Page:American Historical Review vol. 6.djvu/687

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Marc Lescarbot
677


Port Royal for Canso at the end of July, the vessel in which the colonists returned to France (it was again .& Jonas) did not leave Canso till her cargo of fish was complete, which was early in September.[1]

On his return to France in the autumn of 1607, Lescarbot again resumed his practice at Paris, and it was not until the Easter law vacation of the year 160S that his thoughts were turned to the pro- duction of a work on New France. At the instance of his friends, he was soon persuaded to set to work upon a history of French efforts to establish a foothold in the New World. His plan was, after briefly reviewing the early voyages of Verrazano, Cartier, Villegagnon and Laudonniere from books found in the King's Library, to give an original account of the attempt at colonization recently made by de Monts, and in which he himself had taken part.[2] The work, which was finished at the end of November,[3] was published in the following year under the title of Histoire de la Nouvelle France contenant les navigations, découvertes, et habitations faites par les Francois is hides Occidentales et Nouvelle France sons l'avœu ct an thorité de noz Rois Tres-Chrétiens et les diverses fortunes d'iceux en l'execution de ces chases depuis cent ans jiisqnes à hui.

The work is divided into three books. In the first are described the voyages of Verrazano, Villegagnon, Ribaut, Laudonniere and Gourgues. The accounts of the expeditions of Cartier, Roberval, de la Roche and de Monts occupy the second book, while in the

    . . . Je fus du voyage," etc. Cf. also pp. 752 and 822. A letter dated at Port Royal August 22, 1606, and written in all probability by Lescarbot, is preserved in the Archives of the French Foreign Office (Amerique, I. 25 and 26). It was published by M. Gabriel Marcel in the Revue de Géographie for January 1885. In 1613 Champlain ( Œurves published by Laverdiére, III. 123) mentioned that Lescarbot had never been beyond Ste. Croix and four years later Lescarbot replied (edition of 1617, p. 594) that he had never pretended the contrary.

  1. ↑ Ibid., p. 649. "Le troisième jour de Septembre nous levames les ancres," etc. Cf. also p. 716.
  2. ↑ Histoire de la Nouvelle France, Paris 1609, p. 5. "Ainsi m'a semblé à propos de joindre brievement et comme par epitome à la description des derniers voyages faits par les sieurs de Monts et de Poutrincourt en la Nouvelle France, ce que noz François ont laisse par ^crit des decouvertes qu'ils ont des long temps fait es parties Occidentales," and again p. 6, " Je veux done faire un recueil general de ce que i'ay leu en divers petits traitez et memoires que i'ay pris tant en la Bibliothèque du Roy qu'ailleurs; ensemble de ce que le sieur De Monts ... a fait et exploité au voyage qu'il y fit il y a cinq ans; et finalement ceque i'y ay veu et remarqué, en I'espace de deux etés et un hiver que nous avons esté en ladite province . . . tant pour contenter I'honnete desir de plusieurs qui dés long temps requierent cela de moy, que pour employer utilement les heures que ie puis avoir de loisir durant ce temps qu'on appelle des Vacations." He added in 1617 "des Vacations en l'an 1608." Cf. also p. 663.
  3. ↑ The privlige to print is dated November 27, 1608. Cf. also p. 526. "l'an dernier mil six cens sept;" and p. 624, "le dernier hiver de l'an mil six cens sept et huit;" also p. 652.
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