The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 2: Acadia, 1612-1614
History
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 2: Acadia, 1612-1614
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Indians of North America -- Canada; Jesuits -- Missions; Jesuits -- North America
Nous arrivasmes à Kinibequi, 80 lieuës de Port-Royal, le 28 d'octobre,
jour de S. Simon et S. Jude, de la mesme année 1611. Aussy tost nos
gens mirent pied à terre, desireux de veoir le fort des Angloys; car
nous avions appris par les chemins, qu'il n'y avoit personne. Or, comme
de nouveau tout est beau, ce fust à louër et vanter cette entreprise
des Angloys, et raconter les commodités du lieu; chacun en disoit ce
que plus il prisoit. Mais de là à quelques jours, on changea bien
d'advis; car on vid y avoir beau moyen de faire un contrefort qui les
eust emprisonnés et privés de la mer et de la riviere; item que quand
bien on les eust laissez là, si n'eussent-ils point jouy pourtant des
commodités de la riviere, puisqu'elle a plusieurs autres et belles
emboucheures bien distantes de là. Davantage, ce qu'est le pis, nous ne
croyons pas que de là à six lieuës à l'entour il y ayt un seul arpent
de terre bien labourable, le sol n'estant tout de pierre et roche. Or,
d'autant que le vent nous contrarioit à passer outre, le troisiesme
jour venu, Monsieur de Biancourt [64] tourna l'incident en conseil
et se delibera de recevoir l'ayde du vent, à refouler contremont la
riviere, pour la bien recognoistre.
We arrived at Kinibéqui, eighty leagues from Port Royal, the 28th
of October, the day of St. Simon and St. Jude, of the same year,
1611. Our people at once disembarked, wishing to see the English
fort, for we had learned, on the way, that there was no one there.
Now as everything is beautiful at first, this undertaking of the
English had to be praised and extolled, and the conveniences of
the place enumerated, each one pointing out what he valued the
most. But a few days afterward they changed their views; for they
saw that there was a fine opportunity for making a counter-fort
there, which might have imprisoned them and cut them off from the
sea and river; moreover, even if they had been left unmolested
they would not have enjoyed the advantages of the river, since it
has several other mouths, and good ones, some distance from there.
Furthermore, what is worse, we do not believe that, in six leagues
of the surrounding country, there is a single acre of good tillable
land, the soil being nothing but stones and rocks. Now, inasmuch
as the wind forced us to go on, when the third day came, Monsieur
de Biancourt [64] considered the subject in council and decided
to take advantage of the wind and go on up the river, in order to
thoroughly explore it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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