sick, but often also caring for neglected children and repentant women.
The one introduced by the duchess d'Aiguillon was apparently that
of the Hospital Sisters of the Mercy of Jesus, established in 1630,
according to the rule of St. Augustine: it was confirmed eight years
later by letters patent, and in 1664 and 1677 by papal bulls.
Both the Ursuline and the Hospital nuns arrived at Quebec Aug. 1, 1639.
65 (p. 253).--Sulte (_Can.-Français_, vol. ii., pp. 40, 54, 92) gives
this information regarding him: "André de Malapart, a native of Paris,
a soldier and a poet, wrote an account of this campaign [the expulsion
of Stewart's colony from Cape Breton by Charles Daniel; see vol. iv.
of this series, _note_ 46], which he addressed to M. Jean de Lauson,
and which was published in 1630. In 1635, he was at Three Rivers, and
four years later was commandant at that post. He was still in Canada
in 1641." Tanguay (_Dict. Généal._, vol. i., p. 406) says: "In 1649,
the registers designate him as 'arcis moderator' [commandant];" but the
date here given is apparently a typographical error.
66 (p. 253).--M. de Maupertuis was in charge of the trading post at
Three Rivers, in 1635-36.
67 (p. 253).--_Capitanal_, or Kepitanal (Creuxius, _Hist. Canad._,
pp. 116, 182): a Montagnais chief of great ability. Le Jeune gives at
length (vol. v., pp. 205-211) the speech delivered by this man at a
conference between Champlain and the Montagnais savages, May 24, 1633,
and highly praises his intellect and eloquence. Capitanal died in the
autumn of 1634: his traits of character, and his relations with the
French, are described by Le Jeune in the _Relation_ for 1635, _ante_,
p. 55.
68 (p. 259).--Adrien du Chesne (Duchêne), a surgeon, came from Dieppe
to Canada, probably about 1620. He remained with his wife at Quebec
during the English occupation; and, after the return of the French,
practised his profession at Quebec and Three Rivers. In October, 1645,
he is mentioned by the _Journ. des Jésu._ (p. 9), in connection with
his nephew Charles le Moyne, the father of the noted explorer Le Moyne
d'Iberville.--See Sulte's _Can.-Français_, vol. ii., pp. 7, 144.
69 (p. 267).--Pierre de Launay (born 1616), a native of the province
of Maine, France, is first mentioned in January, 1636, as an agent
of the Hundred Associates; this position he seems to have retained
at least until 1645; in that year he married Françoise Pinguet, at
Quebec. Certain Indians from Tadoussac made complaints to the Quebec
council (June, 1646) concerning De Launay's methods of trade, and the
exorbitant prices charged by him. He was killed by the Iroquois, Nov.
28, 1654.
70 (p. 269).--_Porcelain, which is the diamonds and pearls of this
country_: According to Littre, _porcelain_ (a word of Italian origin;
adopted, with slight variations, into nearly all European languages)
was a name given, from very early times, to a univalvular, gastropodous
mollusk, _Cypræa;_ especially used for the species _C. moneta_, the
money cowry of Africa and the East Indies, and for its shell. The same
term was applied to the nacre (from which were made vases, ornaments,
etc.) obtained from the shells of this and many other mollusks; and the
enameled pottery brought from the Orient about the 16th century was
also called "porcelain," from its resemblance to this nacre.
The early explorers on this continent found shells, or beads made
therefrom, everywhere in use among the natives as currency. Cartier
mentions this article as called "esurgny" by the Indians at Montreal;
Champlain and other French writers applied the term already familiar to
them, "porcelain;" the English colonists adopted the name in use among
the natives of New England, "wampum" (from _wompi_, "white"); while the
Dutch traders called it "sewan" (seawant, or zee-wand; a corruption of
_seah-whóun_, "scattered, loose").
An interesting account of this Indian money is given by Roger Williams,
in his _Key into the Language of America_ (London, 1643),--reprinted,
with careful and extensive annotations (mainly philological) by J.
