THE GROWTH OF QUEBEC
A quarter of a century had elapsed since the founding of Quebec, and
still it could scarcely be regarded as other than a village, while in
some parts of New France colonization was absolutely null. Agriculture
had received some attention in the vicinity of Quebec, but it was on
such a small scale that it should be termed gardening rather than
farming.
Charlevoix writes: "The fort of Quebec, surrounded by a few wretched
houses and some sheds, two or three cabins on the island of Montreal, as
many, perhaps, at Tadousac, and at some other points on the river St.
Lawrence, to accommodate fishers and traders, a settlement begun at
Three Rivers and the ruins of Port Royal, this was all that constituted
New France--the sole fruit of the discoveries of Verrazzani, Jacques
Cartier, de Roberval, Champlain, of the great expenses of the Marquis de
la Roche and de Monts, and of the industry of many Frenchmen, who might
have built up a great colony had they been well directed."
The various companies, as we have seen, took no interest whatever in
settling the country, their chief design being to carry on fur trade
with the Indians. Patriotism had no meaning for them, the all-absorbing
question was money. This was not the case, however, with the company
established by Cardinal Richelieu, whose desire was to christianize the
savages, to found a powerful colony, and to secure for his king the
possession of New France. The principal associates of this company were
pious, patriotic and zealous men, who laboured to extend the power and
influence of France throughout the vast continent of America for the
honour and glory of God. There were among the associates a certain
number of gentlemen and ecclesiastics, who, realizing their incapacity
to transact the business of such an important undertaking, preferred to
hand over the administration to merchants of Dieppe, Rouen and Paris,
together with the advantages to be derived therefrom. A special
association was consequently formed, composed of merchants who undertook
the financial affairs of the settlement, such as paying the new
governor, providing ammunition and provisions, and maintaining the
forts; and if there were profits they were to be divided amongst the
Hundred Associates. This association was formed before the departure of
Champlain for Quebec in 1633. Its agents were a merchant of Rouen named
Rosée, and Cheffault, a lawyer of Paris, who had a representative at
Quebec.
As it was necessary for the Hundred Associates to appoint a governor of
New France, they offered the position to Champlain, as he was
universally respected and known to be experienced and disinterested.
Moreover he was well acquainted with the country, and on friendly terms
with the savages. It is doubtful whether any one could have taken his
place with better prospects of success. Champlain, moreover, desired to
finish his work, and although there was much to accomplish, the future
appeared more favourable than at any other time. The company had a large
capital at its disposal, and this alone seemed to insure the success of
the colony. Three ships were equipped for Quebec in the spring of 1633,
the _St. Pierre_, one hundred and fifty tons burden, carrying twelve
cannon; the _St. Jean_, one hundred and sixty tons, with ten cannon, and
the _Don de Dieu_, eighty tons, with six cannon. The ships carried about
two hundred persons, including two Jesuits, a number of sailors and
settlers, and one woman and two girls. Provisions and ammunition were in
abundance. When the fleet arrived in the St. Lawrence, Champlain saw a
number of English trading vessels which were there contrary to the
treaty of St. Germain-en-Laye. From this moment Champlain resolved to
establish a fixed post for trading, both for the Indians as well as
strangers. The island selected for this purpose by Champlain was
situated in the river St. Lawrence, about ten leagues above Quebec, and
was named Richelieu Island.
Champlain caused the island to be fortified as soon as possible, and
surrounded it with a platform, upon which cannon were placed pointing in
every direction. Sentinels were placed on guard, and it would have been
impossible for vessels to pass unobserved. The Indians were informed of
this new plan, and in the autumn of the same year, the Nipissings and
the Algonquins of the Iroquet came to this island for trading. The
Hurons, however, came to Quebec, as they had heard from the Algonquins
of Allumette Island that the French would take revenge for the murder of
Étienne Brûlé. Champlain did not desire to punish them for the death of
this traitor, and he therefore did his best to retain the friendship of
the Indians, and entertained them at public feasts. He knew well that
their fur trade was of great importance, and, moreover, he wanted them
as allies in the event of an attack by the Iroquois, which might be
expected at any time, as they were unreliable and always anxious for
war. A league with the Hurons, Algonquins and Montagnais, with one
hundred French, would, in the opinion of Champlain, be sufficient to
protect the colony, and he wrote to that effect to the cardinal. This
was probably his last letter to the great minister:--
"Monseigneur:--The honour of the commands that I have
received from your Eminence has inspired me with greater courage to
render you every possible service with all the fidelity and
affection that can be desired from a faithful servant. I shall
spare neither my blood nor my life whenever the occasion shall
demand them.
