A shorte and briefe narration of the two nauigations and discoueries to the northweast partes called Newe Fraunce: first translated out of French into Italian, by that famous learned man Gio: Bapt: Ramutius, and now turned into English by Iohn Florio; worthy the reading of all venturers, trauellers, and discouerers

¶ Of the greatnesse and deapth of the sayd Riuer, and of the sortes of Beastes, Birdes, Fishes, and other things that we haue seene, with the scituation of the place. CHA. 11.

THe sayd Riuer beginneth beyond the Iland of Thassump∣cion, ouer against the high Mountaynes of Honguedo, and of the seauen Ilands. The distance ouer from one side to the other, is about 35. or 40. leagues. In the middest it is aboue 100. faddome deepe. The surest way to sayle vpon it, is on the South side, and towarde the North, that is to say, from the sayd seauen Ilandes, where from side to side, there is seauen leagues, where are also two great Riuers that come downe from the hilles of Saguenay, and make diuers very dangerous shealues in the Sea. At the entrance of those two Riuers, we saw many and great store of Whales, and sea Horses. Ouer∣thwart the sayd Ilands, there is another little Riuer that runneth along those marrish groundes about thrée or foure leagues, wherein there is great store of water fowles. From the head of that Riuer to Hochelaga, there is about thrée hun∣dred leagues: the originall beginning of it is in the riuer that commeth from Saguenay, which riseth and springeth among high and stéepe hilles: it entreth into that Riuer before it com∣meth to the prouince of Canada on the North side. That riuer is very déepe, high, and straight, wherefore it is very dange∣rous for any vessell to goe vpon it. After that riuer, followeth the prouince of Canada, wherein are many people dwelling in open boroughes and villages. There are also in the circuite and territorie of Canada, along, and within the sayd riuer, ma∣ny other Ilands, some great, and some small, among whiche, there is one that conteyneth aboue tenne leagues in length, full of goodly and high tr••e••, and also many Vines. You may go into it from both sides, but yet the surest passage is on the South side. On the shoare or bancke of that Riuer West∣ward, there is a goodly, faire, and delectable s••ce, or Créeke, conuenient and fitte for to harborough Shippes. Hard by, there is in that Riuer one place very narrow, déepe, and swift

running, but it is not passing the third part of a league, ouer-against the which, there is a goodly high péece of land, with a Towne therein: and the Countrey about it is very well til∣led and wroughte, and as good as possibly can bée séene. That is the place and abode of Donnacona, and of our two men we tooke in our firste voyage, it is called Stadagona. But be∣fore we come to it, there are foure other peopled Townes, that is to say, Ayraste, Starnatan, Tailla, whiche standeth vp∣pon a hill, and Scitadin, and then Stadagona, vnder whiche Towne toward the North, the Riuer and Porte of the ho∣ly Crosse is, where we stayd from the fiftenth of September, vntill the sixtéenth of May 1536. and there oure Shippes re∣mayned drie▪ as we haue sayde before. That place béeing past, we found the habitation of the people called Teguenon∣dahi, standing vpon an high Mountayne, and the valley of Hochelay, whiche standeth in a Champaigne Countrey. All that Countrey is full of sundrye sortes of woodde, and ma∣ny Vynes, vnlesse it be about the places that are inhabited, where they haue pulled vp the Trées to till and laboure the grounde, and to builde their Houses and Lodgings. There is greate store of Stagges, Déeres, Beares, and other suche lyke sortes of Beastes, as Connies, Hares, Mar∣tons, Foxes, Otters, Weasels, Badgers, and Mice excée∣ding greate, and diuers other sortes of Venison. They cloath themselues with the Skinnes of those Beastes, bycause they haue nothing else to make them apparell withall. There are also many sortes of Birds, as Cranes, Swannes, Cigne••s, wild Géese white and gray, Duckes, Thrushes, blacke Birdes, Turtles, wilde Pigeons, Leuites, Finches, redde breastes, Stares, Nightingales, Sparrowes, and o∣ther Birdes, euen as in France. Also as we haue sayde before, the sayde Riuer is the plentifullest of Fish that euer hath of any man bin séene or heard of, bycause that from the head to the end of it, according to their seasons, you shall find all sorts of fresh water fish, and salt. There are also many Whales, Porpo••ses, Seahorses, and Adhothuis, whiche is a kinde of

Fish that we had neuer séene nor heard of before. They are as great as Porpoises, as white as any Snow, their body•• and head fashioned as a gray hound, they are woont alwayes to abide betwéene the fresh and salt water, which beginneth betwéene the Riuer of Saguenay and Canada.