72 An Hijîorîcal Jourjial of 



are of no great Ufe, becaufe they fhed their Fur continually ; 

 which is a Pity, for their Fur is very fine, and would do no Da- 

 mage in the Hat Manufa6lure. In Winter thefe Animals turn 

 grey, and feldom come out of their Holes, where they live upon 

 the fmalleft Branches of the Birch Tree. In Summer, their Fur 

 is of a yeilowiih red. The Foxes make a fharp War with them 

 in all Seafons, and the Savages take them in Winter in Gins, 

 w*hen they go out to feek for Food. 



/ am, &c. 



LETTER VII. 



A Defcription of the Country bet^iveen Lake St. Pierre,^W Mont- 

 real : In ^ hat it differs from QvE bec, A Defcription of the 

 IJland and To^n of Montreal, and its Environs • Of the 

 Fijhery for Seals, the Sea Co^, Porpoife, and Whale, 



Madam, Montreal, M«rr/& 20. 



Of the Iflands T -P^P^^^^^ '3^^ from St, François y and 

 hi* ^ ^ Â the next Day I arrived in this Town. I 

 ^ * had not in pafling here, which is about twenty 



Leagues, the Pleafure I had formerly in coming this fame Route . 

 in a Canoe, in the fineft Weather in the World, to fee open be- 

 fore me by Degrees as I advanced, Canals that reached out of 

 Sight, between a prodigious Number of Iflands, which at a Di- 

 flance feemed to make one luci nd with the Continent, and ftop 

 the River in its Courfe, thofe pleafmg Views, which changed 

 every Mom^ent like the Decorations of a Theatre, and which 

 one would think were contrived on Purpofe to recreate a Travel- 

 ler : But I had fome Recompence in the Singularity of the 

 Sight of an Archipelago, that was become in fome Manner a Con- 

 tinent ; and by the Convenience of travelling in a Sledge, or 

 Kind of Calalh, upon Canals between Ifiands, which appeared 

 as if they ^ad been plac'd by a line like Orange Trees. 



As for the Profpeâ, it is not fine in this Seafon. Nothing is 

 ry-n- I moxQ melancholy than that White which co- 

 Uifference ce- ^^^^ Thing, and which takes the Place 

 t^een the Country ^^^^ beautiful Variety of Colours which is 

 L \ ^^^e greateil Ornament of the Country ; than 



that of Montreal. Trees, which appear plantedin the Snow, and 

 which prefent to our Sight only hoary Heads, and Branches 



loaded with Ificles. In other Refpeéls, Madam, the Lake 



of St. Pierre is here what the River Loir^ is in France, On the 



Side 



