Narrative of a Voyage to the West Indies and Mexico in the Years 1599-1602Champlain, Samuel de
History
Narrative of a Voyage to the West Indies and Mexico in the Years 1599-1602
Champlain, Samuel de
Mexico -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; West Indies -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
In the course of May 1620, Champlain at last again set sail for New
France with his family, and after being nearly two months at sea, cast
anchor in July opposite the mill of Baudé, about a league from
Tadoussac, where, as usual, his first care was to return thanks to God
for the preservation of himself and his family, who had suffered much
from the perils of a bad voyage. He found there a vessel, on board of
which was his wife's brother, the Sieur Boullé, who was greatly
surprised at seeing his sister, marvelling how she had ventured to pass
the dangerous sea. Champlain also learned that the old opponents of the
company, the Rochelle people, had sent two vessels, of seventy and
eighty-five tons respectively, to trade, in spite of the king's
prohibition; that they had obtained a great quantity of peltry and
other merchandise, and, what was worse, had supplied the natives with
firearms and powder and ball.
Champlain is very bitter against the Rochellois (who were Protestants),
calling them "meschans larrons"--wicked rascals, "who came into the
country to suborn the savages, and hold very pernicious and bad
discourse about our religion, in order to render us odious!"
On the 11th of July Champlain left Tadoussac for Quebec, with his
family, three missionaries, whom he had brought out with him, his
brother-in-law, Boullé, and Guers, his commissary, and immediately on
arriving he proceeded to the chapel to give thanks to God. On the
morrow, after mass, "a sermon of exhortation" was preached by a
Recollet father, explaining to all their duty towards the king and the
Duke de Montmorency, and to Champlain as their lieutenant; after which
Guers, the commissary, read publicly the king's and the viceroy's
commissions, appointing Champlain to the sole command of the colony;
"which being done, every one cried 'Vive le roy,' the cannon was fired
in token of joy, and thus I took possession of the settlement and the
country."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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