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(716) 173-4)03

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32 X

SPECIMEN PAGES

OF THE

IN CANADA

TO BE PUBLISHED BY JOHN LOVELL,
*S'^ Nicholas Street, Montreal; and St. Ann Street, Quebec,

The Work will make 4 Volumes, Demy 8vo., of about 700 pages each,
and will be put to press as soon us a sufficient nuniber of Subscribers is
obtained to defray the cost of translation and publiahing.

Price, in paper covers, for the Kct $8.25

half calf 10.50

P3I=L03I=»E30TXJS.

Labt year the Frenfh reading part of the Canadian people were edified ond delight-
ed by the publicatioi . of the original Narratives of the Jesuit Fathers, who were the
pioneers of religion and its attendant civilization in Canada. This work, important
as it ia to the French Canadian, is not less so to the English-speaking part of the
population of North America. All inhabitants of this great Continent, especially
all Canadians, will assign it an honored place on tlio shelves which bear the stirring
narratives of the first English and Dutch adventurers.

It is fit, therefore, to make its reverend authors speidc with au English tongue.

The early history of Cana<la is at this moment attracting much attention. The
French Government has made large and precious contributions of historical matter
to our Provincial Library, both manuscript and printed, relating chiefly to Canada,
its settlement and wars ; the Government of the United States has been evor zeal-
ous in collecting documents relating to the acta and sufl^erings of their hardy and
adventurous founders ; and the encouragement which our own Government could
afford in aid of enterprises of the same character, has always been promptly a.id
effectually granted.

The publication of authentic and interesting historical records has been favored
and promoted by all enlightened governments and literary bodies; because they
supplv either the best evidence of the truth of history, or the best materials for its
composition. It has even been asserted, that the chronicles and private memoirs
of cotemporaries are of higher value than the poUshed periods of Hume and
MC'zeray.

The Narratives now sought to bo presented to the public are of great value to
all classes To the religionist, whether Protestant or Roman Catholic, they afford
precious evidence of the zeal of those servants of his Holy Religion who devoted
themselves to its propagation among the heathen, and went forward through many
a fiery trial to find too often at last the crown of martyrdom. The ethnolofjist wiU
find in them faithful descriptions of a race now much degenerated and rapidly ap-
proaching to extinction, written amongst them as they lived and moved, hunted
and fouL'ht, married and died, received baptism or ferociously murdered the men
who sought to bestow it on them. Ordinary readers, fi cm the intelligent scholar to
the untaught peasant, will peruse with interest an account of men who trod the
soil on which tiiey now move,-who were the lords of the forest and the river, now
smiling with the rich harvest or glittering with the vessels of commerce,— and will
learn with some emotion that they live and slciop in security on the .^elf-samo spot
which has been often drenched with the blood shed in warfare or massacre.

The publication of so voluminous a work will depend entirely npon the support
received from the public. Th.' first volume has been translated by one of the best
translaWrs in the Province ; and it will be put to press as soon as a sulficieut num-
ber of suteoribera is obtained to defray the cost of translation and publishmg.

The work will make 4 Volumes, Demy 8vo.. of about lOO pixges each, in Long
Primer Type. Sut)seription Lists will be found at the Book-s' jres .11 Montreid,
Toronto Ouebee, Kingston, Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Ac, and at the Ofllcea of
the Publisher, iu St. Nicholaa street, Montreal ; also, at St. Ann street, Quebec.

Prico, iu paper covers, for the set, t8.26

' if-oftif, " «iy.6o

JOILN LOVELL, Publii/ur.

Moutrcal, March, 1860.

P 11 E F ACE.

With ritxlit ijrnnd vosison (fvioiully re:uU'r) did ouc of tlic most nnpiont of
tlio projilu-ts, in dcscriltin.tr mystically, under thu visible and liistoric
Hcmlilaufo of tlio di'Va^tation of Jadoa, tlio liorviblo rava;io.s and cxtcnni-
nulin^; ruin wronulit by Satan, wbcvevov lils fury rci^ins uncontrolled,
declare eninbiitically : Brf'irr hhn thr hi ml /x a l^orifdisv of (IJIghts,
Miiiid hhn Ihx II lioirViij vlhfn'iirss : truly, be wbo casts bis eyes over
tbe wide surface of tbe cartb, and contemplates tbe nations wbieli are
enli.ubtenod by tbe sun of Justice, Our Saviour Jesus CMirist, besprinkled
as tbey are Avitb Ids blood and precious sacriticf — fed by His grace and
Holy Word — vivitied a)id comforted by His spirit — taujrlit and p;uided by
His divine precejjts — bonored by His revelation of Himself and retd prc-
SLMiee — bo, I say, wbo tbinks on tliesc tbina's. must needs cry aloud that,
"before" tbe J)i.stroyer. and wlierc be cannot come, tbe e.a-th is a Para-
dise of deliirbts, wberein all blessings, even temporal and worldly li.-ippi-
ncss. attend His people, anndst wboni is planted tbe true tree of life, even
Our Uedeemer .Josus Cbrist; wbile casting- bis eyes on tbe otlier side,
and surveying' tbe reuions Itebind Lucifer — tbe bellidi tyrant — in wbicb bo
batb been perndtted to practise bis int<tlerable cruellies, be will beliold
nau^lit save di's1ructi(»n and a desert — howlinji' and lamentation — desola-
tion and tbe sbadow of deatli. Now it needs not tbat we set footbej-tnid
our own lienusjibcro to bebold wltli our eyes and acknowledge tbis tnith :
Greece and Palestine, boretofore very gardens of Eden, now lie outspread
bel'ore us a waste— lit objects of idty. Ami if it please you tbat we look
at liome, in order, by nearer exanunation, to learn what praises arc duo
to the liberal (liver of all good things, let us follow, I pray you, the mato-
rial sun which gives us light, attending bini to his setting-place, to .«cc to
what numner of [uMiple he bids good-da}, tb^re right over against us,
beyond our ocean, wln'ii he hath left us here to the sweet rist of night.
There lies New France, that new land lirst discovered in the last age by
our countryuKMi, ii twin 'creation to our own, subject to like influences,
situated in the same ,iarallel, and in the same dinnite — a vast, nay, bound-
less country, bo to speak — ii country which we hail, looking at our sun
when at his setting, yet n gmntry of which it may truly bo said, if you
luuk on Hatan lace to faee, connng front iho. west to destroy uh, Jhfnrr
him ia (1 Pntttdup of di fights^ hehliid him Ilea a hoviiiig wlfdcnma : for,
verily, all that region, although nuide cap-.ble of like felicity as our own,
yet, by tho uialico of Sutun, who there reigns paramount, is u frightful

