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FROM THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
 SECOND SERIES— 1898-99 
 
 VOLUME IV SECTION II 
 
 ENGLISH LITERATURE, HISTORY, ARCHAOLOQY, ETC. 
 
 The Valley of the Grand River 
 
 ^ 1600-1650 
 
 By BENJAMIN SULTE 
 
 FOR SALE BY 
 
 J. HOPE ft SONS, OTTAWA ; THE COPP-CLARK CO., TORONTO 
 
 BERNARD QUARITCH, LONDON, ENGLAND 
 
 Z898 
 
SttTION II., ISD.S. 
 
 107] 
 
 Ti:ans. II. a. C. 
 
 VIII.— 77((' V<iUn/ of the (iraml Rn-cr, ](>no-1050. 
 
 I>y 1)E.N,JA.MIN Sri.TK. 
 
 (Head M.\\ 2.-., 1S!)S.) 
 
 The wostorii hnuifh of liivcr St. Lawronco was first known us 
 " River of the Alironqiiiiis." iind l:)y tlie end of tiie 17th oenturv it was 
 calli'tl "tlie route of tlie Outuouuri,"' iiui the (kisignalion of "(Ti-and liiver" 
 covers the whole of that i)eriod, even the 18th century and Jtai't of our 
 own time ; it is tlierefore the fit term to he used wlien sjjeakiiig of tlial 
 river and valley dunns; tlie early days of Canada. 
 
 FmsT Notion ok the (iR.\Ni) JiiVEU. 
 
 On the ;]rd day oi (Jeloher, ISii'), Cartier ascended the Mountain of 
 Montreal and found that the St. Lawrence made a fork above that 
 place, one hrancdi connng from the south through a series of cascades, 
 and llie other one flowing from the west, without any ai)]nirent obstacle. 
 He attached a great imjiortance to the latter branch — which we now 
 know as the Ottawa — because ne exjiected to discover in that direction 
 the Hxhulous kingdom of the Saguenay. which in his imagination 
 exi.stetl somewhere lietween the Ottawa, the North Pole and Lake St. 
 John on the Sagueiuiy River. 
 
 The two Indians from (laspc who had accompanied him to the mouth 
 of i\w Sagueiuiy during the preceding summer, had obtaineil from the 
 people of Tadoussac some information concerrung the Upper Saguenay, 
 but they all made a iuistake regarding the course and the directions of 
 the waters running through that back countr}'. Cartier wrote in his 
 diary that the route of the Saguenay led to a rich kingdom which 
 had an outlet in tlic west by means of another great river. When in 
 Montreal, he fully believed that the Ottawa was thu* highway and his 
 ambition grew in consequence. LFnfortunately he could not utilize his 
 Algonquin interpreters, because the tribe of Ilochelaga (Montreal) spoke 
 the Huron language only, lie, therefore, had to resort to sign and 
 pantomime to communicate with the Indians of that place. This made 
 the matter worse, as he was already impressed with the idea that the 
 kingdom of the Sagueiuiy existed in that neighbourhood ; he readily 
 inferretl,;from the gestures and signs of the savages that in the river 
 before his eyes he had foun<l tlu; wvy door of that so-called wealthy 
 region, and furthermore, that after navigating that stream to its sources 
 he would reach Ja])an and China in a short Journey. 
 
 In* the autumn of 1885, .'J50 jears later, the first locomotive of the 
 Canadian Pacific Railway started on its trip across the continent. 
 
 
1 1 ) 
 
 108 
 
 HOY.M. SOCIKTY ()V CANADA 
 
 Tlio Indians, snys Cartior in his narrative, '• look niv silver oliain and 
 also tilt' k'MiU'n IkuuIIc ot'u ])oii;nar(l of ono of tny mon and slu)\vod that 
 tiu'sc mi'tals could ho olMaiiiod from the I'iver of the west ((lie Ottawa), 
 hut that the passage was ^-uarded by a ferocious nation called the 
 Aijqjudas." 
 
 The sett lenient of llochehiija was at that time the only one remaining 
 in the hands of the Iliiron-Iroquois race on the St. Lawrence. All the 
 north was occupied by the Alu;on([uins. especially the Ottawa I.'iver and 
 the territory extendini;" from AUuniette Lshiiid to Tliree Rivers. These 
 Al^on(|uins had disper.-^etl the Iroquois from the shores of the St. Law- 
 rence about '.'Ai years before Cartier's visit. 
 
 The Idand of ^routreal was certainly more than sufficient in size to 
 maintain the po]iulation of Ilochelaga, because the Ilurons lived mostly 
 oil their aij^ricultiiral pursuits, whilst {\w Algonquius, who wore hunters 
 anil coiisecpiently nomads, required an immense area of land to make 
 a living. The Agojudas were evidently the Algonquius of the Ottawa. 
 
 We have no record of the second voyage matle by Carticr at Jloche- 
 laga. In LtST, iiis grand nephew. Jacques Noel, came to the same spot 
 and glanced towards the Occidental River, as lie terms it. but heonlj' quotes 
 the following lines which he states were written by Cartier on a chart 
 prepared by the latter. "The people of Canada ((Quebec) and Ilochehiga 
 (Montreal) told me that the north-we>t branch of the St. Lawrence (the 
 Ottawa) runs in the jirovince of Saguena}', which is rich and abounds in 
 jirecious .-atones.'" 
 
 We must al>o remember t!iat tJartier had concluded from the expres- 
 sions of the Indians that the Saguenay region Avas partly inhabited by a 
 race of men walking on one leg — and other prodigies of that sort. He 
 understood that if he could veach the far west of that hmd he would meet 
 with while men dressed in cloth like the clothes he wore liim.self. These 
 absurdities are very frequent in the narratives of the discoverers of the 
 16tli and 17th centuries. 
 
 Till: < Ireat L.\kes. 
 
 During his visit to the Island of Montreal, in the summer of 1603, 
 Champlaiu obtained some information coiicerning the sources of the Eiver 
 St. Lawrence, but could not follow, as (dosely as he wished, the descrip- 
 tion given by the Indians. 
 
 •' The liulians,'" he says^ ■' on going from .Montreal have tive cascades 
 to pass. ' These are the Cedars and Coleau cascades. 
 
 "From the beginning lo the end ot that series you may calculate 
 eight leagi es. The canoes are carried by land at two places only. Kacli 
 of these fal s contains about one-eighth of a league, .sometimes oius-quar- 
 ter at the most. After that comes a lake which may measure in the 
 neighbourhood of 15 or 1(J leagues in length. 
 
 "^ ^^3 
 
 c 
 
[sui,te] 
 
 TUB VAl.LKY 01" THK (iKAND lilVKH 
 
 109 
 
 '' From thovc the Iiuliuiis miuv into u river (tlic I-oii^r Sault), iiiiout 
 one loaifuc wido and a frw IcaLfUcs loni;-, and tlu-n tlioy roach u lake ot four 
 or five leagues in length. At tlie other end of (hat lake are five rapids, 
 measuring ironi the first t<> the last from 25 to .'Id leagues ; the eanoes 
 are carried hy land at various ])!aees during tiavel through these I'apids. 
 and at two other phu'es the men only disemhark and push tlie vessels in 
 sliallow water. None of these are so hard to jiass as is Sault Si I.ouis of 
 Mcatreah 
 
 " Arriving at a lake, which is ahout eighty leagues in length, there 
 arc a great numher of islands, and up to the otlier end tlu' water is drirdv- 
 uhle and the winter mild, fast the lake is seen a rather high fall with 
 a small volume of water. Tlie ]iortage hy la)id is ahout one-quarter ot 
 a league. Then, comes another lake, some si.vty leagues long, of which the 
 water is drinkahle. The ujiper end of this last lake turnsiuto adetroit or 
 strait of two leagues wide ami which goes inlan<l about 15 or 16 leagues ; 
 hut this is not sure, hecause the Indians who gave me the aliove i'lforma- 
 tion have not gone further than the delroit, and never saw any nmn who 
 has seen the iiig lake from which the wafer flows towards the strait. 
 That lake is so large that nobody would dare to naviiiafe it, ocept near 
 the shore. JJuring the summer season the sun sets north of that lahe, 
 and in the winter about the middle of it. The water is like -.hat of the 
 ocean, not tlrinkable." 
 
 The reader has certaiidy recognized Lake; St. Francis, the Galops 
 Eapids, Thousand Islands, Lake Ontario, Niagara Falls. Lake r^rie. Delroit 
 River and Lake Huron. The salt water of the latter cannot be ac- 
 counted for, unless the Indians spoke of the nation of Stinking AVater, 
 which was iiduibited wi'.st of the lake. The Indians wlu. explained these 
 matters to Chami)lain were Algonquins from Quebec and Three Eivers, 
 possibly some from AUumette Island also, hut this is doubtful. Xon-.> of the 
 Uurons of Georgian Bay had any communication with the lower St. Law- 
 rence before UiOO. Thci'efore. tho.se who spoke to Chamidain merely 
 expressed Avhal had been tdd to ti\ein. ailded to their personal experience, 
 
 Niagara Falls is said to be sometimes without water, when a strong 
 wiiul blows against the current of upper Niagara River, but this oidy ball- 
 pens once in fifty or one hundred years, and cannot be the reason why the 
 Indians staled there was very little water at the famous cataract. J rather 
 tlnnk that in using valaimk language, sonu; misuiulei-slanding was 
 created between Champlain and the good Indians. 
 
 They told also, he says, that the St. Lawrence ran from Niagara 
 Falls into the directicm of Montreal, (Juebec and Oiaspe, but that Lake 
 Erie, Eiver Detroit and Lake Huron weic somewhat of a standstill, likely 
 because they had a discharge either north or .south by which the water 
 escapes the attraction of the Niagara. Champlain asked them whether 
 any river flowed into Lake Erie, and they answered there were several 
 
S""!!^ 
 
 no 
 
 llDYAL SOCIKT'V OV CANADA 
 
 tiici' ones. TIk'IU'i', Cliiuiililii'm di'i'W lii> riniclu^iDri ; \iukr I'.ric is the 
 suuivtM)!' tlu' St. L:i\vroiH'i', tin I Liiki' lliirtm i-' tin- -uiiili ^i-n. 
 
 Tliis iiuMU'iisi' ]iim1i1('im liciiiij,- s.'II led, ('li;iiii|t iiiii \\;is in u |i(isitii>n to 
 Imiirli at ilfury Hudson. \vhi)S(Mlt'stiiiy was lu fuinc -ix year.-^ latiM', and 
 take Hudson Jiivcr for ilic i-oad to Cliina. 
 
