( W ) 



btrild a Fort here, where they kept a good garrifon, 

 and which at ftrft had a governor of its own. Thus 

 this poft was henceforwards looked upon as one of 

 the mo ft impor&ant places in New France. After 

 fonne years the Indians, weary of the continual ra- 

 vages of the Iroquois, and from whom the French 

 themfelves had enough to do to defend themfelves, 

 and the paffes being no longer free in which thofe 

 Indians lay in ambufh, and finding themfelves hardly 

 fecure, even under the cannoo of our fort, they 

 left off bringing their furs The jefuits, with all 

 the new converts they could gather, retired to a place 

 three leagues below, which had been given them by 

 the Abbe de la Madeleine, one of the members of 

 the company of the Hundred A ffociates, erected by 

 cardinal Richelieu, from whence this fpot had the 

 name of Cap de la Madeleine, which it ftill bears *. 



The million tranfported thither did not however 

 fubfift long. This is partly the effect of the levity 

 natural to the Indians, but chiefly to a feries of wars 

 and difeafes, which have almoft wholly deftroyed 

 this infant church. You find, however, in the 

 neighbourhood a company of Algonquins, moft 

 of whom have been baptifed in their infancy, but 

 have no outward exercife of religion. The mem- 

 bers of the Weft- India Company, who have at pre- 

 fent the farm of the beaver- trade, have in vain at- 

 tempted to draw them to Checontini, where they 

 have already re~affembled feveral families of the 

 fame nation, and of the Montagnez, under the di- 

 rection of a jefuit miffionary. Some others were 

 for uniting them with the Abenaquis of St. Francis. 

 All the anfwer they made to thefe invitations was,, 



* Befides the iron mfoes which are pretty rich at Cap de la 

 Madeleine, they have alfo fome years fince difcovered feveral 

 (brings of mineral water, of the fame quality with thofe of Forges. 



M 2 that 



