Now there are some men in history that I have a geat deal of respect for, and some that I absolutely detest. Cartier would definitely fit into the latter group.
I once heard a Native American comedian do a bit on Columbus Day. He said "yeah...Columbus, the man who "founded" America....well, I've got news for him....we weren't "losted!." Grammar and semanitcs aside, that was it in a nutshell. When Jacques Cartier first arrived in Canada, he was searching for "losted" treasures, and the only reason he planted a cross, or mentioned in his reports that the people could be easily converted, was to gain support from the church. A little papal authority went a long way in those days.
His first encounter with the local people was at Gaspe, where he met up with about 200 fishermen from the Huron Nation, who were trusting and cordial, though wary of the strangers' sudden appearance. Cartier began asking them about gems and precious metals, and the Canadians who loved a good joke, told them of the fictional "Kingdom of the Saguenay" that had more treasures than anyone could ever hope for. Of course the Frenchmen probably fed them the jewels and gold part, to which the amiable men answered with the customary"ho,ho,ho"; but it was enough to peak their interest.
Returning to France with two captives, Domagaya and Taignoagny, both sons of the "Lord of Canada", Donnacona, in hopes that they could learn the French language and convince the King of France that the "Kingdom of Sagenay" was worth a major investment. There has been some speculation, that the two young princes left willingly, and while I have no trouble believing that they could have been kidnapped, it is also just as feasable that their father allowed the trip to open up new markets for trade.
When they returned the following year, they spoke well of their hosts and assured the council of chiefs, that the French would make strategic and profitable allies. Donnacona was pleased and invited Cartier to spend a few days with him and his family at Hochelaga. Cartier, almost blew it though when he hoisted his 30 foot cross with the French Coat of Arms. The Huron chief objected, but as I said before, was assured that it was only a beacon to guide fellow countrymen.
He would spend several days as the guest of the Huron leader, and while there was bestowed one of the greatest honours known to the Canadian people. It was customary when nations entered into an alliance (extremely common in all European countries, and also practiced to some degree in Canada at the time), that they would exchange women to marry into each other's community, as a show of good faith. But in this case the French Captain was presented with the daughter of one of Donnacona's brothers; a rare gift. Had he simply given one of his own children, it would not have been as meaningful, since they belonged to their mother's clan; but in the case of the niece, she was a member of the chief's own.
And so it was that the 42-year-old Cartier and the 8-year-old princess entered into marriage with much pomp and ceremony. Since it was too late to return home, Cartier went back to Stadacona to spend the winter and it was arranged that his 'wife' would join him there in the spring. In early May she was escorted by her father and 9 other Huron leaders, to join her husband, but when they arrived, they were immediately siezed and taken back to France as hostages. Reportedly sold into slavery, or at the very least kept as curiosities; all of the men perished.
Though Cartier had prepared a glowing report about a "large city called Sagana where there are many mines of gold and silver ...and there is abundance of clove, nutmeg, and pepper.", it would be several years before France was in a position to finance another expedition. Finally, on May 23, 1541; he was once again on his way , only this time with an added 'holy' mission. It was felt that the only way to strengthen the French claim to the territory, that was already ceded to Spain by the Papacy, would be to undertake works of conversion as well as conquest.
This time though, the King gave command of the enterprise to Jean-Francois de la Rocque, Sieur de Roberval, much to Cartier's dismay, but Roberval was socially superior and more experienced in military matters, showing that France was now taking the 'New World' seriously. Cartier set off on his own, with plans to meet up with the military leader at Newfoundland, but when a few months went by and there was still no sign of him, he decided to go ahead on his own, in search of the fabled kingdom.
First he tried to mend fences, and arrived at Hochelaga with his now 14-year-old bride, but the Canadians were looking for their former leaders. Again he lied, admitting that Donnacona had died, but claimed that the others had married French women and were now prominent land owners; so refused to leave France. Bringing the new chief an elegant red cape, did little to convince him that the man was not a scoundrel, and Jacques Cartier was driven out of Dodge.
Of course they never found the great kingdom, but his men did uncover "certaine leaves of fine gold as thicke as a man's nail" and a "good store of stones, which we esteemed to be diamonds," and satisfied for now he set sail for home in the spring of 1542; encountering Roberval icebound off Newfoundland.
Even though the military leader issued a direct command to return to Canada, Cartier ignored it and went on his way. As for Roberval and his men, they would spend a distastrous winter. Cartier had told him of a cure for scurvey that the Canadian people had given him, which saved the lives of most of his crew on a former voyage, but nothing like that was available or at least offered, and many died of the dreaded disease. Most of the others perished from frost bite or malnutrition, so the expedition was deemed a failure.
To make matters worse, when Cartier brought his treasures back to France, he learned that the gold and jewels were worthless iron pyrite and quartz crystals, gems that set a new standard for national foolishness. Henceforth, anything of only imaginary value was said to be as 'worthless as Canadian diamonds' and Cartier would refer to Canada from then on as the 'Land God gave to Cain'.
After three voyages, and numerous written reports, there was a definite lack of interest in the region. Despite the fact that there were seven reprintings of a world geography reference book in France between 1539 and 1558; which spans the time of his explorations; not one mentioned the 'New World' or the scoundrel Jacques Cartier.
As for Cartier, though many believe that his intentions were pure and that he was there to introduce Christianity to the "dirty heathens", he was only after material gain and the approval of the Pope. He was arrogant, sinister and mean spirited; and though after his death, his nephews sold his 'claim' to land in Canada to De Monts; he never 'conquered' or won this land by 'right of discovery', so the purchase would have been meaningless; or at least it should have been.
