CHAPTER VII.

THE POVERTY AND THE RICHES OF THE COUNTRY.

N

EVER were there more Beavers in our lakes

and rivers, but never have there been fewer

seen in the warehouses of the country. Before the devastation of the Hurons, a hundred canoes used to come to trade, all laden with Beaver-skins; the Algonquins brought them from all directions; and each year we had two or [147] three hundred thousand livres' worth. That was a fine revenue with which to satisfy all the people, and defray the heavy expenses of the country.

The Iroquois war dried up all these springs. The Beavers are left in peace and in the place of their repose; the Huron fleets no longer come down to trade; the Algonquins are depopulated; and the more distant Nations are withdrawing still farther, fearing the fire of the Iroquois. For a year, the warehouse of Montreal has not bought a single Beaver-skin from the Savages. At Three Rivers, the little revenue that has accrued has been used to fortify the place, the enemy being expected there. In the Quebec warehouse there is nothing but poverty; and so every one has cause to be dissatisfied, there [148] being no means to supply payment to those to whom it is due, or even to defray a part of the most necessary expenses of the country.

The deepest and most abundant rivers of the earth

de la terre, feroient bien-toft à fec, fi leurs eaux s'efcoulans dans la Mer, les fources n'en fournissoient plus de nouuelles. Les Villes, & les Prouinces plus proches de la Mer, qui en auroient esté autrefois les plus richement arroufées, auroient tort de fe plaindre, des Prouinces plus voifines des fources, comme fi elles retenoient toutes les eaux pour elles, & les enuoyoient au public.

Ce font les Iroquois, dont il fe faut plaindre: car ce font eux, qui ont arrefté les eaux dedans leurs fources. Ie veux dire, que ce font eux qui empeschent tout le commerce [149] des Caftors, qui ont toûjours efté les grandes richeffes de ce pays.

Mais maintenant, fi Dieu benit nos esperances, de la paix auec les Iroquois, on fera bonne guerre aux Caftors, & ils trouueront le chemin des magasins de Montreal, des Trois Riuieres, & de Quebec, qu'ils ont oublié depuis ces dernieres années. Les Nations superieures descendront auec ioye, & apporteront les Caftors, dont ils ont fait amas depuis trois ans.

Ce Printemps, trois canots arriuerent aux Trois Riuieres, de l'ancien pays des Hurons, ou plutost du profond des terres, les plus cachées de ces costez-là: où diuerfes familles fe font retirées hors le commerce de tout le refte des hommes, crainte que les Iroquois [150] ne les y allaffent trouuer.

Ces trois canots, conduits par vn Sauuage Chrestien, estoient de quatre Nations differentes, qui nous ont apporté d'excellentes nouuelles. Sçauoir, qu'ils s'affemblent, en vn tres-beau pays, enuiron à cent cinquante lieuës, plus loin que les Hurons, tirans vers l'Occident, au nombre de deux mille hommes,

The upper

would soon be dry if, when their waters ran into the Sea, the springs ceased to furnish fresh supplies. The Cities and Provinces nearer the Sea, and formerly the most abundantly watered by it, would be wrong to complain of the Provinces nearer the watersources, as if they retained all the water for themselves and sent it out to the public.

It is the Iroquois of whom complaint must be made, for it is they who have stopped the water at its fountainhead. I mean, it is they that are preventing all the trade [149] in Beaver-skins, which have always been the chief wealth of this country.

But now, if God bless our hopes of peace with the Iroquois, a fine war will be made on the Beavers, and they will find the road to the warehouses of Montreal, Three Rivers, and Quebec, which they have forgotten during these later years. Nations will come down with joy, and will bring the Beaver-skins which they have been amassing for the past three years.

This Spring, three canoes arrived at Three Rivers from the former country of the Hurons,—or, rather, from the depths of the most hidden recesses of those regions, whither several families have withdrawn, out of all communication with the rest of mankind, for fear lest the Iroquois [150] might go and find them there.

These three canoes, led by a Christian Savage, contained people from four different Nations, who brought us excellent news. This was, that they were gathering together, to the number of two thousand men, in a very fine country about a hundred and fifty leagues farther away than the Hurons, toward the West; and that they were to come the next

& qu'ils doiuent venir de compagnie le Printemps prochain, apporter grand nombre de Castor, pour faire leur trafic ordinaire, & pour se fournir de poudre & de plomb, & d'armes à feu; afin de se rendre plus redoutables aux ennemis.

De plus, toute nostre ieunesse Françoise, est en deffein d'aller en traite, trouuer les Nations dispersées, çà & là, & ils esperent d'en reuenir chargez, des Caftors de [151] plufieurs années.

En vn mot, le pays n'est pas depeuplé de Castors, & ce font fes mines d'or, & fes richeffes; qu'il n'y a qu'à puifer dans les lacs, & dans les ruiffeaux: où il y en a d'autant plus, qu'on en a moins pris ces dernieres années, craignant de s'écarter, & d'estre pris des Iroquois. Ces animaux d'ailleurs fe multiplians en grande abondance.

Pour ce qui eft de la fertilité des terres, elles font icy de bon rapport. Les grains François y viennent heureufement: & nous pouuons en cela, nous paffer des fecours de la Frãce, quelque nombre que nous foyons icy. Plus qu'il y aura d'habitans, plus feronsnous dans l'abondance.

Le beftail, & les lards, font vne douceur au pays, qu'autrefois on [152] n'ofoit esperer. Le gibier y foifonne; & la chaffe des Orignaux, n'est pas pour y manquer.

Mais l'anguille y est vne manne, qui surpasse tout ce qu'on en peut croire. L'experience & l'industrie nous y a rendus fi fçauans, qu'en vne feule nuit, vn ou deux hommes, en prendront des cinq, & fix milliers: & cette pefche dure deux mois entiers; dont on fait prouifion abondamment pour toute l'année: car l'anguille eft icy d'vne excellente garde, foit

a

Spring in company, to bring a large number of Beaver-skins, for the purpose of doing their ordinary trading and furnishing themselves with powder, lead, and firearms, in order to render themselves more formidable to the enemy.

Moreover, all our young Frenchmen are planning to go on a trading expedition, to find the Nations that are scattered here and there; and they hope to come back laden with the Beaver-skins of [151] several years' accumulation.

In a word, the country is not stripped of Beavers; they form its gold-mines and its wealth, which have only to be drawn upon in the lakes and streams, where the supply is great in proportion to the smallness of the draught upon it during these latter years, due to the fear of being dispersed or captured by the Iroquois. These animals, moreover, are extremely prolific.

Concerning the fertility of the soil, it is here very productive. The French grains yield excellent crops, and in that respect we can do without aid from France, however numerous we may be here. The more settlers there shall be, the greater plenty shall we enjoy.

Beef and bacon are here delicacies, which formerly we [152] did not dare to hope for. Game is abundant, and there is no lack of Moose-hunting.

But the eel constitutes a manna exceeding all belief. Experience and ingenuity have rendered us so expert in catching them that one or two men will take five or six thousand in a single night; and this fishing lasts for two whole months, in which an ample provision of them is made for the whole year; for the eels here have excellent qualities for keeping,