mplain,
and seems to relate to war between the Hurons and Senecas at that period
and to an aversion to them by the people of the town of Hochelaga
themselves; who were, however, living in security from them at the time,
apparently cut off from regular communication with them by Algonquin
peoples, particularly those of the Ottawa, who controlled Huron
communication with the lower St. Lawrence in the same way in Champlain's
days.

On returning to Stadacona, Cartier, by talking with Donnaconna, learnt
what showed this land of Saguenay so much talked of by these people, to
be undoubtedly the Huron country. "The straight and good and safest road
to it is by the _Fleuve_ (St. Lawrence), to above Hochelaga and by the
river which descends from the said Saguenay and enters the said Fleuve
(as we had seen); and thence it takes a month to reach." This is simply
the Ottawa route to Lake Huron used by the Jesuits in the next century.
What they had seen was the Ottawa River entering the St. Lawrence--from
the top of Mount Royal, whence it is visible to-day. The name Saguenay
may possibly be _Saginaw_,--the old _Saguenam_, the "very deep bay on
the west shore of Lake Huron," of Charlevoix, (Book XI.) though it is
not necessarily Saginaw Bay itself, as such names shift. "And they gave
to understand that in that country the people are clothed with clothes
like us, and _there are many peoples in towns_ and _good persons_ and
that they have a great quantity of gold and of _red copper_. And they
told us that _all the land from the said first river to Hochelagea and
Saguenay is an island surrounded by streams and the said great river
(St. Lawrence)_; and that after passing Saguenay, said river (Ottawa)
enters _two or three great lakes of water, very large; after which a
fresh water sea is reached_, whereof there is no mention of having seen
the end, _as they have heard from those of the Saguenay; for they told
us they had never been there themselves_." Yet later, in chapter XIX.,
it is stated that old Donnaconna assured them he had been in the land
of the Saguenay, where he related several impossible marvels, such as
people of only one leg. It is to be noted that "the peoples in towns,"
who are apparently Huron-Iroquois, are here referred to as "good
people," while the Hochelagans speak of them as "wicked." This is
explicable enough as a difference of view on distant races with whom
they had no contact. It seems to imply that the "Canada" p