Chapter VIII

ARRIVAL AT THE FALL.--DESCRIPTION OF THE SAME AND ITS REMARKABLE CHARACTER.--REPORTS OF THE SAVAGES IN REGARD TO THE END OF THE GREAT RIVER.

Setting out from the River of the Iroquois, we came to anchor three leagues from there, on the northern shore. All this country is low, and filled with the various kinds of trees which I have before mentioned.

On the first day of July we coasted along the northern shore, where the woods are very open; more so than in any place we had before seen. The soil is also everywhere favorable for cultivation.

I went in a canoe to the southern shore, where I saw a large number of islands, [178] which abound in fruits, such as grapes, walnuts, hazel-nuts, a kind of fruit resembling chestnuts, and cherries; also in oaks, aspens, poplar, hops, ash, maple, beech, cypress, with but few pines and firs. There were, moreover, other fine-looking trees, with which I am not acquainted. There are also a great many strawberries, raspberries, and currants, red, green, and blue, together with numerous small fruits which grow in thick grass. There are also many wild beasts, such as orignacs, stags, hinds, does, bucks, bears, porcupines, hares, foxes, bearers, otters, musk-rats, and some other kinds of animals with which I am not acquainted, which are good to eat, and on which the savages subsist. [179]

We passed an island having a very pleasant appearance, some four leagues long and about half a league wide. [180] I saw on the southern shore two high mountains, which appeared to be some twenty leagues in the interior. [181] The savages told me that this was the first fall of the River of the Iroquois.

On Wednesday following, we set out from this place, and made some five or six leagues. We saw numerous islands; the land on them was low, and they were covered with trees like those of the River of the Iroquois. On the following day we advanced some few leagues, and passed by a great number of islands, beautiful on account of the many meadows, which are likewise to be seen on the mainland as well as on the islands. [182] The trees here are all very small in comparison with those we had already passed.

We arrived finally, on the same day, having a fair wind, at the entrance to the fall. We came to an island almost in the middle of this entrance, which is a quarter of a league long. [183] We passed to the south of it, where there were from three to five feet of water only, with a fathom or two in some places, after which we found suddenly only three or four feet. There are many rocks and little islands without any wood at all, and on a level with the water. From the lower extremity of the above-mentioned island in the middle of the entrance, the water begins to come with great force. Although we had a very favorable wind, yet we could not, in spite of all our efforts, advance much. Still, we passed this island at the entrance of the fall. Finding that we could not proceed, we came to anchor on the northern shore, opposite a little island, which abounds in most of the fruits before mentioned. [184] We at once got our skiff ready, which had been expressly made for passing this fall, and Sieur Du Pont Grave and myself embarked in it, together with some savages whom we had brought to show us the way. After leaving our barque, we had not gone three hundred feet before we had to get out, when some sailors got into the water and dragged our skiff over. The canoe of the savages went over easily. We encountered a great number of little rocks on a level with the water, which we frequently struck.

There are here two large islands; one on the northern side, some fifteen leagues long and almost as broad, begins in the River of Canada, some twelve leagues towards the River of the Iroquois, and terminates beyond the fall. [185] The island on the south shore is some four leagues long and half a league wide. [186] There is, besides, another island near that on the north, which is perhaps half a league long and a quarter wide. [187] There is still another small island between that on the north and the other farther south, where we passed the entrance to the fall. [188] This being passed, there is a kind of lake, in which are all these islands, and which is some five leagues long and almost as wide, and which contains a large number of little islands or rocks. Near the fall there is a mountain, [189] visible at a considerable distance, also a small river coming from this mountain and falling into the lake. [190] On the south, some three or four mountains are seen, which seem to be fifteen or sixteen leagues off in the interior. There are also two rivers; the one [191] reaching to the first lake of the River of the Iroquois, along which the Algonquins sometimes go to make war upon them, the other near the fall and extending some feet inland. [192]

