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" people were not
in such close communication with the town of Hochelaga as to have the
same opinions and perhaps the Canada view of the Hurons as good persons
was the original view of the early settlers, while the Hochelagans
may have had unpleasant later experiences or echo those of the Ottawa
Algonquins. But furthermore they told him of the Richelieu River where
apparently it took a month to go with their canoes from Sainte Croix
(Stadacona) to a country "where there are never ice nor snow; but where
there are constant wars one against another, and there are oranges,
almonds, nuts, plums, and other kinds of fruit in great abundance, and
oil is made from trees, very good for the cure of diseases; there the
inhabitants are clothed and accoutred in skins like themselves." This