Voyages of Samuel De Champlain — Volume 01Champlain, Samuel de
History
Voyages of Samuel De Champlain — Volume 01
Champlain, Samuel de
America -- Discovery and exploration -- French; Indians of North America -- Canada; New France -- Discovery and exploration
This place where the mine is, which is in latitude 44 deg. and some
minutes, [246] and some five or six leagues from the coast of La Cadie, is
a kind of bay some leagues broad at its entrance, and somewhat more in
length, where there are three rivers which flow into the great bay near the
island of St John, [247] which is some thirty or thirty-five leagues long
and some six leagues from the mainland on the south. There is also another
small river emptying about half way from that by which Sieur Prevert
returned, in which there are two lake-like bodies of water. There is also
still another small river, extending in the direction of the pigment
mountain. All these rivers fall into said bay nearly southeast of the
island where these savages say this white mine is. On the north side of
this bay are the copper mines, where there is a good harbor for vessels, at
the entrance to which is a small island. The bottom is mud and sand, on
which vessels can be run.
From this mine to the mouth of the above rivers is a distance of some sixty
or eighty leagues overland. But the distance to this mine, along the
seacoast, from the outlet between the Island of St. Lawrence and the
mainland is, I should think, more than fifty or sixty leagues. [248]
All this country is very fair and flat, containing all the kinds of trees
we saw on our way to the first fall of the great river of Canada, with but
very little fir and cypress.
This is an exact statement of what I ascertained from Sieur Prevert.
ENDNOTES:
243. _Almouchiquois_. Champlain here writes _Armouchicois_. The account
here given to Prevert, by the Souriquois or Micmacs, as they have been
more recently called, of the Almouchicois or Indians found south of
Saco, on the coast of Massachusetts, if accurately reported, is far
from correct. _Vide_ Champlain's description of them, Vol. II. p. 63,
_et passim_.
244. _Coast of La Cadie_. This extent given to La Cadie corresponds with
the charter of De Monts, which covered the territory from 40 deg.
north latitude to 46 deg. The charter was obtained in the autumn of
this same year, 1603, and before the account of this voyage by
Champlain was printed.--_Vide_ Vol. 11. note 155.
245. Prevert did not make this exploration, personally, although he
pretended that he did. He sent some of his men with Secondon, the
chief of St. John, and others. His report is therefore second-hand,
confused, and inaccurate. Champlain exposes Prevert's attempt to
deceive in a subsequent reference to him. Compare Vol. II. pp. 26, 97,
98.
246. _44 deg. and some minutes_. The Basin of Mines, the place where the
copper was said to be, is about 45 deg. 30'.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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