TREFACE.

wilderness, hardly less to be pitied for its unhappy lack of corporal goods,
thi»n it is for that which maketh men most nuscrahlc — its utter destitute-
ness of the adornments and riches of the soul. Whereof we arc not to
Llanio the soil, or the evil nature of the land, the air or the water, the
men or their native dispositions : for we arc all made and derived from
the same elements— breathe, under a like elevation of the polo, an air
tonipered by the same cunsicHr.tions ; and I doubt not that the land,
whicli produces there as lofty and fair trees as our own, would yield as
bounteous harvests, if it were tilled with like care. Whence, then, this
groat ditTerence ? Whence this unequal division of the good and evil
things of life— of tlic garden and the wilderness— of heaven and hell ?
Why do you inquire of mc? Nay, inquire of Him who, from heaven,
called His people to look upon the unequal division of the inheritance to
Esau and Jacob, twin brethren— the one appointed to dwell in tents
nmid (h-agons and noisome boasts— the other fed on the fat and marrow
of the land in the company of angels.

Truly, the thouglit of these things is powerful, and worthy to fill our
hearts with wonder, maintaining within us a pious dread, and a longing
desire to communicate, in all charity, of this overflow of Christian wellth
m graciously poured upon us from above. Failing in this, how easy were
it lor our gracious Father to cross His arms, as did Jacob, laying his
right hand on the head of the younger, and his left on that of the elder.
Oh, my God ! in this thing, where is the ambition of the great ?— the
contention of the strong?— the display of riches ?— or, the striving of the
g(,)dly ? D.De9 Marathon, do the Olympic lists offer to the brave a fitter
liold ?^ Wherein can the glory of a Christian find happier exaltation
than in that land in which he would bring to liis fellow-mortals both
bodily and spiritual comforts, and in which, becoming a mighty instru-
ment in God's hand, he would transform a wilderness into a paradise,
van.iuish the monster powers of hell, and implant order and heavenly
defences, in which thousands of generations, to the end of time, would
bless his name and his niomoiy without ceasing; and heaven itself, filled
through his beneficent labors, would iviokc to hear blessings and thanks-
givings poured upon him ?

^ And now, friendly reader, it is my ardent desire and wish to sec this
New France, which I speak of, brought within the realm of Our Lord,
«ind that it is which inciteth me to take my pen in hand to narrate to
you, with all truth and brevity, what I myself saw in those regions.
I'our years since, I was commissioned thither by my superiors, and God,
m puninhmont of my tran.sgiussions, caused me to be taken ari borue
thence by the English, as I am minded hereinafter to relate.

NARRATIVES

OP THE

JESUITS IN CANADA.

DEScrjPTiox OF NEW fraxce; the soil, the xatuee of

THE COUXTRY, AXD THE IXHAIJITAXTS THEREOF, AXD
THE TRAVELS OF THE JESL'IT FATHERS L\ THE SAME.

CHAPTER I.

WHAT KIND OF COUNTRY NEAV FRANCE IS, AND WHO FIRST ATTEMPTED
TO FORM A SETTLEMENT THERE.

Ve give the name of New Franco to the regions and parts -f America,
or the Western Indies, which Ho beyond the ocean of Guicr . towards
the setting sun, over against us, and answer diioctly to us in the same
lino from east to west. This name of Now Franco was Lnven to them for
two reasons chiefly. Tlic first reason wf.s that, na I said, those countries
are parallel to our France, and th(M-e is nothing between Guicnno and
them, save our western sea, of a breadth, in its narrowest, exceeding ciyht
Imndred leag-ues, at its widest, little k- , than a, thousand, or thereabouts.
The second reason is, that the said land was first discovered by French-
men of Brittany, in the ycfir 1504—111 years ago, who have, moreover,
never ceased to resort thither. Also tlie Normans did their part among
the foremost in this work, among wliom we read that Captain Thomas
Aubcrt of Dieppe sailed thither in the year 1508, and brought away with
hini some of the wild people of the country, whom he exhibited to the
admiratioti and npplau.so of all Fnmco. Two years before his voyage,
Jean Denys do Ilonfleur made the same discovery ; but, inasmuch as he
brought back with him nothing save fishes and maps of geograpliy, his fame
has not been so great as that of Thomas Aubort. After the year 1 523, Joan
a2

NARRATIVES OF TIli3

Vcrazan made liis way throiiji-li the wliole l;;nd, bo<>inninfr at Florida, ap
far as Cape IJrctoii. and took possession thereof in llie name of l^'raneis I.,
his master. This Jean Vcrazan it wiv.^, as I think, who stood godfither
to give it this name of New France ; for Canada (by which name also it
is commonly called) is not, propeviy speakin,!,', the wlu.lc tract of land
called New France, but that pan only which lies alonij the banks of the
great river Canada and the (lulf of Haint Lawrence, which is only the
most northerly part thereof, a, tlie same will appear by the gcograpliical
map which we append hereto.

Touching Canada, towards the south, is Acadia, the country of the
Souri(|uois, lying lower down ; an.i lower still, and beyond French Bay,
IS Norambugue (of these two Tiames, Norambegue and Acadia, tlierc is
no recollection in the country, or even of Canada). This Norambeuuo
was chiefly discovered by Jacciues Cartier in tlie year 1524, and in a
second voyage, ten years afterwards, in the year 1534.

