124 An Hijîorical Journal of 



have me follow their Example, and impofe upon you for Truth 

 all the extravagant Things that have been placed to the Ac-r 

 count of our Savages, or that have been taken as they could 

 from their Traditions. "Thefe Traditions, on the other Fland, 

 are fo little to be relied on, and almofl always contradiél each 

 other fo grofsly, that it is almoil im_poffibIe to difcover any 

 Thing from them that may be depended on. In Fad, how 

 could fuch People, as we found thefe, tranfmit faithfully down 

 to Poilerity what has pafTed between them for fo many Ages, hav- 

 ing nothing to help their Memory ? And can we conceive that 

 Men, who think fo little of Futurity, ihould ever bufy them- 

 felves about what is pail:, to m.ake any faithful Records of it ? 

 So that after all the Enquiries that could be made, we are ftill 

 at a Lofs to know v/hat was the Situation of Canada when 

 we made the iirfl Difcovery thereof, about the Middle of the 

 llxth Century. 



The only Point of their Hi (lory, which is derived to us with 

 O * ' of the ^^^^ Probability, is the Origin of the 



rigzn / ^ War, which M. de Champlain found very much 

 Al uin and ^^^^^^^^ betv/een the iroquois on the one 

 gf^^^'-^^^s an gjjg 2iX\ài the Hurons and Aho7iauins on the 

 Hurons ha^e ^^j^^^. ^^^^^ ^.^^^^^ 



7nmntatnedagainft ^^^^ more than was agreeable ^o our true 

 the iroquo.s. Intereft. I cannot difcover the firft Beginning 



of this War, but I do not think it was very antient. What I fhali 

 fay about it, I give you Notice before Hand, I do not war- 

 rant the Truth of, though I have it from pretty good Authority. 



The Akonnuins, as i have already obferved, poffelTed all that 

 Extent or Country which is from^^^^^r, and perhaps alfo from 

 Tadoufac quite to the Lake of Nipi£h/g, ix^llowing the North Shore 

 of the Pviver St, Laureîtce, and going up the great River, which 

 runs into it above the Ille of Montr euL By this we my judge 

 that this Nation was then very numerous ; and it is certain, that 

 for a long Time it made a very great Figure in this Part of 

 America^ v/here the Hurons were alone in a Condition to difpute 

 with them the Pre-eminence over all the reft. For the Chace 

 they had no Equals, and for War they acknowledged no Supe- 

 riors. The few^ who rem.ain to this Day, have not degenerated 

 from the antienî Merit of this Nation, and their Misfortunes 

 have not yet lefFened their Reputation. The Iroquois had made 

 with them a Kind of Confederacy, very ufeful to both Sides ; but 

 which in the Opinion of the Savages, amongft whom a great 

 Hunter and a great Warrior are equally efteemed, gave the 

 Algonquins a real Superiority over the Iroquois. The latter, alm/ofl: 

 wholly employed in the Culture of the Lands, had engaged to 

 give Part of their Harvell to the Algonquins ; who, on their Side, 



were 