 On ri'visinLT his inaiiuscri|it ( 'liain|ilain wa- -itrii'k liv tlic (•iirioiis 
 fact dial Detroit Kiver. \vhi(di (laiilics in l.alo' liric. i- nol a salt water 
 stream, wliilst its .soiirci- is a saltid ocean 1 'I'liis |)n//,h'd lii-i iinai^inalloii 
 for a wiiile, and he added the followinif I'cniaik ri's|)(;ctinif [,iik(! Huron: 
 " Ye!, we should not holieve this alisointely, for I hc-e u|i|iearanees nuiy 
 be deceitful." 
 
 I'li^hl years hiter he knew all about th" water of Lake Huron, and 
 he made u]) liis mind that wluit is now tlic county of Mruce could l)e 
 taken as the ^-eographicai centre of Nortli .Vmerica. 'I'IiIk was u good 
 deal of work done in a short time. 
 
 Who Saw Parijament Him, I'ik.st? 
 
 • live me the name of liie first white man who huw tlio majestic hill 
 u]Km which now stand liie <j;overnmont huildin;^:^ I \o direct aUHWor to 
 tiial question. The poet is [icrfectly free to ima^^iiit! a tale and thus fill 
 up a blaidc page in our history. 
 
 What would the reader say. for instance, if j wer<! to suppo.se tiiaf 
 the first visit took place duriiii^ the thirteenth century and that the 
 ex])lorer was a Norwegian ? Do not laugh, I pray. We all know that 
 these daring navigators had planted .-everal w;l1leinents on the Atlan- 
 tic coasts from Newibundland as far down a> i he I'otonuK;, four cen- 
 turies before Columl)UH huKknl on the island ol' San Salvador, and that 
 the country around Quebec was occupied by tlniii in the middle of the 
 thii'teeiith century. Read the books, on that subject, in the library of 
 Parliament. My supposition is that the .vliitt; men id' Quebec ndght have 
 ascended the Ottawa, say about 101) years before ilie great invasion of the 
 colli wave which changed (ircenland iritcj an icy Held and madet/anada 
 what it is at present. 
 
 But supposition is not history. History deals with facts. 
 
 Give me the name of the first European who went up the Grand 
 Eiver I 
 
 The French archives are rejjlete with detailed information on the 
 various expeditions of their people in the early duyn of this colony, but 
 no precise note has been ke])t of the lirst attitmpis, if any, made to discover 
 the val.ey of this river before the year liilO-Ki, 
 
 I n list mention the voyage of Samuel Cham plain from Tadoussac to 
 Montreal in 1(103. At Tadoussac he spoke of I hi; Occidental Jiiver to 
 some Algonquins who had gone down the Si, Lawrence during their 
 
 _ 
 
[hui.tkJ 
 
 THK VAl.l.i:v OF THE GliAND RIVER 
 
 111 
 
 usiiiil siiiiiiiicr wiUMlcfiii^'s. 'J'cssoimt was tliu rliiul'ol' tliat hand, and liis 
 villaifc was on Alliiiiu'ttu Island. Tlioy had killed some li'()(|U(»is along 
 the road, wlii'ii gave llu-ni an opportunity to cidobralc tlnir victory in the 
 |i!'c.s(;nc(' of Chaniplain, with a view to show him tlu; valour of t hi' noble 
 red man. 
 
 A f'ow weeks alterwai'ils. Ciiampluin visited the Island of >[oMtreul 
 and inquired as to tlu' orin'in ol' the St. Lawrence I{iver. as already cx- 
 plaine(l above, but his repoi't .says nothing eoneerning the west bi'anidi, 
 except these two lines: •• Thent is a river going to the country of the 
 Algon([uin^ who resid(> at a distance of some sixty leagues from the St- 
 Lawrence." 
 
 The Island of Montreal was without hihabitants in 16()3. According 
 to some traditions, tlu' lluron-lroquois of the time of Curlier had been 
 driven nwuy by tiu; Algonquins in the second halfof tliesixteenth century. 
 
 Whi'ii Chaniplain came back five years later (KJOS) he met at Que- 
 bec the son oj' an Ali^'ontjuin ciiiel' called Froquet. whose tribe inhabited 
 the territory situated iiet ween Soulauges, Kingston and the city of Ottawa 
 at present. liUter on, the Sagamos liimsolf invited t'hamplain to accom- 
 pany him on a campaign against the Iroquois, which proposal was accejjted. 
 ( 'onsc(|Ueiilly, by the end of June, lliOil, they met near Lake St. Peter 
 and mar( bed in the direction of Jliver Chambly and then to Lake Cham- 
 plain where th(y fought a battle. 
 
 On that occasion Iroquet was accompanied by a band of Indians un- 
 der a I'hief named OclKitcguin, great enemies of the Iroquois, and the 
 .same thai Chamjilain had heard of in lt;0.3, when the Algonquins de- 
 scribed tliem as the "good lro([uois." Ilurons i.s their name in our his- 
 tory. Tluy lived on th(!.>-<)uth .Nliore of I'enetanguishene Bay, extendin"' 
 towards Lake Simcoe. and spoke Ihi' same language as the Irotjuois. wlio 
 belonged to the same nnv. but inhabited the south side of Lake Ontario 
 from ButValf) to Albany. 
 
 From that lime, the Uui-ons came to Montreal and the Lower St. 
 Lawrence through what is now termeil French IJiver, Lake Xipissiuf 
 liiver Mattawan and the (rrand lliver. Xo doubt Champiain obtained 
 ii'om those people a good deal of information concerning the west, and 
 e-ii)ecially tiie valley of the latter river, lie had already .seen (in 1(J03) 
 specimens of native copper, taken, as staled bj- the Indians, from the 
 vicinity of a large sea, which is, no doubt, Lake Superior. 
 
 Now comes the exi)edition of Chami)lain Irom (Quebec to Lake St. 
 Peter, in KilO, markecl by thi'ee imjiortant events : a battle with the Iro- 
 quois, a large trade with the tribes of tlie Ujiper St. Lawrence and L'pper 
 Ottawa, and the departure of a young man who followed the Algonquins 
 on their return home. 
 
 Who was tills young man ? I cannot tell ; we will try to find out. 
 
 Two-thirds oi the men who had remained at Quebec the tirst autumn 
 (1G08) of the olaiilishment of that [)ost, died during tlie winter from the 
 
112 
 
 HOYAI, SOCIKTY OF CANADA 
 
 otVeots (if a sforlttitir diwuso. hi tlif .spriiiir sovcii iiu'ii only wiirn wlil'i 
 liviiii,'. witli ( 'liaiii|iliiiii liiinsrlC. One of tlu'iii was a youiiu,- man iiumt'd 
 Klii'iiiu' (iSU'iilu'ii in I'iiigli.-^li ) Mnik', ii nalivi- ofi'liumiiiifiiy, a small placi' 
 ni'Ui" I'aris. I lii'liivc lu! wastlic tirst wliilc individual wiio saw tht; val- 
 li'V ciltlit' (iranil llivrr; this is how I rxplain it : 
 
 'Ihi' oliJiH't of (Miamplain in ftilistin;f llridu, Nii-oU-t, Mai'solct, Ilortcl, 
 .Maiyiicric and otlu'f ^n'own up lioys for siTvico in Canaila, from IdOS to 
 Kiiid. wa> lo I'ducato tliem as intoi-pivtiTs. Tlicy all could ivad and 
 writL' : xiiiif of llicni wci'i' even pcrH'ct schoiafs. In less than one year 
 caidi of ihrsi' youn^- advcnturci's had Iciirncd an Indian lanifuagc, ami 
 si)mctiiars tlii'v niasicri'd two or tluvo idioms atU'r a vory sliorl pci'iod. 
 l)ruli'' >pi'nt the ycai's IdOS-ldJti anioni^st tlm A ln'on(piinh around (iuolKH' ; 
 lu' nin>t liavo ar(piiri'(l a practical knowledge of tlu^ tohi;'Ui' spoken liy 
 these savages and therefore was ahli', in l(ilt», to travel with any AI<;'oii- 
 (|uin. either of the St. knwrencc or the Ottawa rcifions. 
 
 l>iirinii- the summer <d' Idlo Iroipiet atii'udod tiio trading gatherings 
 at Lake Si. I'eter. Champlain a>k('d him to take a man with him in order 
 to visit his country and report alxuit it. The otfor was acco])ted, pro- 
 vide! an Indian woidd h.- chosen to I'mliai'k for Franco lor tlu' sumo 
 ))urpose. Savignon. who lielougcd to the Huron trihos, wns Holected to 
 make the trip to I'aris. ('Iiamplain ri'ciles on this occasion : '■ I had u 
 young man who hail already spcjit two winters a' Quebec and who 
 desired to ^m with the Algoiiquius to learn thoir languago. 1 thought it 
 woU to .send liim in that direction, hecaii.se iio could see the country, also 
 the great lake (Huron), ohseive the rivers, the people, the mines, and 
 other I'are thing>, so as lo report truth aliout all these. lie accejtted 
 the duty with pleasure." 
 
 Xo name is given. In all tlie mirrativo oi' ( 'luiinplain, previous to 
 this tlale. we tind no trace of any whito man attempting to vi.-it the 
 Jiiver of the .Mgonipiin-. as it was already styluil. That one must bo 
 considered the lirst ex|)lorer. Ihil who was he? If you turn to Cluim- 
 plain's ••Journal," during the summer ot 1(1 IS, you will j'cad that Kticiuio 
 Brul(' liad been at that date eight yours amongst the Intlians of Upper 
 Canada, although coming back to the St. Lawrence nearly every summer. 
 This as.serlion of Champlain correspt)nds exactly . .n the date of IGlD. 
 
 Champlain alUaU's evidently to Etienno Brule in 1(110 when ho says 
 "the young man desired to go with the Algonquins to loarn their 
 lanixuage.'' I'erbaps he meant '-to perlect his knowledge of the lan- 
 guage." Anyway, he mentions that •' this young nuui had already spent 
 two winters at (Quebec.'' 'J'iiis is as much as was reqiiivod to loarn the 
 language in ([ lestion. unless the Huron language is the ono llrulo wanted 
 to acipiire. 1 'cave tiie jiu/.zic to the readers. 
 
 The JIuro.is <)!• Ocbalcguins lived between Lake Simeuo and IVne- 
 tanguishene. They had adojjtod the route of the liiver of the Algon- 
 
 I 
 
fsn.T»] 
 
 THK VAI,M-:v OF TIIK (HiAND UIVEU 
 
 113 
 
 qiiin.-i to travel u> Moiitrcul. in pivlon'tU'i' to that of tliu n|,|.cr St. 
 Lawrence, tor jeur of the Inxiuois, Imt ihov used to eomnuuncate witji 
 tho liny of Kent.- in time m' peace uini linis navi-aie on Lake Ontario. 
 In his iii!i|) of Idl;; Chanipliiin phiccs tlieir roiWeiMc m I're>coii and' 
 Kingston, aecordin.n- to what he und-irstoo,! of tlie .•xplanati.ais Inniish.-d 
 U> iuni. Tlic warN of the Iroquois had ho-'iin, hii' not on sn-di a va.si 
 scah-as after Ki-in ; li>e lliirons and ihi- Al-on-piins of Ir.„piei occupied 
 virtually all rhe eastern and northern parts of the province of Ontario. 
 That ju'connts for the joint visits of ilurons and Ai-'oni|iiins to tjic lower 
 St. Lawrence. throui.-h the River of the Alxotuiuins, dnrin:,' the year 
 Id'O!)-!.") ami afterwards. 
 
