Voyages of Samuel De Champlain Volume I Part 17

On the Thursday following, we set out from here and came to anchor in a dangerous cove on the northern sh.o.r.e, where there are some meadows and a little river, [151] and where the savages sometimes erect their cabins. The same day, continuing to coast along on the northern sh.o.r.e, we were obliged by contrary winds to put in at a place where there were many very dangerous rocks and localities. Here we stayed three days, waiting for fair weather.

Both the northern and Southern sh.o.r.es here are very mountainous, resembling in general those of the Saguenay.

On Sunday, the twenty-second, we set out for the Island of Orleans, [152]

in the neighborhood of which are many islands on the southern sh.o.r.e. These are low and covered with trees, Seem to be very pleasant, and, so far as I could judge, some of them are one or two leagues and others half a league in length. About these islands there are only rocks and shallows, so that the pa.s.sage is very dangerous.

They are distant some two leagues from the mainland on the south. Thence we coasted along the Island of Orleans on the south. This is distant a league from the mainland on the north, is very pleasant and level, and eight leagues long. The coast on the south is low for some two leagues inland; the country begins to be low at this island which is perhaps two leagues distant from the southern sh.o.r.e. It is very dangerous pa.s.sing on the northern sh.o.r.e, on account of the sand-banks and rocks between the island and mainland, and it is almost entirely dry here at low tide.

At the end of this island I saw a torrent of water [153] which descended from a high elevation on the River of Canada. Upon this elevation the land is uniform and pleasant, although in the interior high mountains are seen some twenty or twenty-five leagues distant, and near the first fall of the Saguenay.

We came to anchor at Quebec, a narrow pa.s.sage in the River of Canada, which is here some three hundred paces broad. [154] There is, on the northern side of this pa.s.sage, a very high elevation, which falls off on two sides.

Elsewhere the country is uniform and fine, and there are good tracts full of trees, as oaks, cypresses, birches, firs, and aspens, also wild fruit-trees and vines which, if they were cultivated, would, in my opinion, be as good as our own. Along the sh.o.r.e of Quebec, there are diamonds in some slate-rocks, which are better than those of Alencon. From Quebec to Hare Island is a distance of twenty-nine leagues.

ENDNOTES:

147. _Saut de St Louis_, about three leagues above Montreal.

148. _Isle au Lieure_ Hare Island, so named by Cartier from the great number of hares which he found there. Le soir feusmes ladicte ysle, ou trouuasmes grand nombre de lieures, desquelz eusmes quant.i.te: & par ce la nommasmes l'ysle es lieures.--_Brief Recit_, par Jacques Cartier, 1545, D'Avezac ed p. 45.

The distances are here overestimated. From Hare Island to the northern sh.o.r.e the distance is four nautical miles, and to the southern six.

149. The point nearest to Hare Island is Cape Salmon, which is about six geographical miles from the Isle au Coudres, and we should here correct the error by reading not one but two leagues. The author did not probably intend to be exact.

150. _Isle au Coudre.--Vide Brief Recit_, par Jacques Cartier, 1545, D'Avezac ed. p. 44; also Vol. II. of this work, p. 172. Charlevoix says, whether from tradition or on good authority we know not, that "in 1663 an earthquake rooted up a mountain, and threw it upon the Isle au Coudres, which made it one-half larger than before."-- _Letters to the d.u.c.h.ess of Lesdiguieres_, London, 1763, p. 15.

151. This was probably about two leagues from the Isle aux Coudres, where is a small stream which still bears the name La Pet.i.te Riviere.

152. _Isle d'Orleans.--Vide_ Vol. II. p. 173.

153. On Champlain's map of the harbor of Quebec he calls this "torrent" le grand saut de Montmorency, the grand fall of Montmorency. It was named by Champlain himself, and in honor of the "n.o.ble, high, and powerful Charles de Montmorency," to whom the journal of this voyage is dedicated. The stream is shallow, "in some places," Charlevoix says, "not more than ankle deep." The grandeur or impressiveness of the fall, if either of these qualities can be attributed to it, arises from its height and not from the volume of water--_Vide_ ed. 1632, p.

