Original - North Central Michigan College Library

SllejcantierIjjeturpcarried in each canoe for the repairs whichfrequently become necessary.The canoes are worked, not with oars butwith paddles, and occasionally with a sail.To each canoe there are eight men; and toevery three or four canoes, which constitute abrigade, there is a guide or conductor. Skilfulmen, at double the wages of the rest, are placedin the head and stern. They engage to gofrom Montreal to Michilimackinac and backto Montreal again, the middle-men at onehundred and fifty livres and the end-men atthree hundred livres each. 8 The guide has thecommand of his brigade and is answerable forall pillage and loss; and in return every man'swages is answerable to him. This regulationwas established under the French government.The freight of a canoe of the substance anddimensions which I have detailed consists insixty pieces, or packages of merchandise, ofthe weight of from ninety to a hundred poundseach, and provisions to the amount of onethousand weight. To this i to be added theweight of eight men and of eight bags weighingforty pounds each, one of which every man isprivileged to put on board. The whole weightmust therefore exceed eight thousand pounds,or may perhaps be averaged at four tons.The nature of the navigation which is to be8These particulars may be compared with those of amore modern date, given in the Voyages of Sir AlexanderMackenzie. Author.16