 The youiiii' int.'rpreter sent hy Chainiilain in ICKl niav not have 
 reached Alluinclte Islan.i. The country of Chief Iroipict did" not ext.'n.j 
 any furl her than the site of our city ; the Huvons stool far to I h.' south- 
 west. My conjectniv is that, considerinir he wished to studv the Al-o,i,piin 
 lan-ua-e. he entered their co.uitry l.y tho ilideau River and went 
 ha-k of lvini.'.st(ui. in the country of jrocpiet, whilst tlu li-tron partv .'on- 
 Iiiiue.l their voya.u-e on the Ottawa and passed hv the Mattawan, the 
 Mipissinu-. and French River to return home. liul f Mrule intet'idod 
 to learn the Huron lan^ala^■e ho must have Ibllow ■, the i.uter pa-iv. 
 
 Wlioever was the youn-' man in (luoslion he cotild 1 av, ..aiim'dthe 
 tirst siglit .ii Farliament Hill. 
 
 L'l- TO AlU'METTT] Lsr.AND. 
 
 Savii^non did not conceal his admiration for Paris, 'the town where 
 men are as nuim'rons as loaves ,,u the branches of trees," he said, but he 
 thou-hl the civilized nations carried a lot of absurdities aboilt them. 
 Marc Lescarbot. an advocate, who saw him there, takes irreai pleasure iu 
 analysing the criticism of tlie witty Indian. 
 
 Bruld, or tho lad sent to upper Canada by Champlain, had at the 
 same time an opportunity of observing tho usages of the barbarians ; but 
 contrary to SavignonVs fancy. 1h> took a delight in followini.;- tliem— such 
 was often the case with the ('oureurs de Bois. 
 
 When summer (KJll) came bright again on the St. Lawrence 
 Champlain paddled his canoe from Quebec to Montreal and waited for 
 the arrival of his friends of the forest. Savignon accompanied him. and 
 his impatience to see his relatives was so great that he started ahead to 
 meet them, but only went as far as Lake of Two Mountains. This shows 
 that both the Algonquins and the Ilurons were expected bv the Pdver of 
 the Algonquins, It must be remembered that Savignon "wa-^ a iluron 
 and that Chief 1 roquet who had taken charge of Brule was an Abron- 
 qum. In his report of KUl, Champlain savs positivelv : - I roquet 
 resides about eighty leagues from Montreal." and in 1615,'he states tint 
 the chief and his people wintered (1615-:f» with the Hurons at Penetan- 
 
114 
 
 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
 
 guishene. Therefore the x\lgonquin biiiul under Iroquet. iind the llurons, 
 occupied, as already noticed here, the east side and part of the north of 
 the province' of Ontario. Brule could not liiid a better cl'.ance to obtain 
 information about these countries thai' by, goin<;- with the parties com- 
 manded by Iroquet as he Inul done. 
 
 Listen to Champlain's report : "On the 13th June, lUll, arrived 200 
 Charioquois (llurons) with Captains Ochateguin and Iroquet, also Tre- 
 gouaroti, a brother of Savignon, and they brought back my young man 
 (Etienne Bruk' ?) who had musteretl their language very well. Four of 
 them assured me that they had seen the sea at a considerable distance 
 from Ibeir own country.' 
 
 There was a merchant named Boyer who traded along.side of ham- 
 plain on that occasion and who asked Iroquet to take another young man 
 with him for one year or so. Tbe otter was accepted. This second 
 visitor to the Kingston, liideau and Sinicoe region, I am quite willing to 
 accept as the one called afterwards " Thomas the interpreter," but it is 
 not certain. 
 
 Cham]ilain mentions that another young man belonging to his own 
 party went with the llurons that year. Xo name is given. 
 
 Another man left later on with tbe Indians, under the folloAving 
 circums'tances : The aecond band of Algouquins arrived at Montreal on 
 12th July; the third one on the 15th. '"At ihoir demand,' says Cbam- 
 plain. ■' 1 permitted them to bring to their country a young man. and 
 when they started I gave him a memorantlum detailing carefully the 
 things he bad to report upon. They lett me on the 18th." We shall see 
 further on that the last band were from Allumette Island and that tbe 
 young wanderer's name was Xicolas du Vignati. 
 
 In none of the notes of Champlain can wu trace a connection 
 between the man who went with Iroquet in 1610 and the one this cliief 
 took for a similar trip in 1011. Champlain seems, on the contrary, to 
 make a distinction between the two. Furthermor(\ the one of KUl 
 belonged to l^oyer's company of traders, a well known association not at 
 all under the control of Cbamplain, and somewhat in opposition to him. 
 
 The second man who left witb tbe Indians in 1611. although belong- 
 ing to the party of Chaini)lain. seems to have received r.o particular 
 instructions fov the trip he undertook. exfe[)t, perhaps, 1o try to ac([uire 
 a knowlege of the language. 
 
 As for Viunyu, the real delegate of Ciuimplain, be followed the 
 Allumette Algoiquins, who hail never been visited by tbe Europeans, so 
 far as is known. He carried impoi'tant instructions in regard to the 
 famous yorth Sc<' which Hudson bail discovered the year before. Imt the 
 fact was not yet known to the French. 
 
 My conclusion is that Bruld saw the Cluuulien' in lillO. that \ignau 
 passed there in 1611, went further and reached Allumette Island. 
 
 ■ 
 
I 
 
[SULTEJ 
 
 THE VALLEY OF THE GRAND RIVER 
 
 118 
 
 Thomas, if such was liis name, and the other man above mentioned, 
 must have roamed through Upper Canada for eight or ten months at 
 least ; they and Brule paved the Avay for the further voyage of Cham- 
 Pl'»n and the Georgian Bay-Ottawa-Montreal Canal ! 
 
 News from Hudson's Bay. 
 
 As we are dealing with discoveries and discoverers it may be well to 
 mention here two coincidences which hapi)ened in the years 1(!09 and 
 
 In the first instance, Hud.son ascended the river now called after him, 
 as far as Albany, during the summer of 1609, whilst Champlain was 
 making the discovery of Lake Champlain. If the two explorers had 
 pushed a little further on their respective way. they would have met in 
 these wild solitudes, one coming fi'om the Atlantic, the other from Canada. 
 
 When Champlain returned to l'>ance, in the fall of UJll. he did not 
 know that Hudson had gone north and discovered Hudson's Bay in 1610 
 but some news of that successful e>:])edition reached him in Paris, in 
 1612, when Nicolas Du Vignau, wao had come down the Eiver of the 
 Algonquins and sailed for home, brought information concerning a certain 
 sea situated towards the north and visited by the Algonquins of Allumette 
 Island. Du Vignau added that he hatl been there himself, durino- the 
 winter of 1611-12 and saw European vessels navigating on those waters. 
 As a matter of fact Du Vignau had not gone further than Allu- 
 mette Island, but he apparently had heard of the English coasting the 
 south shore of the great bay. and made his report in accordance with the 
 statements furnished by the Indians of that country during their inter- 
 course amongst tlie tribes of the Upper Ottawa. 
 
 A direct line of communication existed in those days between Hud- 
 son's Bay Indians and Ihose of the Saguenay, St. Maurice and Ottawa 
 Kivers. During his visit to Tadous.sac in 1603, Champlain wrote : '-The 
 savages, north of this place, maintain that they go to a salted sea at a 
 certain period." 
 
 Champlain Explorks the Grand Eiver. 
 
 The desire to find the Sea of Japan by way of the Eiver of the 
 Algonquins determined Cham)ilain to bring back Du Vignau to Canada 
 in the spring of 1(;13. Arriving at (Quebec 17th May, 1613, he learned 
 that the winter had not been at all severe. The St. Lawrence had not 
 frozen. The trees were already showing their leaves, and the lields were 
 full of flowers. This exceptional temperature would bring the Indian 
 traders sooner than usual, as he thought— and he was right ui so calculat- 
 ing. He, therefore, proceeded to Montreal with a view to meet the Upper 
 Canada tribes. He arrived there on the 2l8t. 
 
 Sec. II., 1808. 8. 
 
116 
 
 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
 
 The war wiis raiding all the time between the Algonquins and the 
 Iroquois. Two of the latter had been taken prisoners. The Algon- 
 quins said that they wiehetl to go bade home in order to burn the victims 
 at a solemn meeting, and that they would escort Champlain on the 
 voyage if he oared for a visit to their country. 
 
 But the tratiic was not yet over at that date. Champlain could not 
 neglect the benetit of trade tor the sake of making discoveries. This 
 great man was under superior orders. And, this year particularly, the 
 traders had brought an abundance of merchandise, expecting to dispose 
 of their stock in a very few days, whilst the war had sent 1,200 men 
 against the Iroquois, thus reducing the question of trade to a small 
 matter. Considering these circumstances, says Champlain, ''1 asked the 
 Indians to procure for me three canoes and three of their men as guides, 
 the whole to be in readiness when 1 might be readj' myself. After many 
 objections I got two canoes and one man— but I had to give them pres- 
 ents all around."' Each canoe woukl carry three men. Therefore Cham- 
 plain, Du Vignau, three Frenchmen anil the Indian guide tilled the two 
 bark vessels. 
 
 •' Du Vignau,' says Champlain, '• is the most impudent liar you could 
 meet with." I ilo not like to believe Du Vignau was such a man. What 
 he pretended to know of the Eiver of the Algonquins turned out to be 
 correct, and what he said of Hudson's Bay, although he had not seen 
 the locality, cannot be much contradicted now. He stated that the 
 English had landed on the shores of the North Sea or Hudson's Bay — 
 pretty correct, 1 think. He affirmed also that one of the vessels had 
 been wrecked on the shore ot the bay, and the sailors who did not get 
 drowned were killed by the Indians. This is unknown to us. 
 
 Champlain understood that the route of the Grand iiiver was a far 
 easier one to reach the North Sea than that followed by Hudson, and 
 he made his preparations in accordance with that belief. 
 
 Du Vignau erred in one sense, because he had not seen all the things 
 he spoke of. But he was ncM without knowledge of the events which had 
 taken place during the two or tiiree previous years in the wilderness of 
 North America. 
 