123. On Bellm's Atlas Maritime, 1764, its height is put down at _sixty-five feet_. Bayfield's Chart more correctly says 251 feet above high water spring tides--_Vide_ Vol. II of this work, note 308.

154. _Nous vinsmmes mouiller l'ancre Quebec, qui est vn destroict de laditt riuiere de Canadas_. These words very clearly define the meaning of Quebec, which is an Indian word, signifying a narrowing or a contraction.--_Vide_ Vol. II. p. 175, note 309. The breadth of the river at this point is underestimated It is not far from 1320 feet, or three-quarters of a mile.

CHAPTER VI.

OF THE POINT ST. CROIX AND THE RIVER BATISCAN.--OF THE RIVERS, ROCKS, ISLANDS, LANDS, TREES, FRUITS, VINES, AND FINE COUNTRY BETWEEN QUEBEC AND THE TROIS RIVIeRES.

On Monday, the 23d of this month, we set out from Quebec, where the river begins to widen, sometimes to the extent of a league, then a league and a half or two leagues at most. The country grows finer and finer; it is everywhere low, without rocks for the most part. The northern sh.o.r.e is covered with rocks and sand-banks; it is necessary to go along the southern one about half a league from the sh.o.r.e. There are some small rivers, not navigable, except for the canoes of the savages, and in which there are a great many falls. We came to anchor at St. Croix, fifteen leagues distant from Quebec; a low point rising up on both sides. [155] The country is fine and level, the soil being the best that I had seen, with extensive woods, containing, however, but little fir and cypress. There are found there in large numbers vines, pears, hazel-nuts, cherries, red and green currants, and certain little radishes of the size of a small nut, resembling truffles in taste, which are very good when roasted or boiled. All this soil is black, without any rocks, excepting that there a large quant.i.ty of slate.

The soil is very soft, and, if well cultivated, would be very productive.

On the north sh.o.r.e there is a river called Batiscan, [156] extending a great distance into the interior, along which the Algonquins sometimes come. On the same sh.o.r.e there is another river, [157] three leagues below St. Croix, which was as far as Jacques Cartier went up the river at the time of his explorations. [158] The above-mentioned river is pleasant, extending a considerable distance inland. All this northern sh.o.r.e is very even and pleasing.

On Wednesday, [159] the 24th, we set out from St. Croix, where we had stayed over a tide and a half in order to proceed the next day by daylight, for this is a peculiar place on account of the great number of rocks in the river, which is almost entirely dry at low tide; but at half-flood one can begin to advance without difficulty, although it is necessary to keep a good watch, lead in hand. The tide rises here nearly three fathoms and a half.

The farther we advanced, the finer the country became. After going some five leagues and a half, we came to anchor on the northern sh.o.r.e. On the Wednesday following, we set out from this place, where the country is flatter than the preceding and heavily wooded, as at St. Croix. We pa.s.sed near a small island covered with vines, and came to anchor on the southern sh.o.r.e, near a little elevation, upon ascending which we found a level country. There is another small island three leagues from St. Croix, near the southern sh.o.r.e. [160] We set out on the following Thursday from this elevation, and pa.s.sed by a little island near the northern sh.o.r.e. Here I landed at six or more small rivers, up two of which boats can go for a considerable distance. Another is some three hundred feet broad, with some islands at its mouth. It extends far into the interior, and is the deepest of all. [161] These rivers are very pleasant, their sh.o.r.es being covered with trees which resemble nut-trees, and have the same odor; but, as I saw no fruit, I am inclined to doubt. The savages told me that they bear fruit like our own.

Advancing still farther, we came to an island called St. eloi; [162] also another little island very near the northern sh.o.r.e. We pa.s.sed between this island and the northern sh.o.r.e, the distance from one to the other being some hundred and fifty feet; that from the same island to the southern sh.o.r.e, a league and a half. We pa.s.sed also near a river large enough for canoes. All the northern sh.o.r.e is very good, and one can sail along there without obstruction; but he should keep the lead in hand in order to avoid certain points. All this sh.o.r.e along which we coasted consists of s.h.i.+fting sands, but a short distance in the interior the land is good.

