The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 8: Quebec, Hurons, Cape Breton, 1634-1636
History
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 8: Quebec, Hurons, Cape Breton, 1634-1636
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Indians of North America -- Canada; Jesuits -- Missions; Jesuits -- North America
XXV. A summary of the contents of the first two chapters of the
_Relation_ of 1635 was given in Volume VII. of our series. Continuing
his narrative, Le Jeune urges that French colonies be sent to Canada,
to develop and hold the country for the French crown. Still more
important, in his view, is the aid which these would afford to his
favorite project,--that of rendering the nomadic tribes stationary,
by furnishing nuclei for Indian settlements. He then, as usual,
closes his yearly letter by a resumé, in the form of a journal, of
the chief events during the past year, beginning with the departure
of the French fleet, in August, 1634. He relates how he and Buteux
went, in September, to Champlain's new settlement at Three Rivers,
and describes the region thereabout. An elk-hunt, a funeral, the
cruel treatment of an Iroquois prisoner, an Indian dance, and various
conversations on religion, with the savages, are narrated. The superior
gives a sad account of the famine among the Indians that winter, and
the consequent epidemic, which often proves fatal, even among the
French. He has heard ill news of his brethren who had ventured into the
Huron country, but letters from them show that these reports are in a
measure false. In May, Le Jeune and a companion go to Quebec, to meet
the French fleet, which, however, is delayed until July, when it brings
a reinforcement of six Jesuit priests and two brothers, whereat there
is great rejoicing among the missionaries. Champlain holds a council
with the Hurons, and recommends to their friendship Fathers Le Mercier
and Pijart, who depart with them. Le Jeune remains at Quebec. Again
he urges that efforts should be made to render the wandering Indians
sedentary,--intimating that not only could they thereby be more easily
converted, but that the beaver might thus be kept from extermination.
He mentions the crafty attempts of the Iroquois to arouse hostilities
among the tribes on the St. Lawrence, and thus to divert the Indian
trade from the French to the Dutch and English, at Albany. The
journalist describes the conversion of a young French Huguenot, and
closes by giving directions to his correspondents in France as to the
forwarding of their letters.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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