westward of Quebec. Inhabited chiefly by Indians of the Huron nation,
converted to the Roman catholic religion. The village lies near a
little river, which falls over a rock there, with a great noise, and
turns a saw-mill, and a flour-mill. When the Jesuit, who is now with
them, arrived among them, they lived in their usual huts, which are
made like those of the Laplanders. They have since laid aside this
custom, and built all their houses after the French fashion. In each
house are two rooms, viz. their bed-room, and the kitchen on the
outside before it. In the room is a small oven of stone, covered at top
with an iron plate. Their beds are near the wall, and they put no other
clothes on them, than those which they are dressed in. Their other
furniture and utensils, look equally wretched. Here is a fine little
church, with a steeple and bell. The steeple is raised pretty high, and
covered with white tin plates. They pretend, that there is some
similarity between this church in its figure and disposition, and the
Santa Casa at Loretto in Italy, from whence this village has got its
name. Close to the church is a house built of stone, for the clergymen,
who are two Jesuits, that constantly live here. The divine service is
as regularly attended here, as in any other Roman catholic church; and
I was pleased with seeing the alacrity of the Indians, especially of
the women, and hearing their good voices, when they sing all sorts of
hymns in their own language. The Indians dress chiefly like the other
adjacent Indian nations; the men, however, like to wear waistcoats, or
jackets, like the French. The women keep exactly to the Indian dress.
It is certain, that these Indians and their ancestors, long since, on
being converted to the Christian religion, have made a vow to God,
never to drink strong liquors. This vow they have kept pretty
inviolable hitherto, so that one seldom sees one of them drunk, though
brandy and other strong liquors are goods, which other Indians would
sooner be killed for, than part with them.
These Indians have made the French their patterns in several things,
besides the houses. They all plant maize; and some have small fields of
wheat, and rye. Many of them keep cows. They plant our common
sun-flower [60] in their maize-fields, and mix the seeds of it into
their sagamite, or maize-soup. The maize, which they plant here, is of
the small sort, which ripens sooner than the other: its grains are
smaller, but give more and better flour in proportion. It commonly
ripens here at the middle, sometimes however, at the end of August.
The Swedish winter-wheat, and winter-rye, has been tried in Canada, to
see how well it would succeed; for they employ nothing but summer-corn
here, it having been found, that the French wheat and rye dies here in
winter, if it be sown in autumn. Dr. Sarrazin has therefore (as I was
told by the eldest of the two Jesuits here) got a small quantity of
wheat and rye, of the winter-corn sort from Sweden. It was sown in
autumn, not hurt by the winter, and bore fine corn. The ears were not
so large as those of the Canada corn, but weighed near twice as much,
and gave a greater quantity of finer flour, than that summer-corn.
Nobody could tell me, why the experiments have not been continued. They
cannot, I am told, bake such white bread here, of the summer-corn, as
they can in France, of their winter-wheat. Many people have assured me,
that all the summer-corn, now employed here, came from Sweden, or
Norway: for the French, on their arrival, found the winters in Canada
too severe for the French winter-corn, and their summer-corn did not
always ripen, on account of the shortness of summer. Therefore they
began to look upon Canada, as little better than an useless country,
where nobody could live; till they fell upon the expedient of getting
their summer-corn from the most northern parts of Europe, which has
succeeded very well.
This day I returned to Quebec, making botanical observations by the
way.
August the 15th. The new governor-general of all Canada, the marquis de
la Jonquiere, arrived last night in the river before Quebec; but it
being late, he reserved his public entrance for to-day. He had left
France on the second of June, but could not reach Quebec before this
time, on account of the difficulty which great ships find in passing
the sands in the river St. Lawrence. The ships cannot venture to go up,
without a fair wind, being forced to run in many bendings, and
frequently in a very narrow channel. To-day was another great feast, on
account of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary, which is very highly
celebrated in Roman catholic countries. This day was accordingly doubly
remarkable, both on account of the holiday, and of the arrival of the
new governor-general, who is always received with great pomp, as he
represents a vice-roy here.
