Discouraged but not yet ready to quit, they went in search of new financing. De Monts himself had some money from a dowry and Champlain had inherited an immense estate from his uncle, near La Rochelle.
He then secured a trade monopoly from the King, which gave him control of the market from the St. Lawrence to Newfoundland for 10 years; in exchange for a promise to settle 100 new colonists; including convicts; in the region each year. His official title would be Lieutenant-General of New France, and as such he would be in charge of establishing and enforcing the laws of the French Court. Now bear in mind, that the French Government had no control over Canadians, or any of the land. That was already well governed. Their only control was on the trade conducted at the French trading posts, and any products entering France. The Canadian people traded whenever, and with whomever they chose.
Of course it was this "free trading” that was turning away potential investors, so De Monts posted notices in all the ports of France, forbidding anyone to trade in the territory that would be under his control. In his capacity as an officer of the court, he would be able to punish any offenders, and I’m sure he was ready to make an example of the first one to test his authority. Again, this only applied to Frenchmen, while they were in Canada, and had absolutely nothing to do with the Canadian people or their country. They already had their own government, laws and political districts. They weren't part of the small trading posts that were deemed to be "New France", but did have a say in how THEY conducted business with THEM!
Whatever, control De Monts thought he had, caused him to outfit two ships to engage in foreign trade. He called on his old friend Pontgrave to captain one, and the other would have Sieur De Champdore, a ship’s carpenter with little navigation experience, at the helm. Champlain would be going along to keep a written account and chart the lands and waterways, and another nobleman, Jean De Biencourt, Baron de Poutrincourt, who had invested heavily, joined the expedition; probably to see firsthand where his money was going. Poutrincourt was also a military leader so was in charge of securing and training a small army for the security of the prospective trading post. Poutrincourt had married into a wealthy bourgeoise family, and his mother was from the infamous and wealthy Salazar family (which also made him an uncle of Charles La Tour, future Governor of French interests in Acadia).
De Monts had been able to recruit 120 skilled workers, no doubt many from the Jewish ghetto at Saintes, about 21 kilometers from Pons, the home of De Monts. This ghetto was leveled in 1621 on the order of King Louis XIII, but at the time was a well known haven for artisans and skilled workmen.
Leaving Have De Grace on April 7, 1604; they had already reached Sable Island by the first of May. With them, was Captain Prevert, who had explored the coast of present-day Nova Scotia and Bay of Fundy the previous year, convincing De Monts to head in that direction. Realizing that it would be next to impossible to stop the “free for all” on the St. Lawrence, this land known only to them as Acadia (derivative of Archadia) , might be worth a look. The group would not be disappointed. As a matter of fact, when they entered the Annapolis Basin, Poutrincourt was so in awe of the landscape, that he gave it the regal name Port Royal. That “love at first sight”, would culminate into an obsession, and he would later play a very important role in the future of the enterprise.
But, since one of the conditions of De Monts charter was to explore the entire region and find the best possible place for a settlement, they continued along the shores of the Bay of Fundy, arriving at the mouth of what would become the St. John River, on the 24th of June. Since that happened to be Saint Jean the Baptiste Day, Champlain named the river, the Riviere De St. Jean in the saint’s honor. A map he published with his Les Voyages in 1613, gives us a very clear image of the area, as seen from Champlain’s eyes; and his little drawings, more folk art than masterpiece, provide an amusing but informative addition. Had the explorer been a trained cartographer, he may have drawn something more detailed, but fortunately for me and others who hate to read maps, you can see at a glance all the landmarks that would have greeted and intrigued these early visitors.
up with Canadians.
Harvard College Library
Traveling westward, he found just what he was looking for. A sandy island on the Ste. Croix River, which De Monts named Ste. Croix Island (meaning Holy Cross). Now he may have been a military strategist, but knew very little about setting up camp. There was no fresh water, few trees for firewood, and the sandy soil made planting a garden, less than desirable. Perhaps more important to his men though, was the fact that the island was uninhabited. Where were the beautiful Canadian girls who loved to dance naked, that they’d heard so much about? The only sign of life on this God-forsaken island were a few wild birds who flew overhead, mocking them as they looked around in despair.