On approaching this fall [193] with our little skiff and the canoe, I saw, to my astonishment, a torrent of water descending with an impetuosity such as I have never before witnessed, although it is not very high, there being in some places only a fathom or two, and at most but three. It descends as if by steps, and at each descent there is a remarkable boiling, owing to the force and swiftness with which the water traverses the fall, which is about a league in length. There are many rocks on all sides, while near the middle there are some very narrow and long islands. There are rapids not only by the side of those islands on the south shore, but also by those on the north, and they are so dangerous that it is beyond the power of man to pass through with a boat, however small. We went by land through the woods a distance of a league, for the purpose of seeing the end of the falls, where there are no more rocks or rapids; but the water here is so swift that it could not be more so, and this current continues three or four leagues; so that it is impossible to imagine one's being able to go by boats through these falls. But any one desiring to pass them, should provide himself with the canoe of the savages, which a man can easily carry. For to make a portage by boat could not be done in a sufficiently brief time to enable one to return to France, if he desired to winter there. Besides this first fall, there are ten others, for the most part hard to pass; so that it would be a matter of great difficulty and labor to see and do by boat what one might propose to himself, except at great cost, and the risk of working in vain. But in the canoes of the savages one can go without restraint, and quickly, everywhere, in the small as well as large rivers. So that, by using canoes as the savages do, it would be possible to see all there is, good and bad, in a year or two.

The territory on the side of the fall where we went overland consists, so far as we saw it, of very open woods, where one can go with his armor without much difficulty. The air is milder and the soil better than in any place I have before seen. There are extensive woods and numerous fruits, as in all the places before mentioned. It is in latitude 45 deg. and some minutes.

Finding that we could not advance farther, we returned to our barque, where we asked our savages in regard to the continuation of the river, which I directed them to indicate with their hands; so, also, in what direction its source was. They told us that, after passing the first fall, [194] which we had seen, they go up the river some ten or fifteen leagues with their canoes, [195] extending to the region of the Algonquins, some sixty leagues distant from the great river, and that they then pass five falls, extending, perhaps, eight leagues from the first to the last, there being two where they are obliged to carry their canoes. [196] The extent of each fall may be an eighth of a league, or a quarter at most. After this, they enter a lake, [197] perhaps some fifteen or sixteen leagues long. Beyond this they enter a river a league broad, and in which they go several leagues. [198] Then they enter another lake some four or five leagues long. [199] After reaching the end of this, they pass five other falls, [200] the distance from the first to the last being about twenty-five or thirty leagues. Three of these they pass by carrying their canoes, and the other two by dragging them in the water, the current not being so strong nor bad as in the case of the others. Of all these falls, none is so difficult to pass as the one we saw. Then they come to a lake some eighty leagues long, [201] with a great many islands; the water at its extremity being fresh and the winter mild. At the end of this lake they pass a fall, [202] somewhat high and with but little water flowing over. Here they carry their canoes overland about a quarter of a league, in order to pass the fall, afterwards entering another lake [203] some sixty leagues long, and containing very good water. Having reached the end, they come to a strait [204] two leagues broad and extending a considerable distance into the interior. They said they had never gone any farther, nor seen the end of a lake [205] some fifteen or sixteen leagues distant from where they had been, and that those relating this to them had not seen any one who had seen it; that since it was so large, they would not venture out upon it, for fear of being surprised by a tempest or gale. They say that in summer the sun sets north of this lake, and in winter about the middle; that the water there is very bad, like that of this sea. [206]

I asked them whether from this last lake, which they had seen, the water descended continuously in the river extending to Gaspe. They said no; that it was from the third lake only that the water came to Gaspe, but that beyond the last fall, which is of considerable extent, as I have said, the water was almost still, and that this lake might take its course by other rivers extending inland either to the north or south, of which there are a large number there, and of which they do not see the end. Now, in my judgment, if so many rivers flow into this lake, it must of necessity be that, having so small a discharge at this fall, it should flow off into some very large river. But what leads me to believe that there is no river through which this lake flows, as would be expected, in view of the large number of rivers that flow into it, is the fact that the savages have not seen any river taking its course into the interior, except at the place where they have been. This leads me to believe that it is the south sea which is salt, as they say. But one is not to attach credit to this opinion without more complete evidence than the little adduced.

This is all that I have actually seen respecting this matter, or heard from the savages in response to our interrogatories.

