THE JESUIT RELATIONS AND ALLIED DOCUMENTS VOL.L The edt"tz"on consz'sts of sev­ en hundred and fifty sets all numbered PLAN 0 E \\~' II<I" :' r.J";:'( ~ ~ ,''\ lit ~ . M (1i.!o~ d .' Hotel Dieu . l\" , '" ,.' .. ",bi.(tI'. · ~ .' ~ ', s _~ ~ , U l>roptf'l C('lfl CrJI S do"nC. pO ~ ~ ~-=.~-~ f[,EU \I t:: SA l f'/ 1' L/lUf/Ef'/T, MONTREAL, 1665 ca, lReduced from map in Faillou's Colouie Frallfa£se.] The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents TRAVELS AND EXPLORATIONS OF THE JESUIT MISSIONARIES IN· NEW FRANCE THE ORIGINAL FRENCH, LATIN, AND ITAL­ IAN TEXTS, WITH ENGLISH TRANSLA­ TIONS AND NOTES; ILLUSTRATED BY PORTRAITS, MAPS, AND FACSIMILES EDITED BY REUBEN GOLD THW AITES Secretary. of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin Vol. L LOWER CANADA, IROQUOIS, 0TfAWAS 1664- 1667 CLEVELAND: ttbe 13UttOWS l)rotber13 (tompan12, PUBLISHERS, MDCCCXCIX COPYRIGHT, 1899 BY THE BURROWS BROTHERS Co ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The Imperial Press, Cleveland EDITORIAL STAFF Editor REUBEN GOLD THWAITES FINLOW ALEXANDER PERCY FAVOR BICKNELL Translators • eRAWFORD LINDSAY WILLIAM PRICE Assistant Editor EMMA HELEN BLAIR Bibliographical Adviser VICTOR HUGO PALTSITS CONTENTS OF VOL. L PREFACE TO VOLUME L 9 DOCUMENTS: - CXVII. Relation de ce qvi s'est passe en la Novvelle France, es annees 1664. & 1665. [Chap. vi. to end of docu­ ment.] Franrois Ie Mercier; Kebec, November 3, 1665 . CXVIII. Relation de ce qvi s'est passe .... en la N ovvelle France, aux annees mil fix cent foixante cinq, & mil fix cent foixante fix. Franfois Ie Mer­ C£er; Kebec, November 12, 1666 93 CXIX. Trois Lettres, 1666-67. Thierry Bes­ chefer; Quebec, October 1 and 4, 1666, and August 25, 1667 166 CXX. Journal des PP. Jesuites. Franrois Ie Mercier; Quebec, January, 1666, to December, 1667 ISO CXXI. Relation de ce qvi s'est passe .... en la N ovvelle France, les annees mil fix cens foixante fix, & mil fix cens foixante fept. [Chaps. i.-vii., first installment of the document.] Franfois Ie Mercier; Kebec, Novem- ber 10, 1667 221 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL DATA: VOLUME L NOTES ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOL. L I. Map of Montreal, 1665 ca.; reduced from Faillon's Colonie Franfaise . Frontispi~ce II. Photographic facsimile of title-page, Rela- tion of 1665 -66 . 96 III. Facsimile of handwriting of Thierry Bes­ chefer, S.].; selected from baptismal entry in register of Boucherville Parish . Facing 174 IV. View of ] esuit College and Church, Quebec; reduced from engraving made in 1761 . Facing 188 V. Photographic facsimile of title-page, Rela- tion of 1666-67 . 224 PREFACE TO VOL. L Following is a synopsis of the documents contained in this volume: CXVII. In Vol. XLIX. were presented the first five chapters of Le Mercier's Relation of 1664-65; the remainder of the document is given in this volume. An account of Nouvel's second journey to Lake Manikouagan is compiled from the diary kept by him. It is an undertaking of great fatigue, hard­ ships, and danger; and Nouvel and his French companions barely escape with their lives, their canoe being capsized in the rapids. The Father finds that most of his disciples have left the lake, thinking that he would not come to theD;l; but he ministers to the few who remain there, and to some others whom he meets upon the way. Le Mercier recounts the victory and subsequent defeat of an Iroquois band who make a raid upon the savages dwelling near Lake St. John. He also relates several miraculous incidents which have occurred among the French people,-one, a sudden cure of blindness; another, the household cares of a pious woman relieved, presumably, by the aid of the Virgin Mary. A letter is here inserted, which describes the cap­ tivity and torments of some Frenchmen seized near Montreal by the Iroquois, in August, 1662. Some of them finally escape (1664), making their way to the 10 PREFACE TO VOL. L Dutch at Fort Orange, who aid them to regain their homes. A chapter is devoted to two comets which were visible at Quebec during the winter of 1664-65, with scientific observations of their places in the sky; and to other unusual natural phenomena-meteors, earth­ quake shocks, etc. The last chapter notes various interesting circumstances connected with the arrival of this year's fleet with the troops. Horses, the first in the colony, are brought from France. Many sick soldiers come from the ships; the hospital nuns care for them nobly, but are thereby so overworked that most of them become seriously ill. More than a score of Calvinists are induced to abjure their heresy; one of these, exceedingly obstinate, becomes as a lamb, after swallowing with his medicine a little piece of one of the martyr Brebeuf's