Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 4 (of 8): French Explorations and Settlements in North America and Those of the Portuguese, Dutch, and Swedes 1500-1700
History
Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 4 (of 8): French Explorations and Settlements in North America and Those of the Portuguese, Dutch, and Swedes 1500-1700
America -- Discovery and exploration; America -- History; United States -- History
For the third voyage of Cartier, unfortunately, we have only a few
facts in addition to the fragment preserved by Hakluyt,[219] which ends
with events at the close of September, 1541. An account of the voyage
of Roberval is added thereto.[220] The commission of Cartier is found
in Lescarbot’s _Nouvelle France_.[221] All that was formerly known
was taken from Hakluyt; but facts that somewhat recently have come to
light, though few, are nevertheless important, proving that Hakluyt’s
information respecting Roberval was poor, like that which he gives of
the voyage of Rut (1527). Rut’s voyage was tolerably well understood
by Purchas, who wrote after Hakluyt. Bancroft, in his _History of
the United States_,[222] writes on the subject of Cartier as he wrote
forty-nine years earlier;[223] while nearly all historical writers,
whether famous or obscure, have written in a similar way. They have
been misled by Hakluyt. The statement that Cartier, on his way home
in June, 1542, encountered Roberval at Newfoundland, and deserted him
in the night, is not in keeping with his character, and is rendered
improbable by the fact that in the previous autumn Roberval sailed for
Canada. All things, so far as known, indicate that a good understanding
existed between the two commanders, and that circumstances alone
prevented the accomplishment of larger results. Certainly, if Cartier
had failed in his duty, history would have given some record of the
fact. Francis I. would not have employed any halting, half-hearted man
who was trying to discourage exploration. Let us here, then, endeavor
to epitomize the operations of Roberval and Cartier:—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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