ENDNOTES:

178. Isle Plat, and at least ten other islets along the share before
reaching the Vercheres.--_Vide_ Laurie's Chart.

179. The reader will observe that the catalogue of fruits, trees, and
animals mentioned above, include, only such as are important in
commerce. They are, we think, without an exception, of American
species, and, consequently, the names given by Champlain are not
accurately descriptive. We notice them in order, and in italics give
the name assigned by Champlain in the text.

Grapes. _Vignes_, probably the frost grape. _Vitis
cordifolia_.--Pickering's _Chronological History of Plants_ p. 875.

Walnuts. _Noir_, this name is given in France to what is known in
commerce as the English or European walnut, _Juglans rigia_, a Persian
fruit now cultivated in most countries in Europe. For want of a
better, Champlain used this name to signify probably the butternut,
_Juglans cinerea_, and five varieties of the hickory; the shag-bark.
_Carya alba_, the mocker-nut, _Carya tontentofa_, the small-fruited
_Carya microcarpa_, the pig-nut, _Carya glatra_, bitter-nut. _Carya
amara_, all of which are exclusively American fruits, and are still
found in the valley of the St Lawrence.--_MS. Letter of J. M. Le
Maine_, of Quebec; Jeffrie's _Natural History of French Dominions in
America_, London. 1760, p.41.

Hazel-nuts, _noysettes_. The American filbert or hazel-nut, _Corylus
Americana_. The flavor is fine, but the fruit is smaller and the shell
thicker than that of the European filbert.

"Kind of fruit resembling chestnuts." This was probably the chestnut,
_Caftanea Americana_. The fruit much resembles the European, but is
smaller and sweeter.

Cherries, _cerises_. Three kinds may here be included, the wild red
cherry, _Prunus Pennsylvanica_, the choke cherry. _Prunus Virginiana_,
and the wild black cherry, _Prunus serotina_.

Oaks, _chesnes_. Probably the more noticeable varieties, as the white
oak, _Quercus alba_, and red oak, Quercus _rubra_.

Aspens, _trembles_. The American aspen, _Populus tremuloides_.

Poplar, _pible_. For _piboule_, as suggested by Laverdiere. a variety
of poplar.

Hops, _houblon_. _Humulus lupulus_, found in northern climates,
differing from the hop of commerce, which was imported from Europe.

Ash. _fresne_. The white ash, _Fraxinus Americana_, and black ash,
_Fraxinus sambucifolia_.

Maple, _erable_. The tree here observed was probably the rock or sugar
maple, _Acer faccharinum_. Several other species belong to this
region.

Beech, _hestre_. The American beech, _Fagus ferruginea_, of which
there is but one species.--_Vide_, Vol. II. p. 113, note 205.

Cypress, _cyprez_.--_Vide antea_ note 35.

Strawberry, _fraises_. The wild strawberry, _Fragaria vesca_, and
_Fragaria Virginiana_, both species, are found in this region.--_Vide_
Pickering's _Chronological History of Plants_, p. 873.

Raspberries _framboises_. The American raspberry, _Rubis strigosus_.

Currants, red, green, and blue, _groizelles rouges, vertes and
bleues_. The first mentioned is undoubtedly the red currant of our
gardens. _Ribes rubrum_. The second may have been the unripe fruit of
the former. The third doubtless the black currant, _Ribes nigrum_,
which grows throughout Canada.--_Vide Chronological History of
Plants_, Pickering. p. 871; also Vol. II. note 138.

_Orignas_, so written in the original text. This is, I think, the
earliest mention of this animal under this Algonquin name. It was
written, by the French, sometimes _orignac, orignat_, and
_orignal_.--_Vide Jesuit Relations_, 1635, p. 16; 1636, p. 11, _et
passim_; Sagard, _Hist. du Canada_, 1636, p. 749; _Description de
l'Amerique_, par Denys. 1672, p. 27. _Orignac_ was used
interchangeably with _elan_, the name of the elk of northern Europe,
regarded by some as the same spccies.--_Vide Mammals_, by Spenser F.
Baird. But the _orignac_ of Champlain was the moose. _Alce
Americanus_, peculiar to the northern latitudes of America. Moose is
derived from the Indian word _moosoa_. This animal is the largest of
the _Cervus_ family. The males are said to attain the weight of eleven
or twelve hundred pounds. Its horns sometimes weigh fifty or sixty
pounds. It is exceedingly shy and difficult to capture.

