Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

On Sunday last, 25th inst. Jacques Perrault, Pierre Voyer, Joseph De Rome, Etienne Tetu, and Gonfague Berthelot, having made up a party to go to the Falls of Choudiere, took for that purpose a bark canoe, in which they ascended the rapids under favor of the tide, which was then high. About 5 o'clock, setting out on their return, they made an attempt to get over the breakers, then very strong by reason of the tide being low. At the very moment when they had escaped the danger, one of them cried out that they were all going to perish; this affrighted the others, who, losing all courage, ceased rowing. The canoe left to itself was quickly overturned by the violence of the torrent, and the bubbling up of the waters. The young Perrault was the first who fell overboard, Voyer and Tetu followed him, Berthelot and De Rome were the last overturned, they holding on the stern of the canoe: of these five, four were swallowed up in the torrent, the young Berthelot alone rose, and fortunately laid hold of the canoe, by which he held firm, until the current drove him on shore. He applied instantly to a man at the ferry house for assistance, unfolding at the same time the misfortune which had befallen him and his companions; but was refused the least assistance—this latter would not even cross the river, though offered a reward, assigning as a reason that he was afraid to leave his children alone: so that this young man, in the sad situation in which he found himself, unmindful of the dangers which he was about to encounter, and affected only by the misfortune which had happened, set off in his weak canoe, which he had ballasted with stones, and crossed the river opposite to cape Rouge, where he took a carriage, and reached town about nine o'clock at night.

We cannot but deplore this unhappy catastrophe which has deprived society of four young men, who were accounted amongst the choicest and most polished of our youth; at the same time we hope that this sad adventure will serve as a lesson to those parents who through a want of firmness, suffer their children daily to become the prey of a danger, which the want of experience prevents them from being sensible of. The only consolation that remains to their fond parents is the regret of the whole city at the fate of these unfortunates. Notwithstanding repeated efforts, the body of the young Perrault is the only one which has been found.