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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43326	A new discovery of a vast country in America extending above four thousand miles between New France and New Mexico, with a description of the great lakes, cataracts, rivers, plants and animals : also the manners, customs, and languages of the several native Indians ... : with a continuation, giving an account of the attempts of the Sieur De la Salle upon the mines of St. Barbe, &c., the taking of Quebec by the English, with the advantages of a shorter cut to China and Japan : both parts illustrated with maps and figures and dedicated to His Majesty, K. William / by L. Hennepin ... ; to which is added several new discoveries in North-America, not publish'd in the French edition.; Nouvelle découverte d'un très grand pays situé dans l'Amérique entre le Nouveau Mexique et la mer Glaciale. English	Hennepin, Louis, 17th cent.; La Salle, Robert Cavelier, sieur de, 1643-1687.; Joliet, Louis, 1645-1700.; Marquette, Jacques, 1637-1675.	1698 (1698)	Wing H1450; ESTC R6723	330,063	596

and Creeks which we were forc'd to coast we past by the Great Fall of Niagara and spent half a Day in considering the Wonders of that prodigious Cascade I could not conceive how it came to pass that four great Lakes the least of which is 400 Leagues in compass should empty themselves one into another and then all centre and discharge themselves at this Great Fall and yet not drown good part of America What is yet more surprizing the Ground from the Mouth of the Lake Erie down to the Great Fall appears almost level and flat 'T is scarce discernable that there is the least Rise or Fall for six Leagues to gether The more than ordinary swiftness of the Stream is the only thing that makes it be observ'd And that which makes it yet●the stranger is That for 2 Leagues together below the Fall towards the Lake Ontario or Front●nac the Lands are as level as they are above it towards the Lake of Erie Our Surprise was still greater when we observ'd there was no Mountains within two good Leagues of this Cascade and yet the vast quantity of Water which is discharg'd by these four fresh Seas stops or centres here and so falls above six hundred Foot deep down into a Gulph which one cannot look upon without Horrour Two other great Out-lets or Falls of Water which are on the two sides of a small sloping Island which is in the midst fall gently and without noise and so glide away quiety enough But when this prodigious quantity of Water of which I speak comes to fall there is such a din and such a noise more deafning than the loudest Thunder The rebounding of these Waters is so great that a sort of Cloud arises from the Foam of it which are seen hanging over this Abyss even at Noon-day when the Sun is at its heighth In the midst of Summer when the Weather is hottest they arise above the tallest Firrs and other great Trees which grow in the sloping Island which make the two Falls of Waters that I spoke of I wish'd an hundred times that somebody had been with us who could have describ'd the Wonders of this prodigious frightful Fall so as to give the Reader a just and natural Idea of it such as might satisfie him and create in him an Admiration of this Prodigy of Nature as great as it deserves In the mean time accept the following Draught such as it is in which however I have endeavour'd to give the curious Reader as just an Image of it as I can We must call to mind what I observ'd of it in the beginning of my Voyage which is to be seen in the Seventh Chapter of this Book From the Mouth of the Lake Erie to the Great Fall are reckon'd six Leagues as I have said which is the continuation of the Great River of St. Laurence which arises out of the four Lakes above-mention'd The River you must needs think is very rapid for these six Leagues because of the vast Discharge of Waters which fall into it out of the said Lakes The Lands which lie on both sides of it to the East and West are all level from the Lake Erie to the Great Fall Its Banks are not s●eep on the contrary the Water is almost always level with the Land 'T is certain that the Ground towards the Fall is lower by the more than ordinary swiftness of the Stream and yet 't is not perceivable to the Eye for the six Leagues abovesaid After it has run thus violently for six Leagues it meets with a small sloping Island about half a quarter of a League long and near three hundred Foot broad as well as one can guess by the Eye for it is impossible to come at it in a Canow of Bark the Waters run with that force The Isle is full of Cedar and Firr but the Land of it lies no higher than that on the Banks of the River It seems to be all level even as far as the two great Cascades that make the Main Fall The two sides of the Channels which are made by the Isle and run on both sides of it overflow almost the very Surface of the Earth of the said Isle as well as the Land that lies on the Banks of the River to the East and West as it runs South and North. But we must observe that at the end of the Isle on the side o● the two great Falls there is a sloping Rock which reaches as far as the Great Gulph into which the said Waters fall and yet the Rock is not at all wetted by the two Cascades which fall on both sides because the two Torrents which are made by the Isle throw themselves with a prodigious force one towards the East and the other towards the West from off the end of the Isle where the Great Fall of all is After then these two Torrents have thus run by the two sides of the Isle they cast their Waters all of a sudden down into the Gulph by two Great Falls which Waters are push'd so