 It was on Monday, the 27th May, 1613, that Champlain left St. 
 Helen's Island, near Montreal, to visit " the North Kiver which comes fi om 
 the country of the Algonquins and Nipissirinians." He crossed the 
 Lake of Two Mountains on the 31st, and passed the Long Saut portage 
 the next day with great ditliculty. because his men could not manage 
 their canoes by land and water as the Indians did. 
 
 On the 2nd of .June, in the vicinity of Point an Chene, he met 15 
 canoes of Quenongebin or Kinounchepirini Indians, a tribe residing south 
 of Allumette Island. They all encamped ibr the night, and the following 
 day Champlain bid them good-bye. These Indians took with them one 
 
[sultb] 
 
 THE VALLEY OF THE GRAND RIVER 
 
 117 
 
 of the Frenchmen and gave one of their guides to assist the little party 
 of explorers on their way up the Grand Elver. 
 
 Passing the mouth of Eiver Petite-Nation (Papineauville) Cham- 
 plain says: '-The people here are called Ouescharini, and live about 
 four days In- canoe from the entrance of this rivei", in the direction of 
 the Xortli. The river is most pleasant on account of tine islands and 
 the beautiful clear forest on eacli side ; the land is fit for agriculture.'' 
 
 Arrived opposite to the Gatincau on the 4th of June, he describes it 
 also : " This river comes from the North where the Algonquins reside, and 
 it flows into the St. Lawrence three leagues below Montreal, thus making 
 a greyr island of about forty' leagues," There appears to be a double 
 misprint in Champlain's text at this passage ; the author meant evidently 
 that the Gatineau communicates by portages with other river.s, which 
 themselves emptied into the St. Maurice, and that these waters reached 
 the St. Lawrence at Three Eivers, thirty (not three) leagues below 
 Montreal. 
 
 Continuing his description, he states that the Gatineau is not wide 
 but full of rapids and falls, very difficult to pass. (Dften, he adds, the 
 Algonquins use this river in order to avoid the Iroquois who do not dare 
 to advance so far north. The lower part of the Grand Eiver was not 
 considered safe on account of the frequent expeditions of the Iroquois, 
 especially, 1 believe, since the French had attracted the tribes of these 
 territories and induced them to go to the St. Lawrence every summer to 
 trade with them there. 
 
 As for the name of Gatineau, applied many years after Champlain's 
 time to the river above mentioned, 1 will explain it in due course. 
 
 The Gatineau being noted down in his journal, the explorer turned 
 his eyes towards the other shore of the Grand Eiver, where the capital is 
 now standing. 
 
 •• There," he saj-s, '' opposite the first river, is another one. which 
 comes from the south, and at the entrance it has an admirable fall of 
 water, most impetuous, forming an arcade, and its width is about 400 
 paces. The Indians go underneath the falls for the fun without getting 
 wet, except that they catch a little of the water spread in the atmo.sphei-e 
 by the velocity of the cascade. There is an island in the middle of the 
 river all covered with pine trees and white cedars, as well as all the land 
 in the neighborhood. When the Indians enter this river, they climb the 
 mountain and carry their canoes about half a league before rinilinc navi- 
 gable water. The vicinity abounds in game of all sorts ; therefore, it is 
 a favorite place, but the Irocjuois infest the country. The fall has from 
 2(1 to 2") fathoms." 
 
 The real height of the Eideau Falls is 3ij feet. Perhai)s Champlain 
 meant '• feet" instead of '' fathoms." 
 
 i 
 
118 
 
 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
 
 Ridcuu is certainly a name imposed by the French, as it signifies 
 curtain, a word which describes the fall in question better than any long 
 sentence. 
 
 The Honourable Louis Joseph Papineau told me that in the early 
 years of this century he passed under the " curtain " formed by the falls, 
 in the manner explained by Cliam))lain. The destruction of forest on 
 each bank of the liideau Kivor has rendered the " water regime " of the 
 country surrounding more and more irregular, since 1820; the falls 
 thus become very meagiv in summer. 80 much lost for the picturesque ; 
 so much gained for the benefit of national industry— but the " shavino- " 
 of forests is overdone in our days. 
 
 Mark the expressions of Cliamplain, speaking of the mouth of the 
 Rideau Eiver. The spot was a chosen one by the Iroquois to prepare 
 ambush against the Algonquins. 
 
 By reading Champiain's works we are confirmed in the idea that 
 the Algonquins of the Kingstcjn and Ottawa city regions had made a 
 thoroughfare of the Kideau Eiver, and that part of the Hurons also util- 
 ized that highway in their voyages towards the valley of the Grand Eiver, 
 where they traded with the northern tribes located between that river 
 and the St. JMaurice. 
 
 "We cannot believe that the suggestion of intercourse from nation 
 to nation was brought into this country by the Europeans. It existed in 
 reality throughout the continent long before Columbus, Cartier and 
 Champlain. The Indians of (Quebec were smoking tobacco from Vii-<rinia 
 when Cartier tried his first pijie — and got sick. 
 
 The sheli-tish used by our tribes as monetary signs were brought, 
 through exchange, from the Susquehanna an(i lower Mis6issip])i. In the 
 same manner, the Ilurons sold their corn to the Algonquins of the north 
 for produces which they could not procure from Upper Canada. Allu- 
 raette Island was one " door ^' for this traffic, theEideau was another one. 
 Who, for instance, got the stone (obsidian) axes from the shores of the 
 Mississippi and sold them to the Indians of the north of the province of 
 Quebec ? The Xipissirinians and the Ilurons, surely. Some of the colour- 
 ing substances which the warriors and the women employed in the fixing 
 of dresses and other ornaments came from foreign countries. We have 
 seen the Tetes-de-Boule and the Mackegong of the vicinity of Hudson's 
 Bay buyng from the Indians of a more southern climate the bark with 
 which they made theii- canoes. Vegetables, so plentiful with the Hurons, 
 were a relish fur other nations. Were not fibres of certain trees from the 
 south of the Huron country nuich better to make rope with than those 
 of the great forests of the north ? All this had given rise to a regular 
 commerce, before the white men ever dreamed of '■■ prospecting for a 
 road to China." Father Sagard. a missionary at Lake Nipissing fn 1625, 
 affirms that the Indians o<' those localities used to travel southwest during 
 
' 
 
 [sulte] 
 
 THE VALLEY OF THE GRAND RIVER 
 
 119 
 
 live or six weeks in order to meet the tribes who had the goods which 
 they looked for every summer, and that they brought back tliese articles, 
 which they cither consumed themselves or sold to other Jiations. 
 
 When a party of Indians from Virginia took a load of tobacco to the 
 savages of Upi.er Canada, they expected something in return. They got 
 fine skins of elk or beaver rendered as sui)ple as a glove by the industry 
 of the Hurons or the Algonquins. 
 
 The Andastes of the Susquehanna transacted " business " with the 
 Hurons of Penetanguishene, without paying any duty— this 1 say to 
 please the free traders, but it is true all the same. 
 
 Now, consider that the Indians coming from the Gatineau territory 
 met the " Ui)per Canadians " who had arrived by the Itideau, and that 
 they traded under these veiy liills where the Houses of Parliament now 
 stand, and how little they realized that a day would come when the 
 spirits of '-another world. ^' condensed in our present Cabinet, would rule 
 their country ! What a change ! Iroquet, who thought he was supreme 
 in Prescott, Glengarry, Carleton and Lanark ; Tessouat. the reigning 
 monarch of the Allumette kingdom, never imagined that the days of re- 
 sponsible government could come and con.stitute a progress in the form of 
 administration. 
 
 From the CiiaudiIihe to Allumktte Island. 
 
 We left Champlain at the foot of the Eideau Falls, after following 
 him ilay by day from Montreal to that place. The journal of thai; 
 explorer is before my eyes, and nothing is easier to understand,— pro- 
 vided you are acquainted with the French of the sixteenth century. 
 For Champlain was a scholar c'^that period, and when he wrote, the new 
 literary push had not yet taken place. It is surprising, though, how 
 many of the expressions used in this journal sound like the En<r|i8h 
 language— and even the form of the phrase has a resemblance toxoid 
 English. This is, I believe, because the genius of the two langtuiges had 
 not been comi)letely divided from one another at the time of Elizabeth. 
 Mark that. Champlain's education was right in those years — the years 
 of Shakespeare. 
 
 This is to say that Champlain was not at all a common individual in 
 his writings. He possessed initnense power of ob.servation. Furthermore 
 his mind was ahead of all others in regard to colonies and colonization.' 
 The plans he submitted on several occasions to the French authorities 
 were the first of that kind ever brought to light in Europe. If he had 
 been supported by the proper influence— that is the highest of Fi-ance— 
 he would have made Xorth Americii a French world. No man that I 
 know of in history conceived such a plan as his, nor such a feasible one 
 either. Broad views and easy, practical means— these were too much 
 for his time. 
 
120 
 
 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
 
 Since we loft him at the foot of the Rideaii Falls, we must coutiiuie 
 to ascend the Grand River with him. 
 
 ■• Xoxt." says he, " we passed a saut (a fall of water) distance one 
 league from llio Rideau. This full is half a league wide." 
 
 By admeasurement this could be contested, but the river was then in 
 its wild and primeval form, and the space from Hull to the other shore 
 must have shown a grander asj)ect than now. The Chauditiro onlv 
 formed jiart of the chain of lalis which extends across the torrenline 
 current. Each island was covered with trees ; the jets of water, through 
 the channels hituateil between them, must have been magnificent. The 
 line (if those marvels barred the lower part of the horizon, like one of 
 those sceneries now shown in our theatres with almost inconceivable 
 beauty. 
 
 ■•The waters,'' he continued, "come down at a certain spot, with 
 such im))etuosity on a rock that, by succession of days, they have digged 
 out a wide and ileep basin, and then the waves running in it by a circular 
 movement, cause the centre of it to be full of great bubbles ; therefore, 
 the Indians call it Asticou, signifying the Boiling Kettle." 
 
 Can we tind u better detinition of the name of the Chaudi^re than 
 this first mention of it ? Chamjilain uses the French word "Chaudiere " 
 which means Kettle, in translating the term Asticou. Quite correct. 
 The Indians, in 1613, had already a knowledge of our iron boilers. And 
 even if they had had no such an article in their possession, the habit with 
 them was to boil water in bark vessels by putting into it hot stones taken 
 direct from the tire — and thus the liquid would bubble in a few minutes. 
 
 " This fall of water prod ices such a noise," adds Champlain, '• that 
 it is heard more than two leagues from there. We experienced great 
 difficulty in paddling our canoes lo the foot of the cataract. At this 
 spot, the Indians earned the embarkations, whilst the Frenchmen and 
 myself took the arms, provisions, etc., over the portage, through the 
 rocks for a quarter of a league." 
 
