Part 8

This is confirmed by an account, which I received from Mr. de Verandrier, who has commanded the expedition to the south-sea in person, of which I shall presently give an account. I have heard it repeated by others, who have been eye-witnesses of every thing that happened on that occasion. Some years before I came into Canada, the then governor-general, Chevalier de Beauharnois, gave Mr. de Verandrier an order to go from Canada, with a number of people, on an expedition across North-America to the south-sea, in order to examine, how far those two places are distant from each other, and to find out, what advantages might accrue to Canada, or Louisiana, from a communication with that ocean. They set out on horseback from Montreal, and went as much due west as they could, on account of the lakes, rivers, and mountains, which fell in their way. As they came far into the country, beyond many nations, they sometimes met with large tracts of land, free from wood, but covered with a kind of very tall grass, for the space of some days journey. Many of these fields were every where covered with furrows, as if they had been ploughed and sown formerly. It is to be observed, that the nations, which now inhabit North-America, could not cultivate the land in this manner, because they never made use of horses, oxen, ploughs, or any instruments of husbandry, nor had they ever seen a plough before the Europeans came to them. In two or three places, at a considerable distance from each other, our travellers met with impressions of the feet of grown people and children, in a rock; but this seems to have been no more than a Lusus Naturæ. When they came far to the west, where, to the best of their knowledge, no Frenchmen, or European, had ever been, they found in one place in the woods, and again on a large plain, great pillars of stone, leaning upon each other. The pillars consisted of one single stone each, and the Frenchmen could not but suppose, that they had been erected by human hands. Sometimes they have found such stones laid upon one another, and, as it were, formed into a wall. In some of those places where they found such stones, they could not find any other sorts of stones. They have not been able to discover any characters, or writing, upon any of these stones, though they have made a very careful search after them. At last they met with a large stone, like a pillar, and in it a smaller stone was fixed, which was covered on both sides with unknown characters. This stone, which was about a foot of French measure in length, and between four or five inches broad, they broke loose, and carried to Canada with them, from whence it was sent to France, to the secretary of state, the count of Maurepas. What became of it afterwards is unknown to them, but they think it is yet preserved in his collection. Several of the Jesuits, who have seen and handled this stone in Canada, unanimously affirm, that the letters on it, are the same with those which in the books, containing accounts of Tataria, are called Tatarian characters [40], and that, on comparing both together, they found them perfectly alike. Notwithstanding the questions which the French on the south-sea expedition asked the people there, concerning the time when, and by whom those pillars were erected? what their traditions and sentiments concerning them were? who had wrote the characters? what was meant by them? what kind of letters they were? in what language they were written? and other circumstances; yet they could never get the least explication, the Indians being as ignorant of all those things, as the French themselves. All they could say was, that these stones had been in those places, since times immemorial. The places where the pillars flood were near nine hundred French miles westward of Montreal. The chief intention of this journey, viz. to come to the south-sea, and to examine its distance from Canada, was never attained on this occasion. For the people sent out for that purpose, were induced to take part in a war between some of the most distant Indian nations, in which some of the French were taken prisoners, and the rest obliged to return. Among the last and most westerly Indians they were with, they heard that the south-sea was but a few days journey off; that they (the Indians) often traded with the Spaniards on that coast, and sometimes likewise they went to Hudson’s Bay, to trade with the English. Some of these Indians had houses, which were made of earth. Many nations had never seen any Frenchmen; they were commonly clad in skins, but many were quite naked.

All those who had made long journies in Canada to the south, but chiefly westward, agreed that there were many great plains destitute of trees, where the land was furrowed, as if it had been ploughed. In what manner this happened, no one knows; for the corn-fields of a great village, or town, of the Indians, are scarce above four or six of our acres in extent; whereas those furrowed plains sometimes continue for several days journey, except now and then a small smooth spot, and here and there some rising grounds.

I could not hear of any more vestiges of antiquity in Canada, notwithstanding my careful enquiries after them. In the continuation of my journey, for the year 1750 [41], I shall find an opportunity of speaking of two other remarkable curiosities. Our Swedish Mr. George Westmann, A. M. has clearly, and circumstantially shewn, that our Scandinavians, chiefly the northern ones, long before Columbus’s time, have undertaken voyages to North-America; see his dissertation on that subject, which he read at Abo in 1747, for obtaining his degree.