violently on by their own Weight and so sustain'd by the swiftness of the motion that they don't wet the Rock in the least And here it is that they tumble down into an Abyss above 600 Foot in depth The Waters that flow on the side of the East do not throw themselves with that violence as those that fall on the West The reason is because the Rock at the end of the Island rises something more on this side than it does on the West and so the Waters being supported by it somewhat longer than they are on the other side are carry'd the smoother off But on the West the Rock sloping more the Waters for want of a Support become the sooner broke and fall with the greater precipitation Another reason is the Lands that lie on the West are lower than those that lie on the East We also observ'd that the Waters of the Fall that is to the West made a sort of a square Figure as they fell which made a third Cascade less than the other two which fell betwixt the South and North. And because there is a rising Ground which lies before those two Cascades to the North the Gulph is much larger there than to the East Moreover we must observe that from the rising Ground that lies over against the two last Falls which are on the West of the main Fall one may go down as far as the bottom of this terrible Gulph The Author of this Discovery was down there the more narrowly to observe the Fall of these prodigious Cascades From hence we could discover a Spot of Ground which lay under the Fall of Water which is to the East big enough for four Coaches to drive a breast without being wet but because the Ground which is to the East of the sloping Rock where the first Fall empties it self into the Gulph is very steep and almost perpendicular 't is impossible for a Man

touch'd with the Admiration of any thing they cannot comprehend cry'd aloud Otchitagon Gannoron that is Bare-Feet what ye are about to undertake is of great Importance They added That their most valiant Adventures had much ado to extricate themselves out of the hands of those barbarous Nations we were going to visit It is certain that the Iroquois had a most tender Respect for the Franciscan Monks having observ'd them to live all in common with out reserving any particular Possessions The Food of the Iroquois is in common among ' em The ancientest Women in the House distributes about to the other Persons in the Family according to their Age. When they sit at their Meals they give freely to eat unto all that come into their Houses for they would rather chuse to fast for a whole Day than suffer any one to go from their Houses without offering them a share of all they had The Sieur de la Salle arriv'd at the Fort some time after me God preserv'd him as he did me from the infinite Dangers he was expos'd to in this great Voyage betwixt Quebec and the Fort having pass'd the long Precipice mention'd last and several other most rapid Currents in his way thither The same Year he sent off Fifteen of our Boat-men who were to go before us They made as if they had been going in their Canow towards the Illinois and the other Neighbouring Nations that border upon the River call'd by the Illinois Meschasipi that is a great River which Name it has in the Map All this was only to secure to us a good Correspondence with the Savages and to prepare for us in that Country some Provisions and other Necessaries for going about this Discovery But there being among them some villainous Fellows they stopp'd in the upper Lake at Missilimakinak and diverted themselves with the Savages that live to the Northward of that Lake lavishing and squandering away the best of the Commodities they had taken with 'em instead of providing such Things as were needful for building a Ship which we necessarily wanted for passing from Lake to Lake to the River Meschasipi CHAP. XIV A Description of my second Imbarkment at Fort Frontenac in a Brigantine upon the Lake Ontario or Frontenac THat same very Year on the Eighteenth of November I took leave of our Monks at Fort Frontenac and after our mutual Embraces and Expressions of Brotherly and Christian Charity I embark'd in a Brigantine of about Ten Tuns The Winds and the Cold of the Autumn were then very violent insomuch that our Crew was afraid to go into so little a Vessel This oblig'd us and the Sieur de la Motte our Commander to direct our course Northwards to shelter our selves under the Coast against the North-West Wind which otherwise would have forc'd us upon the Southern Coast of ●he Lake This Voyage prov'd very difficult and dangerous because of the unseasonable time the Winter being near at hand On the 26th we were in great danger about Two large Leagues off the Land where we were oblig'd to lie at an Anchor all that Night at Sixty Fathom Water and above but at length the Wind turning north-North-East we set out and arriv'd safely at the further end of the Lake Ontario call'd by the Iroquois Skannadario We came pretty near to one of their Villages call'd Taiaiagon lying about Seventy Leagues from Fort Frontenac or Katarockouy We barter'd some Indian Corn with the Iroquois who could not admire us enough and came frequently to see us on board our Brigantine which for our greater security we had brought to an Anchor into a River tho' before we could get in we run aground three times which oblig'd us to put Fourteen Men into Canows and cast the Balast of our Ship over-board to get her off again That River falls into the Lake but for fear of being frozen up therein we were forc'd to cut the Ice with Axes and other Instruments The Wind turning then contrary we were oblig'd to tarry there till the 15th of December 1678. that we sail'd from the Northern