The Origin of the Word Canada 



215 



ment and provisions. If it broke down 

 and could not be fixed up, then the ponies 

 would take over the load. 



"I would propose traveling at the rate 

 of 20 to 25 miles a day, and feel assured 

 that, providing the motor does its work, 

 82° 16' S. I intend, every 100 miles, to 

 drop a sledge load of provisions and 

 equipment; so that, in the event of every 

 means of traction breaking down except 

 the men, we would only have 100 miles 

 to go between each depot on return. The 

 geographical South Pole is 731 miles from 

 winter quarters, and allowing that we 

 only go with the motor to 82° 16' S., we 

 would then practically be starting for the 

 remaining 464 miles as fresh as if we 

 were starting from the ship. What lies 

 beyond 83° S. we cannot tell, but I am of 

 the opinion that we can follow the trend 

 of the southern mountains for a very long 

 way south before they turn either east or 

 west." 



ORIGIN OF THE WORD CANADA 



IN the "Memoirs of the Historical 

 Society of Pennsylvania," vol. 12, 

 1816, John Heckewelder gives an ac- 

 count of the origin of the word Canada. 

 He quotes from "Mr Zeisberger's papers" 

 to the effect that he (Zeisberger) trans- 

 lates "the German word stadt (town) into 

 the Onondago by ganatage." He sur- 

 mises that by the substitution of K, and 

 finally C for g, and d for t, the word 

 may have been derived in some form of 

 the Mohawk dialect. "So that it is highly 

 probable that the Frenchman who first 

 asked the Indians in Canada the name of 

 their country, pointing to the spot and to 

 the objects that surrounded him, received 

 for answer Kanada (town or village)." 

 The mistake made by the Frenchman, 

 consisting in applying a term meaning 

 specifically town or village, to the generic 

 significance of country in general, and he 

 "consequently gave to their newly- 

 acquired domain the name of Canada." 

 In connection with an old French map, 

 the date of which is not afiixed, is a "Dis- 



sertation sur le Canada ou la Nouvelle 

 France," from which the following is 

 translated : 



"Since the year 1504, when the French 

 discovered this great country, they have 

 given it the name New France. The 

 Spaniards first made the discovery, but 

 as they found nothing of any account in 

 it after their visit, they readily abandoned 

 it, and gave it the name Capo di nada — 

 that is to say, the Cap de rien — whence 

 has arisen, by corruption, the name Can- 

 ada, which is now generally given to it 

 on the maps." 



Francis Parkman is inclined to the 

 view of Heckewelder, although he does 

 not mention that missionary's name 

 {Pioneers of France in the nezv zoorld, 

 footnote on p. 184 of the 19th edition). 

 He states definitely that the name Canada 

 is "without doubt not Spanish, but In- 

 dian," and refers it to the Mohawk dia- 

 lect, in which it means a town. "Lescar- 

 bot affirms that Canada is simply an In- 

 dian proper name, of which it is vain to 

 seek a meaning. Belleforest also calls it 

 an Indian word, but translates it terre, 

 as does also Thivet." 



N. H. WiNCHELL. 



BOOK REVIEW 



Camp Fires in the Canadian Rockies. By 



William T. Hornaday, with 70 illustrations 

 by John M. Phillips and 2 maps. Pages 

 350. 6x9 inches. New York: Charles 

 Scribner's Sons, 1906. 



Dr Hornaday has given an exceedingly en- 

 tertaining description of one of the most 

 beautiful sections of North America. It is 

 only in the last few }'ears that the mountaineer 

 and sportsman has learned by personal in- 

 vestigation of the wonders of the Canadian 

 Rockies, where the wild goat and mountain 

 sheep are found. The volume is illustrated 

 with some very remarkable photographs of 

 mountain goats and mountain sheep, which 

 were taken by Mr John M. Phillips, of Pitts- 

 burg, with an ordinary stereo-camera. Dr 

 Hornaday describes very pleasantly his experi- 

 ences in hunting this game and particularly 

 the risks incurred by Mr Phillips to obtain 

 his photographs. There are also interesting 

 notes and photographs of the grizzly, porcu- 

 pine, squirrel, wolverine, marten, grouse, mule- 

 deer, etc. One picture from the volume is 

 given on page 211. 



