184 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
201. The Indian name of the river appears as OUELAMOUKT upon the same 
Franquelin-de Meulles map of 1686, above mentioned, which gives the Oromocto 
as LE RAMOUCTOU. The Maliseets call Cains River MIK-MA-WE-WEL-A- 
MOOK’-TOOK, that is MICMAC’S OROMOCTO, the syllable A-WE signifying 
always the possessive (literally, MICMAC-HIS-OROMOCTO). This name is also 
given by M. Chamberlain as MIK-MA’-WE-WI-LA-MUK’-TUK (Op. cit., 58), while 
Edward Jack gives it as MICH-MA-WE-WE-LA-MOOC-TOOK (Op. cit., 204). It 
seems quite clear, therefore, that WEL-A-MOOK’-TOOK is a Micmac name, and to 
be interpreted in that tongue. It may seem at first sight wholly improbable that a 
Miemac place-name would occur in Maliseet territory, but, as I shall show in the 
later articles of this series, this is only one of a number of Micmac place-names exist- 
ing upon the lower Saint John, and along the coast of the Bay of Fundy to Passa- 
maquoddy and into Maine. 
For the origin of the Micmac word we turn naturally to that invaluable storehouse 
of information upon the Miemac tongue, the works of the great Micmac scholar, Dr. 
Silas Rand. In his Micmac-English Dictionary, page 169, occurs the word WELA- 
MOOK to which is given the meaning BEAUTIFUL, KIND, and the same word 
occurs in connection with words meaning BEAUTIFUL, PRETTY, in his 
English-Micmac Dictionary. It would be possible, were it necessary, to analyze 
this word into its components, but it is enough to point out that the root WEL is an 
inseparable prefix having the meaning GOOD and occurring in several place- 
names of the Maritime Provinces, as will be shown in future numbers in this series. 
Thus much for the WELAMOOK; as to the TOOK that is perfectly clear. It is an inse- 
parable suffix, sometimes having the distantive form TA-GOOK, meaning RIVER, 
and occurring in many place-names in this region in both Micmac and Maliseet 
territory, as will later appear. WEL-A-MOOK’-TOOK, then, means HANDSOME 
RIVER. I feel sure, however, that the word HANDSOME does not refer so much 
to the scenery, as to the general character of the river from the Indian point of view, 
which includes easy travelling for canoes as an indispensable element. It is especially 
true, that “handsome is what handsome does”’ in the mind of an Indian. Newell 
Paul told me that the word includes the idea of easy navigability for canoes as well 
as the scenery, and this would harmonize well with Rand’s meaning KIND. More- 
over, it is a fact that both of the rivers known by this name WEL-A-MOOK’-TOOK 
are distinguished above all others in their respective regions by the ease of canoe 
navigation along their principal parts. This I know from personal observation of 
them both, from their sources to their mouths. The Oromocto for the twelve miles 
from the St. John to the Forks, and for a little farther up the North Branch and 
two miles farther up the South Branch, is a winding deadwater stream of the easiest 
and most pleasing character, while Cains River for the lower half of its course is of 
very gentle current, largely a series of long still-water reaches broken only by occa- 
sional rapids of the most insignificant sort. I think there can be no question that this 
distinctive feature has originated the name in both cases. The word HANDSOME, 
therefore, does not exactly express the real meaning of the word. It could be 
rendered into French, I presume, as LA BELLE RIVI ERE, but the nearest equiva- 
lent in English to the idea contained in the word is our somewhat colloquial expres- 
sion, A FINE RIVER, which, I think, almost exactly expresses the idea the 
Indians had in mind, and which accordingly may be adopted as the best meaning. 
It should be noted before leaving this part of our subject that a second form 
of the name is given by M. Chamberlain, who writes WE-LA-MO/-KËT (Op. cit., 60) 
and by Edward Jack, who gives me in a letter the form WI-LA-MO-GIT. But these 
variants are perfectly clear; they are simply the roots WEL-A-MOOK with the 