Coast to the Southern where the River Niagara runs into the Lake but could not reach it that Day tho' it is but Fifteen or Sixteen Leagues distant and therefore cast Anchor within Five Leagues of the Shore where we had very bad Weather all the Night long On the 6th being St. Nicholas's Day we got into the fine River Niagara into which never any such Ship as ours enter'd before We sung there Te Deun● and other Prayers to return our Thanks to God Almighty for our prosperous Voyage The Iroquois Tsonnontouans inhabiting the little Village situated at the mouth of the River took above Three hundred White Fishes bigger than Carps which are the best relishing as well as the wholesomest Fish in the World They presented us with all those Fishes imputing their Good Luck to our Arrival They were much surpriz'd at our Ship which they call'd the great wooden Canow On the 7th we went in a Canow two Leagues up the River to look for a convenient Place for Building but not being able to get the Canow farther up because the Current was too rapid for us to master we went over-land about three Leagues higher tho' we found no Land fit for culture We lay that Night near a River which comes from the Westward within a League above the great Fall of Niagara which as we have already said is the greatest in the World The Snow was then a Foot deep and we were oblig'd to dig it up to make room for our Fire The next Day we return'd the same way we came and saw great Numbers of Wild-Goats and Wild Turkey-Cocks and on the 11th we said the first Mass that ever was said in that Country The Carpenters and the rest of the Crew were set to work but Monsieur de la Motte who had the Direction of them being not able to endure the F●tigues of so laborious a Life gave over his Design and return'd to Canada having about two hundred Leagues to travel The 12th 13th and 14th the Wind was not favourable enough to sail up the River as far at the rapid Current above mention'd where we had resolv'd to build some Houses Whosoever considers our Map will easily see that this New Enterprize of building a Fort and some Houses on the River Niagara besides the Fort of Frontenac was like to give Jealousie to the Iroquois and even to the English who live in this Neighbourhood and have a great Commerce with them Therefore to prevent the ill Consequences of it it was thought fit to send an Embassie to the Iroquois as it will be mention'd in the next Chapter The 15th I was desir'd to sit at the Helm of our Brigantine while three of our Men hall'd the same from the Shore with a Rope and at last we brought her up and moor'd her to the Shore with a Halser near a Rock of a prodigious heighth lying by

Room However for fear of any Surprize he cut several Boughs and Bushes to embarass the way and sat down by the Fire which had made his Hands and Face black as I have observ'd Having thus warm'd and rest himself he lay down upon the dry Herbs the Savage had gather'd under a Tree and slept very we●l notwithstanding the Frost and Snow Father Gabriel and I desir'd him to remain with his Men and not expose himself for the future because the Success of our Enterprize depended only upon him and he promised us to follow our Advice Our Savage who remain'd behind for Hunting finding none of us at the Place of the Portage came up higher the River and told us we had mist it therefore he was sent back with all our Canow's exeept one which I kept for M. la Salle was so weary that he was oblig'd to lie there that Night I made a little Cabin with Mats of Marish Rushes wherein we lay together but were in great danger of being burnt for it took Fire by an unhappy Accident while we were fast asleep The next Morning we joyn'd our Men at the place of Portage where Father Gabriel had made the Day before several Crosses upon the Trees that we might not miss it another time We found there a great quantity of Horns and Bones of wild Oxen as also some Canows the Savages had made with the Skins of Beasts to cross the River with their Provisions This Portage lies at the farther End of a Champagne and at the other End to the West lies a Village of the Savages Miamis Mascouteins and Oiatinon who live together The River of the Illinois has its Source near that Village and springs out of some Marshy Lands that are so quaking that one can scarcely walk over them The Head of the River is only a League and a half from that of Miamis and so our Portage was not long We mark'd the way from Place to Place with some Trees for the convenience of those we expected after us and left at the Portage as well as Fort Miamis Letters hanging down from the Trees containing M. la Salle's Instructions to our Pilot and the other five and twenty Men who were to come with him CHAP. XXIX An Account of our Embarkment at the Head of the River of the Illinois THis River is navigable within a hundred Paces from its Source I mean for Canow's of Bark of Trees and not for others but it increases so much a little way from thence that it is as deep and broad as the Meuse and the Sambre joyn'd together It runs through vast Marshes and tho' it be rapid enough it makes so many Turnings and Windings that after a whole Days Journey we found we were hardly two Leagues from the Place we left in the Morning That Country is nothing but Marshes full of Alder-Trees and Rushes and we could have hardly found for forty Leagues together any Place to plant our Cabins had it not been for the Frost which made the Earth more firm and consistent Having past thro' great Marshes we found a vast Plain in which nothing grows but only some Herbs which were dry at that time and burnt because the Miamis set them on fire every Year for