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I was not a little fbrprized at feeing fo little water 

 in the Theakiki, notwithftanding it receives a good 

 many pretty large rivers, one of which is more 

 than 1 20 feet in breadth at its mouth, and has 

 been called the River of the Iroquois, becaufe fome 

 of that nation were furpri2ed on its banks by the 

 Illinois, who killed a great many of them. This 

 check mortified them fo much the more, as 

 they held the Illinois in great contempt, who in- 

 deed for the moft part are not able to ftand before 

 them. 



The 27th of September we arrived at the Forks, 

 that being the name given by the Canadians to the 

 place where the Theakiki and the river of the Illi- 

 nois join. This laft, notwithftanding it is fixty 

 leagues from its fource is ftill fo very fh allow, that 

 I have feen a buffalo crofs it, without being up to 

 the mid -leg in water. The Theakiki on the con- 

 trary, beiides, that it brings its waters from the 

 diftance of a hundred leagues, is a mod beautiful 

 river. Here, however, it lofes its name, without 

 doubt, becaufe the Illinois having fettled it in feve- 

 ral places from the other, have communicated to it 

 their own. Being enriched all of a fudden with 

 this junction, it does not yield in large nefs to any 

 of our rivers in France ; and, I can allure you, 

 Madam, it is not polfible to behold a finer and a 

 better country than this which it waters, at kaft as 

 far as the place from whence I write. But it does 

 not acquire a depth correfporident to its breadth, till 

 fifteen leagues below the Forks ; though in that in- 

 terval many other rivers fall into it. 



The large ft of thefe is called Piftkoui, and pro- 

 ceeds from the fine country of the Mafcotins. At 

 its mouth is a fall, or a rapid ftream, which is 



O 4 calkd 



