Wednesday 25^th Dec^r 1799. Expended 1 flacon rum &c in honour of Christmas[.] Cold Day[.]

Friday 26^th[.] Lambert busy throwing out the Snow & Dusablon cutting his Cords wood[.]

Saturday 27^th[.] Very Cold Day[.] [A]t Dark L’Espagnol & La Biccass arrived from the old Fort[.] The Fishery has fail'd there[.] Lambert busy throwing out the Snow[.]

Saturday 28^th[.] Bought of the Spaniard 50 Large white fish for 1 fath. Spencers twist, & 1 small Callumet that cost but one Skin – & the Beccass sold me 80 more for 1 Illinois Capot[.] Then with what Labri & Dusablon gave make 1630 whitefish at 10 sols each amount to 815 Livres in Goods – I must own these are a great many but not too many whitefish since there are no other provisions in the Hangard and none to be expected from the Indians as I forbade them to be amusing themselves Killing & bringing Meat to the Fort[.] This Day was so very Cold that the Spaniard who is pretty dure au Froid could not Shew his Nose on the Lake – he therefore relinquished going to the old fort[.]

Sunday 29^th[.] Dusablon Delivered his Cord wood[.] Lambert gathered the Snow that fell last Night[.] The weather not cold[.]

Monday 30^th[.] Dusablon would not give me rest till I engaged him to remain 3 years in Land exempt from Voyaging which indeed I look upon him to be incapable of[.] He bothered me so much to get a promise of a Ber here at the Lac La pluie price that to get rid of him I complied & wrote it in his Engagement with this proviso Si le Bourgeois le veut which in fact annuls it[.] This last I did not read to him – but as he is a Deaf fellow I can always make him believe that I read it to him though he was too Deaf to hear me[.] La Beccasse also engaged to voyage in land for three years which with two he had been engaged before makes 5 years[.] If required he is to fish for the fort in the winter and to be paid 10 sols for the Largest, 8^s for the Middling & 5^s for the smallest whitefish he gives[.] I hired this Man to fish in preferrence to any other because I think him less extravagant in his Demands & as capable to fish & take care of Nets as even LaBri with all his Boasting – for at present he has about 1200 whitefish en Echaffeau tho’ he has but 3 Nets in water – and besides he agreed without any ceremony to accept of the above prices for his fish – which M^r Labri would with as little ceremony refuse[.]

Tuesday 31^st[.] About 12 o’Clock F. Labri, Parranteau & Mandeville arrived from the Little Island where they have been to fish since 12 days ago – but say that they have 6 Nets continually dans l’eau & take but 1 or 2 pieces fish daily per Net – yet they eat 20 whitefish every Day & have brought us 69 whitefish & 11 small Trouts – at this rate they eat 8 whitefish every day & brought 80 pieces here more than they take or took since they have been there[.] They say they did not take them with Lines or with Nets – where then did they catch them & in what manner[.] Surely they did not dive for them and it is as certain that the fish did not fly out of the water through the Ice[.] We must therefore pronounce these Men liars which they are trop Bete to tell with a good grace or with any probabilility to make them pass for truth[.] Their Finesse, to use their own saying, est Cousu de fil blanc, on le voit de loin[.]

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