( 3 l S ) 



a quarter of an hour, even mould the furface of 

 the lake be very calm, with fcarce a breath of wind. 

 After reflecting for fome time on this appearance, I 

 imagined it was owing to the fprings at the bottom 

 of the lakes, and to the mock of their currents with 

 thofe of the rivers, which fall into them from all 

 fides, and thus produce thofe intermitting mo- 

 tions. 



But would you believe it, Madam, that at this 

 feafon of the year, and in the 43d deg. of latitude, 

 there is not as yet fo much as a fingle leaf upon 

 the trees, though we have fometimes as hot wea- 

 ther as with you in the month of July. This is 

 undoubtedly owing to the earth's having been co- 

 vered with fnow for feveral months, and not being 

 as yet fufficiently warm to open the pores of the 

 roots, and to caufe the fap to afcend. The Grande 

 and Petite Famine fcarce deferve the name of rivers ; 

 they are only brooks, efpecially the latter, but are 

 pretty well fcocked with fifh. There are eagles 

 here of a prodigious fize, my people have juft now 

 thrown down a neft, in which there was a cart-load 

 of wood and two eaglets, not as yet feathered, but 

 as big as the largeft Indian pullets. They have eat 

 them, and declare they were very good. I return 

 to Catarocoui, where, the night 1 paffed there, J 

 was witnefs to a pretty curious fcene. 



About ten or eleven o'clock at night, jufl: as I 

 was going to retire, I heard a cry, which I was told 

 was the war-cry, and foon after faw a troop of the 

 Mih^faquez enter the fort fmging all the way. It 

 feems, for fome years paft, thefe Indians have been 

 engaged in a war which the Iroquois carried on 

 fcgainft the Cherokees, a numerous nation inhabit- 

 ing a fine country to the fouthward of Lake Erie • 



