En plusieurs endroits nous auons trouué de la vigne, & des lambruches meures en leur tẽps. Ce n'estoit point le meilleur terroir où nous les trouuiõs: c'estoit quasi sable, & grauier, sẽblable à celuy de Bourdeaux. Il y en a beaucoup à la riuiere S. Iean à 46. d'eleuation, là void on aussi plusieurs noyers & coudriers, & si le fõds de terre n'y est guiere bõ. On ne trouue point autre sorte d'arbres fruictiers en tout ce païs, ouy biẽ toute espece de sauuageons, & forestiers, comme [32] chesnes, hestres, charmes, peupliers, &c. [68]Et des cedres, au moins que les François appellẽt cedres.
In several places we found the grape, and wild vines which ripened in their season. It was not the best ground where we found them, being full of sand and gravel, like that of Bourdeaux. There are a great many of these vines at St. John river, in 46° of latitude, where are to be seen also many walnut and hazel trees, and yet the under layer of soil is not good there. No other kinds of fruit trees are found in all this country; but there is every species of wild shrub and forest trees, such as [32] the oak, beech, elm, poplar, etc., and some cedars, at least what the French call cedars.[14]
Si le pays estoit habité, il pourroit approfiter ses mines: car il y en a vne d'argent en la Baye S. Marie, au rapport du sieur Chãplain: & deux de beau, & franc cuiure, l'vne à l'entrée de Port Royal, & l'autre à la Baye des mines: vne de fer à la riuiere S. Iean, & d'autres autre part. Le gré, l'ardoise, la taille, le charbon de terre, & toutes sortes de pierres n'y manquent pas.
If the country were inhabited there might be some profit made from its mines; for there is a silver one at the Baye Ste. Marie, according to sieur Champlain; and two of beautiful and pure copper, one at the entrance to Port Royal, and the other at the Bay of the mines; one of iron at the river St. John, and others elsewhere. Sandstone, slate, mica, coal, and all kinds of stone are not lacking.[15]
Toute ceste nouuelle France est diuisée en diuers peuples, chasque peuple a sa langue, & sa contrée à part. Ils s'assemblent l'Esté pour trocquer auec nous, principalement en la grande riuiere. Là aussi viennent de bien loing plusieurs autres peuples. Ils trocquẽt leurs peaux de castors, de loutres, [33] d'eslants, de martres, de loups marins, &c. contre du pain, pois, febues, pruneaux, petun, &c. chauderons, haches, fers de fleche, aleines, poinçons, capots, couuertes, & toutes autres telles commoditez, que les Frãçois leur apportent. Aucuns peuples ont maintenant implacable guerre contre nous. Comme les Excomminquois, qui sont ceux qui habitent au costé Boreal du grand Golfe S. Laurens, & nous font de grands maux. Ceste guerre a cõmencé (comme lon dit) à l'occasion de certains Basques, qui voulurent faire vn meschant rapt: mais ils payerẽt biẽ leur maudite incontinence, & non seulement eux, ains à leur occasion & ceux de S. Malo, & beaucoup d'autres ont paty, & patissent beaucoup tous les ans. Car ces Sauuages sõt furieux, & s'abandonnent desesperémẽt [34] à la mort, pourueu qu'ils ayent esperance de tuer, ou mesfaire. Il n'y a que trois peuples qui nous soyẽt [70] familiers, & bõs amis. Les Montaguets, les Souriquois, & les Eteminquois. Pour les Etechemins, & Souriquois i'en suis tesmoin, car i'ay demeuré parmy eux, pour les Montaguets i'en ay ouy parler. Quant aux autres peuples, il n'y a point de fiance. Aussi les François ne les hantent, que pour descouurir leurs riuages, & encores s'en sont-ils mal trouués, horsmis Champlain en ses dernieres descouuertes contremont la grãde riuiere, qui ne s'en plaint point.
All this new France is divided into different tribes, each one having its own separate language and country. They assemble in the Summer to trade with us, principally at the great river. To this place come also several other tribes from afar off. They barter their skins of beaver, otter, [33] deer, marten, seal, etc., for bread, peas, beans, prunes, tobacco, etc.; kettles, hatchets, iron arrow-points, awls, puncheons, cloaks, blankets, and all other such commodities as the French bring them. Certain tribes are now our implacable enemies, such as the Excomminquois, who inhabit the Northern coast of the great Gulf of St. Lawrence and do us a great deal of harm. This warfare was begun (as they say) when certain Basques tried to commit a wicked outrage. However, they paid well for their cursed incontinence, but not only they, for on their account both the St. Malo people and many others suffered, and still suffer a great deal every year. For these Savages are passionate, and give themselves up [34] to death with desperation, if they are in hopes of killing, or doing any one an injury. There are only three tribes which are on good terms of friendship with us, the Montaguets, the Souriquois, and the Eteminquois. I myself can witness to the friendship of the Etechemins and Souriquois, for I have lived among them, and for the Montaguets I have heard others speak. As to other tribes, no confidence can be placed in them. The French have nothing to do with them except to explore their coasts, and even then they are badly treated, although Champlain does not complain of these savages at all, in his latest explorations up the great river.
Cest'amitié & fidelité desdits peuples enuers les François a paru remarquablement apres nostre desroute faicte par les Anglois, ainsi qu'ouyrez. Car eux l'ayants sceu s'en vindrẽt à nous, de nuict, [35] & nous cõsoloyẽt au mieux qu'ils pouuoyent, nous presentãts leurs cauots, & leur peine pour nous conduire où nous voudrions. Ils nous offroyent encores, que s'il nous plaisoit de demeurer auec eux, ils estoyent trois Capitaines Betsabes, Aguigueou & Asticou: desquels vn chacun prẽdroit pour sa part dix de nostre troupe, (puis que nous restions trente,) & nous nourriroit iusques à l'an suiuant, quand les nauires Françoises arriueroyent à la coste, & qu'en ceste façon nous pourrions repasser en nostre pays sans tõber aux mains de meschãts Ingrés. Car ainsi appellẽt-ils pour dire les Anglois. Ce n'estoyent point mines, ou pieges à nous surprendre: car vous entendrés cy apres le bon traictement qu'ils firent au P. Enemond, & à sa troupe, & à Port Royal durant trois hyuers, qu'on a eu bon [36] besoin d'eux, on les a experimenté fideles & secourables. Que si leur dessein eust esté de nous mesfaire, les belles & opportunes occasions ne leur ont pas manqué.
This friendship and fidelity of the said tribes was especially noticeable after our rout by the English, as you will hear. For, as soon as they heard about it, they came to us at night, [35] and consoled us as best they could, offering us their canoes and their help to take us anywhere we wished to go. They also made the proposition, that if we wanted to live with them, there were three Captains—Betsabes, Aguigueou and Asticou,[16] each one of whom, for his share, would take ten of our band (since there were thirty of us left), and would take care of us until the following year, when the French ships would arrive upon the coast; and that in this way we should be able to go back to our own country without falling into the hands of the wicked Ingrés, as they call the English. These were not false pretenses nor snares to entrap us, for you will hear farther on of the good treatment received from them by Father Enemond and his band; and at Port Royal during three winters, when we had great [36] need of them, how faithful and reliable we found them,—although, if they had intended to do us any harm, excellent and convenient opportunities for doing so were not wanting.