hunting wild Oxen as I shall mention anon We found no manner of Game which was a great Disappointment to us our Provisions beginning to fail Our Men travell'd about sixty Miles without killing any thing else but a lean Stag a small Wild-Goat some few Swans and two Bustards which was no sufficient Maintenance for two and thirty Men. Most of them were so weary of this laborious Life that they would have run away if possible and gone to the Savages who were not very far from us as we judg'd by the great Fires we saw in the Plain There must be an innumerable quantity of wild Oxen in that Country since the Earth is cover'd with their Horns The Miamis hunt them towards the latter end of Autumn We continu'd our Course upon this River very near the whole Month of December but toward the latter end of the said Month 1679. we arriv'd at the Village of the Illinois which lies near one hundred and thirty Leagues from Fort Miamis on the Lake of the Illinois We suffer'd very much in this Passage for the Savages having set the Herbs of the Plain on Fire the wild Oxen were fled away and so we cou'd kill but one and some Turkey-Cocks God's Providence supported us all the while and when we thought that the Extremities we were reduc'd to were past all hopes of Remedy we found a prodigious big wild Ox lying fast in the Mud of the River We kill'd him and had much ado to get him out of the Mud. This was a great Refreshment to our Men and reviv'd their Courage for being so timely and unexpectedly reliev'd they concluded that God approv'd our Design CHAP. XXX A Description of the Hunting of the wild Bulls and Oxen by the Savages of the bigness of those Beasts and of the Advantages and Improvements that may be made● of the Plain where they Pasture and of the Woods thereabouts WHen the Savages discover a great Number of those Beasts together they likewise assemble their whole Tribe to encompass the Oxen and then set on Fire the dry Herbs about them except in some places which they leave free and therein lay themselves in Ambuscade The Oxen seeing the Flame round about them run away thro' those Passages where they see no Fire and there fall into the Hands of the Savages who by these means will kill sometimes above sixscore in a Day they divide these Beasts according to the number of each Family and send their Wives to slay them and bring the Flesh to their Cabins These Women are so lusty and strong that they carry on their Back two or three hundred weight besides their Children and notwithstanding that Burthen they run as swiftly as any of our Soldiers with their Arms. The Flesh of these Beasts is very relishing and full of Juice especially in Autumn for having grazed all the Summer long in those vast Meadows where the Herbs are as high as they they are then very fat There is also amongst them abundance of Stags Dears and wild Goats and that nothing might be wanting in that Country for the Convenience of those Creatures there are Forests at certain distances where they retire to ruminate and shelter themselves against the violence of the Sun They change their Country according to the Seasons of the Year for upon the approach of the Winter they leave the North to go to the Southern Parts They follow one another so that you may see a Drove of them for above a League and stop all at the same Place and the Ground wher● they use to lie is cover'd with wild Purslain which makes me believe that the Dung of Oxen is very fit to produce that Herb. Their Ways are as beaten as our great Roads

cry'd all the Night upon us to oblige by their Tears their Companions to consent to our Death This Lake is form'd by the Meschasipi and may be seven Leagues long and five broad Its Waters are almost standing the Stream being hardly perceptible in the middle We met within a League above the Lake another River call'd The River of the Wild Oxen because of the great number of those Beasts grazing upon its Banks It falls with a great Rapidity into the Meschasipi but some Leagues above its Mouth the Stream is very gentle and moderate There is an infinite number of large Tortoises in that River which are very relishing A Row of Mountains fence its Banks in some places There is another River which falls forty Leagues above this last into the Meschasipi thro' which one may go into the Superiour Lake by making a Portage from it into the River Nissipikouet which runs into the same Lake It is full of Rocks and rapid Streams We nam'd it The River of the Grave or Mausolaeum because the Savages bury'd there one of their Men who was bitten by a Rattle-Snake They us'd great Ceremonies in his Funeral which I shall describe in another place and I put upon his Corps a white Covering for which the Savages return'd me their publick Thanks and made a great Feast to which above an hundred Men were invited The Navigation of the Meschasipi is interrupted ten Leagues above this River of the Grave by a Fall of fifty or sixty Foot high which we call'd The Fall of St. Anthony of Padua whom we had taken for the Protector of our Discovery There is a Rock of a Pyramidal Figure just in the middle of the Fall of the River The Row of Mountains fencing the Banks of the Meschasipi ends at the Mouth of the River of Ouisconsin and there we likewise observ'd that that River which runs from thence to Sea almost directly North and South runs then from the Westward or the north-North-West The Misfortune we had of being taken Prisoners hindred us from going as far as its Source which we cou'd never learn from the Savages who told us only that about twenty or thirty Leagues above the Fall of St. Anthony there is ano●her Fall near which a Nation of Savages inhabit at certain Seasons