Now, from the tirst of these discoveries, the French have always addicted
themselves to make settlements, aild to civilize the inhabitants of tlioso
deserts : deserts they are truly, the whole c(mritry being but one vast
forest. Some private persons, even, have mad(j the attempt, as Koberval
and the Ma^iuis de la Eoche, ard others; but the most famous and most
recent of these undertakings was that of the 8icur de Monts Pi<'rre du
Gas, who hath gained great credit thereby. That noblenum having got
together very considerable sums of money, and for the purpose joined i;im-
self to certain merchants of llouen, St. Malo, and llocholle, received fi-om
Henry the Great, of happy memory, full power and authority, as Lieu-
tenant of the King, over <liosc countries, from tlie 40th to the 4()th degree
of latitude, for so far did Iiis power of disposing of the lands extend.
Nevertheless, his privilege of trading and the jurisdiction of his govern-
ment reached to the 54th degree, as the same may be seen in the Koyal
letters granted to him. By this conmiission of the Sieur do Mouta, it
seems that 'iccasion was taken to reduce the extent of New France within
narrower bounds ; for, as wc said, it extended before time as iar as New
Florida, southwards, on which side it is now commonly bounded by tho
39th degree of latitude soutliwards, as you sec the same in our chart.
Tho eastern bounds are our own sea ; to the west it will be the sea of
China, if so be that wc have valour and virtue to atchiove the same : for
other boundaries arc none which arc assured, the country being without
limits, and ten or twelve times bigger than all Franco.

Now the Sicur de Monts, having authority and power as nforosuid. and
being well furnished and provided with good attendance, set forth from
France in the year 1604, being exactly 100 years after the discovery of
that land. He mado his settlement on the coast of Norambegue, between

JESUIT FATHERS. 7

the nations of the Etcniinquois antl a little i.slan^l named Ste. Croix; hut
ill-fortune hefell him, for lie lost a great numhor of his people hy s^iek-
ncss ; and in the followinp,' year, heiiig driven hy necessity, he changed
his dwelling-place to Port lloyal, about 20 leajzucs to the eastward, the
same being in Acadia, in the country of the Sourifjuois, where he did not
tarry longer than two years, forasmuch as the merchants, his co-partners,
finding that their outlay exceeded the receipts, refused to adventure fur-
ther. Acet/rdingly, all of them were forced to return to France, leaving,
as a monument of their explnit, their two vacant establishments — thav at
Ste. Croix, and the other at l^ort lloyal — and carrying with them no better
gains and fruit of their undertaking, than topographies and descriptions
of the seas, capes, coasts and rivers wliich they had visited. Thef-c are
the principal proceedings of the expeditions, undertaken beiore the j'ears
101.0 and 1011, concerning which we are now to speak, being about to
conduct the Jesuits to that country ; but we must, in the first place, be
heedful of our promise, and obedient to the conditions of our undertaking,
by shewing the horoscope of those lands — I mean the aspect of the heavens
above them, their times, seasons, temperature and climate.

NARRATIVES OP THE

CIIArTI<]R II.

OF THE TIMES, SEASONS AM) TEMPERATURE OP NEW FRANCE.

Tii(»SE lands being, as we have said, parallel with our land of Franco,
that is to say, under the same climate, and the same polar elevation,
ought, by the rules of astronomy, to have the same influences, inclina-
tions and temperature ; for in these respects they differ only, as among
us, Grenoble, Adeline and Bordeaux, Paris and Cornwall, Marseille and
Bayonne differ from each other, that is to say, one place is merely
more easterly than another ; in all else, in the length of the days, the
aspect of the stars, the seasons and the temperature, they are alike.
Truly New France extends three degrees lower down towards the south
than does our own country, for ours goes no further than Foutarabia,
tliat is to the 42nd degree, while New France pushes on as far as the
39th at least, and further still, if it please his Majesty tf give up nothing
that his predecessor Francis I. had gained.

Nevertheless, and whatever astrologers m;iy saj", we must admit that
that country (speaking of it generally, and and as it now is) is colder than
our France, and tliat there is a great difference in rcnpect of times and
seasons between the two : the causes whereof as they arc not in the
heavens, must be sought for on the earth. I shall faithfully testify to
the effects which I myself experienced through two years and a half in
succession ; I might say tliree years and a half, but tliat I passed nearly
one yeav, at various times, in voyages at a distance from the mainland.
The place of my longest sojourn was Port Iloyal, which lieth nearly
in 45 degrees of north latitude. There the snow fell about the end of
November, and i-over melted away entirely in the woods till towards the
end of February, unless there happened, as oft-times did, some heavy rain
or strong south wind which melted it. But it was no sooner thawed
than more fell. Outside of the Avoods, in the open, it lies scarcely longer
than in France, but it falls more frequently than is wont with us : the
gi-eatcst depth I ever saw there was a foot and a half, and even that
not often. When the North- West wind ( which we here call Galerne )
blows with great violence, the cold becomes intolerable, but that lasts
at most not more than eight or ten days, after which time, the weather
becomes milder, for a while, as it happens in France ; neither would people
bo prevented from working at any handicraft, or from going and coming
more than they are in France, if they were equipped as they are with us.
But all that I saw there denoted extreme poverty : miserable huts open

JESUIT FATHERS.

in many places, tlic food peas and beans, and even of that a scanty
allowauce, the drink plain -water, tlie clothes and dress of our people all
rags ; our supplies drawn frnni the ■v\'nnds day l»y da^^ our remedies a
glass of wine on higli days, our reiVeshnients some hit of icanio obtained
by good luck ; the country uninhabited, the roads unmarked by a f lotsiep,
and the feet shod only sulTiciently for indoor life, do, after that, and
say there is no •wintoi- in Canada ; bu*^ do not aver, that the Avcather is not
good, nor the air hcaUhful : for verily it is marvellous what good health
we always had, notwitlistanding all these miseries and privation, being
constantly at least twenty persons, whereof in the space of three years,
there died by sickness no more than two only, one a native of St, Malo,
the other a Bret(Mi ; and the latter, more for want of a little wine and a
crust of bread to revive him, ( the whole of ours being spent ) than by
reason of the violence of his malady.

