to North- America.. 2^7 



order to tranfport 'em to thefe other Towns. Such 

 Merchants as ad for themfelves at Trots Rivieres, or 

 Monreal r ,they come down in Perfon to Quebec to Mar- 

 ket for themfelves,and then put their Effects on board 

 of Barques, to be convey'd home. If they pay for cheir 

 Goods in Skins, they buy cheaper than if they made 

 their payments in Money or Letters of Exchange 5 

 by reafon that the Seller gets confiderably by the 

 Skins when he returns to France. Now, you muft 

 take notice, that all thefe Skins are bought up from 

 the Inhabitants, or from' the Savages, upon which the 

 Merchants are confiderable Gainers. To give you 

 an inftance of this matter. A Perfon that lives in the 

 Neighbourhood of Quebec, carries a dozen of Mar- 

 tins Skins, five or fix Foxes Skins, and as many Skins 

 of wild Cats, to a Merchants Houfe, in order to 

 fell 'em for Woollen Cloth, Lininen, Arms, Ammu- 

 nition, &c In the truck of thefe Skins, the Mer- 

 chant draws a double profit, one upon the fcore of 

 his paying no more for the Skins, than one half of 

 what he afterwards fells ? em for in the lump to the 

 Favours for the Rochel Ships ; and the other by the 

 exorbitant rate he puts upon the Goods that the 

 poor Planter takes in exchange for his Skins, If this 

 be duly weighed, wa will not think it ftrange that 

 thefe Merchants have a more beneficial Trade, than 

 a great many other Tradefmen in the World. In 

 my feventh and eighth Letter, I related the particu- 

 lars of the Commerce of this Country, efpecially 

 that which the Inhabitants carry on with the Sava- 

 ges, who fupply ? em with the Skins of Beavers, and 

 other Animals- So that now it remains only to 

 give you an Inventory of the Goods that are pro- 

 per for the Savages, and of the Skins which they 

 give in exchange, together With their neat Prices, 