Stags, _cerfs_. This is undoubtedly a reference to the caribou,
_Cervus tarandus_. Sagard (1636) calls it _Caribou ou asne Sauuages_,
caribou or wilde ass.--_Hist. du Canada_, p. 750. La Hontan, 1686,
says harts and caribous are killed both in summer and winter after the
same manner with the elks (mooses), excepting that the caribous, which
are a kind of wild asses, make an easy escape when the snow is hard by
virtue of their broad feet (Voyages, p. 59). There are two varieties,
the _Cervus tarandus arcticus_ and the _Cervus tarandus sylvestris_.
The latter is that here referred to and the larger and finer animal,
and is still found in the forests of Canada.

Hinds, _biches_, the female of _cerfs_, and does, _dains_, the female
of _daim_, the fallow deer. These may refer to the females of the two
preceding species, or to additional species as the common red deer,
_Cervus Virginianus_, and some other species or variety. La Hontan in
the passage cited above speaks of three, the _elk_ which we have shown
to be the moose, the well-known _caribou_, and the _hart_, which was
undoubtedly the common red deer of this region, _Cervus Virginianus_.
I learn from Mr. J. M. LeMoine of Quebec, that the Wapiti, _Elaphus
Canadensis_ was found in the valley of the St. Lawrence a hundred and
forty years ago, several horns and bones having been dug up in the
forest, especially in the Ottawa district. It is now extinct here, but
is still found in the neighborhood of Lake Winnipeg and further west.
Cartier, in 1535, speaks of _dains_ and _cerfs_, doubtless referring
to different species.--_Vide Brief Recit_, D'Avezac ed. p. 31 _verso_.

Bears. _ours_. The American black bear, _Ursus Americanus_. The grisly
bear. _Ursus ferox_, was found on the Island of Anticosti.--_Vide
Hist. du Canada_, par Sagard, 1636, pp. 148, 750. _La Hontan's
Voyages_. 1687, p. 66.

Porcupines. _porcs-espics_. The Canada porcupine, _Hystrix pilosus_. A
nocturnal rodent quadruped, armed with barbed quills, his chief
defence when attacked by other animals.

Hares, _lapins_. The American hare, _Lepus Americanus_.

Foxes, _reynards_. Of the fox. _Canis vulpes_, there are several
species in Canada. The most common is of a carroty red color, _Vulpes
fulvus_. The American cross fox. _Canis decussatus_, and the black or
silver fox. _Canis argentatus_, are varieties that may have been found
there at that period, but are now rarely if ever seen.

Beavers, _castors_. The American beaver, _Castor Americanus_. The fur
of the beaver was of all others the most important in the commerce of
New France.

Otters, _loutres_. This has reference only to the river otter, _Lutra
Canadensis_. The sea otter, _Lutra marina_, is only found in America
on the north-west Pacific coast.

Muskrat, _rats musquets_. The musk-rat, _Fiber zibethecus_, sometimes
called musquash from the Algonquin word, _m8sk8ess8_, is found in
three varieties, the black, and rarely the pied and white. For a
description of this animal _vide Le Jeune, Jesuit Relations_, 1635,
pp. 18, 19.

180. The Vercheres.

181. Summits of the Green Mountains.

182. From the Vercheres to Montreal, the St. Lawrence is full of islands,
among them St. Therese and nameless others.

183. This was the Island of St Helene, a favorite name given to several
other places. He subsequently called it St Helene, probably from
Helene Boulle, his wife. Between it and the mainland on the north
flows the _Rapide de Ste. Marie.--Vide Lauru's Chart_.

184. This landing was on the present site of the city of Montreal, and the
little island, according to Laverdiere, is now joined to the mainland
by quays.

185. The island of Montreal, here referred to, not including the isle
Jesus, is about thirty miles long and nine miles in its greatest
width.