If we call to mind that Jac([ues Carticr lost nearly all his people the
first time he wintered in those countries, and also the Sieur do Monls one-
half of his, in his first year at Ste. Croix, and in his second, the year
ensuing, being his first at Port lioj-al, likewise experienced a consideruble
loss, though less than the first, and still less the third ; and liow at
Kebcc, during the first year, many were buried, and not so many the
second ; the fre(iuent occurrence of the same mortality may serve to
enlighten us on the causes of health .ind disease which havu affected us
so variously. The most connnon disease was t!ie scurvy, whicli is called
the land-sickness. The legs, thighs, and face swell, the lips become
putrid, and shoot out in great excrescencics, the brea tiling short with a
tormenting cough, tiie arms black and blue as if bruised, the skin covered
with spots, and the frame languid with great depression and grief, the
patient being itnable to swallow aught save li([uids, and e';cn those in
small quantities. The Sieur L'hamplain, reasoning on this matter,
ascribes the cause of this disease to the vapours inhaled by those persons
who are the first to move, cultivate and inhabit the new lands which have
never been laid open to the sun. His opinion is not extravagant, nor
unsupported by examples ; it may nevertheless be urged in contradiction
thereto, that mariners ap]Toach the land (mly near enough to fish, and
clear no ground, nor dwed thereon, yet are they often assailed by th's
sickness, particularly the Bretons, who seem to me to be picked out by
it among many others ; also, that wo who enjoyed good health as I before
said, did nevertheless turn over much gnmnd, and gave it air, and yet
knew not tiiis disorder, save myself, a little, it! the f^cci-nd winter of
my sojourn, at which time I became greatly swelled with fever and
ijicredible thirst ; but my lips and gums remained whole, and in ten
or twelve days, my disorder was at an end, I can well believe that this

NARRATIVES OF THE

may have been of some effect : namely that our house was not new, and
that, all aroaiid our tlwcllin-' beino' cleared long before; wc enjoyed a pure
.aid free air. and this is in my opinion what Champlain really meant to say.

Othei-s I have hoard di.sc(iur.-e hereon, who reasoned di,ferently and not
indeed without solid arguments. These would have it, that sitting still
througliout a long gloomy winter, such as winter is in Canada^ had
bred this distemper among the new settlers ; tliut of all the t«icur do
3Joiits' people who wintered first at 8te. Croi;c, cloven only continued in
Bound heuUli, and t'.iose were hunters, who like merry iullows, wore fonder
of foraging than of the fireside, who loved to skim over u lake hotter than
to loll idly on a, bod ; vo ti'amp through the snow, bi'inging down a head
of game, than to gossip about T'aris and its flesh-pots, while sitting by
the ehinmey; and truly W3 oursoUes, wlio thus continued at all times in
good health at J'ort IJoyal, were saved by the sliortness of our commons,
from two great evils : that is to say, from excess in driiddng and eatinu',
and Irom idleness. For wi! had evermore some good cause to exercise
ourselves, and our stomachs were never overloaded with food. A'erily, I
am of opinion that this prophylactic stood us in good stead.

Now let us back to our task about tlie ihncA and seasons. I nnce re-
marked two days, being 2i;. and 27. of February, to be as line, mild, and
Hpringlike as we ever see in France idxmt tliat time, and yet on the tliird,
it snowed a little, and ihe cold returned. Sometimes in summer, iho
heat is as great as iu France, and oven hanhir to bear, but it dood
not last : the weather is soon overcast. . The trees put out later
than in Franco generally, later even than in this present year, ICU.
And yet it seemed to mc, that every thing grew faster. Speaking gene-
rally, tlie weather and the scason'-i' of that country are in all respects like
what we Imvc experienced this very year ut Paris and in Picardy, ex-
cepting fogs and mists, to which that country is mon^ lialile. At Tort
lloyal, we soklom had them in the sunnncrtime, unless near tlie coast;
but ut Etchemins and I'entegoet, the fogs held sometimes in summer
tlirco or four days together. It is a gloomy time, and made us ajipreliend
that it would pr-vent our cr ips from ri]»ening, but we had plenty of proof (n
the contrary ; for at Fort Royal wliieh is (older and lias a more uncertain
olimatc. they ripen, of the which I had cxi,eri(>iico fa- three years.
Jakowise ("mnipliiin assures us, that at Ste. Croix, on the same coast, in
a very bleak situation where the weather is gonorally cloudy, tho whcut
nnd other grain jamo to nniturity.

N.ty, x\y ymi, but wliat can bo the c.uiso of tliOso fogs, and this sur-
passing colli, Huoh as we are not w(<nt to f 'cl in France ? Tlu re is miod
reason to ask this question itiasnuicli m Norambrgue, iu which country

• The spring !—[7V.]

JESUIT FATHERS.

was our settlement of St. Sauvcur, lies as far to the f^oiith as our most
soutlieru provinces, G'liennc, Langucdoc ami Dau]ihiiiy. Neither must
we ascribe the mountains as the cause; for tlu^'c ure noncofi^reat height
like our own Soveiie?. 3Iesain, La Cliartreuse and trroat part of Au-
V("'i;iie, Velay, Dauphiny, and Provence ; and it is unliively that the little
liiL-'Ii land which we see in Norambeiruc could ever produce such great
eifeets over so vast a tract of country, particularly as the jiTeiit cold of
tliat region does not pi-occed from that side wherein the highest land is
found, wliidi is the Xoilh-East (as yiiu m:'.y see on the Ch>;rt) but rather
from the Nijrlii-W'cst, which is a level chaiiipai,un countiy.

