IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 "■■ la iio 
 
 || | | IL8 
 U 11.6 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
 iV 
 
 V 
 
 4 
 
 4^ 
 
 :\ 
 
 \ 
 
 % 
 
 
 4> 
 
 f^ 
 
 
 o^ 
 
**,>* 
 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 Collection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Faatures of this 
 copy which may bf> bibliographically unique, 
 which may alter any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantly change 
 the usual method of filming, are checked below. 
 
 □ 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 
 Q 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 Coloured covers/ 
 Couverture de couleur 
 
 Covers damaged/ 
 Couverture endommagee 
 
 Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 Couverture restaurde et/ou pellicul6e 
 
 Cover title missing/ 
 
 Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 Coloured maps/ 
 
 Cartes gdographiques en couleur 
 
 Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) 
 
 Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 /I Bound with other material/ 
 Reli6 avec d'autres documents 
 
 D 
 
 Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion 
 along interior margin/ 
 
 La reliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la 
 distortion le long de la marge int6rieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appear within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 have been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties 
 lors dune restauration apparaissent dans le texte, 
 mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont 
 pas 6t6 filmdes. 
 
 Additional comments:/ 
 Commentaires suppl6mentaires; 
 
 L'ln^titut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire 
 qu'ii lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details 
 de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du 
 point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une 
 modification dans la m^thode normale de fiimage 
 sont indiquds ci-dessous. 
 
 I I Coloured pages/ 
 
 Pages de couleur 
 
 Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endommag^es 
 
 Pages restored and/oi 
 
 Pages restaurdes et/ou pellicul6es 
 
 Pages discoloured, stained or foxe( 
 Pages d6color6es, tachet6es ou piqu^es 
 
 Pages detached/ 
 Pages d6tach6es 
 
 Showthrough/ 
 Transparence 
 
 Quality of prir 
 
 Quality indgale de I'impression 
 
 Includes supplementary materii 
 Comprend du materiel supplementaire 
 
 Only edition available/ 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 I I Pages damaged/ 
 
 I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 
 fyj Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ 
 
 I I Pages detached/ 
 
 |~7] Showthrough/ 
 
 I I Quality of print \/^ries/ 
 
 I I Includes supplementary material/ 
 
 I I Only edition available/ 
 
 □ Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to 
 ensure the best possible image/ 
 Les pages totalement ou partiellement 
 obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, 
 etc., ont 6t6 filmdes d nouveau de fapon d 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 
 Ce document est filmd au taux de reduction indiqu6 ci-dessous. 
 
 10X 14X 18X 22X 
 
 y 
 
 12X 
 
 16X 
 
 20X 
 
 26X 
 
 30X 
 
 24X 
 
 28X 
 
 32X 
 
The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks 
 to the generosity cf : 
 
 Douglas Library 
 Queen's University 
 
 The images appearing here are the best quality 
 possible considering the condition and legibility 
 of the original copy and in keeping with the 
 filming contract specifications. 
 
 Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed 
 beginning with the front cover and ending on 
 the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All 
 other original copies are filmed beginning on the 
 first page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, and ending on the last page with a printed 
 or illustrated impression. 
 
 The last recorded frame on each microfiche 
 shall contain the symbol -^ (meaning "CON- 
 TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), 
 whichever applies. 
 
 IVIaps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at 
 different reduction ratios. Those too large to be 
 entirely included in one exposure are filmed 
 beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to 
 right and top to bottom, as many frames as 
 required. The following diagrams illustrate the 
 method: 
 
 L'exemplaire filmA fut reproduit grAce A la 
 g^nArositA de: 
 
 Douglas Library 
 Queen's University 
 
 Les images suivantes ont 6tA reproduites avec le 
 plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et 
 de le nettet* de i'exemplaire film«, et en 
 conformity avec les conditions du contrat de 
 filmage. 
 
 Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en 
 papier est imprimte sent film6s en commenpant 
 par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la 
 dernlAre page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second 
 plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires 
 originaux sent filmte en commenpant par la 
 premiere page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par 
 la derniAre page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinte. 
 
 Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la 
 dernlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le 
 ces: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE". le 
 symbols y signifie "FIN". 
 
 Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent 6tre 
 film^s d des taux de reduction diffArents. 
 Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre 
 reproduit en un seul clichA, 11 est fiim« A partir 
 de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, 
 et de haut en bes, en prenant le nombre 
 d'images nAcessaire. Les disgrammes suivants 
 illustrent la mithode. 
 
 
 ' t 
 
 f' * 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
i« < 
 
 ? 
 
 ?, ' 
 
 
 ■V ! 
 
 i 
 
 S I 
 
 \ 
 
 
 
 ^''; 
 
 . 
 
 , M 
 
 r 
 
 
 
 t 
 
 (i 
 
 fir. 
 
 1 '-- 
 J 
 
 '^ 
 
I 
 
 1 
 
 <E>\tt J«outlj 3(caflct«t. 
 
 No. qi. 
 
 The Founding 
 of Quebec. 
 
 1608. 
 
 From the " Voyac.ks " o\- Samtkl dk Champlain, 
 
 Having returned to France after a stay of three years in 
 New France,* I proceeded to Sieur de Monts, and related to 
 him the principal events of which I had been a witness since 
 his departure, and gave him the map and plan of the most re- 
 markable coasts and harbors there. 
 
 Some time afterward Sieur de Monts determined to con- 
 tinue his undertaking, and complete the exploration of the 
 interior along the great river St. Lawrence, wiiere 1 had been 
 by order of the late King Henry the Great t in the year 1603, 
 for a distance of some hundred and eighty leagues, commencing 
 in latitude 48° 40', that is, at Gasp^, at the entrance of the 
 river, as far as the great fall, which is in latitude 45° and some 
 minutes, where our exploration ended, and where boats could 
 not pass as we then thought, since we had not made a careful 
 examination of it as we have since done.t 
 
 Now, after Sieur de Monts had conferred with me several 
 times in regard to his purposes concerning the exploration, he 
 resolved to continue so noble and meritorious an undertaking, 
 notwithstanding the hardships and labors of the past. He 
 honored me with his lieutenancy for the voyage ; and, in order 
 to carry out his purpose, he had two vesse' equipped, one com- 
 
 * Champlain arrived on the shores of America on the 8th of A!ay, 1604, and left on the 
 3d of September, if>o7. He had consequently been on our coast three years, three months, 
 and twenty-five days. T/ie notes are reprinted from Stafter 
 
 \ The late Kii:^ Henry the Great Henry IV died in i')io. and this inlroduHory pas- 
 sage was obviously written after that event, probably near Ih*; tmie ol the publication of his 
 voyages in 1613. 
 
 I In the preliminary voyage of 1603, Champlain ascended tlie Si Lawrence as far as the 
 tails of St. Louis, above Moniteal 
 
manded by Pont Gr.iv^, who was commissioned to trade with 
 the savages of the country and bring back the vessels, while I 
 was to winter in the country. 
 
