Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-05-06
CHAMPLAIN AND The LAKE
rho Location of the Explorers Camp
ing Ground mud Of His Battle
with the IrOauois.
To the Editor Of The Free Press;


6e Champlain, with two OF his French
companions and go Montaguais savages
fl "a canoes left the rapids of the lro-
ouois river
Il Is not most strange thing
that. although three centuries have
passed. there is not single page
Of accurate history written Of Cham-
minis trip During all this period
of knowledge and ignorance. both
Knowledge on the part of those who have
tajled and seen, ignorance on the part
Of those who have stayed steadfastly at
home made books and read them ana
know nothing save what their narrow
local and egotistic knowledge of their
own country and literature gave them
a period of 300 years. Champlain's own
narrative has been accurate, clear ana
concise But every one OF the historians
has found it necessary to change 'ham-
plains dates after his estimates or ois-
tances and correct tO the latitude SO
carefully recorded by him to make his
account harmonze with their ignorance
OF the places he so carefully describes
lsut have sailed these waters ana
oamped along the shores OF this lake TOT
,rure than 80 years and And nothing
careless and confused" as Parkman
Gays in Champlain's narrative.
IT was Champlains custom to Keep
diary or note hook In which ne careluiN
roted days and dates AMI things that
particularly interested him, and care
fully recorded 4 . latitr e of the place
40 accurately described. Ctenrpla'n safs
in his voyages OF 1873 cl apter 3: Il sent
ore OF our Frenchmen back to the falls
with leaf from, my note book, on
which forwant Of paper ] made report
Of myself" Subse 1uentiy when he wrote
his narratives he had this note BOOK 10
refresh his memory, and I can see no
good reason why Chanpla,n should not
be taken at his word No doubt some
typogra phical errors exist especially IN
III. dates but his description OF the coun-
Try and places as he passes up the lake
10 remarkably clear, concise and accu-
rate and 7 believe his latitude as record
ID is correct to second. Nor do l ma
Rim careless and confused" In his estl-
mate OF distances, I doubt II any man
to-day, in an entirely new AND unex-
rlored country could more accurately
estimate distances than did Champaign
He had been oficer In the navy OF
France and he was sailor OF whom
the bravest OF mariners need not be
Atlantic, once In shallop Of 16 tons
and once in one of barely ~. He was a
worldwide traveller. even then, when he
entered this lake. He had ALREADY visit
ed Mexico. and Vera Cruz and Panama
He had seen the best that the continent
of Europe had to show But never he
(o~e was a scene more beautiful pre-
scented TO his eager. searching eyes. than
late Nn,Ir #
morning as he entered the lake ahovs
the head of Isle La Motto He was not
seeking gold He was not missionary,
nov trader. He was a sailor, a sports
man eager to see new sights, to feel. to
know the toy Of knowing what others
know not, and of feeling what others
never felt-this to Champlain was life.
When he Joined IN this expedition
AGAINST the lroquois only two Of all his
companions We're brave enough to ac-
company him. He was going, he knew
not where. NO Christians" he says,
had ever visited this place before u.s.
He had only the savages FOR guides and
what Information they had already vol
urteered to give him had proved to be
inaccurate for they had told him that
lie could get past the rapids with his
rllallop and he had already found that
TINS was impossible. None Drawer than
re had ever gone before him, however,
and he decided to send the shallop back
70 Quebec and accompany the savages
IN their canoes Champlain says: Il left
these rapids of the Iroquois river on July
2" He then describes how he and his
companions got past them. Now these
rapids extend most Of the way from
Chauby basin to St. Johns. a distance Of
about 10 miles, exactly as Champlain de-
scribes them. At their entrance they
are very swift and about 100 PAGES wide
and rocky as Champlain says. and
they carried their canoes. arms and
Baggage by land about half = league
~ mies) in order to get BY their
ewiftness and force. Then they put their
canoes in the water and two men In each
boat with the baggage and one Of the
men from each canoe went by land about
league and a half a IL mlles) the
length Of the rapid which Is not SO vio-
lent a. at its mouth"
wish to note right here that this
brings them UP past the island Of Saint
Therese," three miles below st. Johns
There they came to the upper rapids
where rocks obstruct the river which is
not more than 900 or 40 PAGES wide II
Champlain does not say SO but here alsc
K was necessary to carry their canoes
srms and baggage by land to get pas
the rocks and swiftness and force Of thu
rapids. This Is exactly the condition a
the place where st. Johns Is now ant
Champlain's account Ia most accurate
and far from being careless and con
fused" I'VE left these rapids Of thu
Iroquois river In July 2 After we ha1
passed tho rapid which was not withou
dhnculty, all the savases who had son'
by land by q pretty good path and leve
country, re-embarked in their canoes
My men went by land, too. and I b,
water In a canoe. They had a review
and found that they had "a canoes will
q men In them. When they had hac
their review, we continued on our wa!
ss far as an island. three leagues long
covered with the most beautiful pine
that ! had ever seen. They hunted ant
caught son.o wild animals there. Coin;
On further about three leagues we en-
csnped to rest that night" Now all .
lie above IN quotation marks is Cham
plains own narrative rs literally trans
lated from tho French
This was hard day, journey ~
through these rapids which extend al
the way from Chambly to St Johns. r
e., distance Of 10 miles as Champla
has so accurately described and daubtles
took them the entire day. They mus
have camped here that night above tn
rapids. Palmer says that 'Charpla
nmped about nine miles above tn
stand Of 'Sainte Theresa on the nigh