The defc'uders of influences keep their j^round hero in tlielr cahiniated
position, and take to their del'fusive weapons, that is to say, their un-
known causes, saying that there is, I know not what, in the sky which
pnulnces this efllet in tliose hiud' thus Le Drach, p-issiiit;' t!ie sea. wt;st-
v»'ard fnr.u those re;^ions, in tliat j, . of Xtw Allilon \>hich lies below the
straits of Avian, in 40, 42 and 44 deji'rces north, found the cold so p-eat
that he was compelled to put back; likewi.-e in the country of the
Cainiibas, lyin^■ in the same latitude, but inland, the J^paniards found
lotty mountains, and so j^reat a cold that tliey could not endure it ;
that those parts are all west from us, from wliicli <piarti!r we have the
most h(»rrible cold, and that this may be, by infection, the cause of
the frosts and fojis of Canada. But why does it freeze so hard in New
Albinn and in the cnuntry of the (.^innibas ? Of this we cannot very
well tell the cause, they say. we must believe that there are certain
inlbiences which we cannot find out. Truly thoy furnish the c(tld with
good winus. wh<» fetch it to us from a distance of four or live hundred
lea;4nes. for so far distint. 1 think, nay evt n further, is New Albion ; yet
Wc lind that oft-timos a sinjile league of uountry, or even less, <iives a dis-
cernible change from cold to heat, from dark to l)ri!j;ht weather, from dry
to wet, and such other variations s we all know of. Jloreover, it is ab-
surd, that alter iiaving travelled live hundred leagues to find out the cold
in its cavern and secret abode, they discover nothing there, save I know not
wliat iiiHuenc's Avhich cannot he named, aud certain occult impressions.
Would you not have done better to unearth these aspects, impressictns.
inid nanu'less and hidden-causes which you talk of, in Canada itself, or
under it, or within its bosom, than to go so far in (pust o| then, tj) u
country, where you never sot foot?

W'v (Hirsolvci», after long argumentation, could find only two causes of
the difference between this country and tliat, in res]K;ct of the weather
nnil tiie seasons. One is, tliat Canada abounds in rivers and lakes; the
other, that it is uncultivated. For the fornii'r, if you e.xamine the map you
vill puiccivo that it is all over indented with gulfs and inlets of the wjn,

NARRATIVES OP THE

and cut up by the water. It is moreover copiously irrigated by rivers,
and full of lakes and pools, wliicb would be a preat ornament and con-
venience to the country, if it were inhabited ; but all tins prodiiccs the
cold and f(i;is, especially o!i the sea shore iind near rivers. Now we never
lived any wliere else : for \;e did not r.dvaucc far inland, save by the sea
and up the rivers. Acadia, formerly the country of the Souriquoisju which
is Tort Iloyal, is almost a peninsula ; and accordingly it is colder, and
mo: • liable to sudden changes than Norambcgue, the latter being beyond
question blotter every wny, and more habitable and productive. The se-
cond cause of the cold is similar : that is to say, the vildness and uncul-
tivated state 01 the com. try, for it is all one endless forest. In no part citii
the soil be long warmed by the sun, either because the crust is too hard,
being never tilled and moved, or by reason of the trees perpetusilly shading
it, or lastly because the snow and the water He too long, without being
absorbed or dried up. Consefjuently from sucli lands, no vapours ^an be
exhaled, but what are cold, heavy and stagnant, taking the form of a
drizzling mist in calm weather, and of biting frost when agitated by the
wind ; whereas, if the land were settled and tilled, the sun would find it
prepared to admit his rays, and would scatter the cold and moist vajKtrs,
and the air would be tempered by the exhalations smoking dry and warm
from the ground itself, and iVom the dwc-llings of the inhal/itants. This
we especially noted, for the snow always melted sooner on the small patrh
which we h:id tilled than it did elsewhere, and there too the fogs first
cleared away and gradually vanished.

JESUIT FATHERS.

CHAPTER TIL

THE SOIL, — THE INHABITANTS, — AND THE PAOPUCTIONS.

The soil k, in my opinion, as good as in Franco, princijially in Noram-
).ie,i;uo ; this you perceive by its black colour, and by the Itii'ty, well-iirowu
and straiuht timber, and by the lirass, f're(iucntly as hiiih as a man, and
other f-uch .si,uns. At St. Sauveur, in the middle of June, we sowed
seeds, pips, peas, beans, and all sorts of j.'arden-stuff. Tlu'eo months
afterwards — that is to say, in the middle of September — wi> returned to
see after our gardening: the wheat had not made its appearance — to bo
Hure it had been sown at a wrong season of the year ; the barley was in
ear, Init not ripe ; the peas and harricots wine perl'eetly good, Init still green ;
tlie beans were just in flower; all else had succeeded admirably well, in-
cluding the onions and the chives. The pips had germinated, and soma
of the plants grown a foot high — the smallest, six inches.

I have observed before that the whole cimntry is one intermiMablo
forest. I'lure is no open place but the sea-shore, and tho.so Hals which,
being overflowed liy the rivers, become meadows. There are several of
great beauty, aflbrdiiig a vast extent of pabturagc, such us the bay of
Chcnietou, the river of Port Royal, and others. And here wo nnist take
care not to fall into an error, which has nnsled many ; ibr hearing jirrsons
who have visited distant countries, tell of theii advantages and fertilitj',
ol'len with a little exaggeration (for so they think they will liiid more
heedful listeners), they fancy that all the good things they hear of are to
be found in abundance every where : as, for cxamjile, says one, talkimj;
of France, I have seen the woods and forests altogvther of clu'slnnts,
orange and olive trees, juar and apple trees, and all so loaded with IVuit
that their branches were breaking under their weight ; and no doubt ho
would speak sooth, for so it is ; nevertheless, a stranger hearing )um
might fall into error, inasmuch as lie would think that in all parts of
Franco, or nearly all, these things are to be found, and not take lieed to
consider that the chesttnits are in Perigord. a Inmdred leagues from tho
orang*! trees, Avhieh grow in I'rovence; and tliat th> apjde trees are in tho
country of Oaux in Normaiuly, a hundred leagues from theeliestnuts, and
two liuiulred I'rom the olive trees. Now, wlu>n a country is well peopled
and inhabited as Franco is, this is u connnendation, beejnjse, by means
of transport and eonmii'ree, all these good things may be miide common to
all ; but in a wild, uncivilizi ^ - gion, such as Canada, it is hardly bettor
thuQ it would be if no uioiw than ouo thing grow in it, 1 say tljis,

bec<
11

NARRATIVES OP THE
iiusc tlu! infovmiition is of vast importance to sucli as tro to settle in

lose new eountnos.
tin

IS Ave l^'reiichiiKMi go, licadloii- blindly and t

in-ly, thinking that once in Canada, and gcttini-hun-ry. we have notliin-
to do but betake ourselves to an island, and, striking right and left with
a great clul), knock down at every blow a bird as ono,i as a duck. This Ins
been told, and truly, for so liave our peo],lo done more than once and
m more than one place; and it w.ndd be all veiy well, if vou were never
to be hungry but at tlie time of the year when tho.e birds resort t,tho.e
i^'lands, and if, even then, you chanced to be near them ; i'or if vou were
fifty or sixty leagues o!F, what would you do ?

