Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-07-24
Mlisfella1lp.
From the Portland Transcript and Eclectic.
The Canadian Indian.

FROM tns portland transcript anu Eclectic.
The Canadian Indian.
The romance of all countries more or less at.
taches to the memorials of the past. Is through
the mist of memory, the halo Of antiquity, that
the mind sees those portraits which fancy loves
to adorn. The future teens with the non-exis-
tent and visionary the present is chained to the
car of the practical and material; through the
realms of the past imag nation travels under the
guidance of experience. and accompanied by the
ssterhood eff sympathies. Hence the interest
attaching to departed power. the monuments Of
decayed greatness, the remains of deunct nation
alites, In Europe the imaginative mind finds
its attaction in the Gothic Castles, of the feudal
barons, the robberries of the Rhine, the pites of
superstition embelished by genius of art, or" the
habit .tioas of horrid cruelty" once dreadful to
humanity, now meet themes for the pens Of Scott.
or Irving, or Dumas, In America the sentiment
of romance invariably attaches to the fast van
ishing Indian race TO them is left the undlsput-
ell realm Of fiction, and in that of history, they
hold at least divisum imperium with their Cau-
casian nquerers.-Having therefore enlighlen-
ed my readers as to the fables of lhe French
Canadian peasantry, by natural transition pro-
ceed to slight and nso,sslrily somewhlt i'm
perfect sketch Of their Indian neighbors. AT
AN early period of Am rcan history friendly al.
liauces were concluded between the French and
Hurons, the Indi ms inhabitants Of the valley
of the St. Lawrance A tribe who exacted tr-
butte of the Micmacs of Nova Scotia (the Ar
cadia) and waged a perpetual and destructive
warfare against the Iroquois, who held the great
er portion of what is now Upper Canada. The
French having espoused the quarrel of the HUI
rons against the Mohawks (lroquois) the latter
became their constant enemies and frequently
aided the English against them, just as on the
eastward the French upon the Labrador coast OBJ
tanned the alliance of the Monlaignards at price
of the still envenomed hatred of their hereji-
tary FOES, the Esquimlux. To the alliances of
the French, Hurons, Montaignads, and Micmacs
was added that of the Algonquins, more war
like race, in the estimation Of the first sett ers,
than any of the others, though probably less
powerful than the Hlrons, who had long contend
ed single handed against the Five Nations Of the
Iroquois and who holding the best and most fer
tile territory Of Eastern Canada, may be fairly
assumed to have poesessed decided superiority
in pint of strength, over neighb2rs who ac'
knowledging no law but that of the strongest,
were content to abide in more northern regions
now known as the Hudson Bay territories
The conversion of the Indians was an objec,
which the French clergy aided by the Govern
ment followed with zeal and sagacity which
has scarcely parallel in modern history 1t is
true their zeal often degenerated into utter fana
icism, as in the case of the capture of certal
Iroquo;s whom the priests could not induce thei
recent converts to spare, They prevailed OIL
them to permit of their conversion, and the un
happy wretches having received baptism at tn
hands of the priest were brought to the stake
suffer their doom from the yet savage parishlon
ers, while the officers of the Catholic Church
for Christians in ertremis, mingled with the de
tails of the Indian torture, and the orgies of tn
Huron victors, were blended in hideous unio
with the prayers of the prests whose lmte
power and deep belief in the afficacy of disapoln
ed forms invested savage revenge with the 50
emnities of religious sacrifice.
This was not by any means the only instanc
in which the Missionaries had to tolerate Il
barbarous propenses Of their converts b
their influence was no sooner firmly estab'ish'
than it was exercised in effectnally curbng {,
ferocity of the savages. So successful we
they that the descendants of these remorsee
warriors arc now the mildest race in the count
peaceful, gentle and forbearing almost to
fault.
While the Jesuts may justly glory in the
umphs of their order on the Canadian soil, mu
must also be said in favor of the policy of d
French as distinguished from that OF every otl
nation in their dealings with the savages. Th
appealed TO their sense of honor, the promptir
of their pride they amalg amated them W
themselves, and in corporatcd them with
French nationality far from disdaining h
they learnt from them many things worth acqr
ing between the Frenchman and the Indian tn
was an honorable interchange of knowledge
of courtesy. The Indian chief respectfully
ceived the commission of the French monar
the Indian warriors accepted French decorat
as the reward of bravery, and the posterly
their children of the forest at this day cher
these mementoes of their ancestors with feel
amounting to veneralion and take pride in d
playing them and transmitting them as heiroo
from generation to generation. If the pecu
glory of the ancient Rome was the power "
which she is impressed her language, laws
customs upon the nations she subdued II
must be conceded similar honor to the colon
policy of France.
The Hurons were completely amalgama
with the French, yet retaining their langua
their habits and costume to this day, and w
losing their Indian blood in constant intern
riages which have probably left not one p
Indian Of the tribe, they still scfupulously
herd to the habits of their ancestors and fol
the chase as almost their sole support.
.Jeuae Lorete, village distant nine miles Fl
Quebec is the chief seat of the remains of
people 1t is situated on the river St. Char
a beautiful little stream rising in a lake of
same name pcluresquely situated amongst
mountains about fifteen miles North OF Que
and navigable near the mouth immediately
low the city, at the entrance of the suburb
Rocks) for vessels of large size at high W
The village of Lorette is approached from
bee over bridge which crosses the st Chi
within little more than stones throw of or