That despair would later be elevated to total despair, but for now there was work to be done. Before long there was a flurry of activity as the tradesmen and laborers, cut boards, put up walls and swatted mosquitoes. Guns from the flagship were mounted on a rocky ledge facing the Bay and sentry duty was posted. The design for the camp was simple, with the buildings constructed around a central palisade.
A single hut for the commander, a long covered gallery where they could come in out of the rain, a communal kitchen, barracks for the workmen with a separate one for the Swiss mercenaries, a forge, two blocks of houses for the officers, a makeshift hospital with adjoining chapel and an outdoor oven for baking bread. Guillaume des Champs and Etienne Maitre were the resident physicians; Louis Hebert, the pharmacist, and Father Nicholas Aubry would tend to their spiritual needs.
A garden was planted behind the kitchen, but when they realized that vegetables would not grow in the sandy soil, an alternate one was planted on the mainland. As a matter of fact, a lot of things needed to be done and obtained from there. The surrounding water was salty and other than a large elm which provided shade in the central plaza, and a single row of cedars to act as a windbreak, all of the trees that were on the island they had cut down to build their huts. Therefore, they depended on the mainland for water, firewood, food, power to run their grist mill, and fresh meat. So why didn’t they just stay on the mainland? A question I’m sure they asked themselves many times, but for now they would have to make the best of it.
As at Tadoussac, his group feasted, smoked, and were entertained with song and dance. Also, Champlain was able to recruit a few young men to act as pilots and interpreters for future exploration. They guided the Frenchmen along the coastline and were pleased and proud to show off their beautiful country. After all, France could not be nearly as nice, if these men were so eager to leave it.
Though he found none of the magnificent cities described by other explorers, he did note many areas ideal for future mercantile establishments. In the early fall, Poutrincourt returned to France with 40 of the men, and Champlain and De Monts remained at Ste. Croix with 78 would-be colonists. As he later said “It was impossible to know this country without having wintered there...”
Tragically, that winter would prove to be one of the worst; with heavy snow beginning in early October and by early December, ice floes cut them off from their firewood supply. They melted snow for drinking water, but with no wood, the men had to huddle together to keep warm, as it was almost as cold inside as out. Their cider had to be broken up with an axe and the salt pork became as tough as leather.
By mid-winter, the arms and legs of many of the men began to swell, and their teeth were falling out. Scurvy had hit little colony with a vengeance, and 36 of them, including Father Aubry, succumbed to the disease. In March, a band of friendly natives visited the island, while returning from a hunt, so were able to provide the survivors with fresh meat in exchange for a few trinkets. Had it not been for that, I’m sure they all would have perished.
Recognizing his folly, De Monts began to make preparations to leave. By the time that Poutrincourt returned on June 15, 1605; the men had packed up everything and couldn’t wait to abandon their prison. All of the buildings were dismantled and moved; lock, stock and barrel; across the bay to their new camp at Port Royal.
They must have painted quite a picture, these floating houses and gaunt, half-starved men, against a backdrop of beautiful wooded landscape; but the men saw only what was ahead. Land! Wonderful, kiss the ground, Land!
Their numbers down by half, they were met on the shore by Membertou, who immediately motioned some of the young men of his village to assist the new arrivals. Not that they needed much coaxing. The residents of the area, many of whom were the offspring of Basque fishermen and St. Malo traders, would always go out of their way to assist the French traders.
As a Grand Saqamaw in the Government of the Mi'kmaq Nation, and a member of the Council of the Wapna'ki Confederacy, Membertou would have had the authority to allow the small group of Frenchman to establish a trading post there. With the cargo unloaded and plans made for reconstruction, the survivors of the Ste. Croix fiasco, laid on the grass and looked up at the sky. They were home!