"There are subjects enough in these regions, if your Eminence,
considering the character of the country, shall desire to extend
your authority over them. This territory is more than fifteen
hundred leagues in length, lying between the same parallels of
latitude as our own France. It is watered by one of the finest
rivers in the world, into which empty many tributaries more than
four hundred leagues in length, beautifying a country inhabited by
a vast number of tribes. Some of them are sedentary in their mode
of life, possessing, like the Muscovites, towns and villages built
of wood; others are nomadic hunters and fishermen, all longing to
welcome the French and religious fathers, that they may be
instructed in our faith.
"The excellence of this country cannot be too highly estimated or
praised, both as to the richness of the soil, the diversity of the
timber such as we have in France, the abundance of wild animals,
game and fish, which are of extraordinary magnitude. All this
invites you, monseigneur, and makes it seem as if God had created
you above all your predecessors to do a work here more pleasing to
Him than any that has yet been accomplished.
"For thirty years I have frequented this country, and have acquired
a thorough knowledge of it, obtained from my own observation and
the information given me by the native inhabitants. Monseigneur, I
pray you to pardon my zeal, if I say that, after your renown has
spread throughout the East, you should end by compelling its
recognition in the West.
"Expelling the English from Quebec has been a very important
beginning, but, nevertheless, since the treaty of peace between the
two crowns, they have returned to carry on trade and annoy us in
this river, declaring that it was enjoined upon them to withdraw,
but not to remain away, and that they have their king's permission
to come for the period of thirty years. But, if your Eminence
wills, you can make them feel the power of your authority. This can
furthermore be extended at your pleasure to him who has come here
to bring about a general peace among these people, who are at war
with a nation holding more than four hundred leagues in subjection,
and who prevent the free use of the rivers and highways. If this
peace were made, we should be in complete and easy enjoyment of our
possessions. Once established in the country, we could expel our
enemies, both English and Flemings, forcing them to withdraw to the
coast, and, by depriving them of trade with the Iroquois, oblige
them to abandon the country entirely. It requires but one hundred
and twenty men, light armed for avoiding arrows, by whose aid,
together with two or three thousand savage warriors, our allies, we
should be, within a year, absolute masters of all these people; and
by establishing order among them, promote religious worship and
secure an incredible amount of traffic.
"The country is rich in mines of copper, iron, steel, brass,
silver, and other minerals which may be found here.
"The cost, monseigneur, of one hundred and twenty men is a trifling
one to His Majesty, the enterprise the most noble that can be
imagined.
"All for the glory of God, whom I pray with my whole heart to grant
you ever increasing prosperity, and to make me all my life,
monseigneur, your most humble, most faithful and most obedient
servant,
"Champlain.
"At Quebec, in New France, August 15th, 1635."
In order to consolidate his general scheme for the colonization of the
country, Champlain desired that the missionaries should settle
permanently among the Huron tribes. The Jesuits wished to go there, as
they believed they would find a field for their labours. They had
previously set before the people the light of the Catholic faith, but
these efforts had not been as successful as they had wished. Father de
Brébeuf, the apostle to the Hurons, having decided to return to his
former sphere of labours, left for the Huron country in 1634, prepared
to remain there as long as there was work to be done. He was destined to
live among the Hurons until they were finally dispersed by the Iroquois.
When Champlain arrived at Quebec, he summoned Emery de Caën to deliver
to Duplessis-Bochart the keys of the fort and habitation. Champlain's
arrival caused much rejoicing among the inhabitants, for he inspired
both their love and respect, and he was, perhaps, the only man who could
impress them with a belief in their future, and thus retain them in the
country. The arrival of a certain number of settlers during the years
1633-4, was also an encouragement for all. The restoration of Canada to
France caused some excitement in the maritime provinces of France,
especially in Normandy, as most of the settlers of New France up to this
date were from there. The exceptions were, Louis Hébert, a native of
Paris, and Guillaume Couillard, of St. Malo. Emigration soon extended to
other parts of the provinces, as the result of the discrimination of the
Relations of the Jesuits, which had been distributed in Paris and
elsewhere during the years 1632 and 1633. Several pious and charitable
persons began to take an interest in the missions of New France, and
forwarded both money and goods to help them.
Some nuns offered to go to Canada to look after the sick and to instruct
the young girls, and in the year 1633 a few families arrived in Quebec
with Champlain, who had defrayed their expenses.
In the year 1634 an association was formed in France for the purpose of
promoting colonization, and a group of about forty persons, recruited in
different parts of the province of Perche, were sent to Canada, with
Robert Giffard at their head. Giffard, it will be remembered, had
visited Quebec in the year 1627 as surgeon of the vessels sent out by
the company, but he had no intention of settling in the country. After
having built a log hut on the Beauport shore, he devoted his leisure to
hunting and fishing, game and fish being plentiful at that time, and
returned to France during the same year. He was appointed surgeon to
Roquemont's fleet during the following year, and as the vessels were
captured by the English, he, with the others on board, was compelled to
return to his mother country. This misfortune did not discourage the
former solitary inhabitant of Beauport, and he resolved to revisit the
country, but this time with a view of settling and of farming.
