t89 Ax,akia, a tafe. Feb. T> 



AZAKIA, A TALE. 



1 HE ancient inhabitants of Canada, strictly speaking, were- 

 all savages. Nothing proves this better than the destiny 

 of some Frenchmen, who first arrived in this part of the 

 world •, — they were eaten by the people whom they pre- 

 tended to humanize and poli(h. 



New attempts were more succefsful. The savages were 

 driven into the inner parts of the continent j treaties of 

 peace, always ill observed, were concluded with them j but 

 the French found means to create in them wants, which 

 made their yoke necefsary to them. Their brandy and 

 tobacco easily eflfected what their arms might have opera- 

 ted with greater difficulty. Confidence soon became mu- 

 tual, and the forests of Canada were frequented with as 

 much freedom by the new inmates, as by the natives. 



These forests were often also resorted to. by the roar- 

 xied and unmarried savage women, whom the meeting of 

 a Frenchman put into no terrors. All these women, for 

 the most part, are handsome, and certainly their beauty 

 owes nothing to the embelliihments of art : Much lefs has 

 it any influence on their conduct. Their character is na- 

 turally mild, and flexible, their humour gay ; they laugh 

 in the most agreeable and winning manner. They have 

 a strong propensity to love ; a propensity, which a maiden, 

 in thii country, may yield to, and always indulges without 

 scruple, and without fearing the least reproach. It is not 

 so with a married woman : She must be entirely devoted to 

 him fhe has married ; and, what is not lefs worthy of no- 

 tice, flie punctually fulfils this duty. 



An heroine qf this clafs, and who was born among the 

 Ilurons, one day happened to wander in a forest that lay 