 Sieur de Monts, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of 
 the expedition, obtained letters from his Majesty for one year, 
 by which all persons were forbidden to traffic in peltry with the 
 savages, on penalties stated in the following commission : — 
 
 kt^ 
 
 «■ '! 
 
 ii 
 
 ! ■ 
 
 f!t'- 
 
 Henry hv the grace of God Kixg of France and 
 Navarre, to our beloved and faithful Councillors, the officers 
 of our Admiralty in Normandy, Brittany, and Guienne, bailiffs, 
 marshals, provosts, judges, or their lieutenants, and to each one 
 of them, accordmg to his authority, throughout the extent of 
 their powers, jurisdictions, and precincts, greeting : 
 
 Acting upon the information which has been given us by 
 those who have returned from New France, respecting the 
 good quality and fertility of the lands of that country, and 
 the disposition of the people to accept the knowledge of God, 
 We have resolved to continue the settlement previously un- 
 dertaken there, in order that our subjects may go there to 
 trade without hindrance. And in view of the proposition 
 to us of Sieur de Monts, (ientleman in Ordinary of our 
 chamber, and our Lieutenant-General in that country, to make 
 a settlement, on condition of our giving him means and sup- 
 plies for sustaining the expense of it,* it has pleased us to 
 promise and assure him that none of our subjects but himself 
 shall be permitted to trade in peltry and other merchandise, 
 for the period of one year only, in the lands, regions, harbors, 
 rivers, and highways throughout the extent of his jurisdic- 
 tion : this We desire to have fulfilled. For these causes and 
 other considerations impelling us thereto, We command and 
 decree that each one of you, throughout the extent of your 
 powers, jurisdictions, and precincts, shall act in our stead and 
 carry out our will in distinctly prohibiting and forbidding all 
 merchants, masters, and captains of vessels, also sailors and 
 others of our subjects, of whatever rank and profession, to fit 
 out any vessels, in which to go themselves or send others in 
 order to engage in trade or barter in peltry and other things 
 with the savages of New France, to visit, trade, or communi- 
 cate with them during the space of one year, within the juris- 
 
 •The contribution by Henry IV. did not probably extend beyond the monopoly of the 
 fur-trade granted by him m this commission. 
 
 I 
 
 1.1 h , 
 
9 
 
 ) 
 
 diction of Sieur de Monts, on penalty of disobedience, and 
 the entire confiscatl(jn of their vessels, supplies, arms, and 
 merchandise for the benefit of Sieur de Monts , and, in order 
 that the punishment of their disobedience may be assured, 
 you will allow, as We have and do allow, the aforesaid Sieur 
 de Monts or his lieutenants to seize, apprehend, and arrest 
 all violators of our present prohibition and order, also their 
 vessels, merchandise, arms, supplies, and victuals, in order to 
 take and deliver them up to the hands of justice, so that 
 action may be taken not only against the persons, but also 
 the property of the offenders, as the case shall require. This 
 is our will, and We bid you to have it at once read and pub- 
 lished in all localities and public places within your authority 
 and jurisdiction, as you may deem necessary, by the first one 
 of our officers or sergeants in accordance with this requisition 
 by virtue of these presents, or a copy of the same, properly at- 
 tested once only by one of our well-beloved and faithful coun- 
 cillors, notaries, and secretaries, to which it is our will that 
 credence should be given as to the present original, in order 
 .that none of our subjects may claim ground for ignorance, 
 but that ail may obey and act in acv. rdance with our will 
 in this matter. We order, moreover, all captains of vessels, 
 mates, and second mates, and sailors of the same, and others 
 on board of vessels or ships in the ports and harbors of the 
 aforesaid country, to permit, as We have done, Sieur de Monts, 
 and others possessing power and authority from him, to search 
 the aforesaid vessels which shall have engaged in the fur-trade 
 after the present prohibition shall have been made known to 
 them. It is our will that, upon the requisition of the afore- 
 said Sieur de Monts, his lieutenants, and others having au- 
 thority, you should proceed against the disobedient and of- 
 fenders, as the case may require : to this end. We give you 
 power, authority, commission, and special mandate, notwith- 
 standing the act of our Council of the 17th day of July last,* 
 any hue and cry, Norman charter, accusation, objection, or 
 appeals of whatsoever kind ; on account of which and for fear 
 of disregarding which, it is our will that there should be no 
 delay, and,* if any of these occur, We have withheld and re- 
 served cognizance of the same to ourselves and our Council, 
 apart from all other judges, and have forbidden and prohibited 
 the same to all our courts and judges : for this is our pleasure. 
 
 •This, we presume, was the act abrogating the charter of De Monts eranted in f6o3. 
 
Given at I'aris the seventh day of January, in the year of 
 grace sixteen hundred and eight, and the nineteenth of our 
 
 reign. 
 
 Si<i;ned, 
 
 HENRY. 
 
 1 '-^ 
 
 And lower down. By the King, Delomenie. And sealed 
 with the shigle label of the great seal of yellow wax. 
 
 Collated with the original bj' me, Councillor, Notary, and 
 Secretary of the King. 
 
 I proceeded to Hontleur for embarkation, where I found the 
 vessel of Pont Grave in readiness. He left port on the 5th of 
 April. 1 did soon the 13th, arriving at the Grand Bank on 
 the 15th of May, in latitude 45° 15'. On the 26th we sighted 
 Cape St. Mary,* in latitude 46° 45', on the Island of New- 
 foundland. On the 27th of the month we sighted Cape St. 
 Lawrence, on Cape Breton, and also the Island of St. Paul, 
 distant eighty-three leagues from Cape St. Mary.f On the 
 30th we sighted Isle Percee and Gaspe,1: in latitude 48° 40,' 
 distant from Cape St. Lawrence from seventy to seventy-five 
 leagues. 
 
 On the 3d of June we arrived before Tadoussac. distant 
 from Gaspe from eighty to ninety leagues ; and we anchored 
 in the roadstead of Tadoussac, § a league distant from the 
 harbor, which latter is a kind of cove at the mouth of the 
 river Siguenay, where the tide is very remarkable on ac 
 count of its rapidity, and where there are sometimes violent 
 winds, bringing severe cold. It is maintained that from the 
 harbor of Tadoussac it is some forty-five or fifty leagues to 
 
 • Tnis tape still retains its ancient name, ani'. is situated between St. Mary's Hay and 
 Placentia I'.ay. 
 
 t Cape St Lawrence is the northernmost extremity of the Island of Cape Rreton, and the 
 Island ol St Paul is twenty miles north-east of it. 
 
 J The Isle Fercde, or pierced island, is a short distance north of the Island of Bonaven- 
 ture, at the entrance of Mai liay, near the village of Percee, where there is a government 
 light (iasp6 Hay is some miles farther north "Below the bay," says Charlevoix, "we 
 perc?ive a kind of island, which is only a steep rock about thirty fathoms long, ten high, and 
 lour in breadth: it looks like part of an old wal', and they say it loined formerly to Mount 
 loli, which is over against it on the continent. This rock has m the midst of it an opening 
 like an arch, under wliich a boat of Biscay may pass with its sail up; and this has given it 
 the name of the //>r(-«</ island." — Letters to the Duchess of Lesiliguiires, by Francis Xavier 
 de Charlevoix, London, 1763, p. 12. 
 
 §The position in the roadstead was south-east of the harbor, so that the harbor was seen 
 on the north-west. Charlevoix calls it Moulin Haude. The reader will find the position in- 
 dicated by the letter M on Champlain'smap of the port of Tadoussac. Baude Moulin (Haude 
 Mill), directly north of it, was probably a mill privilege. Charlevoix, in 1720, anchored 
 there, and asked them to show him the mill; and they showed him some rocks, from which 
 issued a stream of clear water. He adds, they might build a water-mill here, but probably 
 it will never be done. 
 
