Chapter I

[1] ON THE LOCATION OF NEW FRANCE, AND THOSE WHO FIRST ATTEMPTED TO
SETTLE THERE.

WE call New France,[1] the lands and countries of America or
the West Indies, which are upon the other shore of the Ocean of
Guienne,[2] towards the setting Sun, opposite us and lying directly
in the same line from East to West. [2] They have given it this
name of New France principally for two reasons. The first, because
(as I have said) these lands are parallel to our France, nothing
lying between Guienne and said countries, except our Western sea,
in its narrowest part more than eight hundred leagues wide; in
its widest, a little less than a thousand leagues, or thereabout.
The second reason is that this country was first discovered by
French Bretons, in the year 1504, one hundred and eleven years
ago, and since then they have not ceased to visit it. The Normans
also assisted in these early discoveries; among whom we read that
Captain Thomas Aubert,[3] of Dieppe, sailed in the year 1508, and
brought back from there some of the Natives, whom he exhibited
to the wonder [3] and applause of France. Two years before him,
Captain Jean Denys,[4] of Honfleur, had made the same discovery;
but, as he brought back only some fish, and Geographical charts, he
has not become so renowned as Thomas Aubert. After the year 1523,
Jean Verazan[5] skirted all the coast from Florida to Cape Breton,
and took possession of it in the name of his master, Francis I.
I believe it was Jean Verazan who was Godfather to this title of
"New France;"[1] for Canada (a name by which they also frequently
call it) is not, properly speaking, all this extent of country
which they now call New France; but it is only that part, which
extends along the banks of the great River Canada, and [4] the Gulf
of St. Lawrence;[6] this being only the most Northern part of New
France, as will be seen from the Geographical chart which we insert
herein.[7]

A Canada touche l'Acadie, ou pays des Souriquoys plus bas vers le Sud: Et plus bas encores au delà de la Baye Françoise est la Norambegue. De ces deux mots de Norambegue & de Acadie, il n'en reste plus aucune memoire sur le pays; ouy bien de Canada, laquelle fut principalement descouuerte par Iacques Cartier, l'an 1524. & puis par vn second voyage dix ans apres l'an 1534.

Acadie, or the Souriquoys country farther South, is next to
Canada, and still farther down, on the other side of French Bay,
is Norambegue. Of these two words, Norambegue and Acadie, there
no longer remains any remembrance in the country;[8] yet there is
of Canada, which was discovered principally by Jacques Cartier in
1524, and then in a second voyage ten years afterwards in 1534.

Or dés le commencement de ces descouuertes, les François ont beaucoup traicté du cultiuage, & habitation de ces deserts. (Deserts sont-ce voirement, tout le pays n'estant qu'vne forest infinie.) [5] Aucuns particuliers en sont encores venus iusques aux tentatiues, comme Roberual & le Marquis de la Roche, & autres. Mais l'entreprinse la plus haute diuulguée, & recente pour cest effect, a esté celle du sieur de Monts Pierre du Gas, qui s'en est acquis grande recommandation. Iceluy ayant fait vn assez notable fonds d'argent; & à cest effect associé auc[~u]s Marchands de Roüen, de sainct Malo, & de la Rochelle; receut de feu d'heureuse memoire Henry le Grand, pleine puissance, & authorité de Lieutenant de Roy sur ces dictes contrées dés le quarantiesme degré d'eleuation, iusques au quarantesixiesme: car là aboutissoit la puissance, qui luy estoit dõnée de disposer des terres; Ses priuileges neantmoins de la traitte, & gouuernement s'estendoi[~e]t iusques au 54. degré, ainsi qu'on [6] peut recognoistre par les lettres Royaux qui luy en furent expediées. Par ainsi de ceste Commission du sieur de Monts, il semble, qu'on aye prins occasion de retrecir les limites de la Nouuelle Frãce; Car (comme nous auons dit) auparauãt elle s'estendoit iusques à la Floride vers le Sud, là où maintenãt on la borne quasi communement du trenteneufuiesme degré de latitude Australe, ainsi que vous la voyez en nostre carte. Ses limites à l'Orient, sont nostre mer; à l'Occident ce sera la mer de la Chine, si nous auons assez de valeur & vertu: car autres bornes n'y a-il, qui soient certaines, le pays estant infiny, & plus estendu dix & douze fois que n'est toute nostre France.