'I'o i;- turn to our subject, it is not iiard to lind a place which has some
one thing to recommend it— as a g<,od harbour, fine meadows, a fruitful
«oil a lair hill commanding a view, a ]4easant river, a rivulet, kc. ; but
to build one-s dwelling where all desirable qualities arc cond.ino.l. is not
tne good luck of any ordinary living man, as Aristotle hath it nor ,loth
It enter mto the sj-eculation of a wise one : for, after all, in realitv, the
best condition and perfect nature of a place, as of man liimself, iV not
that nothing Miould be wanting, but that nothing essential and of primary
nnportance should be wanting. This is why I say that, all things eon-
Mdored, taking it for all in all, I think tliat the lands there are as .-ood
as ours, if they wore duly brought under tillage, liut we expect to 'find
all things there in a narrow compass, which wo cannot yet even licre in
m this wide realm, after ages of culture. ' '

lu many jtlac-s we found vines and wild grapes, ripe in their se.-son but
not 111 the best soil, it being a kind of sand or gravel, like that of i{or.l.aux
Ihey ab..und at the river St. Jean, in .JO deureos latitu.le. where we saw'
'dso, many nut and filbert trees ; n.nther there is the soil very -mod X,!
"^.'^■'•'<'"<l "firnit tree is found in all the country: but idl species of
wild forest trees, as the oak, the beech, the hornbeam, the poplar .U-
bcides the cedar— "o at least the French call it. ' '

If the country were inhabited, the mines mitrht be ina.le profitablo •
"J"; ti.ere is of silver in Hi. Mary's Hay, so repo.tcl by the Sieur Cbam-
1- im. and two of rich and pure copper ore— one at the entrance ..f Port-
l{".yal. the odior at tbe Bay ..f .\Jinos ; also an iim, mine at the river St
♦';''>'.. and others elsewhere. Sandstone and IVocstono, slate, and all other
kimis of stone, besides coal, are not w;niting.

_ The wliole of New France is divide.l among various nations, each hav-
ing itH own language and its own Hoparato country. They assemble in
the summer seas,.., to trailic xvitli us. m^t\y on the threat Kivcr. Thiilu.r
also come many other tribes from distant parts. Tliey barter their skins
of the beaver, the otter, the elk. the marten, the seal, "^c. for bread, i>eH.
bcaus, dried phims, tobacco, ,Vc., kettles, liatchet., iron points for arrows'

JESUIT Px\TIIERS.

awls, bodkins, cloaks, blankets, and all other commodities, brouiilit for
them by the French. Some niitions carry on implaeable war a;:ain>t us,
as the Excomminiiuois, wlio dwell on the north shore of the threat "ulf of
St. Lawrence, and do us much harm. This war was commenced, as I am
told, by certain 13as(iues atteuiptinu' a shameful violatinn ; tliey indeed
paid the penalty of their sinfxd inediitinence, and not they only, fur tlio
men of .'••t. ^lalu. and many otliors, have sulFered, and uoi.tiU suffer for it
every year: for rli!)>v! sava-vs are furious, and will desperately I'ace death
itself, so they may, hope to kill or do mischief. Tluve nations only there
are who ;tTO fiiendly and deal with us on familiar terms : tlie Souri(|Uois
the ^lontaunais, and the Elemin(|Uois. As for the Eteehemins and .'••ouri-
quois, 1 am their witness, for I sojourned amonn' thom ; the 3I(intaunais
1 know only by reiH)rt. As to the other nations, thoy trust. us nut •
neither do our French i'rciiuent them, unless to discover their shores, and
even in that they came not off without damaL;e, except Cliamplain in Ids
l.:>t discoveries up the (Irand lliver, who compLru's not of them,

This I'riendshlp and uood faith of the above nations towards the French
; ]ip^Mred iii a remarkable maimer, after our defeat liy the lOn^li^h, as you
t-li;dl hear: ior tlRV, Inviuu' knowledi;e thereol', came t(» us in the niuht
and con.-oled us as they best midit, offerin,i;' to us tluir canoes and their
services, to carry us whither we would. 'J'hey jiroposed, nioreovi-r, })eini'-
three hi number, to wit. Captains Betsabes, (,>;iui;zueou and Asticou, if
Ave thought lit to rem.dn with tiuni, to take each of them ten of our cf>ui-
pany for his share (we were thirty who remained), and to keep us until
the followin.Lj year, when the French shii)s would re-visit the coast; that
W) we mi^iht return to our own land, and not I'all into t!ie hands of the
wicked In.i;Tes fso they c.dl the i'hi,i;lish). Th w;is no snare to entrap
us : for you will hereafter le;irn the jiood treatment which Father Eiiemond
and hi.s coujpuny received at their liands ; and at Port Huyal wliere, durinjj;
three! winters we liad Liood need of them, we found them to be faithl'nl and
helpful, whereas, if tluy h;id been minded to do us mischief they had no
lack of }j;ood and lit opjiortunity.

NAURATIVES OP THE

CHAPTER IV.