of the Year They call those Nations Tintonha that is The Inhabitants of the Meadows Eight Leagues above the Fall of St. Anthony we met with the River of the Issati or Nadouessians which is very narrow at the Mouth It comes out from the Lake of the Issati lying about seventy Leagues from its Mouth We call'd this River The River of St. Francis and it was in this Place that we were made Slaves by the Issati The Course of the Meschasipi according to our best Computation is about 800 Leagues long from Tintonha to the Sea including its Windings and Turnings which are very great and may be navigable from the Fall of St. Anthony for flat-bottom'd-Boats provided the Island were clear'd from Trees and especially from Vines which having ty'd the Trees together wou'd stop a Boat in many places The Country about the Lake Issati is a Marshy Ground wherein grows abundance of wild Oats which grow without any culture or sowing in Lakes provided they are not above three Foot deep That Corn is much like our Oats but much better and its Stalks are a great deal longer when it is ripe The Savages gather it and live thereupon several Months of the Year making a kind of Broath thereof The Savage Women are oblig'd to tie several Stalks together with White Bark of Trees to fright away the Ducks Teals or Swans which otherwise wou'd spoil it before it be ripe This Lake of Issati lies within sixty Leagues to the Westward of the Superior Lake but 't is impossible to travel by Land from one to the other unless it be in a hard Frost because of the Marshy Grounds which otherwise sink under a Man but as I have already said they may use their Canow's tho' it be very troublesome because of the many Portages and the length of the Way which by reason of the Windings of the River is about 150 Leagues The shortest Way is by the River of the Grave thro' which we went in our Return We found nothing but the Bones of the Savage we had bury'd there the Bears having pull'd out with their Paws the great Stakes the Savages had beat deep into the Ground round about the Corps which is their usual Way of burying their Dead We found near the Grave a Calumet or Pipe of War and a Pot in which the Savages had left some fat Meat of wild Oxen for the use of their dead Friend during his Voyage into the Country of Souls which sheweth that they believe their Immortality There are many other Lakes near the River Issati from which several Rivers spring The Banks of those Rivers are inhabited by the Issati the Nadoussians the Tintonha or Inhabitants of Meadows the Ouadebathon or Men of Rivers the Chongasketon or Nation of the Wolf or the Dog for Chonga signifies either of these Creatures There are also several other Nations which we include under the general Denomination of Nadoussians These Savages may bring into the Field eight or nine thousand Men They are Brave Bold great Runners and good Marksmen with their Arrows It was a Party of these Savages that took us Prisoners and carry'd us to the Issati as I am going to relate in the following Chapter CHAP. XLV The Author and his Canow-Men are taken by the Savages who after several Attempts upon their Lives carry them away with them into their Country above the River Meschasipi WE used to go to Prayers thrice a Day as I have elsewhere observ'd and my constant Request to God was That when we shou'd first meet the Savages it might happen to be by Day Their Custom is to kill as Enemies all they meet by Night to enrich themselves with their Spoils which are nothing but a Parcel of Hatchets Knives and such like Trifles which yet they value more than we do Gold or Silver They make no Scruple to assassinate even their own Allies when they think they can handsomly conceal the Murder for by such Exploits it is they hope to gain the Reputation of being great Soldiers and to pass for Men of Courage and Resolution 'T was with a great deal of Satisfaction that we survey'd the Pleasures of the River Meschasipi all along our Passage up it which had been since the First of April Nothing as yet had interrupted our Observations whither it were navigable above or below In our Way we kill'd seven or eight Bustards or Wild Turkeys which in these Countries increase mightily as well as all other Wild Creatures We had also plenty of Bulls Dears Castors Fish and Bears-Flesh which last we kill'd as they were swimming over the River And here I cannot forbear seriously reflecting on that secret Pleasure and Satisfaction

Relief but what is most strange is That these Slaves Sing in the middle of their Torments which doth not a little irritate their Barbarous Executioners An Iroquoise was telling us he had a Slave who while he was cruelly Tormented said You have no Wit you know not the way to Torment your Prisoners you are lazy Fellows and if I could catch you in my Hut I would make you suffer in another manner but that while he was speaking with so much vehemence a Salvage Woman having got a little Iron Spit made Red-hot thrust it into his Privy Parts which made him rore terribly but he said to the Woman Thou hast some Wit thou dost understand the Business And thus when a Slave dies which they have Burnt as before they Eat him and before his Death they cause some of his Blood to be boild for their Children to the end they may make them as Cruel and Inhumane as themselves Those whose Lives they spare live amongst them and serve them as Servants and Slaves but in process of time they recover their Liberty and are held in the same Esteem as if they were of their own Nation The Salvages of Louisiane who dwell along the Banks of the River Meschasipi and are situated seven or eight Hundred Leagues further than the Iroquoise as