Section II, 1889. [ 17 ] Trans. Roy. Soc. Canada. 



II. — The Cariograpliij of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from Cartier to Champlam. 



By "W. F. Ganono, A.M. 



(Presented by Dr. George Stewart, May 8, 1889.) 



At its meeting- iu May, 1881, the present writer had the honor to lay before this 

 Society, a paper on the first voyage of Jacques Cartier to Canada. At that time the 

 importance of the bearing of this voyage upon the subsequent cartography of the Gulf 

 had not become evident to me, but a more careful and comprehensive study since then of 

 this in connection with other early voyages and with early maps, has made it clear that it 

 is of the greatest importance. The first v'oyage of Cartier to the Gulf quite overshadows, 

 from a cartographical point of view, his later ones, and indeed all of those of the Sixteenth 

 Century. Its results largely moulded the maps of this region for nearly eighty years ; and 

 the various discrepancies and errors of those maps, as well as the differences of opinion 

 and inaccuracies of some late writers, have been due to a lack of that true interpretation 

 of Cartier's course which is the key to the situation. So marked and important is this, 

 that I may be pardoned for repeating with greater emphasis what is in reality the text of 

 this paper : — The correct interpretation of Cartier's first voyage is the key to the cartography of 

 the Gutf for almost the subsequent century. This statement I hope to substantiate in the 

 following pages. 



In order that we may have a connected view of the whole subject, I must ask you to 

 briefly review Cartier's itinerary as set forth in the paper ' referred to. In this connec- 

 tion it will be necessary to mention the different and sometimes inconsistent views held 

 by several writers, since these have directed the writings on the subject. 



Voyages of Cartieb and Contemporaries. 



A. — Cartier's First Voyaye. 



Cartier, with two ships, left St. Malo on April 20th, 1534. He made land at Cape 

 BonaA'ista, May 10th, and after spending some days in Cataliua Harbor, visited Funk 

 Islands to provision his ships with the birds there. He entered the Strait of Belle Isle 

 early in June, and coasted along the Labrador shore as far as the present Cumberland 



^ Trans. Roy. Soc. Canada, 1887, vol. iv. sec. ii. pp. 121-136. 



Sec.lII,_18S9. 3. 



