The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 7: Quebec, Hurons, Cape Breton, 1634-1635
History
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 7: Quebec, Hurons, Cape Breton, 1634-1635
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Indians of North America -- Canada; Jesuits -- Missions; Jesuits -- North America
[306] Il m'a fait mille autres questions, du Soleil, de la rondeur de
la terre, des Antipodes, de la France, & fort souuent il me parloit de
nostre bon Roy, il admiroit quand ie luy disois que la France estoit
remplie de Capitaines, & que le Roy estoit le Capitaine de tous les
Capitaines, il me prioit de le mener en France pour le voir, & qu'il
luy feroit des presens, ie me mis à rire luy disant que toutes leurs
richesses n'estoient que pauureté à comparaisson des grandeurs du Roy,
Ie veux dire, me fit-il, que ie feray des presens à ceux de sa suitte,
pour luy ie me contenteray de le voir, il racontoit par apres aux
autres ce qu'il m'auoit ouy dire. Il me demanda vne autrefois s'il y
auoit de grands saults dans la mer, c'est à dire des cheutes d'eau, il
y en a beaucoup dans les fleuues de ce païs cy, vous verrez vne belle
riuiere coulant fort doucement tomber tout à coup dans vn lit plus
bas, les terres ne s'abbaissant pas également, mais comme par degrez
en certains endroits, nous voyons vn de ces sauts proche de Kebec
nommé le saut de [307] Montmorency, c'est vne riuiere qui vient des
terres, & qui se precipite de fort haut dans le grand fleuue de sainct
Laurens, les riues qui le bornent estans fort releuées en cét endroit:
Or quelques Sauuages croyoient que la mer a de ces cheutes d'eau dans
lesquelles se perdent quantité de nauires ie luy ostay cét erreur, ces
inegalitez ne se retrouuans point dans l'Ocean.
[306] He asked me a thousand other questions,--about the Sun, the
roundness of the earth, the Antipodes, France, and he frequently
spoke to me about our good King. He was surprised when I told him
that France was full of Captains, and that the King was the Captain
of all the Captains. He begged me to take him to France to see him,
and to make him some presents. I began to laugh, telling him that
all their riches were nothing but poverty compared to the splendors
of the King. "I mean," said he, "that I will make presents to his
followers; as to him, I will be content to see him." He recounted
afterwards to the others what he had heard me say. Another time
he asked me if there were any great falls in the sea, that is,
waterfalls. There are a great many in the rivers of this country.
You will see a beautiful river flowing along peacefully; and
all at once it will fall into a lower bed, as the land does not
slope gradually, but as if by steps in certain places. We see
one of these falls near Kebec; it is called the "falls of [307]
Montmorency." They are formed by a river which comes from the
interior, and falls from a very high level into the great river
saint Lawrence, the banks enclosing it being considerably elevated
at this place. Now some of the Savages believe that the sea has
these waterfalls, and that a great many ships are lost in them. I
removed this error by telling them that these inequalities are not
found in the Ocean.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account