5 
 
 the first fall on this river, which comes from the north-north- 
 west. 'I'he harbor is small, and can acconnnodate only ai)out 
 twenty vessels, 't has water enough, and is under shelter of 
 the river Saj^uenay and a little rocky island, which is almost 
 cut by the river. Elsewhere there are very hij^h mountains, 
 with little soil and only rocks and sand, thickly covered with 
 such wood as hr and birch. 'I'here is a small pond near the 
 harbor, shut in by mountains covered with wood. There 
 are two |)oints at the mouth : one on the south-west side, i\- 
 tendinj; out nearly a league into the sea, called Point St. 
 Matthew, or otherwise Point aux Allouettes ; and another on 
 the north-west side, extending out one-eighth of a league, and 
 called Point of all Devils,* from the dangerous nature of the 
 place. The winds from the south-south-east strike the har- 
 bor, which are not to be feared ; but those, however, from the 
 Saguenay are. The two points above mentioned are dry at 
 low tide. Our vessel was unable to enter the harbor, as the 
 wind and tide were unfavorable. I at once had the boat 
 lowered, in order to go to the port and ascertain whether 
 Pont Grave had arrived. While on the way, I met a shallop 
 with the pilot of Pont Grave and a Basque, who came to 
 inform me of what had happened to them because they at- 
 tempted to hinder the Basque vessels from trading, according 
 to the commission obtained by Sieur de Monts from his 
 Majesty, that no vessels should trade without permission of 
 Sieur de Monts, as was expressed in it ; and that, notwith- 
 standing the notifications which Pont Grave made in behalf 
 of his Majesty, they did not desist from forcibly carrying on 
 their traffic ; and that they have used their arms and main- 
 tained themselves so well in their vessel that, discharging all 
 their cannon upon that of Pont Grave, and letting off many 
 musket-shots, he was severely wounded, together with three of 
 his men, one of whom died, Pont Grave meanwhile making no 
 resistance, for at the first shower of musketry he was struck 
 down. ihe Basques came on board of the vessel and took 
 away all the cannon and arms, declaring that they would trade, 
 notwithstanding the prohibition of the King, and that when 
 they were ready to set out for France they would restore to 
 him his cannon and ammunition, and that they were keeping 
 them in order to be in a state of security. Upon hearing all 
 
 * Poinie de tous Us DiaHe'i. Now known as Pointe aux Vaches, cmvs. The point l 
 the other side of the river is still called Pointe aux Alouettes, or I^ark Point. 
 
If 
 
 . i: 
 
 & 
 
 i- . S' 
 
 ',' 1 
 
 
 li.' € 
 
 these particulars, I was greatly annoyed at such a beginning, 
 which we might have easily avoided. 
 
 Now, after hearing from the pilot all these things, I asked 
 him why the Basque had come on board of our vessel. He 
 told me that he came in behalf of their master, named Darache, 
 and his companions, to obtain assurance from me that I would 
 do them no harm, when our vessel entered the harbor. 
 
 I replied that I could not give any until I had seen Pont 
 Grave. The liasque .said that, if I had need of anything in 
 their power, they would assist me accordingly. What led them 
 to use this language was simply their recognition of having 
 done wrong, as they confessed, and the fear that they would 
 not be permitted to engage in the whale-fishery. After talk- 
 ing at length, I went ashore to see Pont (irave, in order to 
 deliberate as to what was to be done. 1 found him very ill. 
 He related to me in detail all that had happened. We con- 
 cluded that we could only enter the harbor by force, and that 
 the settlement must not be given up for this year, so that we 
 considered it best, in order not to make a bad cause out of a 
 just one, and thus work our ruin, to give them assurances 
 on my part so long as I should remain there, and that Pont 
 Grave' should undertake nothing against them, but that justice 
 should be done in France, and their differences should be 
 settled there. 
 
 Darache, master of the vessel, begged me to go on board, 
 where he gave me a cordial reception. After a long confer- 
 ence, I secured an agreement between Pont Gravd and him, 
 and required him to promise that he would undertake noth- 
 ing against Pont Grave, or what would be prejudicial to the 
 King and Sieur de Monts ; that, if he did the contrary, I 
 should regard my promise as null and void. This was agreed 
 to, and signed by each. 
 
 In this place were a number of savages who had come for 
 traffic in furs, several of whom came to our vessel .with their 
 canoes, which are from eight to nine paces long, and about a 
 pace or pace and a half broad in the middle, growing nar- 
 rower towards the two ends. They are very apt to turn 
 over, in case one does not understand managing them, and 
 are made of birch bark, strengthened on the inside by little 
 ribs of white cedar, very neatly arranged. They are so light 
 that a man can easily carry one. Each can carry a weight 
 equal to that of a pipe. When they want to go overland to a 
 
river where they have business, they carry them with them. 
 From Choiiacoet along the coast as far as the harbor of 
 Tadoussac. they are ail alil<e. 
 
 After this agreement, I had some carpenters set to work to 
 fit up a little barque of twelve or fourteen tons, for carrying all 
 that was needed for our settlement, which, however, could not 
 be got ready before the last of June. 
 
 Meanwhile I managed to visit some parts of the river 
 Saguenay, a fine river, which has the incredible depth of some 
 one hundred and fifty to two hundred fathoms.* About fifty 
 leagues from the mouth of the harbor there is, as is sai^', a 
 great waterfall, descending from a very high elevation with 
 great impetuosity. There are some islands in this river, very 
 barren, being only rocks covered with small firs and heathers. 
 It is half a league broad in places, and a quarter of a league 
 at its mouth, where the current is so strong that at three- 
 quarters Hood-tide in the river it is still running out. All 
 the land that I have seen consists only of mountains and 
 rocky promontories, for the most part covered with fir and 
 birch, a very unattractive country on both sides of the river. 
 In a word, it is mere wastes, uninhabited by either animals 
 or birds; for, going out hunting in places which seemed to 
 me the most pleasant, I found only some very small birds, such 
 as swallows and river birds, which go there in summer. At 
 other times there are none whatever, in consequence of the 
 excessive cold. This river Hows from the north-west. 
 
 The savages told me tliat, after passing the first fall, they 
 meet with eight others, when they go a day's journey with- 
 out finding any. Then they piss ten others, and enter a 
 lake,t which they are three days in crossing, and they are 
 easily able to make ten leagues a day up stream. At the end 
 of the lake there dwells a migratory people. Of the three 
 
 •The deepest sounding as laid down on Laurie's Cliart is one hundred and forty-six 
 fathoms The same authority says the banks of tlie river throughout its course are very 
 rocky, and vary in height from one hundred and seventy to three hundred and forty yards 
 above the stream. Its current is broad, deep, and uncommonly veiiement. In some 
 places, where precipices intervene, are falls from fifty to sixty feet in height, down which the 
 whole volume of water rushes with tremendous fury and noise The general breadth of the 
 river is about two and a half miles, but at its mouth its width is contracted to three-quarters 
 of a mile. The tide runs upward about sixty-five miles from its mouth 
 
 t If the Indians were three days in crossing Lake St. John here referred to, who«e length 
 is variously stated to be from twenty-five to forty miles, it could hardly have been the 
 shortest time in which it were possible to pass it It may have been the usual time, some of 
 which they gave to fishing or hunting. "In 1647, Father Jean Duquen, missionary at Ta- 
 doussac, ascending the Saguenay, discovered the Lake St John, and noted its Indian name, 
 Picouagami, or Flat Lake He was the first Kuropean who beheld that magnificent expanse 
 of inland water." — Vide Tra>isitctwiii Lit. ami Hn. Sot. of Quebec, 1867-68, p 5. 
 
