So Cartier sailed away, on May 23d. We will leave the misfortunes on
the way to be read in Cartier's memoir of the third voyage. At last,
however, Cartier arrived at the mouth of what is now Cape Rouge River
and found a spot where a fort should be built on the high point now
called Redclyffe. This fort he called Charlesbourg Royal, doubtless
after Charles, Duke of Orléans, son of Francis I. He put three of the
vessels in haven, and after the two others were emptied of all that
was destined for the colony, Cartier sent them back and with them
in command Marc Jalobert, his brother-in-law, and Etienne Noël, his
nephew, to tell King Francis that they had begun to construct a fort,
but that Monsieur de Roberval was not yet come and that he feared
that by occasion of contrary winds and tempests he was driven back to
France. They departed for St. Malo on September 2d.
Things were progressing at the fort; the land was tilled and the fort
was begun to be built; but now a party consisting of Cartier, Martin
de Painport, with other gentlemen, and the remnant of the mariners,
departed with two boats "with victuals to go as far as Hochelaga of
purpose to view and understand the fashion of the Saults of water."
The Viscount de Beaupré stayed behind for the guarding and government
of all things in the fort. Cartier's party reached the rapids passing
Tutonaguy, which we identify as the site of Montreal, but we have no
record of his staying there. Cartier's memoirs of the voyage break off
here. However, as we are interested only in the colonizing movement,
we get sufficient information from Roberval's account of his voyage of
the fate of the Charlesbourg attempt. Roberval says that Cartier left
for France at the end of September, 1541, and that he himself after
having set sail from Honfleur, on the 16th of April, 1542, arrived at
Newfoundland on the 7th of June following, where he found Cartier on
his way home. Cartier explained that he had left the fort because he
had not been able, with his little troupe, to resist the savages who
roamed daily around the fort, and were very harassing. However, Cartier
and his men praised the country highly, as being very rich and fertile,
adding that they had taken away many diamonds, and a certain quantity
of gold ore which Roberval examined and found good. Roberval had
arrived with three great vessels fitted out at the expense of the King,
with 200 souls, men and women and some gentlemen, among them being the
Sieur de Lenneterre, his lieutenant, Lespinay, his ensign, the Captain
Guinecourt, and the pilot, Jean Alphonse. He ordered Cartier to retrace
his steps to Charlesbourg, believing that the new recruitment was able
to resist the attacks of the enemy. But Cartier, and his following,
departed secretly the following night. Whether or not this flight was
disloyal, or born of fear, or of vainglory, since Roberval asserted,
that Cartier had fled being desirous of getting first to France to
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