336 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



west coast of Newfoundland, visited the Magdalenes. and thence sailed 

 westward. On June 30th he sighted land, which his description locates 

 as near the present Grenville on Prince Edward Island. He entered a 

 sluiUow river, which he named Rij/iiiere des Barcques, the present Rich- 

 mond Bay. He then coasted northward, named the present Cape Kil- 

 dare, Cap iC Orleans, and North Cape, Le Gap dez Sauvaiges. He next 

 entered the hea<l of Northumberland Strait, which he mistook for a 

 closed bay and named La Baije Saincf Lunaire. He did not enter the 

 Miramichi, but refers to it as a triangular bay all ranged with sands. 

 Coasting noi-thward he rounded Point Miscou, naming it Cap d'Espér- 

 ance and entered Bay Chaleur, which he explored to its head along its 

 noi-th coast, and to which he gave its present name (La Baye de Chaleur). 

 He spent some days at the present Port Daniel, called by him La Couche 

 Sainct Martin. The remainder of the vo3'age does not concern our pres- 

 ent subject, nor did he again visit this coast. This scant outline, ample 

 for our present purpose, gives no idea of the great interest, accuracy, 

 and importance of Cartier's original narrative ; these, however, together 

 with the critical discussion of his entire route, are so fully treated in the 

 easily accessible works referred to, that the interested readei- may there 

 tind full satisfaction. 



This first voj^age of Cartier is of immense importance to the carto- 

 graphy of the entire Gulf of St. Lawrence. I have elsewhere ' pro- 

 pounded and defended the thesis — The correct interpretation of Cartier's 

 first voyage is the key to the cartograpjhy of the Gulf for almost the sub- 

 sequent century. Further study has but confirmed this opinion. It is 

 perfectly true for the New Bi-unswick coast. The maps after Cartier, 

 and until Champlain, reflect the former's influence only, and the nearer 

 to him they are, the better ; they degenerate steadily until the new 

 tj^pe appears. 



It is known that Cartier made maps of the places he visited,- but 

 these are entirely lost, though happily his narratives are extant. The 

 first maps to appear after his voyages, show his travels ver}^ clearly 

 and must have been based upon his own. A careful comparison of them 

 with one another has suggested certain features which Cartier's maps 

 probably showed, i. e., they were on a larger scale than any of those 

 copied from them, contained legends descriptive of the country, in- 

 habitants, etc., bore place-names not mentioned in the narratives, 

 recorded the days of saints on which discoveries were made, and left 

 coasts undefined which he did not himself visit. No doubt also he made 

 several maps, the first showing the first voyage only, and the later ones 

 adding what he found out in the subsequent ones. 



1 These Trans., VII., ii., 17. 



2 These Trans., VII., ii., 27, 42. 



