Untitled - Libr@rsi

1 651 - 52] RELA TION OF 1651 -32 169
CHAPTER III.
OF THE HURON COLONY ON THE ISLAND OF ORLEANS.
I
HAVE nothing to put under this title except the
Letter of a Father of our society, addressed to
another Father of his acquaintance who has
been in this new world. This is the only memoir I
have received touching that Colony, which has its
[26] griefs and its joys, its misfortunes and its blessings.
God grant that its afflictions may be limited
by this life, and its consolations be eternal. But let
us read our letter : the Father, after a few words of
preamble, which I have omitted, speaks thus:
" For news of our Huron Colony, I will tell you
that on the 26th day of the month of June last we
lost six of our best Christians, who went away to
Tadoussac in a large Canoe that we had lent them.
Their names are as follows: Pierre Ahandation,
Andr6 Annenharisonk, Martin Honahahoiannik,
Ren6 Hondednionhe, Dominique Onnhoudei, and the
pious Joseph Taondechoren. Three children were
lost with them,—
Louys, son of Joseph, Paul, son of
Pierre, and Nicole, daughter of Martin. They were
all from our dear Mission of la Conception. While
they were on their way down from the Island of
Orleans to Tadoussac,— to sell some of their Indian
cornmeal to the Algonquins, and to obtain from the
latter some skins for making robes for their use,— a
storm overtook them in the middle of the great river,
opposite Tadoussac, and swallowed them up [27] in