OP THE NATURAL DTSPOSfTlOX OF THE INDIANS-TnEIR DRE^S
inVEIJJNas AND FOOD. '

The natural disposition of our Indians is liberal, and not at all malicious
In their judnnicut and appreciation of visible and common objects tliev
arc <iuick and correct, and assign clear and plausible reaso,.s tlu'refo,
overseasomng them with some pretty ima^e or metaphor. lu matters
physical they shew an excellent memory; as, of having seen us, of the
<|uah.u.s of a place where they have been-of things done twenty or thirty
years betore their time; but learning by rote is their stun-bling-block-
no efforts can fix a series of M'ords iu their heads. They have no beards
the men jks little as the women, except some few who are more robust or
manly. 1 hey have often told us, that wo seemed to them at first very ill-
iavoured, with as much hair about our mouths as on our heads; but by
degrees tliey grew used to us, and we began to appear somewhat less
oathsonic m their sight. You could not distinguish the young lads from
the girls, mjo by their manner of wearing tlie girdle, because the women
gird themselves above and below the belly, and wear more coverin.^ than
the men. They are also more largely decked with matachias, that is to
say, chains, trinkets, and such like ornaments of their fashion, by which
you may know that here, as elsewhere, it is tlie nature of the fair sex to
bo fond of finery. Generally speaking, they arc of smaller stature than
we are-particularly their bulk is less tlian ours; nevertheless they are
well-favoured and well-set, much like men of twenty-five years old with
u«. ^ ou will fail to find among tliem a pot-bellied, hump-backed, or
deformed person, a leper, a gouty man, a madman, or one afflicted with
tno gravel : tliey arc <,uite unacciuainted with such diseases. Those of
our nation who arc marked by some blomi.sh, as one-eyed, squintin- or
Hiub-nosed, kc, arc also soon noticed by them and turned into unsparin.r
ridicule, especially beliind their backs, or when the Indians are anionic
tliemselves: for (hey are cheerful companions, and have the jest and the
nickname over ready at hand ; right glad arc they when they find an op-
portunity to disparage us; and truly it is, as I think, only by Cod's
luerey tliat any are exempt fn)m this same disposition of ovcr-ratin- them-
selves \ou shall see these poor barbarians, notwithstanding theh- utter
lack vi poury, p^wer, iettei-R, arts and riches, nevertheless hold such <aeat
account of themselves, that they look upon us as much below then.,"and
comport tliemselves as our superiors.

JESUIT FATHERS.

Their clothes nro trimmed with skin, which the women tan and dress
on the smooth side. The elk-skins they frequently dre.s on Loth sides,
hke our huff-K-nther, ornament them with stripes resemblino- lace, ver-'
prettily iiulccd, an<l convert them into robes. Of these skin'^s, too' they
make slmes and K-rin-s. Tlie men wear no brecc],cs, because^ say' they
that .lianiient eonlincs thorn too much, and is to them the same as ayves
or fctlors. They wear only a piece of linen for decency. I,, the ^sum-
mer, they make nnuh use of our cloaks, and in the winter of our blanket,
which they ti'im and line for themselves. They likewise willin-ly make
use of our hats, shoes, woollen-caps, shirts and linen, the latter to clean
their children m tlie cradle. All these articles we barter with them for
tlieir skins.

In whatever place they come to, tluy first make a fire and construct a
hut, which matters employ them an hour or two, often not more than half
«n lionr. The won.en p. i„t„ the wood fur poles, the lower onds of which
tliey stick into the oronnd around the fire, the other ends thiy brin- to-
p-ether in form of a pyramid, so that they lean one a-.inst the other rio-ht
over the firo, that being the chimney. Over these poles they throw skins
or perhaps mats or pieces of bark ; and at tlie foot, beneath the skins'
they lay their ba-s. The whole space round the fire is spread over with
pine-bnughH, in onler that no dampness may be felt, and over these they
often lay mats or seal-skins, which are as soft as velvet. Upon these
they ho alon- round the fire with their heads on the baus ; and, what we
6h.iuh scarcely believe, arc very comfortable before their small fire btin.v
60 sheltered, vnm in the severest cold of winter. They always canip near
good water, and in a spot which has a pleasant prospect. In summer
tlieir lodges arc of a dilVerent form, being wide and long, for the sake of
air; and then, too, they cover them in with bark, or with mattim-. made
of soft rushes, much thinner and more delicate than ours made of straw
«nd so finely wrought that, when it hangs down, the water runs off without
penetrating it.

Their food is wliatever they obtain by hunting or fishlnr- for tliey
practise no tillage ; but the fatherly providence of (Jod, which suifereth
not the sparrows to lack their ibod, hath not left these poor creatures, born
vith capacity to know Him. without a suitablo provision, which is ap-
pointed for them as a portion every moon : for by moons they reckon
counting_ thirteen in the year. Thus, then, in January, they have the
seal-hunting ; for this animal, although living in the water, brings iorth on
certain islands about that period. Its f!..sh in as good iis veal, and they
moreover make of the fat an oil which serves them for sauce the wholo
.year. W ith this they fill many bladders of the elk, which are twice or
three tunes as largo as those of the pig with us, and arc their vessels for

NARRATIVES OP THE

Ivooitiii;;' ll. From tlic inontli of Fcbruiiry to the middle of May, in ttu'ir
fi'VCMt soiisoii fiiv liuiitiii^r beavers, otters, elks, bears, Avliieh are very ^r'nid,
liml cariboos. This animal is hall' ass. half sta'j:. If the season is favour-