186. The Isle Perrot is about seven or eight miles long and about three
miles wide.

187. Island of St Paul, sometimes called Nuns' Island.

188. Round Island, situated just below St. Helene's, on the east, say about
fifty yards distant.

189. The mountain in the rear of the city of Montreal, 700 feet in height,
discovered in October, 1535. by Jacques Cartier, to which he gave the
name after which the city is called. "Nous nomasmes la dicte montaigne
le mont Royal."--_Brief Recit_, 1545, D'Avezac's ed. p. 23. When
Cartier made his visit to this place in 1535, he found on or near the
site of the present city of Montreal the famous Indian town called
_Hochelaga_. Champlain does not speak of it in the text, and it had of
course entirely disappeared.--_Vide_ Cartier's description in _Brief
Recit_, above cited.

190. Riviere St Pierre. This little river is formed by two small streams
flowing one from the north and the other from the south side of the
mountain. Bellin and Charlevoix denominate it _La Petite Riviere_.
These small streams do not appear on modern maps, and have probably
now entirely disappeared.--_Vide Charlevoix's Carte de l'Isle de
Montreal; Atlas Maritime_, par Sieur Bellin; likewise _Atlas of the
Dominion of Canada_, 1875.

191. The River St. Lambert, according to Laverdiere, a small stream from
which by a short portage the Indian with his canoe could easily reach
Little River, which flows into the basin of Chambly, the lake referred
to by Champlain. This was the route of the Algonquins, at least on
their return from their raids upon the Iroquois.--_Vide_ Vol. II. p.
225.

192. Laverdiere supposes this insignificant stream to be La Riviere de la
Tortue.

193. The Falls of St. Louis, or the Lachine rapids.

194. Lachine Rapids.

195. Passing through Lake St. Louis, they come to the River Ottawa,
sometimes called the River of the Algonquins.

196. The Cascades, Cedres and Rapids du Coteau du Lac with subdivisions.
_Laverdiere_. La Hontan mentions four rapids between Lake St. Louis
and St Francis, as _Cascades, Le Cataracte du Trou, Sauts des Cedres_,
and _du Buisson_.

197. Lake St. Francis, about twenty-five miles long.

198. Long Saut.

199. Hardly a lake but rather the river uninterrupted by falls or rapids.

200. The smaller rapids, the Galops, Point Cardinal, and others.--_Vide_
La Hontan's description of his passage up this river, _New Voyages to
N. America_, London, 1735. Vol. I. p. 30.

201. Lake Ontario. It is one hundred and eighty miles long.--_Garneau_.

202. Niagara Falls. Champlain does not appear to have obtained from the
Indians any adequate idea of the grandeur and magnificence of this
fall. The expression, _qui est quelque peu eleue, ou il y a peu d'eau,
laquelle descend_, would imply that it was of moderate if not of an
inferior character. This may have arisen from the want of a suitable
medium of communication, but it is more likely that the intensely
practical nature of the Indian did not enable him to appreciate or
even observe the beauties by which he was surrounded. The immense
volume of water and the perpendicular fall of 160 feet render it
unsurpassed in grandeur by any other cataract in the world. Although
Champlain appears never to have seen this fall, he had evidently
obtained a more accurate description of it before 1629.--_Vide_ note
No. 90 to map in ed. 1632.

203. Lake Erie, 250 miles long.--_Garneau_.

204. Detroit river, or the strait which connects Lake Erie and Lake St.
Clair.--_Atlas of the Dominion of Canada_.

205. Lake Huron, denominated on early maps _Mer Douce_, the sweet sea of
which the knowledge of the Indian guides was very imperfect.

206. The Indians with whom Champlain came in contact on this hasty visit in
1603 appear to have had some notion of a salt sea, or as they say
water that is very bad like the sea, lying in an indefinite region,
which neither they nor their friends had ever visited. The salt sea to
which they occasionally referred was probably Hudson's Bay, of which
some knowledge may have been transmitted from the tribes dwelling near
it to others more remote, and thus passing from tribe to tribe till it
reached, in rather an indefinite shape, those dwelling on the St.
Lawrence.