 No doubt the jiortage was made on the Hull side. At least, I cannot 
 judge otherwise, seeing the locality, 
 
 Xext, the explorer expresses, in a few brief words, the tiresome job 
 he hid undertaken : '' Immediately jump in the canoe, soon after disem- 
 bark : pass through the bush, say three hundred paces; again take the 
 river, on your legs, to push the canoe in shallow places, and all sorts of 
 troubles." 
 
 Where is there a capital of the ancient kingdoms of the East or in 
 Europe, which can recall a positive description of the firet civilized man 
 tramping its soil ? No one has even kept a souvenir of the first white 
 explorer who visited the region where the city of Washington now stands 
 in the United States. 
 
 In our Canada, we have a Capital whose site attracted the attention 
 of the eai'liest discoverer, and we have on record a long string of facts, 
 
[sultk] 
 
 THE VALLEY OF THE GRAND UIVER 
 
 121 
 
 Hiibsequent to that first visit, showing that a ciirysalis had boon dcpositod 
 here, ready to develop in due time. This linu' lias come. 
 
 [n the afternoon of the same day, after passing the Chaudiere. 
 Champlain states that he entered a lake (J)cs Clienes) tive leagues long 
 by two wide, ■• where 1 found many tine islands full of vinos, walnut 
 trees, and other agreeable productions of the soil. About ten or twelve 
 leagues further on, we passed some islands all covered wilh pine. The 
 land is sandy. There is found a root which the Indians utilize to obtain 
 a crimson tint, in the painting of their faces or some small articles of 
 enjoyment. I noticed also a coast or mountain, alongside of the river ; 
 the country around is not very pleasant. We spent the rest of the day 
 on an island most delectable. 
 
 •' The day ensuing we travelled as far as a great Jail (the Chats) 
 measuring about three leagues in width, where the current conies down 
 on an inclined plane with a marvellous noise. There are a number of 
 islands, all crowned with pine and cedar trees. Here we had to abandon 
 our corn and other victuals, together with some of our less necessary 
 clothing, keeping only our arms and fishing apparatus— in order to make 
 a living with by and by, according to the chance of the moment. This 
 portage has a length of a league and a hall'. The Indians helped us a 
 good deal in the work."' 
 
 (vhamplain sa^-s he passed two other cascades, one by means of a 
 landing or portage, the other without leaving his canoe. "Then," he 
 recites, " we entered a lake (Chats) six or seven leagues long, in which 
 empties a river (the Madawaska) coming from the south, the country of 
 a people named Matouesca. The neighboring land is sandy, growing 
 pine trees, almost all burnt by the Indians. In one of the few islands 
 here we stopped for some moments, and seeing beautiful red cypress, the 
 first I had observed in this country, I made a cross with the wood of one 
 of them, which I planted at the extremity of the island, on an elevated 
 site, decorated with the arms of France, as I had done in other places 
 where we had passed, and I named the island the Holy Cross." 
 
 This shows that Champlain, on this voyage of discovery, repeated 
 the ceremony of the navigators of his time on entering a new territory. 
 It was the practice, as we know, to plant a cross on the land first visited 
 by a Christian, and as Champlain was fully aware the St. Lawrence had 
 been frequented before his travels, the words : '■ As I have done in other 
 places " meant " on the Grand Eiver," but this is all we know about it. 
 
 " On the 6th of June, we travelled from 8 to 10 leagues ; after that 
 we passed a small rapid and a number of islands of various sizes. Here 
 our Indian guides left their bags of provi-sions and other articles, in order 
 to carry less weight on the remainder of the route. Du Vignau had a 
 consultation with our Indians, in which he claimed that we could go all the 
 way without abandoning any of our baggage. The Indians said to Vignau, 
 
122 
 
 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
 
 " you are tirod of this life, it soems," and to mo : " Boliovc not in liirn, lie in 
 a liar." Therefore, aH I had more tiiaii once obHerved that Dii Vii,'nuii 
 hail no linowledtfe of tlie situation, f followed tiie advieo of the Indians 
 and in the lonj^ run found they were correct. We then croHMcd over to 
 the west of the river flowing from the north." Tiiis wuH about J'ortago 
 du Fort. 
 
 On the portage, Champlain says the trip proved to b(i a painful task. 
 He had taUen charge of three arquebuses, three paddles, ofi(! overcoat 
 and some other articles, lie tried to encourage his ni»!ti by good and 
 genial words, but the mosquitoes wore against them. Alter passing fotir 
 small lakes and walking two short leagues they were e.>chaust(;(| , in fact 
 the party had only eaten a few slices of " roasted tish without any sauce " 
 during the last twenty-tour hours. Finally they stopjx'd on the shore of 
 a small lake, kindled a tire to chasi> the flies, and di|)pcd their fishing 
 nets into the water to prepare a bill of fare for the supper. 
 
 This was rather hard — was it not? Neither the Indians nor the 
 Frenchmen could tight the mosquitoes combined with starvation. Few of 
 these travellers thought of the Canadian Pacitic Railway car arrangfrrnent 
 for sleejiing and dining. A long while after Champlain's time a misHionary 
 spoke of the (irand Jiiver route in the following terms: "I'liis is not at 
 all like the ])Ostal roads of Kurope." Now, ]iut the (luestion to a common 
 labourer coming from Montreal to see old Bytown, or paying a visit to 
 Lake Temiscamingue I 
 
 I am inclinetl to think we have made a step forward. We wero nont 
 in here for that very ])urpose. 
 
 Champlain never ate ham. chicken and tongue ."sandwiches at the 
 Calumet station, and for a cup ot coffee he could not get it, b«;cau.Hf! this 
 precious beverage was not even known to the Parisians in loj.'j. Alas! 
 poor Champlain. 
 
 From the 8i)ot where they had spent the night, our travellers reached 
 Muskrat Lake after a journey amongst tumbled down tro(!S and all sorts 
 of debris of the forest. ■' This sheet of water." he says, •' is renowned for 
 its abundance of fish. Close by is a camp of Indians, who have cultivated 
 fields whei-e they raise corn. The chief's name is Nibachis ; he came to 
 see us and expre.ssed his surprise at the mannei- we had overcome! the /UIIh 
 the rajml.s, md the portages on the route to him." Then they hmoked' 
 and afterwards the chief made a speech in which he tried to explain tliat 
 Champlain Avas the Bismark of the period, because he could nmslcT the 
 elements, tho men of all races, and still live like a simph; being amongst 
 the natives of this strange continent. The fact of the nnit ter was I hat t lie 
 chief expected a i-eturn for his compliment. lie added a good di«h of 
 meat to his peroration. This clever Indian understood the "coming 
 days" and made up his mind to follow the market rate when plenty of 
 Frenchmen would go up and down this Valley of the (rrand River. 
 
[bultb] 
 
 THE VALLEY OF THE GRAxND RIVER 
 
 123 
 
 Hi'foro romoviiii,' the tul)lo clutli as is still thr iiso in our days, tlui 
 oxploror run)toiiilf(l to the words of Niliacliis, tliroiigii Thouris the intcr- 
 protor. llo Htatod he was vory much pleased to lind himsell' in such 
 re«puetahU' company; also that ho intended to assist them in their war 
 ai^ainst the It'ofpiois. and that I'or this pnrjwHO he was determined to see 
 other tribes of the upper rei^ion. No better j)oliey could be submitted 
 to tlieso dipionuitH of the wilderness. War and war again and wav always, 
 suited tlu! mind of the smallest as well as the largest tribe. The 'tire 
 sticks'' of the i-'rench had causeil an immense im])ression upon the intel- 
 lect of the nativts of (y'anada. Champlain saw perlectly well how far he 
 could keep the ball rolling, Thomas was up to the mark ; he managed 
 to show that tfie Krcnch were luitural allies of the Algonquins and that 
 they had come because of their friendly feelings for tliem. 
 
 N'iijachis took his visitors to the garden and sb.owed them the jtroducts 
 of the land, but Champlain observes that "these ))eople could not compete 
 with the Ihirons because they had too great a ])assi(Mi tor hunting and 
 not enough for agricultural jiursuits," 
 
 This is the whole key of the problem. Why have we so readily dis- 
 posed of the Indians of old Canada? Because the only tribes actually 
 living "on the soil ' — the Hurons — were destroyed before we could 
 implant our own flag in a jHTmanent manner amongst them. The other 
 Indians, the Algonquins. had no settled situation. They lived according 
 to the requirements of the day — hunting where they could, and following 
 the wild animals where they found a tield for that pursuit. In the view of 
 Chami)lain, every man on this new continent should adopt a trade or take 
 a piece of land ami start on business principles. No Indian was tit for 
 such a programme except the Hurons — but, as I have already explained, 
 these wore defeated and dispersed before we could do anything for them 
 or with them. 
 
 It is remarkable, anj'how, that Champlain so often comes again on 
 that idea of an agricultural colony. In the early days of the 17th century 
 no one supposed that a -'plantation'' if established in Canada could be 
 anything (slso but a mere trading place for furs, or for minerals, or for 
 jjopper, monkeys, parrots, etc. — but not for wheat and grain. The plain 
 fact that the^now world was really a world full of ncrvelties, could not be 
 understood by those who ruled the old world and believed the scope 
 within their small horizon was the universe itself. 
 
 This valley of the (Irand liiver was occupied by the Algonquins, 
 divided into three distinct groups : the little Algonquins or Petile-Xation 
 at Papineauville, the Algonquins of Cataraqui, the great Algonquins of 
 Allumett(! Island. The Algonquins of Cataraqui extended from there to 
 Ottawa and Vaudreuil. That part of the country comprised between the 
 Chaudiire and Muskrat Lake was loft rather unoccupied on account of 
 the ditHculty of navigation, but still the hunters sometimes passed 
 through it. 
 
124 
 
 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
 
 Tlie Al^oiiquiiis wore all liuiiters, and nothing inoro, unforliiniitt'ly. 
 Tlicir miinlior did not excoed Hvo thoiiHiind hoiiIh, but tlu-y requiivd an 
 iiiimcnsr tcMTitory ti» mako a liviiii,'. Tlie coiiscquiuico o<' this statu of 
 tiling's was tluit tlicy were williout any disc'i|iliiie, hosidt's boin^ disporsed 
 in all directions. As soon as a well disciplini'd cnomy could f^oi ut iliom, 
 thoy wore destroyed. 
 
 On the map prepanvl by (niamplain in Kil'll. Lake of Two Mountains 
 is called liakc Snissons, in honour of ('liavlos dc Bourbon, cfJinltulc Soissons, 
 who had been viceroy of Canada during; one year, namely 1()12. Cham- 
 plain saw the lake for the rirst lime in Idl,"}, therefore my conclusion is 
 that the luime of Soieisons was bestowul din'ing the voyai^e I am now 
 tr^'ing to describe, i. c. lUlH. 
 