8 
 
 gi } 
 
 rivers which How into this hike, one comes from the north, 
 very ne;ir the mm, where they consider it much colder than in 
 their own country : and the other two from other directions 
 in the intt-rior,* where are nii;;rat(>rv savaj;es, Hvin^ (Jiily 
 from hunting', and where our sii\ .i[;es carry the merchandise 
 we ^ive them for tlieir furs, such as beaver, marten, lynx, .uui 
 otter, which are fuund there in hirj^e numbers, and whicli 
 ihey then carry to our vessels. These people of the north 
 report to our sava|.;es that they see the salt sea ; and, if that 
 is true, as I think it certainly is, it can be nothing; but a 
 gulf entering the interior on the north. t 'I'he savages say 
 that the distance from the north sea to the port of Tadoussac 
 is perhaps forty-five or fifty days' journey, in consecpience of 
 the difficulties presented by the roads, rivers, and country, 
 'vhich is very mt)untamous, and where there is snow for the 
 most part of the year. This is what I have definitely ascer- 
 tained in regard to this river I have often wished to exul': e 
 it, but could not do so without the savages, who were unwill- 
 ing that I or any of our jxirty should accorri^ny them. 
 Nevertheless, they have promised that I shall do so. This 
 exploration would be desirable, in order to remove the doubts 
 of many persons in regard to the existence of this sea on the 
 north, where it is maintained that the English have gone in 
 these latter years to find a way to China. t 
 
 I set out from Tadoussac the last day of the month to go 
 to Quebec, § We passed near an island called Hare Island, || 
 
 •The first of tlicse three rivers, which the traveller will meet ,is he p.isses up the northern 
 shore of the lake, is the Pcrihouca tlowiiif^ from the north-east. The second is the Mis- 
 tassina, represented hy the Indians as coniing trom the salt sea. The third is the Choniuu- 
 chonan, flowing from the north-west. 
 
 t There was donhtless an Indian trail from the head-waters of the Mistassina to Mistassin 
 Lake, and from thence to Rupert River, which Hows into the lower part of Hudson's May. 
 
 i The salt sea referred to hy the Indians was undouhtedly Hudson's Hay. The dis- 
 coverer of this bay, Henry Hudson, in the years 1^107, ifK,S, and i'mh), was in the northern 
 ocean se.irching lor a passage to C'alliav. In iiuo he discovered tlie strait and bay which 
 now bear his name. He passed the winter in the southern pn-t of the bay; and the next 
 year, lOi i, his sailor.'^ in a niutiny fon td linii and his officers into a shallop, and abandoned 
 them to perish Nothing was IrmkI of tlRiu atterward. The lame of Hudson's discovery 
 had reached Champlain before the pwblii.alion of this volume in 161 j. This will be apparent 
 by comparing Champlain's small map with the Tahii.a Naitica of Hudson, published in 
 ifiia. It will be seen that the wliole of the Carte (leographique de la Nouveile France of 
 Champlain, on the west of l.umley's Inlet, including Hudson's Strait and Bay, is a copy from 
 tiie Tabula N.iutica. Kven the names are in English, a few characteristic ones being omitted, 
 such as Prince Henry, the King's Korlant, and Cape Charles. — /'/>/«■ Henry Hudson the 
 Navigator, by G. M. Asher, LL.I)., tiakluyt Society, iS^io, p. xliv 
 
 § This was June 30, 1608. 
 
 II Isle aiix 1. livres, or hares. This name was given by Jacques Carlier, and it is still 
 called Hare Island. It is about ten geographical miles longi ^nd generally about lialf or 
 three-quarters of a mile wide. 
 

 distant six leapiies from thv ahove-n.uinfl port : it i-. two 
 leagues from the northern, and nearly four leagues from the 
 southern shore, l-'rom Hare Island we procr-eded to a little 
 river, dry at low tide, u|) which some seven hundred or eight 
 hundred paces there are two falls. We named it Salmon 
 Kivet,* sMice we caught some of these fish in it. Coasting 
 al(jng the north shore, we ( ame to a jioint extending into the 
 river, which we called Cap Dauphin, t distant tliree leagues 
 from Salmon Kiver. Thence we proceeded to another, which 
 we named Kagle Cape.t distant eight leagues from Cap 
 J)auphiii littween the two there is a large l)ay,>J at the ex- 
 t-eniity c-' v hich is a little river dry at low tide, l-rom Kagle 
 Cape we pr' needed to Isle aux Coudres. || a good league dis- 
 tant, which IS about a league and a half long. It is nearly 
 level, '. ul g ows nr .uvver towaids the tw(^ ends. On the 
 weste... side th'^'c are meadows, and rocky points extending 
 some distan . out into the river. On the south-west side it 
 is very re f; , yet very pleasant in consecjuence of the woods 
 surrouiiding it. It is distant about half a league from the 
 northern shoie, where is a little river extending some distance 
 into the interior. We namod it Riviere du Goutfre,^i since 
 abreast of it the t.de runs with extraordinary rapidit)" • and, 
 although it has a calm appearance, it is always much agi- 
 tated, the ilepth there being great but the river itself is 
 shallow, and the.'e are many rocks at and about its mouth. 
 Coasting along from Isle aux Coudres, we reached a cape 
 which we named Cap de Tourmente,** five leagues distant; 
 
 "Khicre itiix SauimoHs. "From all .Tp|)L'.\raiH-es," s.iys Laverdiere, " tliis .Sahium 
 Kiver is tliat which empties into the ' I'ort k rKquillcs,' eel ''arhor, aNo lallcd ' Port aux 
 Uuilles,' Skittles I'ort. Its moutli is two ieaijues Irom Cape Salmon, wit' which it must not 
 be confounded." it i^ now kiuiwii as I'.lack River. 
 
 i Cafi Ihiiifihin, now called Cape Salmon, which is about three le.iKnes from lUark 
 Kiver. 
 
 XCaf> J I'Aigle, now known as Cnp aux Oies, or Cioi e Cape. The E.ijjie Capt of 
 to-day is little more than two leagues Irom Cape Salmon, while Cioose Cape is about eight 
 leagues, as stated in the text. 
 
 §rhe bay stretching between Cape .Salmon and Goose Cape is called Mai liay within 
 which are Cape Kagle, Murray l'>ay, Point au Pies, White Cipe, Red Cape, Illack, tJape, 
 Point Pere, Point Corneille, and l.ittle .Mai Hay. In the rear of (loose Cajie are les I'boule- 
 niens Mountains, 2,547 teet in height On the opposite side of the river is Point Ouelle, and 
 the river of the same name. 
 
 \[lsle n.' r Coudres, Hazel Island, so mined by Jacques Cartier, still retains its ancient 
 appellation Its distance Irom (loose Cape is about two leagues. The description of it in 
 he text 18 very accurate 
 
 If Riviere du Gouffrc This river still retains this name, signifying whirlpool, and is the 
 same that empties into St Paul's I'ay, opposite Isle aux Coudres 
 
 **Capde Toiiruiente. cape cf the tempest, is eight leagues from Isle aux Coudres, but 
 about two from the Isle of Orleans, as stated in the text, which sufficiently identifies it. 
 
10 
 
 and we gave it this name because, however little wind there 
 may be, the water rises there as if it were full tide. At this 
 point the water begins to be fresh. Thence we proceeded to 
 the Island of Orleans,* a distance of two leagues, on the 
 south side of which are numerous islands, low, covered with 
 trees and very pleasant, with large meadows, having plenty 
 of game, some being, so far as I could judge, two leagues in 
 length, others a trifle more or less. About these islands are 
 many rocks, also very dangerous shallows, some two leagues 
 distant from the main land on the south. All this shore, both 
 north and south, from 'I'adoussac to the Island of Orleans, is 
 mountainous, and the soil very poor. The wood is pine, fir, 
 and birch only, with very ugly rocks, so that in most places 
 one could not make his way. 
 