Now ever since the first of these discoveries, the French have
been talking about cultivating and inhabiting these wildernesses.
(Wildernesses they certainly are, the whole country being but an
interminable forest.) [5] Certain individuals, such as Roberval and
the Marquis de la Roche, and others, have even attempted it.[9] But
the most widely known and latest voyage undertaken for this purpose
was that of sieur de Monts, Pierre du Gas, who has been very highly
commended for it. Having considerable money at his disposal, and
having associated with him for this object certain Merchants of
Roüen, of saint Malo and of la Rochelle, he received from the late
Henry the Great, of happy memory, full power and authority, as
Lieutenant of the King in these said countries, from the fortieth
to the forty-sixth parallel of latitude, for there ended the power
given him to dispose of lands. However, his rights of trade and
government extended to the 54th parallel, as [6] can be learned
from the Royal letters that were sent to him. Thus, by sieur de
Monts's Commission, it seems that they took occasion to narrow
down the boundaries of New France: for (as we have said) hitherto
it had extended as far South as Florida, while now it is generally
bounded on the South by the thirty-ninth parallel of latitude, as
you see by our chart. Its Eastern boundary is our sea; its Western,
will be the China sea, if we have force and courage enough; as to
other boundaries, it has none which are definite, the country being
unlimited, and ten or twelve times more extensive than our entire
France.

Or le sieur de Monts ayant l'authorité & puissance cy-deuant dicte, & assez bien muny, & accompagné [7] partit de France l'an 1604. iustement cent ans apres la premiere descouuerte de ces terres, il s'alla loger en la Coste de la Nõrembegue entre les peuples Eteminquoys, en vne petite Isle, qu'il appella de saincte Croix: Mais le malheur l'y accueillit: car il perdit de maladie vne grande partie de ses gens.

Now sieur de Monts, having the authority and power mentioned, and
being well equipped and [7] accompanied, left France in the year
1604, just a hundred years after the discovery of this country, and
went to live upon the Coast of Norembegue among the Eteminquoys
people, upon a small Island, which he called sainte Croix. But
misfortune overtook him there, for he lost a great many of his
people by sickness.

Et partant l'année suyuante, cõtrainct par la necessité, il changea de demeure à Port Royal vers l'Est Suest, à quelques vingt six lieües de là, en l'Acadie au païs des Souriquoys, là où il ne demeura que deux ans, d'autant que les Marchands associez, voyants que leur mise surmontoit la recepte ne voulur[~e]t plus tenir coup: Ainsi fallust, que tous reuinssent en Frãce, ne laissans pour monument de leur exploict, sinon deux alogements tous vuides, celuy de saincte [8] Croix, & celuy de Port Royal; Et n'en rapportant autre guieres plus grand fruict, que les Topographies, & descriptiõs des Mers, Caps, Costes, & Riuieres, qu'ils auoient parcouru. Voilà tous les principaux actes de nos dilig[~e]ces, iusques aux années 1610. & 1611. desquelles nous parlerons tantost, quãd il nous y faudra conduire les Iesuites. Mais au preallable, selon nostre promesse, & comme l'exige la condition de nostre dessein, nous monstrerons l'Horoscope, & Geniture de ces terres: Ie veux dire les aspects du ciel, sur icelles, leurs temps, saisons, temperature, & qualitez.

Leaving there the following year, forced by necessity, he
changed his dwelling place to Port Royal, towards the East
Southeast, some twenty-six leagues away, in Acadie or the
Souriquoys country. Here he remained only two years, for the
associated Merchants, seeing that their outlay exceeded their
receipts, no longer cared to continue the experiment. So they all
had to return to France, leaving nothing as a monument of their
adventure, except two dwellings entirely empty, that of sainte
[8] Croix, and that of Port Royal; and bringing no greater spoils
back with them, than the Topography and description of the Seas,
Capes, Coasts, and Rivers, which they had traversed. These are all
the chief results of our efforts up to the years 1610 and 1611, of
which we shall speak hereafter in conducting the Jesuits there.
But as a preliminary, according to our promise, and as the nature
of our purpose demands, we shall show the Horoscope and Geniture
of these lands, I mean their climate, their weather, seasons,
temperature, and conditions.

CHAPITRE II.

[9] DES TEMPS, SAISONS, & TEMPERATURE DE LA NOUUELLE FRANCE.

CES terres estant, comme nous auons dit, paralleles à nostre France, c'est à dire, en mesme climat, & mesme eleuation, par reigle d'Astrologie, elles doiuent auoir mesmes influ[~e]ces, mesmes inclinations, & temperatures: car elles ne different en cela, que cõme differ[~e]t entre nous par ex[~e]ple Grenoble, Vienne, & Bourdeaux, Paris & Cornoaille, Marseille, & Bayõne, sçauoir est, [~q] seulem[~e]t vn lieu est plus Ori[~e]tal, que l'autre; quant au reste, il a mesme grandeur de iours, mesme aspect des estoilles, mesmes saisons, & temperature. Vray est que la nouuelle France descend trois degrez [10] plus bas vers le midy, que ne faict la nostre, laquelle s'arreste à Fontarabie, c'est à dire, au 42. degré; là où la Nouuelle franchit iusques au 39. pour le moins, & plus loin, s'il plaist à sa Majesté de ne rien rabatre de ce que son predecesseur François I. auoit acquis.