The Country of the Neutrals | Page 4

The
Neutrals were easily influenced by the reports. Daillon's life was in
danger on more than one occasion. The rumor reached Brebeuf and De
Noue, that he had been killed. They at once despatched Grenolle to
ascertain the truth, with instructions to bring Daillon back if alive. He
acquiesced, and returned to the Huron country.
He speaks of a Neutral village called Ouaroronon, one day's journey
from the Iroquois, the people of which came to trade at Ounontisaston.
Their village was the last of the Neutral villages, and was probably east
of the Niagara River.
Daillon, like every other traveller, was charmed with the Neutral
country, which he pronounces incomparably greater, more beautiful
and better than any other "of all these countries." He notes the
incredible number of deer, the native mode of taking them by driving
them into a gradually narrowing enclosure, their practice of killing
every animal they find whether they needed it or not. The reason
alleged was that if they did not kill all, the beasts that escaped would
tell the others how they had been chased, so that afterwards when the
Indians needed game it would be impossible to get near it. He
enumerates moose, beaver, wild-cats, squirrels larger than those of
France, bustards, turkeys, cranes, etc., as abundant, and remaining in
the country through the winter. The winter was shorter and milder than
"in Canada." No snow had fallen by the 22nd November. The deepest
was not more than two and a half feet. Thaw set in on the 26th of
January. On the 8th March the snow was gone from the open places,
but a little still lingered in the woods. The streams abounded in very
good fish. The ground produced more corn than was needed, besides
pumpkins, beans and other vegetables in abundance, and excellent oil.
He expresses his surprise that the Merchants' Company had not sent
some Frenchman to winter in the Country: for it would be very easy to

get the Neutrals to trade and the direct route would be much shorter
than that by way of French River and the Georgian Bay. He describes
the Neutrals' country as being nearer than the Huron to the French, and
as being on one side of the lake of the Iroquois (Lake Ontario) whilst
the Iroquois were on the other. The Neutrals, however, did not
understand the management of canoes, especially in the rapids, of
which there were only two, but long and dangerous. Their proper trade
was hunting and war. They were very lazy and immoral. Their manners
and customs were very much the same as those of the Hurons. Their
language was different, but the members of the two nations understood
one another. They went entirely unclad.
Sagard adds that "according to the opinion of some," the Neutrals'
country was eighty leagues (about 200 miles) in extent, and that they
raised very good tobacco which they traded with their neighbors. They
were called Neutrals on account of their neutrality between the Hurons
and the Iroquois; but they were allies of the Cheveux Releves (the
Ottawas) against their mortal enemies of the Nation of Fire. Sagard was
dissuaded by some members of the French trading company from
attempting to bring about a peace between the Hurons and the Iroquois.
It was supposed that this would divert the trade of the Hurons from
Quebec by sending it through the Iroquois country to the Dutch of the
Hudson River. At so early a date did the question of closer trade
relations between the territories north and south of the lakes agitate the
minds of statesmen and men of commerce.
In the winter of 1640-1, the Jesuit missionaries, Brebeuf and
Chaumonot traversed the country of the Neutrals. The former
composed a dictionary showing the differences between the kindred
dialects of the Hurons and Neutrals. Chaumonot made a map of the
country, which is not extant, but there is reason for believing that it was
the authority for the delineation of the territory on Sanson's map of
1656 and Ducreux's Latin map of 1660. From the facts hereinafter
detailed it is highly probable that they reached the Detroit River, and
that they visited and named the Neutral village of which the Southwold
Earthwork is the memorial. The first printed map in which Lake Erie is
shown was made by N. Sanson d'Abbeville, geographer in ordinary to

the King, and printed in Paris, with "privilege du Roy" for twenty years,
in the year 1656. It is a map of eastern North America. The sources of
information are stated in general terms, which may be translated as
follows: "The most northerly portion is drawn from the various
Relations of the English, Danes, etc. Towards the south the coasts of
Virginia, New Sweden, New Netherlands and New England are drawn