Travels m North America. 1 



Currents bore us, and to encreafc our Misfortune, we had no 

 Wind to keep ua oiF : We were almoft upon it, when about' 

 half an Hour paft iive in the Morning a fmall Breeze from the 

 North Weft, came in very good Time to our Aflillance. We loft 

 nothing of it, and we got out of Danger. The North Weft 

 after having done us this good Office, would have obliged us 

 extremely, if it had given Place to fome other Wind ; but it 

 did not, and for two Days kept us at the Entrance of the Gulf 

 of St. Laurence, On the third Day we pafTed between the Ifle of St. 

 Paul, and Cape St, Laurence, -whichi is the moft northerly Point of Illc 

 Royal 'y this Paffage is very narrow, and we do not hazard ourfelves 

 in it, when the Air is foggy. The PafTage which is between the 

 Ifle of St, Paul and Cape Ray, is much wider ; but our Sails- 

 were fet to take the other, and we made Ufe of it. 



The Gulf of St, Launnce is 80 Leagues long, v/hich we pafled 

 L r Ir r with a good Wind in twenty- four Hours, by 



U/ the Uuij Of ^^jp Currents. About half Way we 



/ * D^Ti^n^'r ^^et w^^^ ^^''^ ^M^'^ which we v,?.{Çcà 

 the bird IJlanas. ^.^j^.^ Cannon Shot, and which muft not be 



confounded with thofe which James Cartier difcovered near the 

 Ifland of Nenjofoundland, Thefe I fpeak of, are two Rocks, 

 which appeared to me to rife perpendicular, about 60 Feet above 

 the Sea ; the largeft of which is not above 2 or 300 Paces in 

 Circumference : They are very near each other, and I believe 

 there is not Water enough between them for a large Boat. It i» 

 difficult to fay what Colour they are, for the Dung of the Birds 

 entirely cover their Surface and Sides ; Yet we difcovered in 

 fome Places, Veins of a reddilh Colour. They have been often 

 vifited, and Boats have been entirely loaded here with Eggs of 

 all Sorts : They fay that the Stench is infupportabie. They 

 add, that with the Penguins, which come from the neighbouring 

 Lands, they find many other Birds which can't fly. The 

 Wonder is, that in fuch a Multitude of Nefts, every Bird im- 

 mediately finds her own. We fired a Gun, which gave the Alarm 

 thro* all this flying Commonwealth, and there was formed 

 above the two Iflands, a thick Cloud of thefe Birds, which was 

 at ieaft two or three Leagues round. 



The next Day, about the Dawn, the Wind dropt all at once. 

 In two Hours more we could have doubled Cape Rojiers, and 

 have entered the River 6"/. Laurence, which runs North Eaft and 

 South Weft, and the North Weft Wind which rofe foon after, 

 would have ferved us ; but we loft two Hours of the twenty- four 

 in Fifliing,and in Confequence, two Days at the Entrance of the 

 Gulf ; and we were obliged to wait here till the North Weft 

 dropped, which was not in five Days, in which we made only five 

 Leagues. 



C z Cap^ 