About eight o’clock the chief people in town assembled at the house of
Mr. de Vaudreuil, who had lately been nominated governor of Trois
Rivieres, and lived in the lower town, and whose father had likewise
been governor-general of Canada. Thither came likewise the marquis de
la Galissonniere, who had till now been governor-general, and was to
sail for France, with the first opportunity. He was accompanied by all
the people belonging to the government. I was likewise invited to see
this festivity. At half an hour after eight the new governor-general
went from the ship into a barge, covered with red cloth, upon which a
signal with cannons was given from the ramparts, for all the bells in
the town to be set a-ringing. All the people of distinction went down
to the shore to salute the governor, who, on alighting from the barge,
was received by the marquis la Galissonniere. After they had saluted
each other, the commandant of the town addressed the new
governor-general in a very elegant speech, which he answered very
concisely; after which all the cannon on the ramparts gave a general
salute. The whole street, up to the cathedral, was lined with men in
arms, chiefly drawn out from among the burghesses. The governor-general
then walked towards the cathedral, dressed in a suit of red, with
abundance of gold lace. His servants went before him in green, carrying
fire-arms on their shoulders. On his arrival at the cathedral, he was
received by the bishop of Canada, and the whole clergy assembled. The
bishop was arrayed in his pontifical robes, and had a long gilt tiara
on his head, and a great crozier of massy silver in his hand. After the
bishop had addressed a short speech to the governor-general, a priest
brought a silver crucifix on a long stick, (two priests with lighted
tapers in their hands, going on each side of it) to be kissed by the
governor. The bishop and the priests then went through the long walk,
up to the choir. The servants of the governor-general followed with
their hats on, and arms on their shoulders. At last came the
governor-general and his suite, and after them a crowd of people. At
the beginning of the choir the governor-general, and the general de la
Galissonniere, stopt before a chair covered with red cloth, and stood
there during the whole time of the celebration of the mass, which was
celebrated by the bishop himself. From the church he went to the
palace, when the gentlemen of note in the town, afterwards went to pay
their respects to him. The religious of the different orders, with
their respective superiors, likewise came to him, to testify their joy
on account of his happy arrival. Among the numbers that came to visit
him, none staid to dine, but those that were invited beforehand, among
which I had the honour to be. The entertainment lasted very long, and
was as elegant as the occasion required.
The governor-general, marquis de la Jonquiere, was very tall, and at
that time something above sixty years old. He had fought a desperate
naval battle with the English in the last war, but had been obliged to
surrender, the English being, as it was told, vastly superior in the
number of ships and men. On this occasion he was wounded by a ball,
which entered one side of his shoulder, and came out at the other. He
was very complaisant, but knew how to preserve his dignity, when he
distributed favours.
Many of the gentlemen, present at this entertainment, asserted that the
following expedient had been successfully employed to keep wine, beer,
or water, cool during summer. The wine, or other liquor, is bottled;
the bottles are well corked, hung up into the air, and wrapped in wet
clouts. This cools the wine in the bottles, notwithstanding it was
quite warm before. After a little while the clouts are again made wet,
with the coldest water that is to be had, and this is always continued.
The wine, or other liquor, in the bottles is then always colder, than
the water with which the clouts are made wet. And though the bottles
should be hung up in the sunshine, the above way of proceeding will
always have the same effect [61].
August the 16th. The occidental Arbor vitæ [62], is a tree which grows
very plentiful in Canada, but not much further south. The most
southerly place I have seen it in, is a place a little on the south
side of Saratoga, in the province of New-York, and likewise near
Casses, in the same province, which places are in forty-two degrees and
ten minutes north latitude.
Mr. Bartram, however, informed me, that he had found a single tree of
this kind in Virginia, near the falls in the river James. Doctor Colden
likewise asserted, that he had seen it in many places round his seat
Coldingham, which lies between New-York, and Albany, about forty-one
degrees thirty minutes north latitude. The French, all over Canada,
call it Cedre blanc. The English and Dutch in Albany, likewise call it
the white Cedar. The English in Virginia, have called a Thuya, which
grows with them, a Juniper.
The places and the soil where it grows best, are not always alike,
however it generally succeeds in such ground where its roots have
sufficient moisture. It seems to prefer swamps, marshes, and other wet
places to all others, and there it grows pretty tall. Stony hills, and
places where a number of stones ly together, covered with several kinds
of mosses [63], seemed to be the next in order where it grows. When,
the sea shores were hilly, and covered with mossy stones, the Thuya
seldom failed to grow on them. It is likewise seen now and then on the
hills near rivers, and other high grounds, which are covered with a
dust like earth or mould; but it is to be observed that such places
commonly carry a sourish water with them, or receive moisture from the
upper countries. I have however seen it growing in some pretty dry
places; but there it never comes to any considerable size. It is pretty
frequent in the clefts of mountains, but cannot grow to any remarkable
height or thickness. The tallest trees, I have found in the woods in
Canada, were about thirty or thirty-six feet high. A tree of exactly
ten inches diameter had ninety-two rings round the stem [64]; another
of one foot and two inches in diameter had one hundred and forty-two
rings [65].
