Marie-Catherine Hommasel Hecquet

“ I Have proved that there is great reason to think, that Madamoiselle le Blanc is of the Esquimaux nation; but as my proofs are equally applicable to the savages of Greenland, Spitzbergen, and Nova Zembla, if it were of importance to know exactly, whether she is a native of the continent of America, or of that of Europe, it is still in our power; for we know that American savages, both men and women, have a certain peculiarity, which distinguishes them both from Europeans, Africans, and Asiatics. ”

“ For it is impossible to suppose, that language, the most wonderful art among men, should have been born with us, and practised by us from mere instinct, unless we could at the same time suppose, that other arts came into the world with us in the same manner ”

“ The little savage seeing him advancing in a fury, kept her ground without flinching, grasping her little club with both hands, and stretching herself to one side, in order to give greater scope to her blow. Perceiving the dog within her reach, she discharged such a terrible blow on his head as laid him dead at her feet. [1] Elated with her victory, she jumped several times over the dead carcase of the dog. Then she tried to open a door, which not being able to effect, she ran back to the country towards the river, and mounting a tree, fell quietly asleep. ”

“ I imagine then that the captain of a ship from the north of Holland, or Scotland, or some town in Norway, may have carried off a parcel of slaves from some northern country, from Labrador perhaps, with an intention to sell them in the West India islands, where they may have had an opportunity of seeing and eating sugar canes and manioc. The same captain may probably have transported one or two of these slaves to Europe, either because he could not find an opportunity of disposing of them to advantage, or from caprice or curiosity ”

“ That the people live in little huts above the water, like beavers, and subsist chiefly by fishing. She herself was so much used to the water, that when she first came to France, she could not live without it, and was in use to plunge into it over head and ears, and to continue in it swimming about and diving like an otter, or any other amphibious animal: And when they restrained her from this practice, after she was a little tamed and civilized, she thought her health suffered for want of it. ”

“ Sometimes too, a Lady of the house, who had a great affection for her, would bring her a chicken or pigeon alive, of which she immediately suck'd the blood warm, which she found to be a kind of balsam that penetrated every part of her body, softened the acrimony of her parched throat, and brought back her strength. ”

“ The bulk of their nation inhabits about Hudson's Bay in the north; some of them are likeways be found along the coasts of the country of Labrador, an excessively cold country, bounded on one side by that bay, and on the other, by part of the river St. Lawrence. They are a nation of Anthropophagi, who devour men whenever they can get them. They are of a low stature, white, and very fat. In spite of the severity of the climate they hardly ever light a fire: It is thought they worship that element. They eat their flesh raw, and their usual food is the flesh of seals. ”

“ Upon which the little savage, after having first looked sharply around, to see whether any body observed her, came down the tree, and went to drink at the pitcher, plunging her chin into the water; but something having startled her, she regained the top of the tree before they had time to apprehend her.
This first stratagem having failed, the same person by whom it had been suggested, again advised to place a woman and some children near the tree, because savages commonly are not so shy of them as of men; and he bade them above all show her a friendly air, and a smiling countenance. ”

“ The bishop of Chalons, and the governor of the province, have been witnesses to her exercises of this sort. The bishop has since placed her in the hospital general of this town, into which the children of both sexes, belonging to the poorer inhabitants are received, and brought up to the age of 15 or 16 years, when they are put out to trades. It is there that they endeavour at present to tame and instruct her. She sometimes eats bread, but it is entirely thro' complaisance, for it gives her the heart-burn, as does every thing that is salted. ”

“ At night, when, according to Le Blanc, they saw more distinctly than in the day, (which however must not be understood literally, though her eyes do still retain somewhat of that faculty) they travelled about in search of food and drink. The small game which they catched sitting, and the roots of trees, were their provisions; their arms and nails supplying the place of caterer and cook. They passed the day either in holes, in bushes, or upon trees, as the nature of the place permitted. The trees were their refuge against the wild beasts which they discovered ”

“ The vulgar will be entertained with this relation much in the same manner as they are with the history of Robinson Crusoe; but to the philosopher it will appear matter of curious speculation; and he will draw from it consequences not so obvious to the generality of readers. He will observe with amazement the progression of our species from an animal so wild, to men such as we. ”

“ The little of this faculty that Le Blanc still retains, is astonishing, when she chuses to show it; for at other times her eyes are like ours, which she reckons a lucky circumstance, it having cost a great deal of pains to deprive them of their quick motion, and in which they had almost despaired of succeeding. ”

“ That Lady and M. L— having accordingly made a journey to Chalons, with this intention, found Le Blanc tolerably improved, and pretty expert at several female works, by which she might be useful to Madame d'Epinoy. But the superior of the convent, from some motive that is not known, unless it were the danger to her salvation that the child might run in the great world, prevailed on Madame d'Epinoy to let her remain where she was, informing her at the same time, of some little adventures that seemed still to indicate a latent inclination for swimming and climbing trees, as she had done formerly. ”

“ The squeaking cries she utter'd thro' her throat, by way of language, were, I believe not the least occasion of the harsh treatment she sometimes underwent: They were indeed frightful, those of anger or fear especially, which I could easily conceive from a specimen exhibited by her in my presence, of one of the most moderate, expressive of her joy or friendship, and at which, had I not been put on my guard beforehand, I should have been heartily frightened. ”