 On the north shore of the Ottawa, nearly halfway between Lake of 
 Two Mountains and Carillon, is a cross placed on the map by Champlain. 
 no douitt one of those crosses lu- mentioned in KJKJ, as I have already 
 stated. 
 
 The word "sault " is plainly written on the Carillon side of the Grand 
 Eiver. After tliat comes a Hket(di of the villaijje of La Petite Nation 
 Indians, sitiuited at some distance inland, at the rear of Papineauville. 
 Ked Kiver and Jiiver au Lifsvre are traced, but no name attached. Next 
 comes the (iatineau, stronirly delineated ; no mime given. The mouth of 
 the Jlideau is equally indicated. On the site of upper town, Ottawa 
 City, is the wortl '• sault " ; this means tlie Chaudiiire ; four small islands 
 are visible in the river, but they are i)laced in succession ascending the 
 current, instead of in a line as they exist from shore to shore. 
 
 The Chats are represented as a very largo fall of water, with many 
 islands at tlieir foot. On the north land is a second cro.ss. 
 
 From Lake des Chats, the travellers of 1613 went by land to Muskrat 
 Lake. The map 8ht)ws the line of march they followed by a chaplet often 
 round s])ols stringed 1)\' a small tracing in their centre. 
 
 On the Grand River is written. ■' Sault des pierres a calumet qui sont 
 comme albatre." That is to say : liapid, where are stones to make pipes 
 with ; they resemble alabaster. 
 
 Allumette Island is calleil Tessouat Island, because the chief who 
 ruled that place was named Tessouat. 
 
 The distance between the ]»oint whore Champlain had mot Niijachis 
 on Muikrat Lake to Allumette Island is twonty-five miles. Nibachis con- 
 ducted his new i'riend thi-oughout the journey and they all arrived safely 
 at the ,iig island, where Tessouat told thom he felt as though he was 
 dreaming, because he never, believed Chamj)hiin (whom he had seen at Ta- 
 doussac in 1603) could undertake with success such a dangerous voyage. 
 " Do I see you ! " he exclaimed. ' no ! it is a vision I " I must remark hei'o 
 that Tessouat had only one eye and that he was commonly known as Lo 
 Borgne or One-Eyed Chief. Singularly enough, his successor enjoyed 
 the same infirmity. 
 
[8UI.TE] THK VALLEY OF Tllp: GKAND RIVKR 128 
 
 The islftiid, nayn Clmin|>lain, Iiuh u stroiiir Mitimtion. tlu' watern nil 
 round ui'o t'nll of HhIi, Imt tho gaiiu^ in tlu' lorcst is insiirnitlcant. Tho 
 wi^waniH aiv rovcrcd with liarU and n(jt vory well I'ilhcr. 'riicir ((Mne- 
 tery if- a wonder, tor tlif groat attention they pay to it ; cvorythini,' is 
 kept in order and alter estaliliwlied regulations. The soil of the island is 
 not tit for cultivation, although these Indians ])lant some corn and raise 
 jiumpkiiis. The tear of the Iro(|uois has forced them to select tluK ])lace, 
 on account of its natural defeiicos. 
 
 A state dinner followed the visit to the island. Indian corn, tisli and 
 meat, hadly cooked together ; then a smoke of abominable tobacco — such 
 was the tnciiii. Ciiani))lain made half a dozen after dinner hpeeches, with 
 a view to induce the Allunu'tte people to take liim to Lake Xipissing ; 
 but with no good result. lie was assured that t lo tribes of that region 
 were nothing but a set of sonterers, full of mischief, ami that Allumetto 
 Island was tiie end of the world in so far as ho wisiied to meet decent 
 Indians. The fact of the mutter was that Tessouat, the Kmjferor of the 
 great island, had made up his mind to trade with the French on tho 
 Grand Iliver. or at Montreal, and to exchange the mcrchanilise thus 
 obtained for the 'jitiies of the other nations. Jle knew that his island 
 was tho key of the Hp])er ]iart of the river, anil during tho last few years 
 had levied u tax u])on all canoes ])ussing alongside of his domains. Some 
 of his guardsmen were constantly on the wjitch to slop travellers jiassing 
 by one of the two arms of the river which encircle the i.-^land. This toll 
 gate business was abolished in 1(150, when tho last One-Kyed Chief had 
 to escape for his life with all his warriors. We will come to that in due 
 time. 
 
 I have in vain looked for information concerning the number of 
 Algonquins com])osing the three grou])s of the Grand I?iver valley as 
 above explained, and find I must base my statistics upon the tigures 
 disseminated through the ehionicles of those days. Bands of trading 
 Algonquins, tii'ty men strong, are mentioned on several occasions, but 
 this is not sulticient to ai)preciate the strength of the lace. On two or 
 three occasions, between 1608 and 1613, a war cry was heard and 
 twelve hundred men responded to it. This is, I believe, the highest 
 number of warriors that could be put in the field — therefore I adopt tive 
 thousand souls as the approximate figure representing all these Algon- 
 quins. At one time, it is true, two thousand men entered the war jiath, 
 but the llurons of Lake Simcoo and tho Algonquins of Lake Nijiissing 
 had Joined with the Algonquin groups of the Grand River. It is con- 
 sidered an impossibility now-a-days to frame a correct calculation on this 
 subject. 
 
 " Nicolas," said Tessouat, pointing at Du Vignau, " is it true that 
 you told my brother Cbamplain, that you had seen the North Sea during 
 your fii-st visit here ? Is it true also that you said you had gone to Lake 
 
126 
 
 KOYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
 
 Xipissinif ? " Du Vignau remained Hpoochlcss I'or a few miiiutos, then 
 said: •• I was there.' The Indians stood up and proli'ered all sorts of 
 vituperations against him, until (he C'hief i)ro(Oaimed that Du Vignau 
 was a liar and that he had never left ihe eamp on Alliimette Ishtnd. 
 Some of them simply expressed tlie opinion that this man was tit to be 
 slaughtered and eaten by the good Algonquins, who never uttered a lie. 
 One of them said that the im])oster might have dreamed all the story he 
 had told Champlain about his experiences in this country. Seeing the bad 
 example thus exhibited of French hone.'^ty, Champlain made up his 
 mind that Du Vignau should perish, but the Indians, changing their mind, 
 asked him to be mild and to despise such a scoundrel. Du Vignau ac- 
 knowledged his falsehood and was pardoned. 
 
 Xot withstanding all these hard words, it seems Du Vignati had given 
 Cham]ilain a map of the unkno.vn regions of the north, and when the 
 same was ]>ut under the miique eye of Tessouat, ho recognized readily 
 that the French imposter had i)retty well pencilled the physical shape of 
 the country described to him in his conversations with the hunters and 
 others who had roamed in the vicinity of Hudson's Bay. Du Vignau 
 received his pardon a second time. 
 
 Considering the impossibility of any further exploration at this 
 moment, Champlain determined on returning to Montreal. Before leav- 
 ing the island he erected a cross made of white cedar on the shore of the 
 lake, adorned with the arms of France, and he asked the Indians to 
 preserve it there, as well as those previously ])lanted by him along the 
 Grand River — stating in connection with this that the destruction of these 
 emblems would bring the Iroquois to their doors. 
 
 On the Kith June, they started for the return journey, with the son of 
 Tessouat and forty canoes. On the way thej' met a good number of 
 Indians coming from the tratle at Montreal, otherwise Saut St. Louis, for 
 the Island of Montreal was not then considered a [>lace of any importance 
 in itself. The trading ground was a little above the site of Victoria bridge, 
 and sometimes as low as the Allan's steamship wharf at the foot of the 
 Lachine Canal. Champlain came down by the Grand River, instead of 
 Muskrat Lake. He Tuentions the rapids and the dilHcultiesof navigation 
 the} had to contend with. al.so the fear of the Algonquins who dreamed 
 every night they were attacked by the Iroquois and sometimes in a panic 
 ran i.ito the bush or threw ihem.selves into the river for refuge. One of 
 the Frenchmen got frighti.'ne(l in the same fashion and gave a great deal 
 of trouble to Champlain. 
 
 A ■; they came again to I he Chaudiere a solemn ceremony was performed. 
 First, the canoes were taken to the lower part of the fall. Xext, all the 
 Indians gathered near the ■• boiling pot," and there ])a.ssed the hat, this is 
 to say collected as much (ol.iacco bits as the generosity of each individual 
 would procure, according to the iutensity of his religious sentiments. 
 
r 
 
 [sclte] 
 
 THE VALLKY OF THE GltAND RIVER 
 
 127 
 
 Ihen they had a dance, after which a chief made a speech, .showin.. thia 
 was an old custom and that so long as they would obsowe it. they would 
 be tree from their enemies. The speaker took the bark dish in which the 
 tobacco had been collected and threw the contents of it into the Chaudi,^re 
 And, observes Champlain, these poor people think the voyage could not 
 be without danger unless such a superstition be followed. On the I7fh 
 they arrived at Montreal. 
 
 This is the end of the second known voyage made on the Grand River 
 by a white man. 
 
 A Trade Eendez-vous. 
 
 Some three centuries ago the Indians in the territories comprised 
 
 between the St. Maurice and the Ottawa used to meet every summer -it 
 
 a certain place on the latter river to carry on their traffic with the 
 
 southerly nations, especially the Algonquins of Three Rivers and al.so the 
 
 •ilurons of Georgian Bay. 
 
 _ Necessity is the mother of invention. When the Mu-^kegonus of the 
 heights of land, towards James Bay, wanted birch-bark for makinir 
 canoes, they had to go south and obtain the article from the Algonquins 
 When the people of Lake Temiscamingue wished for bread or melons or 
 pumpkins, the Ilurons were ready to barter the flour and the veo-etables 
 for their hne bearskins and the strong bones of the seafish which became 
 a variety of tools in the hands of the industrious Hurons. 
 
 For the above purpose a rendezvous was designated a year in advance 
 on a .elected spot in the valley of the Ottawa, where the different 
 nations gathered with their products. 
 
 This was before the Iroquois had given any trouble to their neigh- 
 bours. => 
 
 All the tribes distributed from the upper St. Maurice to Temisca- 
 mingue Nipissing and the northeast shore of Lake Huron spoke dialects 
 of the Algonquin language, and the great Algonquins, as they stvled 
 themselves, ixv.ided on the shores oi the upi.er Ottawa esneci-ili; Z 
 Allumette island. Non. of these tribes ever did much inX'a'y 
 cultivating the soil ; most of them never thought of doin.^ so 
 
 about 30000 souls, reside! on a territory of 50 miles in length by 40 
 m. es w.de-con.equently they lived on their agriculture and cared very 
 hUle for hunting at largo. This situation had made them a kind of 
 uviii/A-d nation compared with the roving bands above mentioned 
 
 It IS said that the Algonquin and Huron languages have no afh-nity 
 
 th7is\ ' ""T!r ^"•\^^"-'— ^'^ ^"t they used i, very ditferently; 
 that s to say, the Algonqmn never realized the importance ol' the article 
 called by that name. They were too roving to put anything in the sack 
 Ihe Hurons, on the contrary, knew very well how to till it up. 
 
