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be ftiunned by taking the channel of M. d' Iber- 

 ville. Cape Tourmente from whence this traverfe 

 is beft made, is a hundred and ten leagues from the 

 fea, the water near it ftill continuing brackifli. It 

 does not become drinkable till the entrance into the 

 two channels, which are formed by the Ifle of Or- 

 leans. This is a phenomenon pretty difficult to ex- 

 plain, and efpecially, if we confider the great ra- 

 pidity of the river notwithstanding its breadth. 



The tides flow regularly in this place five hours, 

 and ebb feven. At TadoufTac they flow and ebb 

 fix hours, and the higher you afcend the river the 

 more the flux diminilhes, and the reflux encreafes. 

 At the diftance of twenty leagues above Quebec, the 

 flux is three hours, and the reflux nine. Beyond 

 this there is no fenfible tide when it is half flood 

 in the port of TadoufTac and at the mouth of the 

 Saguenay, it only begins to flow at Checoutimi twenty 

 five leagues up this laft river, notwithstanding it is 

 high water at all thefe three places at the fame time. 

 This is no doubt owing to this circumftance, that 

 the rapidity of the Saguenay, which is ftill greater 

 than that of the St. Lawrence, driving back the 

 tide, occasions for Tome time a kind of equilibrium 

 of the tides at Checoutimi, and at the entrance of 

 this river into the St. Lawrence. This rapidity has 

 befides come to the pitch, in which we now fee it, 

 only fince the earthquake in \ 66%. This earthquake 

 overturned a mountain, and threw it into the river, 

 which confined its channel, forming a peninfuia 

 called Checoutimi, beyond which is a rapid fire am 

 impafTable even to canoes. The depth of the Sa- 

 guenay from Its mouth as high as Checoutimi, is 

 equal to its rapidity. Thus it would be impoflible 

 to come to an anchor in it, were it not for the con- 

 venience 



6 



