Chap. III. of the FRENCH in AMERICA. 
rence^ which at its Mouth is 'about fixty Miles big, and 
runs through the Middle of this Country, but the Source 
of it is ftill unknown, though fome of the French Bucca- 
neers affirm, that they have gone eight hundred Leagues 
up it •, but then they take it for granted, that it pafTes 
through five or fix great Lakes, which are thofe of Fron- 
tiniaCy Erricy the Lake of the HuronSy the Upper Lakey 
the Lake of Leiiemipagony and that of the AJjinipouals \ 
beyond which the Indians tell them there is another Lake 
ftill greater than any of thefe, out of which this River 
originally comes. 
But the Truth however feems to be, that the River of 
St. Laurence flows from the Lake of FrontiniaCy and from 
thence runs a Courfe of two hundred Leagues, to the Sea. 
At the Mouth of the River of St. Laurence lies the llland 
of Anticofiyy which fome fay was formed, but all agree, 
was very much enlarged by an Earthquake ; the French 
have a very fmall Settlement upon this Ifland, for the 
fake of trading with the Indian Nations on both Sides, for 
Seal-fkins and Furs ; in exchange for which they give 
them Fire-arms and Ammunition. The Town or City 
of Ffjebec lies upon the great River of St. Laurence, at 
the Diftance of about a hundred and ten Leagues from 
the Sea. The Foundation of it was laid, as we faid be- 
fore, in the Year 1608 •, and that which is now called the 
Lower Fown, was formerly the Bed of the River, which 
has fmce funk fo far below this Place. It muft be al- 
lowed to be both a large Town and a ftrong one, for 
befides a Fortrefs or kind of Citadel, in which the Go- 
nernor refldes, the whole Extent of the Place is co- 
vered by a regular Fortification, with feveral Redoubts 
well furniflied with Artillery ; there is a Cathedral, and 
epifcopal Palace, which are very ftately Buildings ; the 
Jefuits have a fine College here, and there are feveral other 
religious Houfes ; but after all, if we confider that this is 
not only the Capital, but almoft the only Town in 'New 
France, it is no great Affair, fince according to the 
laft Account which the French themfelves have publiflied 
of it, there are not in it above feven thoufand Inha- 
bitants, and none of thefe are faid to be very rich. 
From ^.ehecy which lies in the Latitude of 47 Degrees 
56 Minutes, to Montreal, which is in the Latitude of 44 
Degrees 30 Minutes, the Banks of the River are pretty 
well fettled; but without either Towns or Villages; and 
the French diftinguifli this Part of the Country by the 
Name of the Coafts. Some of their Writers, indeed, 
making ufe of that Licence which is allowed to Travellers, 
fpeak of two Villages between ^lehec and the Ifland of 
Montreal, each of fifty Leagues in Extent, by which they 
mean, that both Sides of the River are fo thoroughly 
planted, that the whole on each Bank may be confidered 
as a Village. The Town of Montreal is ftrong by Situa- 
tion, but is only furrounded with a Pallifado, and is 
looked upon to have about a third as many Inhabitants 
as Epuelec. The Savages come down hither in Boats, and 
fell their Skins ; for the fake of which Trade the Place 
was built ; but this Commerce is not now any thing 
comparable to what it was. 
The Manner in which this is carried on is Angular 
enough to deferve Notice : When the Savages who are 
in Amity with the French come thither to trade, their 
Chief, fiift of all, demands Audience of the Governor- 
General, and if he is not there, of the Governor of 
Montreal, ^ to which he is with great Ceremony admitted. 