128 
 
 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
 
 Xo sooner had the French shown themselves in the country looking 
 for furs, furs again and furs always, than the Ilurons enlarged their 
 previous business and bought the rich skins from right to left from the 
 northern nations in order to sell them to the white men. They in return 
 got the European goods which the far-away tribes appreciated so much. 
 It is to be noticed that the Algonquin never kept an extensive trade with 
 the Frerch direct. The bands coming from the north duiing the ITth 
 century had a groat dread for any region where the Iroquois could be 
 
 seen. 
 
 The great Algonquins were driven by the Iroquois from the Ottawa 
 
 valley in 1650. 
 
 Jlardly any Indians from the St. Maurice dared go down to Three 
 
 Rivers before lt)45. 
 
 Notwithstanding this state of things, the Ilurons brought an enor- 
 mous quantity of furs to the French, from KJOS to 1627 and from 1633 
 to 1648, because they had the sack, commercially speaking, and the 
 courage on their side. 
 
 The localities where the meetings of the traders took place must 
 have been between AUumette island and Papineauville, at the mouth of 
 Du Moine, Coulonge, (ratineauor Li^vre rivers. Out of these streams the 
 Gatineau otters not only a central point, but all facilities of communica- 
 tion with the inland country. 
 
 Even Coulonge is too far west, and Du Moine is still woi-se. The 
 Lievre is a good deal to the east, and, after 1()35, cotdd not be adopted on 
 account of the frequent visits of the Iroquois around the place. The 
 writings of tho.se days show the Ilurons pa.ssing fi om the Ottawa to the 
 St. Maurice by means of the lakes and rivers, in order to reach Three 
 Rivers and escape their enemies, the Iroquois. 
 
 The latter had at one time nearly complete possession of the 
 Ottawa, and the trade from the west and the north utilized the River Du 
 Moine to penetrate to the headvvaters of the St. Maurice. 
 
 All considered. I believe tl'.e Gatineau was the doorway east and west 
 by which the Indian tribes communicated with one another for the 
 purpose of exchange and ordinary commercial transactions. 
 
 Tn.WELLERS ON THE CtRAND RlVER. 
 
 Thi voyage of 1615 to the Huron country need only to be mentioned. 
 Champlun, the Recollet .lo.seph Le Caron, twelve Frenchmen and ten 
 Indians passed through the Grand River, the Mattawin, Lake Nipissing, 
 French River, and arrived safely at the Huron villages. Htieime Brule was 
 sent from there to a people called Andastes.one hundred and fifty leagues 
 southeast, where he roamed during thirty months and explored most 
 parts of Peni\sylvania, including the River Susquehanna. Later on, in 
 June, 1623, we find Urule trading with three hundred Ilurons at the fall 
 
[8ULTB] THE VALLEY OF THE GRAND RIVER 129 
 
 of the Chaudit^re, probably on the Hull side of the Grand Eiver. When 
 Champluin left Quebec in 1629, Bruld remained there and .sided with the 
 English. In 1632 or 1633 he was killed by the Hurons in Upper Canada. 
 A young man by the name of Jean Nicolet, born at Cherbourg, Xor- 
 mandy, arrived at Quebec and was sent to the west with the Abn^'nquiiis 
 of Allumette Island as early as 161S in order that he might learn their 
 language, which was in general use upon the north banks of the St 
 Lawrence and the Ottawa. With ihe.se Indians he remained two years 
 following them in their wanderings, partaking of their dangers, their 
 fatigues and their privations, with a courage and fortitude equal to the 
 boldest and the bravest of the tribe. During all this time he saw not the face 
 of a single -vhite man. On several occasions he passed a number of days 
 without a morsel of food, and he was sometimes fain to satisfy the cravin.rs 
 of hunger by eating bark.' While residing at Allumette Island he once 
 accompanied four hundred of these savages upon a mi.s.sioii of peace to 
 the Iroquois, as Father Vimont styles this extraordinarv sendinir of four 
 hundred armed ambassadors. The voyage proved a successful one 
 Afterwards, Nicolet went among the Nipissings with whom he remained 
 eight or nine years. He was recognized as one of the nation and took 
 part in their councils. He had his own cabin and establishment doing 
 his own tishing and trading. Father Le Jeune said in 1636 that Nicolet 
 had given him his written memoirs concerning the Nipissings and others 
 and we may fairly infer from this that the information spread in the 
 Jesuits Kelations on the same subject partly came from that source. 
 
 -During the fall of 1632 news reached the Nipissings that the French 
 had come back to Quebec, and the following summer they formed a party 
 for the purpose of trading furs with them. The Allumette people did the 
 same, and also the Hurons, who gathered one hundred and fifty bark 
 canoes by themselves, with over seven hundred men. to open up tiie road 
 as they exjn-essed it. On the St, Lawrence, between Montreal and Three 
 Rivers, a few of these travellers were killed by the Iroquois. In June, 
 1633, Jean Nicolet thus arrived at Quebec atter an absence of fifteen 
 years with the barbarian tribes of the west. He met Champlain who had 
 just returned from France, and told him all about the geograi.hy of the 
 vast regions seen by him, as well as varied information in regard to 
 the Indians, trade, etc., throwing an immense flash of light upon the 
 " dark continent." Such was the first white man who resided in the 
 valley of the Ottawa and on the shore of the Georgian Bay canal fscherae 
 of 18D8). ^ 
 
 From 16IU to 1628 regularcommercial intercourse took place between 
 the Hurons of Georgian Bay, the Algonquins of Allumette Island, the other 
 Algonquins (Petite Nation) of Pai>ineauville, and the French on the St. 
 
 ' Written in 1643 by Fathsr Vi.nont. Translated by C. wTfliTtterlielTiTlWs 
 Uiscoveri/ oj the Xorthireaf, Cincinnati, IHSl, p. 28. 
 
130 
 
 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
 
 Lawrence. The taking of Quebec by Jvertk in 1629 caused these communi- 
 cations to stop for a while, but they were resumed in 1634 by the arrival 
 in the Huron country of three Jesuit Fathers : Jean de Breboeuf, Antoine 
 Daniel, Ambroise Davost and six hired Frenchmen, whose names wore 
 Petitpre, Simon Baron, Dominique Scot, Robert Lecoq, and the two others 
 unknown. 
 
 Brebceuf in his report states that they passed by Petite Nation and 
 Nipissing, " a long, weary, dangerous route, but still prelerable to that 
 of Lake Ontario for fear of the Iroquois. The rivers of Canada are full 
 of cascades and cataracts, more especially the St. Lawrence after passing 
 Eiver Dos Prairies wliich was our route." The left branch of the Ottawa 
 encircling the Island of Montreal, was called Des Prairies because a trader 
 by that name (from St. Malo) was drowned there about 1615. The text 
 of Breboeuf is very explicit and shows that the Ottawa, in 1634, Avas 
 considered as the west arm of the St. Lawrence and that Montreal was 
 the Khartoum of this new Xile. 
 
 Nicolet had embarked at Thi-ee Eivers with Father Brebteuf under 
 special instructions from ('hamplain. These two men conceived the idea 
 of exploring the unknown western country, the door of which they had 
 themselves opened in their previous travels. Etienno Brult^ was no more, 
 otherwise it is likely that he would have had a share in this adventurous 
 enterprise. Breboeuf, on his way to Georgian Bay, parted with Nicolet 
 at AUumctte Island. The latter hired eight or ten Indians and proceeded 
 to Sault Sainte Marie, where it is believed Brule had paid a visit some ten 
 years before. Then, entering the Wisconsin territory, Nicolet reached what 
 is now Green Bay and ascended it to tlie mouth of Fox River. He explored 
 that sti-eam up to the elbow, where, by a short and easy portage, he could 
 have met the Wisconsin River and gone down to the Mi.ssissippi. He un- 
 derstood readily that, instead of being near to Japan and China as was his 
 first conception of the Great Waters (the Mississippi) mentioned by the 
 aborigines, he nierelj' stood in the centre of a continent — but he remained 
 convinced that the Pacific Ocean could not be very far west of him. In 
 the summer of 1635, he returned to Quebec where lie communicated the 
 result of his observations to Champlain. Father Le Jeune wrote in 1636, 
 that this remarkable man (Xicolet) asked ]»ermission to withdraw from 
 amongst the savages as he could not live without the sacraments, which 
 were denied him so long as he stayed with them, there being no mission 
 estabHshed in their country. He was employed as commissar}^ of the fur 
 tride and Indian interpreter at Three Rivers until he died by being 
 dr )wned accidently in 1))42. while in the act of going to the rescue of 
 some Iroquois that the Algonquins were burning at the stake. 
 
 I 
 
X 
 
i 
 
 [sultk] 
 
 THE VALLEY OF THE GRAND RIVER 
 
 181 
 
 The Name of the Riveu. 
 
 Ho re again we have to inquire about the name of the Grand River 
 during the years 1600-lGoO. It has been seen that Father Brobceuf takes 
 it for the St. Lawrence and that tlie branch which separates the Island of 
 Montreal from Jesus Island was known as Des Prairies. The other 
 branch running between Jesus Island and terra firma was designated as 
 River St. Jean, on account of Jean Nicolet. All the canoes from the 
 Grand River used to pass by those two roads to reach the St. Lawrence. 
 
 M. do Montmagny, governor-general, visited the island in 16:]7, and 
 his name was given to it. The Jesuits had expressed the wish to settle on 
 Des Prairies River, but in 1(541 another company came to occupy the 
 present site of the city of Montreal, and the former scheme was aban- 
 doned. In IG42, the terra of " Isle Jesus " is applied to the Montmagny 
 Island and has remained since. 
 
 Champlain anti Sagard, who both produced their last writings in 
 16ii2, invariably said riviere des ^l^/o?i(/M<ns when speaking of the Grand 
 River. In the Jesuit Relations, 1G27-I(i()7, we tind but one expression : 
 Riviere des Prairies. 
 
 The Relation of 1G42, has a strange definition : " Le grand sault de- 
 la Chaudiere est un fieuve qui se prccipite tout a coup dans la rivii^re des 
 Trois-Prairies." No doubt that the Grand River was known as l)es Prair- 
 ies, but the Three Prairies are never mentioned anywhere else. It may 
 be a misprint. Nevertheless, the intention of calling the Grand River De& 
 Prairies is evideni. The Relation of 1(J40 observes that " ascending river 
 Des Prairies, we met with the Ouzouechkairini, named by us Petite 
 Nation des Algonquins ; and further on we tind the Kiehesipirini of 
 Allumette Island. Kijesipiirinieaak means the men of the Grand River." 
 In the absence of more comprehensive documents this will suffice to show 
 that several terms were applied to that " branch of the St. Lawrence." 
 
