Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-07-17
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
LETTERS FROM THE sAGUENAY, CANADA.
TApousAc, JUNE 25, 1917.

",
ohm. It's about forty miles long, and surrounded
with heavily timbered and rather level country.
IS inets are numerous, and twelve Of them are re-
yular rivers. Its waters are clear and abound in
great variety Of uncommonly fine fish. The prin-
fipa outlet to this lake is the Saguenay river, which
&akes southerly direction, and empties into the
St. Lawrence. 1t is the largest tributary of the
great river, and unquestionably one Of the most re-
|markable on the continent. Its original Indian
name was Chicontimi, signifying deep ocater but
the early Jesuit missionaries, who have scattered
Hheir iSaint-maic names over this entire country,
Thought proper to give it the name which 1t now
bears and the roundabout Interpretation of which is, Nose
o The Sack This suggests the world that the nose
f St. John have been very long nose and may be
looked upon as a unique specimen of French poetry.
The scenery of the Saguenay is wild and romantic
degree. The first half Of its averages half
mile in width through untrodden wilderness of pine
andpruce covered hills abounds in waterfalls and rapids,
and only navigable for the Indian few miles below
the southern fall the river located the village of
of Chiconm where an extensive numbering business
transacted and the Hudsons Bay Company have here an
important post The village has ancient appearance, and
contains about five hundred inhabitants, chiefly Canadian
French The only curiosity in the place rude Catholic
Church, which said have been built by Jesuit msona-
ire Of grassy lawn, surrounded with shrubbery backed by
cluster of woodcrowned hills and commands fine pros
pect only Of the Saguenay but also of spacious bay,
into which there empies noble mountain stream,
known Chconm river In the belfry of this venerable
church hangs clear toned BELL with inscription upon
which the learning of Canada with all its learned and
numbered pests has not yet been able to translate
pound But, great the mystery OF this inscriptions it
less mysterious my mind than the motives of the Romsh
Church in planting the in the remoest Of the
earth, as well as in the mightiest Of cities.
About ten miles south of Chconm there recedes from the
west bank OF the Saguenay to the distance of ten miles,
beautiful expanse of water called Grand Bay The original
name of this bay Ha, Ha, descriptive of the surprise
which the French experienced when they first entered nto
supposng that twas the Saguenay until their shaop ground
ed the northwestern shore At the head of this bay
other settlement similar Chiconm Between these two
places the Saguenay rather shallow (when compared with
the remainder of its course) and varies in width from two
and half three miles, The tides of the ocean are observ-
able far north Chcontm and this entire section of the
river Is navigable for ships of the largest class.
The portion Of the Saguenay extending from Grand Bay
to the St Lawrence, distance Of sixty miles, is greatly dis
nguished for its wild and picturesque scenery know
that better portray to your mind the popularity of this
river than by the following method Imagine for moment
an extensive country of rocky and hiny clad mountains,
suddenly separated CONFUSION Of Nature form
an almost boomless chasm varying from miles in
width and then imagine this chasm suddenly half filed with
water and that the Of centuries has soened the rugged
walls either sde and you will have pretty accurate idea
Of the Saguenay The shores Of this composed
principally of granite, and every bend presents you with an
imposing bluff the majority of which eight hundred feet
high and many of them upwards of fifteen hundred. And
generally speaking, these towering buwarks are not content
loom pependcuary into the air but they needs bend
TO look their savage features reflected in the
Deep Aye and hatword deep tells but the simple truth for
the food that rolls beneath is black and cold the boomess
pit To speak without figure, and from actual
men can state that many portions of the Saguenay
thousand feet Deep and the shaowest spots much less
than one hundred In many places, too the water is
deep five feet from the rocky barriers is in the centre of
the stream The feelings which filled my breast, and the
thoughts which oppressed my brin padded by these
places in my canoe allied to those which almost
hemed when first looked upward from below the Fall
70 the mighty food of Niagara. Awful beyond expresson
can assure you is the sensation which experiences in
sailing along the Saguenay his eye heavenward and
behold hanging directly his head mass Of granite APP
pareny ready toter and fall and weighing perhaps mil
lion TONS Terrible and sublime, beyond the imagery of the
most daring poet, these cliffs and while they proclaim
the omnpoent power of God, they the same whisper
into the of that he is but as the moth which uers
in the noontde And yet is not enough to fill the heart
OF man with holy pride and unbounded love, TO remember
that the soul within him will but have commenced its exist
when all the mountains Of the world shall have been
sumed a scroll
It to the Saguenay that indebted for one of the
imposing pictures that witnessed 1t had been
most oppressive day. and, passing up the river
late hour nshe afternoon, sudden gust of wind rush
ing down the stream causing my Indian companion to bow
as II in prayer and then TO urge fra towards
little rocky island, upon which we Immediately landed Soon
had sumounted rocky refuge the sky overcast
with pail Of backness, which completely enveloped the cliffs
on either side, and gave the roaring deathke hue
Then broke forth from above heads the heavy hun
der and it gradually increased in compass and became
threatening and impetuous, its voeys answered
by thousand echoes which seemed have been startled
from every crag in the Wilderness while flashes of the most
vivid lightning constantly illuminating the gloomy
made which appeared before Flat upon his face
IN his attitude of prayer fell my poor Indian comrade and
while satby his side, trembling with terror the thought
tualy few into my mind that the point of passing
the gateway leading to hell Soon, however, the
wind ceased bowing the thunder roar the lightning to
fash and in less than hour after its commencement the
had subsidized and that portion Of the Saguenay was
glowing beneath the crimson rays of the setting sun
From what have written you may be impressed with the
idea that this river incapable Of yielding plcasurabe