The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 5: Quebec, 1632-1633
History
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 5: Quebec, 1632-1633
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Indians of North America -- Canada; Jesuits -- Missions; Jesuits -- North America
On Pentecost day, just as I was ready to preach, as I usually [9]
did on Sundays and great Fête days, one of our sailors began to cry
out, "codfish! codfish!" He had thrown in his line and had brought
out a large one. We had already been on the banks several days, but
had caught very little. On that day we drew in as many as we liked.
It was a pleasure to see so great a slaughter, and so much of this
blood shed upon the deck of our ship. These fresh supplies were
very welcome to us after such continuous storms.
Le Mardy d'apres, premier iour de Iuin, nous vimes les terres, elles
estoient encor toutes couuertes de neiges, l'hyuer tousiours grand
en ces païs, & l'a esté extremément cette année. Quelques iours
auparauant, sçauoir est le 15. & 18. de May, estans encor éloignez des
terres enuiron deux cens lieuës, nous auions rencontré deux glaces
d'vne enorme grandeur [10] flottantes dans la mer, elles estoient plus
longues que nostre vaisseau, & plus hautes que nos masts, le Soleil
donnant dessus vous eussiez dit estre des Eglises, ou plustost des
montagnes de crystal: à peine auroy-ie creu cela si ie ne l'auois veu.
Quand on en rencontre quantité, & qu'vn nauire se trouue embarrassé là
dedans, il est bien tost mis en pieces.
On the following Tuesday, the first day of June, we saw land. It
was still covered with snow, for the winter, always severe in this
country, was extremely so this year. Some days before, to wit,
the 15th and 18th of May, being still distant from land about two
hundred leagues, we had encountered two icebergs of enormous size,
[10] floating upon the sea. They were longer than our ship and
higher than our masts, and as the sunlight fell upon them you would
have said they were Churches, or rather, mountains of crystal. I
would hardly have believed it if I had not seen it. When a great
number of them are encountered, and the ship finds itself caught
among them, it is very soon broken into pieces.
Le Ieudy 3. de Iuin nous entrames dans le païs par l'vn des plus
beaux fleuues du monde, la grand Isle de terre neuue le ferme en son
emboucheure, luy laissant deux endroits, par où il se dégorge dans la
mer, l'vn au Nord, & l'autre au Sud: nos entrames par celuy-cy qui est
large enuiron de 13. ou 14. lieuës. Si tost que vous estes entrez, vous
découurez vn golfe de 15O. lieuës de largeur; en montant plus haut au
lieu où cette grande riuiere commence à s'estressir, elle a [11] bien
encor de largeur 37. lieuës: où nous sommes à Quebec, esloignez plus de
200. lieuës de l'emboucheure, elle a bien encor demie lieuë.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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