox, and Fort Chambly national historic sites. Since the “Contraband” exhibition at Fort Chambly (2018), his interest in “foreign trade” has remained strong. David Ledoyen is currently working on the material culture of 18^th-century surgeons and an exhibition on Franco-Indigenous relations around Fort Chambly. His areas of interest also include the material culture of 17^th-century soldiers and the history of early pictorial representations of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

This lecture is presented by the Société historique de Montréal.