Notwithstanding these obstacles which appeared insurmountable to them as well as to us, God, who holds in His hands all the moments of our lives, so happily inspired us with all that was necessary to

be done, that having departed on the 20 th day of March from our house of Ste. Marie, near Onnontagu6, at eleven o'clock at night, His divine providence guiding us, as if by a continued miracle, in the midst of all imaginable dangers, we arrived at Quebec on the 23 d of the month of April, having

passed Montreal and Three Rivers before any canoe could be launched, the river not having been open for navigation until the very day that we made our appearance.

From the same to the same. Your Rev. will be glad to learn the particulars of our departure from Ste. Marie of the Iroquois. * The resolution being taken to quit that country where God took through us, the small number of Ins disciples, the difficulties appeared insurmountable in their execution for which every thing failed us. To supply the want of canoes, we had built, in

secret,

two Batteaux of a novel and excellent little water and carried considerable

structure to pass the rapids ; these batteaux drew but very

freight, fourteen or fifteen men each, amounting to fifteen to sixteen hundred weight.

We had moreover four Algonquin and four Iroquois canoes, which were to compose our little fleet of fifty-three

Frenchmen. But the difficulty was to embark unperceived by the Iroquois who constantly beset us. The batteaux, canoes and all the equipage could not be conveyed without great noise, and yet without secrecy there was nothing to be expected save a general massacre of all of us the moment it would be discovered that we entertained the least thought of withdrawing.