Giffard had suffered many losses, and as a compensation for his services
and misfortune, he obtained a tract of land from the Company of New
France, one league in length and a league and a half in breadth,
situated between the rivers Montmorency and Beauport, bounded in front
by the river St. Lawrence, and in the rear by the Laurentian Mountains.
He was also granted as a special favour, a tract of land of two acres in
extent, situated near the fort, for the purpose of building a residence,
surrounded with grounds. These concessions, which seem large at first
sight, were, however, not new to the colony. Louis Hébert had been
granted the fief of the Sault au Matelot, and the fief Lepinay, while
the Jesuits had received the fief of Notre Dame des Anges almost free of
conditions.
Under these favourable conditions Giffard induced two citizens of
Mortagne, Zacharie Cloutier and Jean Guyon, to accompany him to Canada.
Cloutier was a joiner, and Guyon a mason. They promised their seignior
that they would build him a residence, thirty feet long and sixteen feet
wide.
The other emigrants came to Canada at their own risk. The party numbered
forty-three persons, including women and children, and were within a
space of from five to eight leagues of Mortagne, the chief town of the
old province of Perche. There were two exceptions, however, Jean
Juchereau came from La Ferté Vidame in Thimerais, and Noël Langlois was
from St. Leonard, in Normandy.
The vessels bearing the contingent of settlers arrived in Quebec in
June. They were four in number, under the command of Captains de Nesle,
de Lormel, Bontemps, and Duplessis-Bochart. Robert Giffard had preceded
the party by a few days, and he lost no time in selecting the spot where
his residence was to be built, upon which he planted a cross on July
25th. He also commenced clearing the land, and two years after he
gathered in a harvest of wheat sufficient to maintain twenty persons.
The soil in this part was very productive, and it is, even to-day, the
richest in the province of Quebec.
Among the emigrants of the year 1634 were two remarkable men, Jean
Bourdon, and a priest named Jean LeSueur de St. Sauveur. The Abbé
LeSueur de St. Sauveur had abandoned his parish of St. Sauveur de
Thury, which is to-day known as Thury-Harcourt, in Normandy, to come to
Quebec. One of the suburbs of Quebec to-day takes its name from this
active and devoted priest.
Jean Bourdon, an inseparable friend of the abbé, established himself on
the borders of Côteau Ste. Geneviève, which is to-day known as St.
John's suburb. He built a house and a mill, and also a chapel, which he
named Chapel St. Jean. Other pioneers soon settled near Bourdon's place,
which finally gave to Quebec a suburb.
Bourdon was a man of great capacity, and he in turn filled the rôle of
surveyor, engineer, cartographer, delineator, farmer, diplomat and
lawyer. He saw the colony increasing, and knew eight governors of the
colony, including Champlain. He was also acquainted with Bishop Laval,
the Venerable Mother Marie Guyart de l'Incarnation, and was on good
terms with the Jesuits and the nuns of the Hôtel Dieu and Ursuline
Convent. Bourdon played an important part in the affairs of the colony.
He was present at the foundation of the Jesuits' college, of the Quebec
seminary, and of the Conseil Souverain, of which he was procureur
fiscal. Of his personal qualities, the Venerable Mother de l'Incarnation
has written that he was "the father of the poor, the comfort of orphans
and widows, a good example for everybody."
One of the articles of the act incorporating the Company of New France,
provided that the colony was to be settled with French and Catholic
subjects only. This provision may appear at first sight to be arbitrary,
but when we consider that one of the chief objects of the colonization
of New France was to convert the savages, and that the Huguenots with
their new form of religion were, generally speaking, hostile to the king
and to the Catholics, it seems to have been a judicious provision. In
such a small community the existence of two creeds so opposed to each
other could hardly have produced harmony, and as the Catholics were
undertaking the enterprise and it originated with them, they surely had
the right to do what they considered would most effectively secure their
ends.
For political reasons this action could also be defended, for the
loyalty of the Huguenots was, perhaps, doubtful, and their past actions
did not offer any guarantee for the future. They did not hesitate to
preach revolt against the authorities of France, and, therefore,
intimate connection with the Indians might have produced results
prejudicial to the colony. If France had the welfare of the colony at
heart, it behooved her to exclude every disturbing element. Viewed
impartially, this precaution was undoubtedly just, and those who blame
the company for their action, do not rightly understand the difficulties
which existed at that period.
