He told them of the Algonquin braves--the hunters of the wild,
Of how the Indian mother in the forest rocks her child;
Of how, poor souls, they fancy in every living thing
A spirit good or evil, that claims their worshipping;
Of how they brought their sick and maim'd for him to breathe upon,
And of the wonders wrought for them through the Gospel of St. John.
He told them of the river whose mighty current gave
Its freshness for a hundred leagues to Ocean's briny wave;
He told them of the glorious scene presented to his sight,
What time he rear'd the cross and crown on Hochelaga's height,
And of the fortress cliff that keeps of Canada the key,
And they welcomed back Jacques Cartier from his perils o'er the sea.
On Tuesday, September 4th, Jacques Cartier regained his pinnace and on
Wednesday, September 5th, he passed thence on his way to Stadaconé.
At Stadaconé, on May 3d, the festival of the Holy Cross, he planted
the cross and inscribed it with the royal name and title, "Franciscus
Primus Dei Gratia." There he treacherously seized Donnacona and his
friends Dom Agaya and Taignoagny and took them to France. On July 6th,
1636, he reached St. Malo "by the grace of the Creator, whom we pray,
making an end of our navigation to grant us his grace and Paradise at
the end. Amen."
CARTIER'S SECOND VISIT TO HOCHELAGA, 1540
When Cartier appeared before the King, Francis I, after his second
voyage there is no doubt that he would have enthusiastically
recommended the country of Hochelaga, especially that island, on which
was the mountain to which he had given the title "Mont Royal" as the
site of a settlement, for in Jacques Cartier's commission, dated
October 17, 1540, in preparation for the third voyage, we read:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account