also the Issati and Nadouessans among whom I was a Slave are no less brave than the Iroquoise they make all their Neighbouring Nations tremble round about them tho' they have no other Weapons but Bows Arrows and great Clubs they are swifter of-Foot than the Iroquoise and very good Soldiers but they are not so Cruel they do not Eat their Enemies Flesh but content themselves only to Burn them They having one Day seiz'd upon an Huron who eat Human Flesh as the Iroquoise do they cut pieces of Flesh out of his Body and said do thou who lovest Human Flesh eat of thine own that thou m●yest let thy Nation know who lives at present amongst the Iroquoise that we abhor your Maxims for these People are like famish'd Dogs who eat all that comes nigh them The Iroquoise are the only-Salvages of North-America who feed upon Human Flesh tho' they do not use it save in cases extraordinary to wit when they are resolved utterly to root out a whole Nation for when they eat of Man's Flesh it 's not to satiate themselves therewith but to let their People know that they must pursue their Enemies without ever having any Thoughts of Accomodation with them and that they must rather eat them than suffer them to have any Rest that when they eat the Flesh of their Enemies 't is with an Intention to animate their Soldiers and heighten their Courage and indeed the next Day after the full Complement of the FiveCantons usualy march in order to fight their Enemies for their Rendezvous is always appointed the Day after these Feasts of Human Flesh. If the Europeans would give over supplying the Iroquoise with Fire Arms who are not now so well skill'd in the use of the Bow as in former times whereas the other Nations have been always accustom'd to them they could not fail of destroying the Iroquoise who are their common Enemies and who live Four or Five Hundred Leagues from them The first Canton of the Iroquoise is to the Southward and they are called Gagnieguez or Agniez●● they live in the Neighbourhood of New York and have three Villages where I have been the most force they can make is Five Hundred Men at Arms. The Second Division is Eastward and they are known by the Name of Onneiouts and send out about an Hundred and Fifty Solders The third is also towards the East containing the little Villages of Onnontaguez or Mountaineers which is the only Eminence that is to be found among the five Cantons of the Iroquoise and they border upon the Onneiouts These Onnentagues have at least three Hundred fighting Men and they are the bravest and most valiant of all the Nation The Fourth is abour Thirty Leagues to the East belonging to the Orongouen● who are divided into three parts and can furnish out three Hundred Fighting Men equal with the other The fifth and last contains the Isonnontonans towards the furthest end of the Lake of Frontenac or Ontario who are the greatest and most considerable of all the Iroquoise Cantons and contain in three Sub-Cantons above three Hundred Men at Arms. I have taken notice in my former part of three or four Villages of the Iroquoise to the Northward of the Lake Ontario or Frontenac but for these five Cantons of the Iroquoise I make no further Description of them here I have spoken only of their Barbarity and Cruelty and that they have subdued a very large Country within about Four Hundred Years when they first began to extend their Limits and to aggrandize their Nation by the Ruin of other People the Remains of whom they made Slaves in order to increase the number of their own Troops CHAP. XXIV The Civil Government of the Iroquoise Salvages THE Councils which the Salvages generally hold concerning the management of all their Affairs ought to be look'd upon as the chief Cause of their Preservation and of the Terrour they strike into all the Nations of North America They Assemble together for the least Affair they have in agitation and argue upon the Methods they should make use of in order to attain their Ends They undertake no manner of thing rashly and their Elders who are Wise and Prudent have ●lways their Eyes intent upon the good of the Nation If a Complaint be made that any one amongst them has been guilty of Theft they very diligently look after it to find him out but if the Author of the Robbery cannot be easily discover'd or if he be not of ability to make Restitution in case they be fully convinced of the Fact they immediately redress the Wrong by some Present to the Party injur'd for his Satisfaction When they would put any one to Death for some Enormous Crime of which they are satisfi'd he is guilty they highly extol that Man whom they have made Drunk with Brandy a Liquor which these People love mightily to the ●nd that the Relations of the Criminal may not seek any Revenge and when that Man hath cut off the Head of him whom they have adjudged to be culpable the Reason they give is That he had not Sense and that Drunkenness had made him give the Blow They had formerly another way of Executing Ju●tice but they have quite disus'd it They had one Day in the Year which might be called the Feast of Fools for indeed they did nothing but play the Fool running from Cottage to Cottage and if during this Jollity they had abused any Person or stoln any thing these subtil Old Fellows would say next Day by way of Excuse throughout the whole Canton and especially in their own Village that he who had given the Blow was a Fool and