This Audience is generally given in the great Square or 
Court, in the Middle of the Town ; where a Chair of 
State is placed for the Governor, and the feveral Indian 
Nations, each by itfelf, take their Places round him, 
with their Pipes in their Mouths ; After a due Silence 
kept, the oldeft Chief of the Indians lays down his Pipe, 
then ftands up and addrelTes himfelf to the Governor, to 
this Purpofe : “ Fie tells him, that his Brethren are 
come to vifit him, and to renew their ancient League 
and Friendfhip with his Nation: He adds, that having 
notning in View but the Eafe and the Advantage of 
^e French, they have brought down with them good 
“ ^lantities of Skins and Furs, being fenfible that the^ 
^ trench could not obtain fo many, or fo good, if they 
‘ did not bring them down to their Settlements ; that 
VoL. IL Numb. 93, 
“ they are fenfible how much thefe Things are Vaitied 
“ and efteemed in France, and know, that what the)T 
are to take in Exchange ate but paltry Things; and of 
“ little Value ; but however, that their good Friends, 
the French, may not be without Furs, they are con-- 
“ tent to deal with them; and therefore hope, that in 
order to enable them to bring a greater Plenty of their 
“ Goods the next Year, as well as to put them into a 
“ Condition to fall upon the Iroquois, in cafe they 
“ fliould attack or difturb their good Friends, they will 
“ let them have Guns, Powder, and Ball, Upon reafonable' 
“ Terms.” At the Clofe of his Speech he lays a String 
of Beads, and a Packet of Skins, at the Governor’s 
Feet, and defires “ that he v/ill fecure them a free and 
“ fair Trade, and proted them from Thieves.” Then 
retires to his Place, and takes up his Pipe again. The 
Governor fpeaks next, affures them of his Protedion, 
and makes them a Prefent in return. The next Day the 
Trade begins, and is foon over ; by which the French 
gain very confiderably ; but they are not allowed to fell 
either Wine and Brandy to the Savages, becaufe they are 
extremely apt to drink to Excefs, and are then furious 
and mad, and at fuch times, if they do any Mifchief to 
one another, or to the French, they can fcarce be brought 
to give any Satisfadion ; for they affirm, it was the Li- 
quor, and not the Man that did, the Mifchief ; and that 
it is unjuft to punifli a Perfon for what he does vdien he 
is out of his Senfes. 
Chamhli was formerly as great a Place of Trade as Mon-- 
treal, and there was a pretty good Town there, but now 
the French have only a Port, to hinder the Natives, and 
their own People, from trading with the EngUjh. They 
have, befides, three other Towns, none of them of any 
great Size, at the three Rivers, at a Place called F adoufas, 
dX. Richlieu •, and yet, according to their Com.putation, 
there are two hundred thoufand Souls in Canada, but 
perhaps this is pretty largely reckoned ; but their regular 
Troops and Militia, which are able Men and well difei- 
plined, amount to eight or ten thoufand, and this render^ 
them formidable to their Neighbours, both of the Englijh 
Colonies, and Indians. They fometimes talk of drawing 
Lines, and extending a Chain of Fortifications from their 
advanced Settlements to the River MiffiJJippi ; but v/ho~ 
ever confiders the Extent of that Country, and coippares 
it with their- Force even as ftated by them.felves, will 
plainly fee that this is impoffible and impradli&ble, or 
rather, to place it in its true Light, abfurd and ridicu- 
lous. But this, however, is no Reafon that Vv'e fhould 
grow carelefs or negligent ; for there is no doubt they 
v/ill extend themfelves as fail as they can, and therefore 
it is our Bufinefs to interrupt their Defigns as much as 
it lies in our Power. 
7. Though this Country of Canada is fituated in the 
midft of the North temperate Zone, yet the Air of it is 
exceffively fharp, fo that their Winter, which fets in 
about the Middle of November, and lafts to the Middle 
of May, is exceffively fevere. It is not very difficult to 
aflign the Caufes of this Cold, which feems fo little' con- 
fiftent with the Climate ; for we ought to confider, in tire 
firft Place, that the Winds wffiich blow from HudfoAs 
Bay, and from the Ocean, that is, from at leaft half the 
Points of the Compafs, pafs over vaft Trads of Snow 
and Ice, and are confequently loaded with prodigious 
C^iantities of nitrous Particles, v/hich is one great Catife 
of their rigorous Seafons. Secondly, there are vaft Fo- 
refts in this Country, of which, but a very fmall Part is 
cultivated, and this is another great Caufe of Cold ; be- 
caufe, as Experience fhews us, in all northern Coun- 
tries, where the Lands are well broken and tilled, the 
Climate becomes mdlder, by the fulphurous Exhalations 
from the Earth, which are totally bound up in barren Soils, 
by the Influence of the Cold. I reftrain this to the nor- 
thern Countries, becaufe Experience has alfo fliewn in the 
JVefi Indies, that the cutting down of the Wood alters 
the Seafons, and where it is done without Judgment, has 
a very bad Effed, which is owing to the different Degree 
of Heat. A third caufe of Cold is, the too great Qiian- 
tity of W ater ; the Exhalations from thofe vaft Lakes 
pnd Rivers, which are found in this Country, occafion 
4 Fogs, 