 Now we passed along south of the Island of Orleans, which 
 is a league and a half distant from the mam land and half a 
 league on the north side, being six leagues in length, and one 
 in breadth, or in some places a league and a half. On the 
 north side, it is very pleasant, on account of the great extent 
 of woods and meadows there ; but it is very dangerous sailing, 
 in consequence of the numerous points and rocks between 
 the main land and island, on which are numerous fine oaks 
 and in some places nut-trees, and on the borders of the woods 
 vines and other trees such as we have in France. This place 
 is the commencement of the fine and fertile country of the 
 great river, and is distant one hundred and twenty leagues 
 from its mouth. Off the end of the island is a torrent of 
 water on the north shore, proceeding from a lake ten leagues 
 in the interior ; t it comes down from a height of nearly twenty- 
 
 li:%M 
 
 * Isle li'OrUiins. Cartier discovered tliis island in 1535. and named it the Island of 
 Baccluis, because he saw vines growing there, winch lie had not before seen in that region 
 He says, " Kt pareillenient y trouuasnies force vignes, ce que n'auyons veu par cy deuant 
 ^ toute la terre, & par ce la nomniasmes I'ysle de Hacchus."'— Brief Rhit Je fa Xiivig-ation 
 Fatte en mdxxxv , par Jacques Cartier, D'Avezac ed., Paris, 1863, pp 14, m. The grape 
 found here was proljably the t'rost drape, I' itis cordi/olui. Tlie " Island of Orleans" soon 
 became the fixed name of this island, which it still retains. Its Indian name is said to have 
 been Mi.iigo — U'ltie Laverdiere's interesting note, (hin-res de Chittii/>/ai>i, tome ii. p. 24. 
 Champlain's estimate of the size of the island is nearly accurate, it is, according to the 
 Admiralty charts, seventeen marine miles in length, and four in its gieatest width. 
 
 t This was the river Slontmorency whiich rises in Snow Lake, some fifty miles in the in- 
 terior. — / 'ide Champlam s reference on his map of (Quebec and its environs. He gave this 
 name to the river, which it still retains, in honor of the Admiral Moiitmore.icy, to whom he 
 dedicated his notes on the voyage of i'x)3. Vide Liiverdii're, in loco; alio Chaiii/>l(tiu, ed. 
 1632; Charier oi.t's Letters, London, i7''3, p. 19. The following is Jean .Allonse's descrip- 
 tion of the fall cf Montmorency' : " When thou art come to the end of the Isle, thou shall see 
 a great River, which falleth hfteen or twenty fathoms downe from a rocke, and maketh a 
 terrible noise.'' — Haklnyt, vol. iii. p. 293. The perpendicular descent of the Montmorency 
 at the falls is 240 feet 
 
 \ 
 
II 
 
 24- 
 
 the 
 
 in- 
 this 
 (n he 
 ed. 
 icrip- 
 It see 
 ;th a 
 rency 
 
 five fathoms, above which the land is level and pleasant, al- 
 though farther inland are seen high mountains appearing to be 
 from fifteen to twenty leagues distant. 
 
 From the Island of Orleans to Quebec the distance is a 
 league. I arrived there on the 3d of July, when I searched for 
 a place suitable for our settlement ; but I could find none more 
 convenient or better situated than the pomt of Quebec, so 
 called by the savages,* which was covered with nut-trees. I at 
 once employed a portion of our workmen in cuttmg them 
 down, that we might construct our habitation there : one I set 
 to sawing boards, another to making a cellar and digging 
 ditches, another I sent to Tadoussac with the barque to get 
 supplies. The first thing we made was the storehouse for 
 keeping under cover our supplies, which was promptly accom- 
 plished through the zeal of all, and my attention to the work. 
 
 Some days after my arrival at Quebec a locksmith con- 
 spired against the service of the king. His plan was to put 
 me to death, and, getting possession of our tort, to put it into 
 the hands of the Basques or Spaniards, then at Tadoussac, 
 beyond which vessels cannot go, from not having a knowledge 
 of the route, nor of the banks and rocks on the vvay. 
 
 In order to execute his wretched plan, by which he hoped 
 to make his fortune, he suborned four of the worst characters, 
 as he supposed, telling them a thousand falsehoods, and pre- 
 senting to them prospects of acquiring riches. 
 
 These four men, having been won over, all promised to act 
 in such a manner as to gain the rest over to their side, so 
 that, for the time being, I had no one with me in whom I could 
 put confidence, which gave them still more hope of making 
 their plan succeed; for four or five of my companions, in 
 whom they knew that I put confidence, were on board of 
 the barques, for the purpose of protecting the provisions and 
 supplies necessary for our settlement. 
 
 In a word, they were so skilful in carrying out their 
 
 •Chaniplain here plainly means to say that the Indians call the narrow place in the 
 river Quebec. For this meaning of the word, viz. narrowing of waters, in the Algonquin 
 language, the authority is abundant. Laverdiere quotes, as agreeing with him in this view, 
 BelTenger, Ferland, and Lescarbot. " The narrow'ng of the river, ' says Charlevoix, "gave 
 It the name of (Jiieheto, or Quebec, which in the A Igoiujuin language signifies contraction. 
 The Abenaquis, whose language is a dialect of the Algonquin, call it (^uelibec, which signifies 
 something shut wxi.'" — Charlevoit\ Letters, pp i8, 19. Alfred Hawkins, in his" Historical 
 Recollections of Quebec, ' regards the word of Norman origin, which he finds on a seal of 
 the Duke of Suffolk, as early as 1420. The theory is ingenious- but it requires some other 
 characteristic historical facts to challenge our belief. When Cartier visited Quebec, it was 
 called by the natives Stadacone — Vide C.trtier's Brief Rtcit, 1545, iJ'Avezac ed., Fans, 
 1863, p. 14. 
 
 :f 
 
m 
 
 f '" 
 
 ! 
 
 intrigues ^vith those who remained that they were on the 
 point of gaining all over to their cause, even my lackey, prom- 
 ising them many things which they could not have fulfilled. 
 
 Being now all agreed, they made daily different plans as to 
 how they should put me to death, so as not to be accused of 
 it, which they found to be a difficult thing. But the devil, 
 blindfolding them all and taking away their reason and every 
 possible difficulty, they determined to take me while unarmed, 
 and strangle me, or to give a false alarm at night, and shoot 
 me as I went out, in which manner they judged that they 
 would accomplish their work sooner than otherwise. They 
 made a mutual promise not to betray each other, on penalty 
 that the first one who opened his mouth should be poniarded. 
 They were to execute their plan in four days, before the arrival 
 of our barques, otherwise they would have been unable to carry 
 out their scheme. 
 
 On this very day one of our barques arrived, with our pilot. 
 Captain Testu, a very discreet man. After the barque was un- 
 loaded, and ready to return to Tadoussac, there came to him 
 a locksmith, named Natel, an associate of Jean du Val, the 
 head of the conspiracy, who told him that he had promised 
 the rest to do just as they did, but that he did not in fact 
 desire the execution of the plot, yet did not dare to make a dis- 
 closure in regard to it from fear of being poniarded. 
 
 Antoine Natel made the pilot promise that he would make 
 no disclosure in regard to what he should say, since, if his 
 companions should discover it, they would put him to death. 
 The pilot gave him his assurance in all particulars, and asked 
 him to state the character of the plot which they wished to 
 carry out. This Natel did at length, when the pilot said to 
 him : " My friend, you have done well to disclose such a ma- 
 licious design, and you show that you are an upright man, and 
 under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But these things 
 cannot be passed by without bringing them to the knowledge 
 of Sieur de Champlain, that he may make provision against 
 them , and I promise you that I will prevail upon him to 
 pardon you and the rest. And I will at once," said the pilot, 
 "go to him without exciting any suspicion ; and do you go 
 about your business, listening to all they may say, and not 
 troubling yourself about the rest." 
 