bones, pulverized. CXVIII. Le Mercier prefaces the Relation of 1665 -66 with a brief note mentioning the success of Tracy's expeditions against the Iroquois, and the consequent advantage to the colony and to the mis­ sions. The report for this year is brief, being mainly occupied with the public and military affairs of the colony. Imposing funeral services in memory of the late queen, Anne of Austria, are held in the church at Quebec, at which all the officials and influential habitants are present, dressed in mourning garb. The piety of a little Huron girl, and her saintly death, are related at length. The Hurons captive among the Iroquois still retain their faith, and exer­ cise charity, patience, and devotion in every possible way. One of these captives has even begun a church among his people who are enslaved by the Eries, who are now driven far from their own country. No P REFA CE TO VOL. L 11 news has been received from Allouez, for more than a year. Nouvel has met with much success among the wandering tribes below Tadoussac. At Sillery, Noel Tekwerimat is dead-a great loss to the mis­ sionaries, whom he had always zealously supported. Certain miraculous cures wrought by relics of Brebeuf and Le Jeune are narrated. The Iroquois have sent numerous embassies to Quebec during the past year, claiming to desire peace. One of these is headed by the noted Gara­ kontie. He is received as a friend, but Cource1les leads an expedition against the Mohawks and Onei­ das. This is done in January, 1666, and the troops suffer v~eat1y from cold and other hardships. They find most of the Iroquois absent on a hostile expedi­ tion; but the demonstration made by the French alarms all the tribes, and induces them to supplicate for peace. It is still evident, nevertheless, that the Mohawks are not sufficiently humbled, as they delay and embarrass the negotiations; Tracy accordingly organizes another army, which he conducts in person (September-October, 1666) against that tribe. They hear of his approach, and desert their villages; these are destroyed by the French, and the fields and crops laid waste. "As a result, those familiar with these Barbarians' mode of life have not a doubt that almost as many will die of hunger as would have perished by the weapons of our soldiers, had they dared await the latter's approach." Le Mercier expresses his confidence in the benefits which Canada will receive from the coming of the troops, and from the efforts of the Company of the West Indies, to whom the country has been granted. At the end of the Relation is a letter from the 12 PREFACE TO VOL. L superior of the Quebec hospital-addressed, like the preceding one, to " Monsieur * * * *, Citizen of Paris .• , She thanks him for the supplies sent by him and other friends, and adds another list of articles needed in the hospital, which she requests him to forward. This admirable institution has had, during the past year, more than 12,000 patients. There is, accordingly, imperative need for additions to their staff of nurses. Two Canadian girls wish to enter the sisterhood; but they are poor, and the hospital cannot afford to receive them for nothing. The superior therefore asks for contributions from the charitable to endow these girls. She mentions additional conversions of Huguenots, which have occurred at the hospital; also that of an Iroquois woman, who at first was obstinately averse to any mention of the faith. She praises the ability, the prudence, and especially the generous disposition, of Talon, the new intendant. CXIX. Father Thierry Beschefer, who came to Canada in 1665, writes three letters to relatives and friends. The first (dated October I, 1666) mentions the war with the Iroquois, which has prevented Beschefer from going to them as a missionary. He praises the climate and soil of Canada, and is well content to remain there. A letter written three days later describes the ceremony by which he receives from the Hurons the name of Ondessonk, as successor of J ogues and Le Moyne. He hopes to go next year on a mission to the upper Iroquois tribes. Marquette has come to Canada, and will go to Three Rivers to study the Algonkin tongue. Beschefer gives an interesting description of Quebec. "The upper town is of PREFACE TO VOL. L 13 importance only on account of the Churches and religious houses." The Jesuits are building a large church. The small chapel which they meanwhile use contains over 1000 ecus' worth of silverware. Two houses were recently built at Quebec, " one of which was sold for 22 thousand livres, and the other is well worth 1 5 thousand." We have but part of the third letter, which is dated August 25, 1667. "At the present moment, we have peace with the Iroquois," and a mission has been already begun among them.