77. The festival of St. John the Baptist occurs on the 24th of June; and,
arriving on that day, they gave the name of St. John to the river,
which has been appropriately given also to the city at its mouth, now
the metropolis of the province of New Brunswick.

78. Champlain was under a missapprehension about passing the fall at the
mouth of the St. John at high tide. It can in fact only be passed at
about half tide. The waters of the river at low tide are about twelve
feet higher than the waters of the sea. At high tide, the waters of the
sea are about five feet higher than the waters of the river.
Consequently, at low tide there is a fall outward, and at high tide
there is a fall inward, at neither of which times can the fall be
passed. The only time for passing the fall is when the waters of the
sea are on a level with the waters of the river. This occurs twice
every tide, at the level point at the flood and likewise at the ebb.
The period for passing lasts about fifteen or twenty minutes, and of
course occurs four times a day. Vessels assemble in considerable
numbers above and below to embrace the opportunity of passing at the
favoring moment. There are periods, however, when the river is swollen
by rains and melting snow, at which the tides do not rise as high as
the river, and consequently there is a constant fall outward, and
vessels cannot pass until the high water subsides.

79. They ascended the river only a short distance into the large bay just
above the falls, near which are the three islands mentioned in the
text.

80. The distance from the mouth of the river St. John to Tadoussac in a
direct line is about sixty-five leagues. But by the winding course of
the St. John it would be very much greater.