The inhabitants of Canada generally make use of this tree in the
following cases. It being reckoned the most durable wood in Canada, and
which best withstands putrefaction, so as to remain undamaged for above
a man’s age, enclosures of all kinds are scarce made of any other than
this wood. all the posts which are driven into the ground, are made of
the Thuya wood. The palisades round the forts in Canada are likewise
made of the same wood. The planks in the houses are made of it; and the
thin narrow pieces of wood which form both the ribs and the bottom of
the bark-boats, commonly made use of here, are taken from this wood,
because it is pliant enough for the purpose, especially whilst it is
fresh, and likewise because it is very light. The Thuya wood is
reckoned one of the best for the use of lime-kilns. Its branches are
used all over Canada for besoms; and the twigs and leaves of it being
naturally bent together, seem to be very proper for the purpose. The
Indians make such besoms and bring them to the towns for sale, nor do I
remember having seen any besoms of any other wood. The fresh branches
have a peculiar, agreeable scent, which is pretty strongly smelled in
houses where they make use of besoms of this kind.
This Thuya is made use of for several medicinal purposes. The
commandant of Fort St. Frederic, M. de Lusignan could never
sufficiently praise its excellence for rheumatic pains. He told me he
had often seen it tried, with remarkable good success, upon several
persons, in the following manner. The fresh leaves are pounded in a
mortar, and mixed with hog’s grease, or any other grease. This is
boiled together till it becomes a salve, which is spread on linen, and
applied to the part where the pain is. The salve gives certain relief
in a short time. Against violent pains, which move up and down in the
thighs, and sometimes spread all over the body, they recommend the
following remedy. Take of the leaves of a kind of Polypody [66]
four-fifths, and of the cones of the Thuya one-fifth, both reduced to a
coarse powder by themselves, and mixed together afterwards. Then pour
milk-warm water on it, so as to make a poultice, which spread on linen,
and wrap it round the body: but as the poultice burns like fire, they
commonly lay a cloth between it and the body, otherwise it would burn
and scorch the skin. I have heard this remedy praised beyond measure,
by people who said they had experienced its good effects. An Iroquese
Indian told me, that a decoction of Thuya leaves was used as a remedy
for the cough. In the neighbourhood of Saratoga, they use this
decoction in the intermitting fevers.
The Thuya tree keeps its leaves, and is green all winter. Its feeds are
ripe towards the end of September, old style. The fourth of October of
this year, 1749, some of the cones, especially those which flood much
exposed to the heat of the sun, had already dropt their seeds, and all
the other cones were opening in order to shed them. This tree has, in
common with many other American trees, the quality of growing plentiful
in marches and thick woods, which may be with certainty called its
native places. However, there is scarce a single Thuya tree in those
places which bears seeds; if, on the other hand, a tree accidentally
stands on the outside of a wood, on the sea shore, or in a field, where
the air can freely come at it, it is always full of seeds. I have found
this to be the case with the Thuya, on innumerable occasions. It is the
same likewise with the sugar-maple, the maple which is good for healing
scorched wounds, the white fir-tree, the pine called Perusse, the
mulberry-tree and several others.
August the 17th. This day I went to see the nunnery of the Ursulines,
which is disposed nearly in the same way as the two other nunneries. It
lies in the town and has a very fine church. The nuns are renowned for
their piety, and they go less abroad than any others. The men are
likewise not allowed to go into this monastery, but by the special
licence of the bishop, which is given as a great favour; the royal
physician, and the surgeon are alone entitled to go in as often as they
please, to visit the sick. At the desire of the marquis de la
Galissonniere the bishop granted me leave to visit this monastery
together with the royal physician Mr. Gaulthier. On our arrival we were
received by the abbess, who was attended by a great number of nuns, for
the most part old ones. We saw the church; and, it being Sunday, we
found some nuns on every side of it kneeling by themselves and saying
prayers. As soon as we came into the church, the abbess and the nuns
with her dropt on their knees, and so did M. Gaulthier and myself. We
then went to an apartment or small chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary,
at the entrance of which, they all fell on their knees again. We
afterwards saw the kitchen, the dining hall and the apartment they work
in, which is large and fine. They do all sorts of neat work there, gild
pictures, make artificial flowers, &c. The dining hall is disposed in
the same manner as in the other two monasteries. Under the tables are
small drawers for each nun to keep her napkin, knife and fork, and
other things in. Their cells are small, and each nun has one to
herself. The walls are not painted; a little bed, a table with a
drawer, and a crucifix, and pictures of saints on it, and a chair,
constitute the whole furniture of a cell. We were then led into a room
full of young ladies about twelve years old and below that age, lent
hither by their parents to be instructed in reading, and in matters of
religion. They are allowed to go to visit their relations once a day,
but must not stay away long. When they have learnt reading, and have
received instructions in religion, they return to their parents again.
Near the monastery, is a fine garden, which is surrounded with a high
wall. It belongs to this institution, and is stocked with all sorts of
kitchen-herbs and fruit-trees. When the nuns are at work, or during
dinner, every thing is silent in the rooms, unless some one of them
reads to the others; but after dinner, they have leave to take a walk
for an hour or two in the garden, or to divert themselves within-doors.
After we had seen every thing remarkable here, we took our leave, and
departed.