 Trade and War. 
 
 The reading of the Jesuit Relations is not sufficient to explain the 
 '' persecution '" of that religious order by the Iroquois, because it is all 
 put upon the supposed animosity of these people on account of their 
 hatred for the christian religion. The real facts are quite different from 
 such a supposition. The Dutch of Albany, and other Europeans of 
 New Jersey and Pennsylvania, induced the Iroquois to procure the beaver 
 skins of Upper Canada for which they offered high prices, and this was 
 done in a rather easy way until 1635, when the French re-opened com- 
 mu nications with Georgian Bay through the Grand River. It was made 
 clear that the monopoly of the fur trade of all those regions would soon 
 be in the hands of the French by their alliance with the Hurons. A new 
 
 Sec. IL, 18«8. 9. 
 
132 
 
 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
 
 policy originated from this change in tlie aspect of affairs ; the Dutch 
 antl others furnished the Iroquois with firelocks and equip])ed them for 
 war. Since the skins of the wild animals could not be obtained in the 
 ordinary commercial manner, they must be had otherwise, and if the 
 llurons continued to Join with the French, the Ilurons must be destroyed. 
 
 The hostilities commenced in Id.'JH, by several jtatrois who terrified 
 the Huron villages, and the news concerning this alarming state of things 
 was brought down to Quebec ju^t at the moment when letters from 
 France reported the financial difficulties of the Hundred Partners, and 
 the impossibility for them to help Canada in any way. Nevertheless, an 
 expedition was sent to ti'adeon the (Irand River, under Dujjjessis-Ijochai't, 
 the chief factor of the Company, who planted a cross in the neighbour- 
 hood of Petite Xation. Thisofficer gives an enthusiastic description of the 
 Grand Iiiver, in the Kelation of that year. Two Jesuit Fathers, Charles 
 Garnier and CJuiilaumc-Pierre Chastcllain, stopped for a few days at 
 Petite Nation, and when their mission was over they proceeded with some 
 Frenchmen and llurons to the country of the latter. 1 have found no 
 trace of any missionary attached to the Algonquins of the Grand River. 
 Those whose names here follow were sent to the Hurons and merely 
 delivered Hying missions at AUumette Island and Petite Nation whilst 
 pas.sing uj) and down the river: 
 
 1634, Jean de Breba>uf. Ambroise Davost, Antoine Daniel. 
 
 1C;]5, Pierre Pijart, Franyois Lemercier. 
 
 103G, Isaac Jogues, Charles Garnier, Guillaume-Pierre Chastcllain. 
 
 I(i37, Paul Ragueneau, .lerome Lalemant, Francois Dup^ron. 
 
 10)1-^8, Simon Lemoine, Jo.se])h Dup^ron. 
 
 1639, Joseph Poncet, Pierre- Joseph-Marie Chaumonot. 
 
 1640, Claude Pijart. Charles Raymbaut. 
 
 1641, Ken^ Menard. 
 
 1644, Leonard Garreau, Noel Chabanel, Gabriel Druillets, Claude 
 Dablon. 
 
 164(3, l-'ranyois- Joseph P)ressani. 
 
 1648. Gabriel Lallemant. Jacques Bonin, Adrien Grelon. 
 
 Ereba'uf, Garnier. Daniel, Jogues, Chabanel, Garreau, Gabriel Lalle- 
 mant were killed b}- the Iroquois with about (iO other Frenchmen during 
 the twelve years in question. 
 
 The llurons, going down the Grand River to trade at Three Rivers 
 in the s immer of 1637, were attacked and defeated by the Iroquois, near 
 Petite Nation, and 30 of them burned at the .stake. The cross erected by 
 Duplessis-Eochart was removed. In 1638 a partj^ of Algonquins and 
 Hurons, numbering 300, surprised the Iroquois in Upper Canada, killed 
 17, captured 80, and only four or five escaped. The prisoners were put 
 to death with all the refinements of barbarous nations. Next year (1639) 
 the smallpox disease prevailing amongst the Algonquins, spread over the 
 
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 THE VALLEY OF THE GRAND RIVER 
 
 133 
 
 Huron country and caused many deaths, which were attributed to the 
 supernatural influence of the missionaries. 
 
 During the fall of 1640, the grand caravan of the Huron traders 
 was completely destroyed near Vaudreuil by the Iroquois, who cai'riod 
 awu}' a mass of rich peltries to Fort Orange (Albany). Two Frenchmen 
 were taken prisoners on that occasion. The number of white men roving 
 through the Xipissing and Huron districts was between 40 and 50, Jesuits 
 in( hided. 
 
 The year 1642 is full of the successes of the Iroquois. The Frei\ch 
 had no means of resisting them. The Algonqains shared the misfortunes 
 of the situation. It is said that a woman captured below AUumette 
 Island saw her children roasted and eaten by the Iroquois, and that on 
 arriving at Chauditiro Falls she threw herself into the water, but the 
 current was so strong that it carried her to the shore, where the savages 
 tomahawked her because she was too weak to follow them. 
 
 Paul Tessouat, the sovereign of AUumette Island, " this famous one- 
 eyed captain, the orator of the century in this part of the world, and the 
 most clever in diplomacy," according to the Eolations, made up his mind 
 in 1643 to become a convert to the Christian faith, and he went to Mont- 
 real with that object in view. This might have had the eiibct of bringing 
 the Aigonquins and the French closer together, but the weakness of the 
 latter and the increasing militarj' operations of the Iroquois made things 
 worse from that moment until the whole of Upper Canada anl the north 
 of the Grand River became Iroquois hunting grounds (1652). 
 
 From 1636 to 1642 the attacks of the Iroquois took place invariably 
 during the summer. From 1643 they happened all the year round ; tive, 
 seven, ten parties, of 20 to 50 men, were constantly on the move, covering 
 the St. Lawrence and the Grand Eiver, so as to prevent the French, the 
 Montagnais, the Aigonquins, and Hurons, from travelling outside of their 
 own camps, thus reducing all these people to an utmost state of priva- 
 tion. The Dutch were determined to force the French to leave Canada, 
 and it is a womler that they did not succeed in doing so, when we con- 
 sider the miserable lack of organization which rendered the colony fit 
 for no purpose except to furnish victims to the cruelty of the Iroquois. 
 There were about 300 French, comi)rised in Quebec, Beauport, Three 
 Rivers and Montreal, and no troops to protect them. 
 
 The increase of the disasters consequent upon the operations of the 
 Iroquois is a fact fully recorded in the annals of Canada. The Grand 
 River from Montreal to Temiscamingue witnessed many of the horrors 
 which mark that period of desolation. In 1650 the Iroquois owned the 
 whole of Upper Canada, to accomplish which they had ruined every 
 village and annihilated every tribe occupying these territories. Nine- 
 tenths of the Frenchmen that were there perished in the same manner. 
 Knowing as we do that the main purpose of the Iroquois was to secure 
 
184 
 
 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
 
 for themselves tlio fur trade of the nortli, und conHidoriri^' that those 
 savages were totally ignorant of what is underHtood hy reiigiouH matters, 
 it is clear that they looked n\ion th» missionaries as chief'-cierkH of th(! fur 
 trade, and this explains their rab dness in aiming directly at the posts 
 whore the priests resided. The other Frenclimen, thotigh ranking as 
 subordinates in the eyes of the Iroquois, were .loomed all the same, for 
 " commercial reasons." 
 
 AiiLUMETTE Island. 
 
 The last stand of the Algonquins was made here. I'aul Tessouat 
 had 400 warriors with him, and imagined that the Iroquois wo\il(l not 
 dare to face them in a battle, but his usual sagacity was absent at that 
 hour, otherwise he would have realized that when the rest of the coiuitry 
 had passed into the hands of the enemy the situatioti of his island would 
 become precarious. Such was his contidence in hims*;!!' that he continued 
 to live in the same high style as before, ruling the environs of the island 
 by exacting taxes und fees from foreigners when entering his kingdom, 
 marching with an armed guard of selected men, receiving salutes and 
 honours of various kinds, playing in fact the part ol' a ftotentate. He 
 firmly believed that the Great Algonquins were the masters of the earth 
 and that his sole name was a terror amongst the Inxiuois. 
 
 The summer of 1650 Father Paul Eagueneau gathered a band of 
 Hurons on the north and east shores of Lake Huron, with whom he 
 started en route for Quebec. Coming to Allumette Island h<! was told to 
 take the south channel where the officers of Tessouat kept the toll-gate 
 above referred to. The missionary was quite tjpjjosed to that sort of 
 management, so he addressed the Hurons, telling them that the French 
 being the masters of all the country, ho intended to pass straight without 
 noticing Tessouat, and he ordered the baml to follow the north channel. 
 This was soon reported to tho chief, who sent a tletachmetit iifter them, 
 and they were brought back to the capital, where tlus i In rons charged 
 Fathtr Eagueneau with the responsibility for tlie attempt. Tessouat 
 solemnly jiroclaimed his rights over all nations, and condt-'mned the priest 
 to be suspended to a tree by the means of ropes adjnstcid under both 
 arms— after that he allowed him with his party to proceed on their 
 journey. 
 
 The advance of the Iroquois upon Allumette Island was preceded, 
 in Id'ol, by their occupation of Lake Nipi.sning. This made Tessouat 
 uneasy. Ho left for Quebec where he expected to form an alliance with 
 the French— travelling in state as suitable to a man of his rank. For in- 
 stance, when in the act of embarking in or disembarking from his canoe, 
 he was raised on the shouldei-s of his servants, and walkerl, dined and slept 
 surrounded by his body guard. His sumptuous arrival at (Quebec did not 
 
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 THE VALLEY OF THE GRAND RIVER 
 
 135 
 
 intirnidato Mr. d'Ailleboust, for in a few moments Tessouat ^ound himself 
 under lock and key, notwithstanding his protestations and those of his 
 court. The liumbled chief apolof^ized for his conduct towards Father 
 Eaguenoaii and was released after u few days in jail. What became of 
 him fi'om that time, wo cannot say. Ho may have been captured by the 
 Iroquois on his way homo. Anyhow, AUumette island was deserted in 
 1052 by its hist inhabitants and the Iroquois reigned supremo on the 
 Grand Eivor. 
 
 Hero wo must close tho first period of the history of the valley 
 explored by Champlain. It is done with the Algonquins and the Ilurons. 
 Other nations will come to the front in the subsequent years. This neces- 
 sitates fresh studies embracing events somewhat dirterent from those 
 enumerated in the present paper, and the Grand Elver will become known 
 as the Kiver of tho Ottawas, or, rather, Outaouas, according to the say- 
 ing of the time,