ABSTRACT
The disputes that emerged after 1737 between Charles de Beauharnais and Gilles Hocquart illuminate the degree to which the structure of colonial government, and the spirit which animated the structure, imposed conflict upon the governor and the intendant. Although many of their quarrels reflected competition between Beauharnais and Hocquart and between their respective clients over the distribution and enjoyment of patronage, the root problem was a fundamental disagreement over the priority to be given a number of military expenditures. In face of the deteriorating situation in Indian relations and the growing expectation of another colonial war with Great Britain, Beauharnais inclined to spare no expense to secure peace in the west. While the colony remained small, its interests simple, and its dependence upon imperial defence overwhelming, Canadians and royal officials alike could live with the built-in tensions of its governmental structures.