able, tliev live at that ti

able, tliey live at tiiat time iii the nddst of ])leiity, and are as prfU't us
priiii'cs and I<ii)!:'s; but if it is unpropitiou^, tlieir case is bad, and tr.ey
ol'ton jicrish witli huupn'. The weather is unfavorable for tln'ir pursuit
■\vlnMi it r.iins mueh. witlmnt froezinp:, as tliey can then hunt neither i-lk
nor beaver : the s;ime hiippens vhcn mueh snov; falls and does not freeze,
for llioy canniit then take tlieir d(^i:s. because they would sink at every
stc]) ; tiiis tlii'v avolil themselves, by wettrinir snow-slioes, which enable
(lieiii (o walk (in the surface. They cannot, however, move with as much
siu'i'd as they re(|uire. the snow beiiii;' fio siii't. Other hindrances occur
ol' tliu like kind, too Ion;;' to describe. About tlie middle of March, the
iish be.L'in to spawn, and to asK-end the streams from tlie sea, and this in
HU'h nmltitudes. that they may be said to swarm. Hardly would any
one believe, without seeinjr it: the hautl could \'oi ful to calch ii fsli. if
pul iiild the water. Anion;.'; these il-li. the smelt is the lirst. Tlsis is
twice or three times as lame as our river-smult. After the smelt comes
tlie herrliij:', about the end (.f April ; and at tiio same peried the wild I'eese
arrive from the south, which are double the size of ours, and make tlieir
nests ill the islands. Two of their eirjis are fully eijual to live of liie
common hen. At the same time the sturneon and the s:ilmou arrive;
and the ureat j^alherinii' of cltus commences in the small islands: for the
sea-ftiwl, wliieli resort thither in p'eat numbers, lay there, and often cover
the ji'round with their nests. From May to the middle nf Se))tember,
they iiave im care about their f )od : for the muscles and other sh.ell-fish
art! en the coast, and the French ships arrive with which they trade.
And bo sure they kiunv very well how to exact respect and observ.ince ;
assiimin,!.:; to be hail-fellow with the Kim:', and it is necessary to pay them
nil the respect they claim. They must have presents, and lou"' speeches,
until they have airreed to trade ; and when that is settled, they are to be
feasted, which done, they will dance, make speeches, and sinu' Aih'ftquiiJr;:,
.■bAsi//n'(A,v, which nujans that they are the jiood friends, allies, associates,
conrcderates and brothers ol the K'uv^ and the French people. Water-
fowl «b(Uind; not so the land-birds, except at certain times birds of pas-
Raue, such as wild Canadian jjcesc, and the white and ,t;rey common wild
gct'so. («rcy partridges arc mot Avith, which have a very fine tail, and are
twice the i-ize of ours. Multitudes of wild piLreons arc seen, which arrive
to v;\{ \ht\ r;r-p-berries in the month of July ; likewise 5ome birds of prey,"
rabbits and hares.

Our Indians ((uit the sca-aido and the tido-water about the middle of
September, and betake themselves to the smaller rivers, where the eels

JESUIT FATHERS.

spawn, and lay in a provision of thcni, they being ^ood and fat at tliat
time. October and November are the second season for hunting the elk
und the beaver; and in December (an admirable provi.sion of Divine
Providence !) a fish appears, culled by them puiinnio, which spawns beneath
the ice. At that time, also, the turtle brinii; forth, i\:c. iSuch, and oven
greater and more numerous, arc the niiinors and revenues of our Indians ;
such is their table and their food : the whole beinjj; meted and parceled
out, each thing in its due and needful season. Solomon himself never
had his store-rooms better ordered and regulated than are these supplies,
and those who furnish them. And, truly, a greater than Solomon hath
appointed them. To Him be glory for ever I

For the more entire enjoyment of their inheritance, our denizens of the
woods move cheerfully to the various abodes of plenty, with all the plea
sures of the traveller who seeks his diversion ; and for their great help and
easement in so doing, tliey have the greatest convenience in the world,
which is the canoe. These vessels are small skiffs, made of the bark of
the white birch, very narrow, and pointed at the two ends, turning up
like the crest of a helmet ; the body is like a large cradle, bellying out ;
they are eight or ten feet long, and capacious enough to hold, in a single
one, a family of five or six persons, witli all their dogs, packs, skins, ket-
tles, and other lieavy baggage ; and their best (juality is, that they can
land any where, which our skiffs or ships' boats cannot do : for the most
deeply laden canoe does not draw half a foot of water ; and when unloaded
is so light that you would lift and carry it in your left liand, while it is
so swift, when impelled by the paddle, that, without exertion, you could
in fine weatlier make thirty ttr forty leagues a day. Nevertheless, we
rarely see these savages post along in that manner, for their day's journeys
are all pleasant pasthue, and they are never in a hurry. Far different
are our movements, who can do nothing, but we must whip and spur, be-
cause we are ever urged forward by u fervid nature, which knoweth not
peuc-

NARRATIVES OP THE

CHAPTER V.

POLITY AND GOVERNMENT OP THE INDIANS.

The polity cannot have greater bounds than the commonwealth, for it ic
simply the ordering and government of the commonwealth. Now, the
savages, having no extensive community, either in number of persons, for
they arc few, nor in possessions, for they are poor, and live only from
hand to mouth; neither by alliance and social bonds, for that they are
scattered and wanderers, cannot have a polity of much account. Neither
indeed, can they do without any— being men and consorted to-ethcr'
What they have, then, is after this sort : the Sagamo, who is the^ldest
member of some powerful family, is, in virtue of his age, the chief and
leader thereof All the younger branches of the family belong to his train
and hvc with him ; he therefore provides the dogs for the chase, and canoes
tor their migrations ; and lays up a store of food against bad weather and
the season of travelling. The young men pay deference to him ; under
him they servo their apprenticeship in war and the hunt, being incapable
of holding property, until they are married. Then only they become
qualified to own dog and pack, that is to say, to acquire and hold private
property ; while they still continue subject to the authority of the Sa"-amo
and generally members of his band ; as do likewise oth . who arc destitut^
of relations, or who, having no adherents of their ovu, and no resources
to live singly, at their own free will, place themselves under his guidance
and protection. Accordingly, every thing acquired by the young men
belongs to the Sagamo, while the married men give him only a part of
their aciuisitions ; and, if the latter separate themselves from him, as
must often happen, for the convenience of hu iting and living, when they
return, they acknowledge his rights, ;md do him homage by presents of
skins and like articles. From these circumstances arise quarrels and
jealousies among them, as they do among us, but by no means so violent
in their nature : when, for example, oae among them begins to act inde-
pendently and sot up for a Sagamo, no longer paying his tribute, should
his followers desert him, or be enticed away by others, just as among our-
selves, so do they bandy reproaches and scornful words. The new man
is only a half Sagamo, as, being newly hatched, like a chicken three days
old, liis eoiiib i« not grown ; he is a Sagamozette, that is, a sucking
Sagamo— a dwarf Thus you may perceive that ambition bears sway
beneath the thatch of rushes as well as beneath the gilded roof-tree of the
palace, and that its lessons are not hard to learn. The country is par.'eled

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