August the 8th. This morning I visited the largest nunnery in Quebec. Men are prohibited from visiting under very heavy punishments; except in some rooms, divided by iron rails, where the men and women, that do not belong to the convent, stand without, and the nuns within the rails, and converse with each other. But to encrease the many favours which the French nation heaped upon me, as a Swede, the governor-general got the bishop’s leave for me to enter the convent, and see its construction. The bishop alone has the power of granting this favour, but he does it very sparingly. The royal physician, and a surgeon, are however at liberty to go in as often as they think proper. Mr. Gaulthier, a man of great knowledge in physic and botany, was at present the royal physician here, and accompanied me to the convent. We first saw the hospital, which I shall presently describe, and then entered the convent, which forms a part of the hospital. It is a great building of stone, three stories high, divided in the inside into long galleries, on both sides of which are cells, halls, and rooms. The cells of the nuns are in the highest story, on both sides of the gallery; they are but small; not painted in the inside, but hung with paper pictures of saints, and of our Saviour on the cross. A bed with curtains, and good bed-clothes, a little narrow desk, and a chair or two, is the whole furniture of a cell. They have no fires in winter, and the nuns are forced to ly in the cold cells. On the gallery is a stove, which is heated in winter, and as all the rooms are left open, some warmth can by this means come into them. In the middle story are the rooms where they pass the day together. One of these is the room, where they are at work; this is large, finely painted and adorned, and has an iron stove. Here they were at their needle-work, embroidering, gilding, and making flowers of silk, which bear a great similarity to the natural ones. In a word, they were all employed in such nice works, as were suitable to ladies of their rank in life. In another hall they assemble to hold their juntos. Another apartment contains those who are indisposed; but such as are more dangerously ill, have rooms to themselves. The novices, and new comers, are taught and instructed in another hall. Another is destined for their refectory, or dining-room, in which are tables on all sides; on one side of it is a small desk, on which is laid a French book, concerning the life of those saints who are mentioned in the New Testament. When they dine, all are silent; one of the eldest gets into the desk, and reads a part of the book before mentioned; and when they are gone through it, they read some other religious book. During the meal, they sit on that side of the table, which is turned towards the wall. Almost in every room is a gilt table, on which are placed candles, together with the picture of our Saviour on the cross, and of some saints: before these tables they say their prayers. On one side is the church, and near it a large gallery, divided from the church by rails, so that the nuns could only look into it. In this gallery they remain during divine service, and the clergyman is in the church, where the nuns reach him his sacerdotal clothes through a hole, for they are not allowed to go into the vestry, and to be in the same room with the priest. There are still several other rooms and halls here, the use of which I do not remember. The lowest story contains a kitchen, bake-house, several butteries, &c. In the garrets they keep their corn, and dry their linen. In the middle story is a balcony on the outside, almost round the whole building, where the nuns are allowed to take air. The prospect from the convent is very fine on every side; the river, the fields, and the meadows out of town, appear there to great advantage. On one side of the convent is a large garden, in which the nuns are at liberty to walk about; it belongs to the convent, and is surrounded with a high wall. There is a quantity of all sorts of fruits in it. This convent, they say, contains about fifty nuns, most of them advanced in years, scarce any being under forty years of age. At this time there were two young ladies among them, who were instructed in those things, which belong to the knowledge of nuns. They are not allowed to become nuns immediately after their entrance, but must pass through a noviciate of two or three years, in order to try, whether they will be constant. For during that time it is in their power to leave the convent, if a monastic life does not suit their inclinations. But as soon as they are received among the nuns, and have made their vows, they are obliged to continue their whole life in it: if they appear willing to change their mode of life, they are locked up in a room, from whence they can never get out. The nuns of this convent never go further from it, than to the hospital, which lies near it, and even makes a part of it. They go there to attend the sick, and to take care of them. I was told by several people here, some of which were ladies, that none of the nuns went into a convent, till she had attained to an age in which she had small hopes of ever getting a husband. The nuns of all the three convents in Quebec looked very old, by which it seems, that there is some foundation for this account. All agree here, that the men are much less numerous in Canada, than the women; for the men die on their voyages; many go to the West-Indies, and either settle, or die, there; many are killed in battles, &c. Hence there seems to be a necessity of some women going into convents.

The hospital, as I have before mentioned, makes a part of the convent. It consists of two large halls, and some rooms near the apothecary’s shop. In the halls are two rows of beds on each side, within each other. The beds next to the wall are furnished with curtains, the outward ones are without them. In each bed are fine bed-clothes, with clean double sheets. As soon as a sick person has left his bed, it is made again, in order to keep the hospital in cleanliness, and order. The beds are two or three yards distant, and near each is a small table. There are good iron stoves, and fine windows in this hall. The nuns attend the sick people, and bring them meat, and other necessaries. Besides them there are some men who attend, and a surgeon. The royal physician is likewise obliged to come hither, once or twice every day, look after every thing, and give prescriptions. They commonly receive sick soldiers into this hospital, who are very numerous in July and August, when the king’s ships arrive, and in time of war. But at other times, when no great number of soldiers are sick, other poor people can take their places, as far as the number of empty beds will reach. The king finds every thing here that is requisite for the sick persons, viz. provisions, medicines, fewel, &c. Those who are very ill, are put into separate rooms, in order that the noise in the great hall may not be troublesome to them.