Drum which agrees pretty well with the Voices The Person who dances with the Calumet gives a Signal to one of their Warriours who takes a Bow and Arrows with an Ax from the Trophy already mention'd and fights the other who defends himself with the Calumet alone both of them dancing all the while The Fight being over he who holds the Calumet makes a Speech wherein he gives án Account of the Battels he has fought and the Prisoners he has taken and then receives a Gown or any other Present from the Chief of the Ball. He giv●s then the Calumet to another who having acted his Part gives it to another and so of all others till the Calumet returns to the Captain who presents it to the Nation invited unto that Feast as a Mark of their Friendship and a Confirmation of their Alliance I can't pretend to be so much Master of their Language as to judge of their Songs but methinks they are very witty We parted from the Illinois towards the middle of Iune about 3 a-clock and fell down the River looking for another call'd Pakitanoni which runs from the North-West into the Mississipi of which I shall speak anon As we follow'd the Banks I observ'd on a Rock a Simple which I take to be very extraordinary It s Root is like small Turnips link'd together by some Fibres of the same Root which tastes like Carrots From that Root springs a Leaf as large as one's Hand and about an Inch thick with some Spots in the middle from whence spring also some other Leaves each of them bearing five or six yellow Flowers like little Bells We found abundance of Mulberries as good and as big as ours and another Fruit which we took at first for Olives but it tastes like Orange We found another Fruit as big as an Egg and having cut it in two Pieces we found the inside was divided into sixteen eighteen and twenty small Cells or Holes and in each of them a Fruit like our Almonds which is very sweet tho' the Tree stinks Its Leaves are like our Walnut-Tree's We saw also in the Meadows a Fruit like our Filbirds The Tree which bears it has its Leaves much broader than ours and at the End of the Branches there is a kind of a Purse like a Turnbole in which the Filbirds are lock'd up Along the Rocks I have mention'd we found one very high and steep and saw two Monsters painted upon it which are so hideous that we were frighted at the first Sight and the boldest Savages dare not fix their Eyes upon them They are drawn as big as a Calf with two Horns like a Wild-Goat Their Looks are terrible tho' their Face has something of Humane Figure in it Their Eyes are Red their Beard is like that of a Tyger and their Body is cover'd with Scales Their Tail is so long that it goes o'er their Heads and then turns between their Fore-Legs under the Belly ending like a Fish-Tail There are but three Colours viz. Red Green and Black but those Monsters are so well drawn that I cannot believe that the Savages did it and the Rock whereon they are painted is so steep that it is a Wonder to me how it was possible to draw those Figures But to know to what purpose they were made is as great a Mystery Whatever it be our best Painters wou'd hardly do better As we fell down the River following the gentle Stream of the Waters and discoursing upon those Monsters we heard a great Noise of Waters and saw several Pieces of Timber and small floating Islands which were hudled down the River Pekitanoni The Waters of this River are so muddy because of the violence of its Stream that it is impossible to drink of it and they spoil the Clearness of the Mississipi and make its Navigation very dangerous in this Place This River runs from the North-West and I hope to discover in following its Channel towards its Source som● other River that discharges it self into the Mar Marvejo or the Caliphornian-Gulph The Savages told me That about six Days Journey from its Mouth there is a Meadow of thirty Leagues broad at the end whereof directly to the north-North-West is a small River which is near navigable for Canow's and runs to the South-West into a Lake from which springs a deep River which runs directly Westward into the Sea which certainly must be the Mar Vermejo and I hope I shall have one time or other the opportunity to undertake that Discovery to instruct those poor Nations who have been so long ignorant of their Creator But leaving this Digression I return to the Mississipi About 20 Leagues lower than the Pekitanoni we met another River call'd Ouabouskigo● which runs into the Mississipi in the Latitude of 36 degrees but before we arriv'd there we pass'd through a most formidable Place to the Savages who believe that a Manitoa or Devil resides in that Place to deliver such who are so bold as to come near it They had told us dreadful Stories to deter us from our Undertaking but this terrible Manitoa proves nothing but some Rocks in a turning of the River about thirty foot high against whom the Stream runs with a great violence and being beaten back by the Rocks and Island near it the Waters make a great noise and flow with a great rapidity through a narrow Canal which is certainly very dangerous to unskilful Canow-men This River Ouabouskigou comes from the Eastward the Chuoanous inhabit its Banks and are so numerous that I have been inform'd there are thirty eight Villages of that Nation situated on this River This People is much infected by the Iroquois who make a cruel War upon them without any Provocation but only bec●use they are a poor harmless Nation unacquainted with any Arms. They take them without any resistance and carry them into Slavery A little above the Mouth of the River we saw some Downs wherein our Men discover'd a good ●ron-Mine They saw several Veins of it and a Lay of about a foot thick There is also a great quantity of it adhering to the Flints some of which they broug●t into our Canow There is also a kind of fat Earth of three different Colours viz. Purple Violet and Red which turns the Water into a deep Blood-colour We found also a red Sand very heavy I put some upon my Oar which immediately became red and the Waters could not wash it away for a Fortnight together We had seen no Reeds or Canes but they begin to be so thick ●n this Place that Wild Oxen can hardly go through them They grow very high and big and their Knots are crown'd with several Leaves long and sharp the greenness whereof is incomparable We had not been troubled hitherto with Gnats but they began to be very troublesom to us a little lower in the Ouabouskigou The Savages who inhabit this Country are oblig'd to build their Huts in a different manner from the