“ The little savage quite surprised at the small value they seem'd to set on her delicate fare, carefully gathered up the scattered frogs, and threw them back again on the plates and table. The same thing has happened several times. in different companies.
It was with the utmost difficulty that they dishabituated her from eating raw flesh, and, by slow degrees, reconciled her to our cooked victuals. The first trials she made to accustom herself to victuals drest with salt, and to drink wine, cost her her teeth, which, together with her nails, were preserved as a curiosity. ”

“ The Negroes of Africa, when carried to the West Indies, a climate much of the same temperature with their own, accommodate themselves to it without any difficulty, and thrive extremely well; but all attempts to naturalize the savages of the northern regions to that country, have proved unsuccessful. The English, Dutch, and Danes, who have colonies in several of the West India islands, as well as we, have more than once carried off some of the Esquimaux savages who inhabit the country of Labrador to the north of Canada. ”

“ There finding herself at liberty, and giving full scope to her natural inclination, the young savage pursued the hares and rabbits that were started, took them, and returning at the same pace, delivered them to the Queen. That Princess discovered some intention of carrying the little savage along with her, in order to place her in a convent at Nancy; but was dissuaded from it by those who had the care of her education in the convent of Chalons, where she was then boarded, at the expence of the late Duke of Orleans. ”

“ The Queen, however, promised to write in her favour to her daughter the Queen of France, to whom she sent at the same time a plant, consisting of several branches of artificial flowers, presented her by the little savage, who bad already learned an art which she has practised much since, that of imitating nature in works of that sort. ”

“ Though here it is by no means our province or intention to compose a romance, or to devise imaginary adventures, yet where certainty is wanting, we must look for probability. Of all the different suppositions I have formed for connecting the various circumstances of this history, what follows is the simplest and the most probable.
It is well known, that all the European nations who have colonies in America, are obliged to carry thither slaves to cultivate the ground, and to prepare its different productions, such as sugar, indigo, tobacco, chocolate, coffee, &c. ”

“ Since the French have made settlements on the coast of Labrador, for fishing seals, the Esquimaux approach them sometimes, and even traffic with them. No body understands their language; but they are very expert at expressing their meaning by signs. They are ingenious, and make all their own instruments themselves. ”

“ He will see evidently, by this example, that though man is by his natural bent and inclination disposed to society, like many other animals, yet he is not by natural necessity social, nor obliged to live upon a joint stock, like ants or bees; but is enabled, by his natural powers, to provide for his own subsistence, as much as any other animal, and more than most, as his means of subsistence are more various. ”

“ Nor is it commonly to be met with even in France, where it was first published, most of the copies being in the hands of Madamoiselle Le Blanc, the extraordinary personage whose history it contains, who makes a small profit by the sale of them.
This narrative was drawn up under the immediate inspection of M. de la Condamine, whose curiosity and accuracy, in matters of this sort, is universally known; and the commencement of whose acquaintance and connection with Madamoiselle Le Blanc will be found in page 22. It not only bears in its bosom the plainest marks of truth and authenticity ”

“ But I have already observed, that this gentleman only saw Le Blanc for the first time in that house, two years after her capture. She was then dressed in a kind of vest, or, as she says herself, a jacquet of stuff, which, by M. de L——'s account, did not hinder her, upon seeing a door open that led to a large pond, to run and throw herself into it, to swim round all its sides, and to land upon a piece of dry ground she found in it, where she fell at eating frogs. ”

“ They make leather canoes, which are water-proof, and are covered above in such a way, as to have only one opening in the middle, like a purse, capable of containing a single man, who, tying this purse round his waist, and seizing an oar in each hand of the form subjoined, he in that manner faces the most stormy weather, and the strongest fishes. ”

“ There they live without fire, only wearing a double covering of seals skins. Their women, who sew very neatly, make themselves small vests of the skins of birds, with the feathers on the inside, to keep them warm. They also have another kind of vests made of the guts of white bears, which they open after having scraped them, as if to make puddings of them; these they join together in the form of a shirt, which they put on above their vest of skins, to prevent the water from penetrating it. ”

“ The French, upon these savages approaching them in the night, give them a discharge or two of small cannon, which disperses them like birds; for they are afraid of shot, and of men, for which reason they never light fire, lest the flame or smoke should discover them. ”

“ Not content with these first trials, I caused produce a small canoe made of the bark of a tree, which was sent along with the savages, to show me what they made use of in place of our large ships, to traverse the sea and the lakes. It is a kind of little boat, very narrow and sharp at both ends, the better to cut the water indifferently with each; and the greater part of them are sufficient to contain only one person. ”

“ A woman with a child in her arms came walking near the tree, carrying different sorts of roots and two fishes in her hands, which she held out to the savage, who, desirous to have them, descended a branch or two, but went back again. ”

“ The savage, at the same time, believing the strangers around her to be so many enemies, who intended to murder her, or dreading, perhaps, punishment for what she had done, sprang out of their hands towards a window, thro' which she had a view of trees and a river, intending to jump from it, and so make her escape ”

“ They dress themselves in the skins of those animals, of which they likeways make bags, wherein they lay up quantities of their flesh cut into small pieces, as provision for the stormy season, They are as fond of the oil which they draw from this flesh, as drunkards are of wine. ”

“ The author of the following relatiou makes her to be an Esquimaux. But her appearance is sufficient to refute this notion; for she is of a fair complexion, a smooth skin, and features as soft as those of an European. whereas the people of the Esquimaux nation, are, by the accounts of all travellers, the ugliest of men, of the harshest and most disagreeable features, and all covered with hair. But tho' our author is mistaken as to the race of people, yet I think she is not mistaken in the situation of the country which she gives to her, for it certainly is a very cold country ”