Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-07-24

,tieSo ldIlS are situated tne WaterWOrkS WHICH
supply Quebec with the pure element, by pipes
reaching to all parts of the city. The water so
carried is remarkable for certain properties, be
ing TO some extent astringent in its effects, snd
is excellent both for drinking and cooking
That of the river ST. Lawrance on tho contrary
is sightp aperien, and very apt to affect strangers
with dlarhGa. During the last visitation of
cholera it is said no person died of that disease
who used Lorette water exclusively, and this
village has been always a refuge for persons de-
sirous Of avoiding the visiations,
The Indians have right to prevent strangers
remaining in the village more than six months
at time and all purchases of their lands or
houses are null in law. They cultivate a very
small portion Of ground. Gardens containing
potatoes in mounds Of earth, raised over seed po
tatoes scattered promscuously into the soil
few small patches of Indian corn, some acres
of OATS and ditto of hay form the extent Of
Their agriculture They appear to be a healthy
and prolific race, and the stranger no sooner
crosses the bridge of Lorette Than he finds him
self surrounded by swarms of black-eyed, we'll
lmbed urchins differing for the most part from
the Canadian population in physiognomy, man
ners and costume, though all offering in voluble
and EXTREMITY patois French to display their skill
In the use of the bow for his special behoof
Their favorte trick consists in inducing stran
ge to place e copper" in the ground for them
to disodge by their arrows. These consist of
blunt shafts of wood without feathers, and with
large fiat heads. The prize being buried in tho
earth the little archer retire to such distance as
enables then TO markthe spot at which the earth
has been turned up just above the upper edge of
the penney, when forming a half circle they
shoot away until one succeeds in dislodging the
hidden target when he claims the right of the
victor. There is handsome catholic church at
Lorette and the Indian congregation dressed in
their Sunday habilimen,s are worth seeing. The
women when young are frequently pretty. When
in gala costume they wear their hair without cap
or bonnet carefully dressed and ornamented with
busles, using their beaver hats only when COM
PEELED by the weather, gowns of dark blue super
fine broadcloth, leggins of the same material,
highly ornamented moccasins showing off their
remarkably small feet, which huwever. they dis
figure by walking on all occasions with their toes
turned in !; and blanket coat, and are almost al
ways armed with the long sheath knife which
aoo than hnntipo
No people, however, are more peaceful than they
Even the proverbially gentle Canadian peasantry
rightly consider the Hurons mild inofensive
race. On all public occasions, they paint their
laces and resume the entire paraphernaa of saw
age life, the pipe. hatchat, &C., and on these oc-
casions of ceremony they refuse to speak in
French save by way af Interpretation. So in
the elections for the provincial Pariment Lorette
usually holds its own little convention and nomi-
mates the representative whom it will support as
member for the County of Quebec, Should
their candidate be returned they address him for
marly under the title of the electors of the HUI
ron Nation and in their own language, the sense
of which they su ubseqnenty translate into French,
for the benefit of their fellow constituents
With this trait will conclude notice of the
Indian of Lorette, who ale every year visited
by American travellers and tourists who car
scarce believe that the inofensive and quiet
though peculiar looking people inhabiling tina
struggling village of painted and shingled franz
houses and squared log huts, are the descendant
of those terrible savages who in ancient day
ravaged the frontier settlements of New Englan
4 and carried these Eastern expeditions to the YER
gaits of Halifax and other Atlantic posts of tn,
Engls and whose alliance with their white al
lies pupils and imilators le carrieurs des bolts
y has at length produced by gradual amalgama
ton monerel race retaining the pursuits of tn
savage. with little else of the Indian, save III
!; indomitable pride which induces him to bos. hi
h lar guage and his ancestors and employ tn
o word sarage" (savage) as if the phrase cor
~ tanned claim of superiority over all the othe
families of man.