McKenzie, James. Some Account of the King's Posts, the Labrador Coast, and the Island of Anticosti by an Indian Trader Residing there Several Years with a Description of the Natives and the Journal of a trip through those Countries in 1808 by the Same Person. An electronic transcription. MFTP #0017

The word Assuap means to watch and mousua a Moose deer which in former years were very numerous at this place but are now as scarce as they are on the Plains of Abraham. Assuapmousoin is indeed the poorest and the shabbiest of his Majesty's Posts. A hut and a small store with a small potatoe Garden were all the improvements that could be seen at this lonely miserable place. The Indians of this Post consist of a dozen Lazy families who are not Christians. They live in winter chiefly on Hares and in Summer on fish[.] This Place communicates with the River St Maurice by small Lakes & Rivers and is said to lie due north from Maskinongie[.]

As I had seen enough of the Country to satisfy my curiosity in this Direction and had the coast still to visit before the cold weather set in I returned from Assuapmn on the 15th and arrived at Tadousac on the 20th of Augt[.] The Indians managed their small Canoes coming down the Rapids and Cascades of the Sagunay with astonishing dexterity & they were equally expert in using the setting Pole going up[.] A Canadian requires at least half an age to learn to manage those ticklish

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