 The pilot came at once to me, in a garden which I was 
 having prepared, and said that he wished to speak to me in a 
 
private place, where we could be alone. I readily assented, 
 and we went into the wood, where he related to me the whole 
 affair. I asked who had told it to him. He begged me to 
 pardon him who had made the disclosure, which I consented 
 to do, alt'iough he ought to have addressed himself to me. 
 He was afraid, he replied, that you would become angry, and 
 harm him. I told him that I was able to govern myself 
 better than that in such a matter, and desired him to have 
 the man come to me, that I migi>^ hear his statement. He 
 went, and brought him all trembling with fear lest I should 
 do him some harm. I reassured him, telling him not to be 
 afraid, that he was in a place of safety, and that I should 
 pardon him for all that he had done, together with the others, 
 provided he would tell me in full the truth in regard to the 
 whole matter, and the motive which had impelled them to it. 
 "Nothing," he said, "had impelled them, except that they 
 had imagined that, by giving up the place into the hands of 
 the Basques or Spaniards, they might all become rich, and 
 that they did not want to go back to France.' He also 
 related to me the remaining particulars in regard to their 
 conspiracy. 
 
 After having heard and questioned him, I directed him to 
 go about his work. Meanwhile I ordered the pilot to bring 
 up his shallop, which he did Then I gave two bottles of 
 wine to a young man, directing him to say to these four 
 worthies, the leaders of the conspiracy, that it was a present 
 of wine, which his friends at Tadoussac had given him, and 
 that he wished to share it with them. This they did not 
 decline, and at evening were on board the barque where he 
 was to give them the entertainment. I lost no time in going 
 there shortly after, and caused them to be seized and held 
 until the next day. 
 
 Then were my worthies astonished indeed I at once had 
 all get up, for it was about ten o'clock in the evening, and 
 pardoned them all on condition that they would disclose to me 
 the truth in regard to all that had occurred, which they did, 
 when I had them retire. 
 
 The next day I took the depositions of all, one after the 
 other, in the presence of the pilot and sailors of the vessel, 
 which I had put down in writing ; and they were well pleased, 
 as they said, since they had lived only in fear of each other, 
 especially of the four knaves who had ensnared them. But 
 
f i 
 
 14 
 
 ». )! 
 
 i feM; * 
 
 now they lived in peace, satisfied, as they declared, with the 
 treatment which they had received. 
 
 The same day I had six pairs of handcuffs made for the 
 authors of the conspiracy : one for our surgeon, named Bon- 
 nerme, one for another, named La Taille, whom the four con- 
 spirators had accused, which, however, proved false, and conse- 
 quently they were given their hberty. 
 
 This being done, I took my worthies to Tadoussac, begging 
 Pont Grave to do me the favor of guarding them, since 1 had 
 as yet no secure place for keeping them, and as we were 
 occupied in constructing our places of abode. Another object 
 was to consult with him, and others on the ship, as to what 
 should be done in the premises. We suggested that, after he 
 had finished his work at Tadoussac, he should come to Quebec 
 with the prisoners, where we should have them confronted with 
 their witnesses, and, after giving them a hearing, order justice 
 to be done according to the offence which they had committed. 
 
 I went back the next day to Quebec, to hasten the com- 
 pletion of our storehouse, so as to secure our provisions, 
 which had been misused by all those scoundrels, who spared 
 nothing, without reflecting how they could find more when 
 these failed ; for I could not obviate the difficulty until the 
 storehouse should be completed and shut up. 
 
 Pont Grave arrived some time after me, with the prisoners, 
 which caused uneasiness to the workmen who remained, since 
 they feared that I should pardon them, and that they would 
 avenge themselves upon them for revealing their wicked 
 design. 
 
 We had them brought face to face, and they affirmed 
 before them all which they had stated in their depositions, the 
 prisoners not denying it, but admitting that they had acted 
 in a wicked manner, and should be punished, unless mercy 
 might be exercised towards them ; accusing, above all, Jean 
 du Val, who had been trying to lead them into such a con- 
 spiracy from the time of their departure from France. Du 
 Val knew not what to say, except that he deserved death, 
 that all stated in the depositions was true, and that he begged 
 for mercy upon himself and the others, who had given in their 
 adherence to his pernicious purposes. 
 
 After Pont Grave and I, the captain of the vessel, surgeon, 
 mate, second mate, and other sailors had heard their deposi- 
 tions and face to face statements, we adjudged that it would 
 
 m 
 
be enough to put to death l)u Val, as the instigator of the 
 conspiracy; and that he might serve as an example to those 
 who remained, leading them to deport themselves correctly 
 in future, in the discharge of their duty; and that the Span- 
 iards and Basque^, of whom there were large numbers in the 
 country, might not glory in the event. We adjudged that 
 the three others be condemned to be hung, but that they 
 should be taken to France and put into the hands of Sieur 
 de Monts, that such ample justice might be done them as he 
 should recommend ; that they should be sent with all the evi- 
 dence and their sentence, as well as that of Jean du Val, who 
 was strangled and hung at Quebec, and his head was put on 
 the end of a pike, to be set up in the most conspicuous place 
 on our fort. 
 
 After all these occurrences, Pont Grave set out from Quebec, 
 on the i8lh of September, to return to France with the three 
 prisoners. After he had gone, all who remained conducted 
 themselves correctly in the discharge of their duty. 
 
 I had the work on our quarters continued, which was 
 composed of three buildings of two stories. Each one was 
 three fathoms long, and two and a half wide. The store- 
 house was six fathoms long and three wide, with a fine cellar 
 six feet deep. I had a gallery made all around our buildings, 
 on the outside, at the second story, which proved very con- 
 venient. There were also ditches, fifteen feet wide and six 
 deep. On the outer side of the ditches I constructed several 
 spurs, which enclosed a part of the dwelling, at the points 
 where we placed our cannon. Before the habitation there is 
 a place four fathoms wide and six or seven long, looking out 
 upon the river-bank. Surrounding the habitation are very 
 good gardens, and a place on the north side some hundred or 
 hundred and twenty paces long and fifty or sixty wide. More- 
 over, near Quebec, there is a little river, coming from a lake 
 in the interior,* distant six or seven 
 
 eagues from our settle- 
 
 *The river St. Charles flows from a lake in the interior of tlie same name. It was 
 called by the Montagnais, according to Sagard as cited by I.averdiere, lu loco, "Cabitecou- 
 bat, because it turns and forms several pomts " Cartier named it the Holy Cross, or St. 
 Croix, because, he says, he arrived there " that day" ; that is, the day on which the exaltation 
 of tlie Cross is celebrated, the 14th of September. 1535. — l'u,e Cartiir, Hakiuyt, \-ol iii 
 p. 7bh The Recollects gave it the name ol St Charles, alter the grand vicar of I'ontoise, 
 Charles des fioues — Laverdi^te, in loco Jacques Cartier wintered on the north shore of 
 the St Charles, which he called the St. Croix, or the Holy Cross, about a league from 
 Quebec. " Hard by, there is, in that riuer, one place very narrow, deep, and swift running, 
 but it is not passing the third part of a league, ouer against the which tliere is a goodly higri 
 piece of land, with a towne therein ; and the country about it is very well tilled and wrought, 
 and as good as possibly can be seene. This is the jilace and abode of Donnacona, and ot 
 
i6 
 
 
 l\ 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 • H' 
 
