PHILOLOGY OF THE OUANANICHB 53 



The following letter from Mr, Ernest Gagnon, Sec- 

 retary of the Department of Public Works at Quebec, 

 a devoted student of early Canadian history, and the 

 author of a series of articles entitled " Au Pays des 

 Ouananiches" (In the Country of the Ounaniche), 

 which appeared in 1888 in the pages of the Revue 

 Geographique of Paris, will speak for itself : 



" QiTEBEc, 5 Avril, 1894. 

 " Cher Monsieur Chambers : 



" J'ai eu le plaisir de recevoir, ce matin, la visite du R. P. La- 

 casse, O. M. I., qui arrive du Lac St. Jean. 11 me dit que le plus 

 ancien livre de la mission Montagnaise se trouve a Betsiamitz. 11 

 a ete ecrit par le R. P. Masse, missionaire Jesulte, et le mot ouana- 

 niche s' y trouve imprime comme vous I'epelez vous-mfime : oua- 

 na-niclie. 



"Recevez tousmes compliments, 



"Ernest GrAGNOif." 



(Translation.) 



^' QcTEBEC, 5th Aprils 1894. 



" Dear Mr. Chamhers : 



"I had the pleasure, this morning, of a visit from the Rev. 

 Father Lacasse, Oblat Missionary, who has arrived from Lake St. 

 John. He tells me that the oldest book of the Montagnais mission 

 is to be found at Betsiamitz. It was wi'itten 'by the Rev. Father 

 Masse, Jesuit missionarj', and the word ouananiche is printed in it 

 as you yourself spell it : oua-na-niclw. 



"With compliments, 



"Ernest Gagnon." 



I know not the date of the book to which the Eev. 

 Father Lacasse refers, but its author, Eev. Father 

 Masse, came to Canada in 1611 and died in 1646. So 

 that there can be no manner of doubt that for at least 

 250 years " ouananiche " has been the spelling of the 

 name in the literature of the countrj' in which the 

 fish is found. 