The civility of the inhabitants here is more refined than that of the Dutch and English, in the settlements belonging to Great Britain; but the latter, on the other hand, do not idle their time away in dressing, as the French do here. The ladies, especially, dress and powder their hair every day, and put their locks in papers every night; which idle custom was not introduced in the English settlements. The gentlemen wear generally their own hair; but some have wigs. People of rank are used to wear laced cloaths, and all the crown-officers wear swords. All the gentlemen, even those of rank, the governor-general excepted, when they go into town on a day that looks likely for rain, carry their cloaks on their left arm. Acquaintances of either sex, who have not seen each other for some time, on meeting again salute with mutual kisses.

The plants which I have collected in Canada, and which I have partly described, I pass over as I have done before, that I may not tire the patience of my readers by a tedious enumeration. If I should crowd my journal with my daily botanical observations, and descriptions of animals, birds, insects, ores, and the like curiosities, it would be swelled to six or ten times its present size [42]. I therefore spare all these things, consisting chiefly of dry descriptions of natural curiosities, for a Flora Canadensis, and other such like things. The same I must say in regard to the observations I have made in physic. I have carefully collected all I could on this journey, concerning the medicinal use of the American plants, and the simples, some of which they reckon infallible [43], in more than one place. But physic not being my principal study (though from my youth I always was fond of it) I may probably have omitted remarkable circumstances in my accounts of medicines and simples, though one cannot be too accurate in such cases. The physicians would therefore reap little or no benefit from such remarks, or at least they would not find them as they ought to be. This will excuse me for avoiding, as much as possible, to mention such things as belong to physic, and are above my knowledge. Concerning the Canada plants, I can here add, that the further you go northward, the more you find the plants are the same with the Swedish ones: thus, on the north side of Quebec, a fourth part of the plants, if not more, are the same with the spontaneous plants in Sweden. A few plants and trees, which have a particular quality, or are applied to some particular use, shall, however, be mentioned in a few words, in the sequel.

The Rein-deer Moss (Lichen rangiferinus) grows plentiful in the woods round Quebec. M. Gaulthier, and several other gentlemen, told me, that the French, on their long journies through the woods, on account of their fur trade with the Indians, sometimes boil this moss, and drink the decoction, for want of better food, when their provisions are at an end; and they say it is very nutritive. Several Frenchmen, who have been in the Terra Labrador, where there are many rein-deer (which the French and Indians here call Cariboux) related, that all the land there is in most places covered with this rein-deer moss, so that the ground looks as white as snow.

August the 10th. This day I dined with the Jesuits. A few days before, I paid my visit to them; and the next day their president, and another father Jesuit, called on me, to invite me to dine with them to-day. I attended divine service in their church, which is a part of their house. It is very fine within, though it has no seats; for every one is obliged to kneel down during the service. Above the church is a small steeple, with a clock. The building the Jesuits live in is magnificently built, and looks exceeding fine, both without and within; which gives it a similarity to a fine palace. It consists of stone, is three stories high, exclusive of the garret, covered with slates, and built in a square form, like the new palace at Stockholm, including a large court. Its size is such, that three hundred families would find room enough in it; though at present there were not above twenty Jesuits in it. Sometimes there is a much greater number of them, especially when those return, who have been sent as missionaries into the country. There is a long walk along all the sides of the square, in every story, on both sides of which are either cells, halls, or other apartments for the friars; and likewise their library, apothecary-shop, &c. Every thing is very well regulated, and the Jesuits are very well accommodated here. On the outside is their college, which is on two sides surrounded with great orchards and kitchen-gardens, in which they have fine walks. A part of the trees here, are the remains of the forest which stood here when the French began to build this town. They have besides planted a number of fruit-trees; and the garden is stocked with all sorts of plants for the use of the kitchen. The Jesuits dine together in a great hall. There are tables placed all round it along the walls, and seats between the tables and the walls, but not on the other side. Near one wall is a pulpit, upon which one of the fathers gets during the meal, in order to read some religious book; but this day it was omitted, all the time being employed in conversation. They dine very well, and their dishes are as numerous as at the greatest feasts. In this spacious building you do not see a single woman; all are fathers, or brothers; the latter of which are young men, brought up to be Jesuits. They prepare the meal, and bring it upon table; for the common servants are not admitted.