,to North America. 89 



You can fcarce believe, Sir, what v:aft flioles of 

 white Fifhare catch 'd about the middle of the Chan- 

 nel, between the Continent and the Ifle of Mijfili- 

 makinac. The Outaouas and the Hurons could never 

 fubfift here, without that Fifhery; for they are ob- 

 liged to travel above twenty Leagues in the Woods, 

 before they can kill any Harts or Elks, and 'twould 

 be an infinite fatigue to carry their Carcafes fo 

 far over Land. This fort of white Fifh in my o- 

 pinion, is the only one in all thefe Lakes that can 

 be call'd good ; and indeed it goes beyond all o- 

 ther forts of River Fifh. Above all, it has one An- 

 gular property, namely, that all forts of Sauces 

 fpoil it, fo that 'tis always eat either boil'd orbroil'd, 

 without any manner of feafoning. In the Chan- 

 nel I now fpeak of the Currents are fo ftrong, that 

 they fcmetimes fuck in the Nets, though they are 

 two or three Leagues off. In fome feafons, it fo 

 falls out that the Currents run three days Eaflward, 

 two days to the Weft, one to the South, and four 

 Northward ; fometimes more, and fometimes left. 

 The caufe of this diverfity of Currents could ne- 

 ver be fathomed, for in a calm, they'l run inj the 

 fpace of one day to all the points of the Compafs, 

 i. e. fometimes one way, fometimes another, with- 

 out any limitation of time ; fo that the decifion of 

 this matter muft be left to the Difciples of Coperni- 

 cus. Here the Savages catch Trouts as bigh as one's 

 Thigh, with a fort of Fifhing-Hook made in the 

 form of an Awl, and made fall to a piece of Brafs 

 wire, which is joyn'd to the Line that reaches to 

 the bottom of the Lake. This fort of Fifhery is 

 carried on not only with Hooks, but with Nets, 

 and that in Winter, as well as in Summer : For they 

 make holes in the Ice at a certain diftance one from 

 another, thro' which they condud the Nets with 

 Poles.^ The Outaouas and the Hurons have very plea- 

 fam Fields, ixT which they fow Indian Corn, Peafe, 



