32 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



New France in 1G35, later became the famous Fort La Tour destroyed by 

 Charnisay in 1645 and reoccupied by La Tour in 1651. The company- 

 system was a failure, chiefly because it subordinated genuine siettlement, 

 involving agriculture, to the quicker returns of the fur trade, and it 

 produced no farther effect upon settlements in New Brunswick. 



h. The Foundation of Nova Scotia. In 1613 the English, claiming 

 the country by virtue of the Cabot discovery, seized Acadia; and in 1621 

 King James 1. granted the entire country to his favourite, Sir William 

 Alexander. Alexander attempted a settlement near Port Eoyal but none 

 in the present New Brunswick, and in 10132 Acadia was returned to 

 France. In 1654 it was retaken by the British, wlio established a trad- 

 ing post at Jemseg in 1659 and another of unknown site at the head 

 of the Bay of Fundy. The country was resitored to France in 1667, 

 but retaken in 1690, restored to France in 1697 and retaken finally in 

 1710. These later periods of possession, however, produced no English 

 settlements within the present limitsi of New Brunswick. 



c. Early attempts to Christianize the Indians. The French were 

 devout Catholics, and in their colonization ever attempted to Christian- 

 ize the natives. To this end they early established missions in New 

 Brunswick, of which the more important were, — those of the Recolletâ 

 on the St. John (site unknown) in 1619, and at Nepisguit in 1620; the 

 Jesuit Mission of St. Charles de Miscou in 1634 and_ another at Nepisguit 

 in 1644. Later the Jesuits in particular established missions at or near 

 the principal Indian villages such as Medudic, Aucpac, Skinouhoudiche 

 (Burnt Church), Restigouche. Such missiouis, however, hardly affected 

 the French settlements. 



d. Attempt to settle Acadia on the seigniorial system. The com- 

 pany system having proved a failure, the French Government undertook 

 to replace it by the seigniorial system, under which extensive granta 

 of land were made to seigniors who were bound to settle them with 

 tenants upon the familiar feudal plan. This system was really begun 

 by the great trading company of New France itself, which made sieveral 

 seigniorial grants, of which the only ones resfulting in settlements were 

 the seigniory and fort at the mouth of the St. John to La Tour in 1635, 

 and the entire north shore of the Province to Nicolas Denys in 1636 

 (confirmed 1653), who founded temporary trading posts at Miscou in 

 1652 and at Nepisguit somewhat later. But in 1672 there began, that 

 series of great seigniorial grants in. New Brunswick, at first from the 

 company of the Wesit Indies (successor to the company of New France) 

 and later from the King, which assigned thirty important seigniories, 

 covering most of tlie best accesisible lands in New Brunswick (Map 

 No. 6) to French seigniors. In only a few cases was even an attempt 