 ment. I am of opinion that this river, which is north a quarter 
 north-west from our settlement, is the place where Jacques 
 Cartier wintered,* since there are still, a league up the river, 
 remains of what seems to have been a chimney, the founda- 
 tion of which has been found, and indications of there hav- 
 ing been ditches surrounding their dwelling, which was 
 small. We found, also, large pieces of hewn, worm-eaten 
 timber, and some three or four cannon-balls. All these 
 things show clearly that there was a settlement there founded 
 by Christians ; and what leads me to say and believe that it 
 was that of Jacques Cartier is the fact that there is no evi- 
 dence whatever that any one wintered and built a house in 
 these places except Jacques Cartier, at the time of his discov- 
 eries. This place, as I think, must have been called St. 
 Croix, as he named it , which name has since been trans- 
 ferred to another place fifteen leagues west of our settlement. 
 But there is no evidence of his having wintered in the place 
 now called St. Croix, nor in any other there, since in this 
 direction there is no river or other place large enough for 
 vessels except the main river or that of which I spoke above ; 
 here there is half a fathom of water at low tide, many rocks, 
 and a bank at the mouth ; for vessels, if kept in the main river, 
 where there are strong currents and tides, and ice in the win- 
 ter, drifting along, would run the risk of being lost ; especially 
 as there is a sandy point extending out into the river, and 
 filled with rocks, between which we have found, within the 
 last three years, a passage not before discovered ; but one 
 must go through cautiously, in consequence of the dangerous 
 points there. This place is exposed to the north-west winds; 
 and the river runs as if it were a fall, the tide ebbing two and 
 a half fathoms. There are no signs of buildings here, nor 
 any indications that a man of judgment would settle in this 
 place, there being many other better ones, in case one were 
 obliged to make a permanent stay. I have been desirous of 
 speaking at length on this point, since many believe that the 
 abode of Jacques Cartier was here, which I do not believe, 
 for the reasons here given ; for Cartier would have left to 
 
 our two men we took in our first voy^se, it is called Stabacona, . . vnder which towne to- 
 ward the North the riuer and port of the holy crosse is, where we staled from the 15 of Sep- 
 tember vntil the 16 of May, 153^1, and there our ships remained dry as we said before." — 
 I'idejaci^ues Cartier, Second I'oyage, Hakluyt, vol in. p 277. 
 
 * The spot where Jacques Cartier wintered was at the junction of the river Lairet and the 
 St. Charles. 
 
17 
 
 posterity a narrative of the matter, as he did in the case of 
 all he saw and discovered ; and 1 maintain that my opinion 
 is the true one, as can be shown by the history which 
 he has left in writing. 
 
 As still further proof that this place now called St. Croix is 
 not the place where Jacques Cartier wintered, as most persons 
 think, this is what he says about it in his discoveries, taken 
 from his history; namely, that he arrived at the Isle aux 
 Coudres on the 5th of December,* 1535, which he called by 
 this name, as hazel-nuts were found there. There is a strong 
 tidal current in this place ; and he says that it is three leagues 
 long, but it is quite enough to reckon a league and a half. 
 On the 7th of the month, Notre Dame Day,t he set out 
 from this island to go up the river, in which he saw fourteen 
 islands, distant seven or eight leagues from Isle aux Coudres 
 on the south. He errs somewhat in this estimation, for it 
 is not more than three leagues. t He also says that the 
 place where the islands are is the commencement of the land 
 or province of Canada, and that he reached an island ten 
 leagues long and five wide, where extensive fisheries are car- 
 ried on, fish being here, in fact, very abundant, especially the 
 sturgeon. But its length is not more than six leagues, and its 
 breadth two, — a fact well recognized now. He says also that 
 he anchored between this island and the main land on the 
 north, the smallest passage, and a dangerous one, where he 
 landed two savages whom he had taken to France, and that, 
 after stopping in this place some time with the people of the 
 country, he sent for his barques and went farther up the river 
 with the tide, seeking a harbor and place of security for his 
 ships. He says, farther, that they went on up the river, 
 coasting along this island, the length of which he estimates at 
 ten leagues ; and after it was passed they found a very fine 
 and pleasant bay, containing a little river and bar harbor, 
 which they found very favorabte for sheltering their vessels. 
 
 * Cartier discovered the Isle of Coudres, that is, the isle of filberts or l>azel-nuts, on ti]e 
 6th of September, 1535. — l-'ide Cartier, 1545, D'Avezac ed , Paris, 1863, p 12 This island 
 is five nautical miles long, which agrees with the statement of Chaniplam, and its greatest 
 width is two miles and a quarter. 
 
 t Notre Dame Day, tour de nosire dame, should read " Notre Dame Kve " Cartier 
 says, " Le sefitiesuie iour dudict mays ioiir nostre-datiie," etc — Idetn, p 12 Hnkluyt 
 renders it, " Tlie seuenth of the monetli being our Ladees euen " — Vol in p 265. 
 
 t As Champlain suggests, these islands are only three leagues higher up the river; hut, 
 as they are oh the opposite side, they could not be compassed m much less than seven nr 
 eight leagues, as Cartier estimates. 
 
m 
 
 i8 
 
 This they named St. ('roix, since he arrived there on this day ; 
 and at the time of the voyage of Cartier the place was called 
 Stadaca,* but we now call it Quebec. He says, also, that after 
 he had examined this place he returned to get his vessels for 
 passing the winter there. 
 
 .\\>w we may conclude, accordingly, that the distance is 
 only five leagues from the Isle aux Coudres to the Isle of 
 Orleans,! at the western extremity of which the river is very 
 broad ; and at which bay, as Cartier calls it, there is no other 
 river than that which he called St. Croix, a good league 
 distant from the Isle of Orleans, in which, at low tide, there 
 is only half a fathom of water. It is very dangerous for 
 vessels at its mouth, there being a large number of spurs ; 
 that is, rocks scattered here and there. It is accordingly 
 necessary to place buoys in order to enter, there being, as I 
 have stated, three fathoms of water at ordinary tides, and 
 four fathoms, or four and a half generally, at the great tides 
 at full Hood. It is only fifteen hundred paces from our 
 habitation, which is higher up the river ; and, as I have 
 stated, there is no other river up to the place now called St. 
 Croix where vessels can lie, there being only little brooks. 
 The shores are Hat and dangerous, which Cartier does not 
 mention until the time that he sets out from St. Croix, now 
 called Quebec, where he left his vessels, and built his place of 
 abode, as is seen from what follows. 
 
 On the 19th of September he set out from St. Croix, 
 ■where his vessels were, setting sail with the tide up the river, 
 which they found very pleasant, as well on account of the 
 woods, vines, and dwellings, which were there in his time, as 
 for other reasons. They cast anchor twenty-five leagues 
 from the entrance to the land of Canada , t that is, at the 
 
 •Tliiswas an error in transcribing, Cartier has St-idacome. I'lUe Brief RK- it, 1545, 
 D'Avez-ic ed., p. 14. 
 
 t The distance, according to Laune's Ciiart, is at least twenty-six nautical miles 
 
 X Canada at this time was regarded by the Indians as a limited territory, situated at or 
 about (Juebec. Tliis statement is confirmed by the testimony of Cartier, thus translated by 
 Hakluyt: " I )onnacona their Lord desired our Captame the next day to come and see Canada, 
 which he promised to doe: for the next day being the 13 of the moneth, he with all his 
 (lentiemen and the fiftie Mariners very well appointed, went to visite Donnacona and his 
 people, about a league from our ships " 
 
 Their ships were at this time at St. Croix, a short distance up the St. Charles, which flows 
 into the .St. Lawrence at Quebec; and the little Indian village, or camp, which Donnacona 
 called Canada, was at Ouebec. Other passages from Cartier, as well as from Jean Alfonse, 
 harmonize with this whicii we have cited Canada was therefore in Cartier's time only the 
 name of a very small territory' covered by an Indian vilLige. When it became the centre of 
 French interests, it assumed a wider meaning. The St. Lawrence was often called the River 
 of Canada, then the territory on its shores, and finally Canada has come to comprehend the 
 vast IJritish possessions in America known as the " IJominion of Canada." 
 
ig 
 
 '' 
 
 western extremity of the Isle of Orleans, so called by Cartier. 
 What is now called St. Croix was then called Achelacy. at a 
 narrow pass where the river is very swift and dangerous on 
 account of the rocks and other things, and which can only 
 be passed at Hood-tide. Its distance from ()uebec and the 
 river where Cartier wintered is fifteen leagues. 
 