The Friday following, we set out from this island, and continued to coast along the northern sh.o.r.e very near the land, which is low and abundant in trees of good quality as far as the Trois Rivieres. Here the temperature begins to be somewhat different from that of St. Croix, since the trees are more forward here than in any other place that I had yet seen. From the Trois Rivieres to St. Croix the distance is fifteen leagues. In this river [163] there are six islands, three of which are very small, the others being from five to six hundred feet long, very pleasant, and fertile so far as their small extent goes. There is one of these in the centre of the above-mentioned river, confronting the River of Canada, and commanding a view of the others, which are distant from the land from four to five hundred feet on both sides. It is high on the southern side, but lower somewhat on the northern. This would be, in my judgment, a favorable place in which to make a settlement, and it could be easily fortified, for its situation is strong of itself, and it is near a large lake which is only some four leagues distant. This river extends close to the River Saguenay, according to the report of the savages, who go nearly a hundred leagues northward, pa.s.s numerous falls, go overland some five or six leagues, enter a lake from which princ.i.p.ally the Saguenay has its source, and thence go to Tadoussac. [164] I think, likewise, that the settlement of the Trois Rivieres would be a boon for the freedom of some tribes, who dare not come this way in consequence of their enemies, the Iroquois, who occupy the entire borders of the River of Canada; but, if it were settled, these Iroquois and other savages could be made friendly, or, at least, under the protection of this settlement, these savages would come freely without fear or danger, the Trois Rivieres being a place of pa.s.sage. All the land that I saw on the northern sh.o.r.e is sandy. We ascended this river for about a league, not being able to proceed farther on account of the strong current.

We continued on in a skiff, for the sake of observation, but had not gone more than a league when we encountered a very narrow fall, about twelve feet wide, on account of which we could not go farther. All the country that I saw on the borders of this river becomes constantly more mountainous, and contains a great many firs and cypresses, but few trees of other kinds.

ENDNOTES:

155. The Point of St. Croix, where they anch.o.r.ed, must have been what is now known as Point Platon. Champlain's distances are rough estimates, made under very unfavorable circ.u.mstances, and far from accurate.

Point Platon is about thirty-five miles from Quebec.

156. Champlain does not mention the rivers precisely in their order. On his map of 1612, he has _Contree de Ba.s.squan_ on the west of Trois Rivieres. The river Batiscan empties into the St. Lawrence about four miles west of the St. Anne--_Vide Atlas Maritime_, by Bellin, 1764; _Atlas of the Dominion of Canada_, 1875.

157. River Jacques Cartier, which is in fact about five miles east of Point Platon.

158. Jacques Cartier did, in fact, ascend the St. Lawrence as far as Hochelaga, or Montreal. The Abbe Laverdiere suggests that Champlain had not at this time seen the reports of Cartier. Had he seen them he would hardly have made this statement. Pont Grave had been here several times, and may have been Champlain's incorrect informant.

_Vide Laverdiere in loco_.

159. Read Tuesday.

160. Richelieu Island, so called by the French, as early as 1635, nearly opposite Dechambeau Point.--_Vide Laurie's Chart_. It was called St Croix up to 1633. _Laverdiere in loco_ The Indians called it _Ka ouapa.s.siniskakhi_.--_Jesuit Relations_, 1635, p. 13.

161. This river is now known as the Sainte Anne. Champlain says they named it _Riviere Saincte Marie_--_Vide_ Quebec ed. Tome III. p. 175; Vol.

II. p 201 of this work.

162. An inconsiderable island near Batiscan, not laid down on the charts.

163. The St. Maurice, anciently known as _Trois Riviers_, because two islands in its mouth divide it into three channels. Its Indian name, according to Pere Le Jeune, was _Metaberoutin_. It appears to be the same river mentioned by Cartier in his second voyage, which he explored and reported as shallow and of no importance. He found in it four small islands, which may afterward have been subdivided into six.

He named it _La Riuiere die Fouez.--Brief Recit_, par Jacques Cartier, D'Avezac ed. p. 28. _Vide Relations des Jesuites_, 1635, p. 13.

