to North America. 47 



ftovs Houfe, and would have pluck'd out tfie Hairs 

 of his Beard with as little mercy as he did the Leaves 

 of my Book. Thefe Animals cannot content them- 

 felves with the ftudying of Mens A&ions, but they 

 muft likewife dive into their Thoughts. By this 

 Sketch, Sir, you may judge what a pleafant Life we 

 lead here. 



The 30th of the laft March the Ice melted ; and 

 the River being then open, I was fent with a fmail 

 Detachment to Chambli : for commonly the Sun re- 

 fumes its Vigour here much about that time. Cham- 

 bli ftands on the brink of a Bafin, about five or fix 

 Leagues off this Place: That Bafin is two Leagues in 

 Circumference, and receives the Lake of Champlain 

 by a Water-fall that is a League and a half in length ; 

 out of which there arifes a River that difembogues as 

 Sorel into the River of St. Laurence, as I intimated a- 

 bove in my fourth Letter. In former times this 

 Place had a great Trade in Beaver-skins, which is 

 now decayed : for the Soccckis, the Mahlngans, and 

 the Openangos, us'd formerly to refort thither in ftsoab, 

 to exchange their Fufs for other Goods j but at pre- 

 fent they are retired to the Englifh Colonies, to avoid 

 the purfuit of the Iroyuefe. The Champlain Lake* 

 which lies above that Water- fall, is eighty Leagues m 

 circumference. At the end of this Lake we met with, 

 another, calFd S. Sacrement, by which one may go 

 very eafiiy to New-Tork x thQvt being but a Land-carri- 

 age of two Leagues from thence to the River Du Fct? 

 which falls into the Manathe. While I was at Cham- 

 bli, I faw two Canows loaded with Beaver-skins pafs 

 privately by that way ; and 'twas thought they were 

 fent thither by Mr. de la Barre. This fmuggling way 

 of Trade is exprefly prohibited: for they are obliged 

 to carry thefe Skins before the Office of the Compa- 

 ny, where they are rated at an Hundred and 60 per 

 Cent, lefs than the Englifh buy 'em at in their Colo- 

 nies. But the little Fort that ftands at the bottom 



of 