About a quarter of a Swedish mile to the west of Quebec, is a well of
mineral waters, which carries a deal of iron ocker with it, and has a
pretty strong taste. M. Gaulthier said, that he had prescribed it with
success in costive cases and the like diseases.
I have been assured, that there are no snakes in the woods and fields
round Quebec, whose bite is poisonous; so that one can safely walk in
the grass. I have never found any that endeavoured to bite, and all
were very fearful. In the south parts of Canada, it is not adviseable
to be off one’s guard.
A very small species of black ants [67] live in ant-hills, in high
grounds, in woods; they look exactly like our Swedish ants, but are
much less.
August the 21st. To-day there were some people of three Indian nations
in this country with the governor-general, viz. Hurons, Mickmacks, and
Anies [68]; the last of which are a nation of Iroquese, and allies of
the English, and were taken prisoners in the last war.
The Hurons are some of the same Indians with those who live at Lorette,
and have received the christian religion. They are tall, robust people,
well shaped, and of a copper colour. They have short black hair, which
is shaved on the forehead, from one ear to the other. None of them wear
hats or caps. Some have ear-rings, others not. Many of them have the
face painted all over with vermillion; others have only strokes of it
on the forehead, and near the ears; and some paint their hair with
vermillion. Red is the colour they chiefly make use of in painting
themselves; but I have likewise seen some, who had daubed their face
with a black colour. Many of them have figures in the face, and on the
whole body, which are stained into the skin, so as to be indelible. The
manner of making them shall be described in the sequel. These figures
are commonly black; some have a snake painted in each cheek, some have
several crosses, some an arrow, others the sun, or any thing else their
imagination leads them to. They have such figures likewise on the
breast, thighs, and other parts of the body; but some have no figures
at all. They wear a shirt, which is either white or checked, and a
shaggy piece of cloth, which is either blue or white, with a blue or
red stripe below. This they always carry over their shoulders, or let
it hang down, in which case they wrap it round their middle. Round
their neck, they have a string of violet wampums, with little white
wampums between them. These wampums are small, of the figure of oblong
pearls, and made of the shells which the English call clams [69]. I
shall make a more particular mention of them in the sequel. At the end
of the wampum strings, many of the Indians wear a large French silver
coin, with the king’s effigy, on their breasts. Others have a large
shell on the breast, of a fine white colour, which they value very
high, and is very dear; others, again, have no ornament at all round
the neck. They all have their breasts uncovered. Before them hangs
their tobacco-pouch, made of the skin of an animal, and the hairy side
turned outwards. Their shoes are made of skins, and bear a great
resemblance to the shoes without heels, which the women in Finland make
use of. Instead of stockings, they wrap the legs in pieces of blue
cloth, as I have seen the Russian boors do.
The Mickmacks are dressed like the Hurons, but distinguish themselves
by their long strait hair, of a jetty-black colour. Almost all the
Indians have black strait hair; however, I have met with a few, whose
hair was pretty much curled. But it is to be observed, that it is
difficult to judge of the true complexion of the Canada Indians, their
blood being mixed with the Europeans, either by the adopted prisoners
of both sexes, or by the Frenchmen, who travel in the country, and
often contribute their share towards the encrease of the Indian
families, their women not being very shy. The Mickmacks are commonly
not so tall as the Hurons. I have not seen any Indians whose hair was
as long and strait as theirs. Their language is different from that of
the Hurons; therefore there is an interpreter here for them on purpose.
The Anies are the third kind of Indians which came hither. Fifty of
them went out in the war, being allies of the English, in order to
plunder in the neighbourhood of Montreal. But the French, being
informed of their scheme, laid an ambush, and killed with the first
discharge of their guns forty-four of them; so that only the four who
were here to-day saved their lives, and two others, who were ill at
this time. They are as tall as the Hurons, whose language they speak.
The Hurons seem to have a longer, and the Anies a rounder face. The
Anies have something cruel in their looks; but their dress is the same
as that of the other Indians. They wear an oblong piece of white tin
between the hair which lies on the neck. One of those I saw had taken a
flower of the rose mallow, out of a garden, where it was in full
blossom at this time, and put it among the hair at the top of his head.
Each of the Indians has a tobacco-pipe of grey lime-stone, which is
blackened afterwards, and has a long tube of wood. There were no Indian
women present at this interview. As soon as the governor-general came
in, and was seated in order to speak with them, the Mickmacks sat down
on the ground, like Laplanders, but the other Indians took chairs.
There is no printing-press in Canada, tho’ there formerly was one: but
all books are brought from France, and all the orders made in the
country are written, which extends even to the paper-currency. They
pretend that the press is not yet introduced here, lest it should be
the means of propagating libels against the government, and religion.
But the true reason seems to ly in the poorness of the country, as no
printer could put off a sufficient number of books for his subsistence;
and another reason may be, that France may have the profit arising from
the exportation of books hither.