164. An eastern branch of the St Maurice River rises in a small lake, from which Lake St. John, which is an affluent of the Saguenay, may be reached by a land portage of not more than five or six leagues.

CHAPTER VII.

LENGTH, BREADTH, AND DEPTH OF A LAKE--OF THE RIVERS THAT FLOW INTO IT, AND THE ISLANDS IT CONTAINS.--CHARACTER OF THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY.--OF THE RIVER OF THE IROQUOIS AND THE FORTRESS OF THE SAVAGES WHO MAKE WAR UPON THEM.

On the Sat.u.r.day following, we set out from the Trois Rivieres, and came to anchor at a lake four leagues distant. All this region from the Trois Rivieres to the entrance to the lake is low and on a level with the water, though somewhat higher on the south side. The land is very good and the pleasantest yet seen by us. The woods are very open, so that one could easily make his way through them.

The next day, the 29th of June, [165] we entered the lake, which is some fifteen leagues long and seven or eight wide. [166] About a league from its entrance, and on the south side, is a river [167] of considerable size and extending into the interior some sixty or eighty leagues. Farther on, on the same side, there is another small river, extending about two leagues inland, and, far in, another little lake, which has a length of perhaps three or four leagues. [168] On the northern sh.o.r.e, where the land appears very high, you can see for some twenty leagues; but the mountains grow gradually smaller towards the west, which has the appearance of being a flat region. The savages say that on these mountains the land is for the most part poor. The lake above mentioned is some three fathoms deep where we pa.s.sed, which was nearly in the middle. Its longitudinal direction is from east to west, and its lateral one from north to south. I think that it must contain good fish, and such varieties as we have at home. We pa.s.sed through it this day, and came to anchor about two leagues up the river, which extends its course farther on, at the entrance to which there are thirty little islands. [169] From what I could observe, some are two leagues in extent, others a league and a half, and some less. They contain numerous nut-trees, which are but little different from our own, and, as I am inclined to think, the nuts are good in their season. I saw a great many of them under the trees, which were of two kinds, some small, and others an inch long; but they were decayed. There are also a great many vines on the sh.o.r.es of these islands, most of which, however, when the waters are high, are submerged. The country here is superior to any I have yet seen.

The last day of June, we set out from here and went to the entrance of the River of the Iroquois, [170] where the savages were encamped and fortified who were on their way to make war with the former. [171] Their fortress is made of a large number of stakes closely pressed against each other. It borders on one side on the sh.o.r.e of the great river, on the other on that of the River of the Iroquois. Their canoes are drawn up by the side of each other on the sh.o.r.e, so that they may be able to flee quickly in case of a surprise from the Iroquois; for their fortress is covered with oak bark, and serves only to give them time to take to their boats.

We went up the River of the Iroquois some five or six leagues, but, because of the strong current, could not proceed farther in our barque, which we were also unable to drag overland, on account of the large number of trees on the sh.o.r.e. Finding that we could not proceed farther, we took our skiff to see if the current were less strong above; but, on advancing some two leagues, we found it still stronger, and were unable to go any farther.

[172] As we could do nothing else, we returned in our barque. This entire river is some three to four hundred paces broad, and very un.o.bstructed. We saw there five islands, distant from each other a quarter or half a league, or at most a league, one of which, the nearest, is a league long, the others being very small. All this country is heavily wooded and low, like that which I had before seen; but there are more firs and cypresses than in other places. The soil is good, although a little sandy. The direction of this river is about southwest. [173]

The savages say that some fifteen leagues from where we had been there is a fall [174] of great length, around which they carry their canoes about a quarter of a league, when they enter a lake, at the entrance to which there are three islands, with others farther in. It may be some forty or fifty leagues long and some twenty-five wide, into which as many as ten rivers flow, up which canoes can go for a considerable distance. [175] Then, at the other end of this lake, there is another fall, when another lake is entered, of the same size as the former, [176] at the extremity of which the Iroquois are encamped. They say also that there is a river [177]

extending to the coast of Florida, a distance of perhaps some hundred or hundred and forty leagues from the latter lake. All the country of the Iroquois is somewhat mountainous, but has a very good soil, the climate being moderate, without much winter.