CELERON'S JOURNAL
(Concluded from page 377.)
The 9th of October, I set out from the
lower part of the
Narrows and came to pass the night at
Point Pelee. During
our voyage across Lake Erie nothing
happened worth men-
tioning. On the 19th I arrived at
Niagara, where I was de-
layed three days from stress of weather.
The 22d I set out
from Niagara for the southern part of
Lake Ontario, so as to
pass that way to Fort Frontenac. It took
me fourteen days
to sail over this lake, and many of my
canoes were broken by
the violence of the winds. On the 6th of
November I arrived
at the fort.
The 7th of November I set out from Fort
Frontenac and
passed by the establishment of M.
Piquette.82 I had received
orders from M. the Marquis de la
Galissoniere to notice how
many deserted during my expedition. I
did not find any more
desert than when I was passing there in
the beginning of July.
His (M. Piquette's) fort was burned
after his departure for
Montreal, by some Indians who are
believed to have been sent
by the English at Chouequin. A granary
stocked with hay was
also burned, and a sort of a redoubt
which stood in the angle of
the bastion was saved, although it was
set on fire on different
occasions.
There were but three men on guard at
this fort, one of
whom had lost his arm by a gun exploding
in his hand whilst
firing on those who were setting the
place on fire. I made in-
quiries as to whether it was known which
nation it was that
had perpetrated this act, and I was told
that it was two Goyo-
quin,83 who had passed the
summer with M. Pipuette, and who
had been hired by the English to take
away his negro from him.
I set out and came to pass the night at
the foot of the Rapids.
The 10th of November, I arrived at
Montreal where I
stayed two days. I went down to Quebec
to render an account
82, 83. See page 391.
Vol. XXIX-31. (481)
482
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society
Publications.
of my expedition to M. the Marquis de la
Jonquiere.84 I felt
happy enough, notwithstanding the
fatigues of the campaign,
the poor diet, and the number of sick,
to have lost (only) one
man, who was drowned in the shipwreck of
M. Dejonquiere.
I was happy too in the esteem of Father
Bonnecamp, a Jesuit
and great mathematician, who paid very
great attention to the
route.- The journey is twelve hundred
leagues. I was still
more happy in my own esteem and in that
of the officers of the
detachment. All that I can say is, that
the nations of these
localities are very badly disposed
towards the French, and are
entirely devoted to the English. I do
not know in what way
they could be brought back. If violence
were to be used, they
would be notified of it, and would take
to flight. They find a
great refuge with the Flat-Heads,85
from whom they are not very
distant. If our traders were sent there
for traffic, they could not
sell their merchandise at the same price
as the English sell theirs,
on account of the many expenses they
would be obliged to incur.
Moreover, I think it would be dangerous
to make any easier
conditions with the nations who inhabit
the Beautiful River,
than those made at the other posts.
Detroit, Miamis, and the
rest would abandon our ancient posts and
perpetuate the nations
on the Beautiful River, who are within
the grasp of the English
government. However, some persons have been sent there
these last years; but there were fewer
English then, and they
had not so much credit as they have
to-day; and, if the French
traders will tell the truth, they will
agree that their profits will
prove just as trade made with the
English by the exchange of
furs. The raccoons, the otters and the
pecos86 command a very
low price in England, while with us they
are very high; and,
besides, only these furs are known to
come from that quarter,
but never beavers, this last is given in
exchange to the English.
A solid establishment would be useful in
the colony, but there
are a great many inconveniences in being
able to sustain it, on
the score of the difficulties of the
ways for transporting pro-
visions and the other suitable
requisites. I am in doubt as to
the feasibility of the undertaking
without incurring enormous
expenses. I feel myself obliged on account
of the knowledge
84, 85, 86. See page 391.
Celeron's Journal. 483
I have acquired of all these places, to
put these reflections at the
end of my journal, so that one
may make use of them as he
shall judge proper.
Signed,
CELORON.
Copy of the Summons served on the
English of the Beautiful River:
We, Celoron, Captain, Knight of the
Royal and Military Order of
St. Louis, Commander of a detachment
sent by order of M. the Marquis
de la Galissoniere, Governor-General of
New France, have summoned
the English traders who were in an
Indian village, situated on the Beau-
tiful River, to withdraw into their own
country with their effects and
baggage, under penalty of being treated
as smugglers in case of refusal,
to which summons the said English
traders responded-that they were
going to withdraw into their own country
with their effects. Made in
this, our camp of the Beautiful River.
Copy,
LECIONQUIERE,87
T. S. V. P. (or B.)
87. See page 392.