Richelieu, who had a clear insight into the affairs of the time, did not
prohibit trade between the Huguenots and the Indians, but he refused
them permission to settle in Canada, or to remain there for any length
of time without special leave. Champlain had observed the attitude of
the Huguenots, their unwillingness to erect a fort at Quebec, their
persecution of the Catholics, and their treatment of the Jesuits, and
although he was not fanatical, he was pleased with this rule. The
foundation of the new settlement was based upon religion, and religion
was essential to its progress. Peace and harmony must be maintained, and
everything that would promote trouble or quarrel must be excluded.
During the seventeenth century, England preserved a war-like attitude
towards Catholics. A Catholic was not eligible for a public office, and
the learned professions were closed to them, neither could a Catholic
act as a tutor or as an executor to a will. Prejudice was carried still
further, and even the books treating of their faith were suppressed,
while relics or religious pictures were forbidden. These were only a few
of the persecutions to which they were subject.
As far back as 1621 Champlain had requested the king to forbid
Protestant emigration to Canada, but his petition was not granted,
because the company was composed of mixed creeds. The company formed by
Richelieu, however, was solely Catholic, and there were no difficulties
on this score. The result of this policy was soon manifest. There were
no more dissensions on board the vessels as to places of worship, and
the Catholics were, as a consequence, enabled to observe their religious
duties without fear of annoyance. The beneficent influence of this
policy extended to the settlement, where the people lived in peace, and
were not subject to the petty quarrels which arose through a difference
in creed.
In the Relation of 1637 we find evidence of this: "Now it seems to me
that I can say with truth that the soil of New France is watered by so
many heavenly blessings, that souls nourished in virtue find here their
true element, and are, consequently, healthier than elsewhere. As for
those whose vices have rendered them diseased, they not only do not grow
worse, but very often, coming to breathe a salubrious air, and far
removed from opportunities for sin, changing climate they change their
lives, and a thousand times bless the sweet providence of God, which has
made them find the door to felicity where others fear only misery.
"In a word, God has been worshipped in His houses, preaching has been
well received, both at Kébec and at the Three Rivers, where Father
Buteux usually instructed our French people; each of our brethren has
been occupied in hearing many confessions, both ordinary and general;
very few holidays and Sundays during the winter have passed in which we
have not seen and received persons at the table of our Lord. And certain
ones, who for three, four and five years had not confessed in old
France, now, in the new, approach this so salutary sacrament oftener
than once a month; prayers are offered kneeling and in public, not only
at the fort, but also in families and little companies scattered here
and there. As we have taken for patroness of the Church of Kébec the
Holy Virgin under the title of her Conception, which we believe to be
immaculate, so we have celebrated this festival with solemnity and
rejoicing.
"The festival of the glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph, father, patron and
protector of New France, is one of the great solemnities of this
country.... It is, in my opinion, through his favour and through his
merits, that the inhabitants of New France who live upon the banks of
the great river Saint Lawrence, have resolved to receive all the good
customs of the old and to refuse admission to the bad ones.
"And to tell the truth, so long as we have a governor who is a friend of
virtue, and so long as we have free speech in the Church of God, the
monster of ambition will have no altar there.
"All the principal personages of our colony honour religion; I say with
joy and God's blessing, that those whom His goodness has given to
command over us, and those also who are coming to establish themselves
in these countries, enjoy, cherish, and wish to follow the most sincere
maxims of Christianity.... Justice reigns here, insolence is banished,
and shamelessness would not dare to raise its head.... It is very
important to introduce good laws and pious customs in these early
beginnings, for those who shall come after us will walk in our
footsteps, and will readily conform to the example given them by us,
whether tending to virtue or vice."
We could multiply evidence on this point. The Jesuits always recall this
good feature of the settlers, their respect for their religion, its
worship and its ministers.
The author of the "Secret Life of Louis XV," says that New France owed
its vigour to its first settlers; their families had multiplied and
formed a people, healthy, strong, honourable, and attached to good
principles. Father Le Clercq, a Récollet, the Venerable Mother de
l'Incarnation, and many others, seem to take pleasure in praising the
virtues of our first ancestors.
Champlain had begun his administration by establishing order everywhere,
and chiefly among the soldiers, who easily understood military
discipline, but the religious code with more difficulty. Fort St. Louis
was like a school of religion and of every virtue. They lived there as
in a monastery. There was a lecture during meals; in the morning they
read history, and at supper the lives of saints. After that they said
their prayers, and Champlain had introduced the old French custom of
ringing the church bells three times a day, during the recitation of the
Angelus. At night, every one was invited to go to Champlain's room for
the night's prayer, said by Champlain himself.
These good examples, given by Champlain, governor of the country, were
followed, and produced good fruits of salvation among the whole
population. The blessing of God on the young colony was evident, and
when Champlain died, he had the consolation of leaving after him a
moral, honest and virtuous people.