H. Trumbull, in _Publications of the Narragansett Club_, vol. i.
(Providence, R. I., 1866). In chap. xxvi. of this work, pp. 173-178,
"Concerning their Coyne," the author says: "The _Indians_ are ignorant
of Europes Coyne; yet they have given a name to ours, and call it
_Monêash_ from the _English_ Money. Their own is of two sorts; one
white, which they make of the stem or stocke of the _Periwincle_, which
they call Meteaûhock, when all the shell is broken off: and of this
sort six of their small beads (which they make with holes to string the
bracelets) are currant with the _English_ for a peny. The second is
black, inclining to blew, which is made of the shell of a fish which
some _English_ call _Hens_, Poquaûhock, and of this sort three make
an _English_ peny.... This one fathom of this their stringed money,
now worth of the English but five shillings (sometimes more), some few
yeeres since was worth nine, and sometimes ten shillings per Fathome:
the fall is occasioned by the fall of Beaver in _England_: the Natives
are very impatient, when for English commodities they pay so much more
of their money, and not understanding the cause of it; and many say the
English cheat and deceive them, though I have laboured to make them
understand the reason of it.... Their white they call _Wompam_ (which
signifies white): their black _Suckduhock_ (_Súcki_ signifying blacke).
Both amongst themselves, as also the English and Dutch, the blacke peny
is two pence white: the blacke fathom double, or two fathom of white.
Before ever they had _Awle blades_ from _Europe_, they made shift to
bore this their shell money with stone, and so fell their trees with
stone set in a wooden staff, and used wooden _howes_: which some old
& poore women (fearfull to leave the old tradition) use to this day.
They hang these strings of money about their necks and wrists, as
also upon the necks and wrists of their wives and children." Trumbull
(pp. 140, 175, _ut supra_) says that the Poquaûhock was the _Venus
mercenaria_, the round clam, or quahaug; the Meteaûhock was probably
the _Pyrula carica_ or _P. canaliculata_, which have retained the name
of "periwinkle" on the coast of New England. (The two latter species
are also known as _Fulgur carica_ and _Scycotypus canaliculata_.)
From these shells were cut beads of cylindrical shape, through which
holes were drilled; these beads were then strung upon cords, or the
sinews of animals, and, when woven into plaits about as broad as the
hand, made wampum "belts." In early times, various articles were used
as substitutes for the shell beads--colored sticks of wood, porcupine
quills, and glass or porcelain beads, brought from Europe by the
traders.
The early traders readily adopted wampum as a medium of exchange in
their transactions with the Indians, in both purchase and sale. Thus
it "quickly became a standard of values, the currency of the colonists
to a great extent in their transactions with each other, and even a
legal tender." In Massachusetts, "wampampeag" was legal tender (Act of
1648) for all debts less than forty shillings, "except county rates to
the treasurer,"--the white at eight for a penny, and the black at four
for a penny. "So slow were the red men to relinquish this currency,
that wampum continued to be fabricated until within fifty years in
several towns of New York State (chiefly at Babylon, L. I.) to meet the
demand for it by Western fur traders."--See Ingersoll's "Wampum and its
History," in _American Naturalist_, vol. xvii. (1883), pp. 467-479.
Beauchamp says (_N. Y. Iroquois_): "I have mentioned the lack of wampum
among the early New York Iroquois, as a proof that they had not reached
the sea; but it was not abundant even on the coast in prehistoric
times. On early Iroquois sites it is not found, nor anything resembling
it.... A few stray, prehistoric, small wampum beads might be expected
low down in the Mohawk valley, but I know of none; west of this, they
are absolutely unknown. When, therefore, we are told of ancient wampum
belts in New York, coeval with and recording the formation of the
Iroquois league, we may settle it in our minds that such do not exist
and never did. The most ancient Onondaga belt is modern, and it is
doubtful if any one is much over a century old."
Wampum was used not only as money, and for purposes of ornament; it was
sent with a messenger as his credentials, and was the mark of a chief's
authority; it was used for "presents" or gifts, both within and without
one's tribe; it was paid as ransom for a prisoner, or as atonement for
a crime; and was used in negotiating and in recording treaties. The
wampum "means nothing to white man, all to Indian," said recently a
prominent Onondaga. Cf. Hale's "Indian Wampum Records," in _Popular
Science Monthly_, February, 1897.
Transcriber's Note.
Variable spelling and hyphenation have been retained. Minor punctuation
inconsistencies have been silently repaired.
Corrections.
The first line indicates the orginal, the second the correction.
Note 20
latter mentions him in 1626 (see vol. iv., p. 163); but his name does
latter mentions him in 1626 (see vol. iv., p. 183); but his name does