 Now, throughout the entire extent of this river, from 
 Quebec to the great fall, there are no narrows except at the 
 place now called St. Croix, the name of which has been 
 transferred from one place to another one, which is very dan- 
 gerous, ^is my description shows. And it is very apparent, 
 from his narrative, that this was not the site of his habitation, 
 as is claimed, but that the latter was near Quebec, and that 
 no one had entered into a special investigation of this matter 
 before my doing so in my voyages. For the first time I was 
 told that he dwelt in this place, I was greatly astonished, find- 
 ing no trace of a river for vessels, as he states there was. 
 This led me to make a careful examination, in order to 
 remove the suspicion and doubt of many persons in regard 
 to the matter.* 
 
 ill 
 Mi 
 
 '545. 
 
 The first explorer of the American coast in the service of France was tlie Florentine Ver- 
 razzano, in 1524. His account of his voyage is given in Old South Leaflet No. 17. This 
 account is the subject of much controverfy; out, if it is to be relied on, Verrazzano explored 
 the coast from a point a little south ot Cape Hatteras, northward a.s far as Newfoundland, at 
 various points penetrating several leagues into the Cduntry. Ten years later, in 1534, came 
 Jacques Cartier. He steered for Newfoundland, and, believing that he was on the way to 
 Cathay, advanced up the St. Lawrence till he saw the shores of Anticosti, when, the 
 autumnal storms gathering, he returned to France. The next year he came again, with three 
 vessels. He gave the name of St. Lawrence to a small bay opposite the island of Anticosti, 
 a name afterwards extended to the entire gulf and to the great river above. CJartier calls the 
 river the " kiver of Hochelaga," or " the great river of Canada.'' He confines the name of 
 Canada to a district extending from the Isle aux Coudres in the .St Lawrence to a point some 
 distance above the site of Quebec. The country below, he says, was called by the Indians 
 Saguenay, and that above Hochelaga. He visited the site of Quebec, and ascended the 
 river to a place which he called Afout Royal, Montreal. He wintered at Stadacone ((Juebec), 
 and the next summer returned to France He came again in 1541 ; and Roberval came, and 
 La Roche, and others. It was in ifKij that Champlain first appeared upon the scene. 
 
 Samuel de Champlain was born in 15^)7 at the small seaport of Ilrouage, on the Ray of 
 Riscay. His father was a captain in tlie royal navy, where he himself seems also to have 
 served; and he had fought for Henry IV in Hnttany He also went to the West Indies in 
 the service of the king; and Ins manuscript account, with over sixty crude colored pictures, 
 still exists. He came to Canada in 1603 with I'ontgrave, penetrating as far as Montreal. In 
 1604 he came with De Monts, exploring the .\ova .Scotia coast, and establishing a settlement 
 on an islet which they named St. Croix, at the mouth of the river now bearing that name. 
 The next spring De Monts and Champlain, leaving St. Croix in a little bark with twenty men, 
 
 * The locality of Cartier's winter-quarters is established by Champlain with the certainty 
 of an historical demonstration, and yet there are to be found those whose judgment is so 
 warped by precrncei\'ed opinum that they resist the overwhelming testimony whidi he brings 
 to bear upon the subject. Charlevoix makes the .St. Croix of Cartier the Riviire de Jacques 
 Cartier. — I'lde Shea's Charlevoix, vol. i. p. 116. 
 
lit 
 
 f r 
 
 f . 
 
 
 •if ■ 
 
 20 
 
 tailed down tlic New Kngland coast ax far as Nausett ]larbor, on Cape Cod. passing Mount 
 Iiesert and tlie mouths ol the Fenol)%tot and the Kennel)ec, crossing Casco l!.i\ , and descry- 
 ing the distant peaks o< the White Mountains, pnssin)^ the Isles of Slioals and Cajie Ann, aiid 
 cnteruiK Massachusetts May, giving the name of Uiviere du Guast to a river tlowing into it, 
 probably the Cliarles. Chaniplain describes the islands of lioston (tarbor as covered with 
 trees, and says they were met by great numbers of canoes tilled with astonished Indians. 
 They passed I'oint Alierton and Nantasket Heach, and took shelter in I'nit St. Louis, as 
 they called the harbor of I'lyinouth, where the Pilgrims landed fifteen years later. The next 
 summer Chaniplain came down the coast again, this time as far as the neighborhood of Flyan- 
 nis; and always and everywhere he made maps and charts and pictures, many of which have 
 come down to us, and have the highest historical value. 
 
 In i'ki.S Chaniplain came from France the third time, now with the distinct purpo.se of 
 establislung a settlement on the St. I.awrer.ce as a centre of operations for the French in 
 Canada. The founding ol Quebec followed, as detailed in the present leatlet. The story can 
 be followed further in Tiis account of his " Voyages," from which this extract is taken. With 
 the story of his explorations and adventures in C^anada for the next (juarter iA a ( entury, his 
 discovery of Lake Chaniplain, his Indian wars, his discovery of Lake Huruii, his surrender 
 of (Juebec to the Flnglish in if^2(), his visit to London and the restoration of Canada to the 
 French crown, and his death in ift^i in Quebec which he had founded, the siudent of history 
 is familiar. No man did more to plant and spread the power of Frame in America. 
 
 Champlain's books, says I'arkman, "mark the man, — all for his theme and his purpose, 
 nothing for himself. Crude in style, full of the superiicial errors of carelessness and haste, 
 rarely diffuse, often brief to a fault, they bear on ever)' page the palpable impress of truth.'' 
 We are most fortunate in having a fine translation of Champlain's accounts of liis various 
 " Voyages," by Charles Fomeroy Otis, Ph 1), with historical illustrations and a memoir by 
 Kev. Edmund F. Slafter, who is the great American authority upon Chaniplain and his 
 work. The three volumes, which are pimlished by the Prince Society, are eiiiiched by copies 
 of all the local and general maps and drawings in the early French editions, most curious and 
 interesting; and the work is of priceless value to tUe Knglisli student of Clinmnlain. It is 
 from the account of the voyage of 1608, in the second volume, that the story of the founding 
 of Quebec, given in the present leatlet, is taken 
 
 Mr. Slafter is also the author of the fine chapter upon Chaniplain, in the " Narrative and 
 Critical History ol America," vol. ii.j and the special stutent is referred to li;s critical essay 
 on the sources of information, appended to that chapter. This entire second volume of the 
 " Narrative and Critical History" is devoted to the subject of French Explorations in North 
 America. To the general subject of "France and England in North America" our great 
 historian, Francis Farkman, devoted the work of his whole lite; and his volume on 
 " Pioneers of France in the New World" contains the most graphic and interesting account 
 whicb exists of Champlain's life and work. The Old South lectures for i88(;, under the title 
 of " America and P'rance," were entirely devoted to subjects in which the history of America 
 is related to that of France, the first lecture b>iing upon "Chaniplain, the Founder of 
 Quebec " ; and the student is referred to the full list of those lectures and the accompanying 
 leaflets. One of the subjects for the Old South essays for i8()S is "The Struggle of France 
 and England for North America, from the Founding of Quebec by Chaniplain tiilthe Capture 
 of Quebec by Wolfe."