there but came accidentally being upon some Expedition They were all Archers very proper goodly Men their Hutts were cover'd with Skins of the wild crook-back Kine which the French call Pesikieus the Spaniards Corcobades or Crook-back'd They convers'd and traffick'd very friendly with the French divers Weeks until an unhappy Accident made a great Breach M. du Salles against the Opinion of the Pilots would adventure the Fly-boat through one of the Breaches into the Lagune apprehending he had found a Chanel of sufficient depth through which he might pass to the Continent But whither the Chanel was too shallow or that they mistook it the Fly-boat was lost and the Frigate drawing little Water escap'd The Indians upon the Island sav'd some small matter of the Wreck which the French would take by force from them They offer'd in exchange Skins and such other Commodities as they had The French when they could get no more took two of their Piroques or large Canow's which being absolutely necessary for them and without which they could not possibly return to the main Land from whence they came occasion'd a Skirmish in which the French lost fifteen Men and the Indians many more M. du Salles being almost distracted not knowing how to find the Mouth of the River took the Frigate divers Boats and Pinnaces together with a hundr●d and fifty Men and Provisions for a Month and cross'd the Lagune with an intention to search the Coast till he found the Mouth of the Great River M. Beaujeu waited ten Weeks and heard no Tidings from him it being in the Heat of Summer They wanting Water and Provisions besides abundance of his Men falling sick of Fevers and Bloody-fluxes he departed for France without any News of M. du Salle who after he departed from the Ships rambled some Days in the Lagune and coasted the Main chiefly towards the West which was directly contrary to the Course he should have taken the great River being distant above one hundred Leagues to the East But many believe M. du Salle was guilty of a wilful Mistake for he perswaded his Men That since they could not find the River and were come to the Rivèr of St. Magdalen being the North-Westerly end of the Gulf which was not above two hundred Leagues from the rich Mines of Endehe Santa Barbara la Parale and others in the Province of Saceatecas where the Spaniards are few and not Warlike they could not fail of a rich and easie Booty This Proposition occasion'd a great Division amongst his Men and deadly Feuds One part were ready to comply with his Project others for returning to their Ships a third Party for searching the Continent towards the East till they found the Great River and then return and Pilot the Ship thither and pursue their Instructions of Planting and Trading From Words they came to Blows many were kill'd in the Scuffle and amongst others M. du Salle very treacherously by one of his pretended Friends Upon his Death they divided and took several Courses They that return'd to seek the Ship found it departed and were never heard of since others scatter'd some Easterly some Westerly and Northerly When I receiv'd this Account which was above three Years after this disastrous Expedition not above Six were return'd to Canada and amongst them M. de Salle's Brother So that the Providence of Almighty GOD seems to have reserv'd this Country for the English a Patent whereof was granted above Fifty Years ago to the Lords Proprietors of Carolina who have made great Discoveries therein seven hundred Miles Westerly from the Mountains which separate between it Carolina and Virginia and Six hundred Miles from North to South from the Gulf of Mexico to the great inland Lakes which are situated behind the Mountains of Carolina and Virginia Besides they have an Account of all the Coast from the Cape of Florida to the River Panuco the Northerly Bounds of the Spaniards on the Gulf of Mexico together with most of the chief Harbours Rivers and Islands thereunto appertaining and are abou● to establish a very considerable Colony on s●●e part of the great River so soon as they have agreed upon the Boundaries or Limits with the Lords Proprietors of Carolina who claim by a Patent procur'd long after that of Carolina But there being space enough for both and the Proprietors generally inclin'd to an amicable Conclusion the Success of this Undertaking is impatiently expected For considering the Benignity of the Climate the Healthfulness of the Country Fruitfulness of the Soil Ingenuity and Tractableness of the Inhabitants Variety of Productions if prudently manag'd it cannot humanely speaking fail of proving one of the most considerable Colonies on the North-Continent of America profitable to the Publick and the Undertakers POSTSCRIPT I Am inform'd a large Map or Draught of this Country is preparing together with a very particular Account of the Natives their Customs Religion Commodities and Materials for divers sorts of Manufacturers which are by the English procur'd at great Expence from other Countries FINIS * Lille New Converts * Henepin calls it Meschasipi