INTRODUCTION 19 



St. Paul in the country of the Eskimos"; and about this 

 seigneurie not much is known. It was granted in 1706 to 

 Amador Godefroy de St. Paul. In 1725 Godefroy de St. 

 Paul sent one of his wife's relatives to render foi et horn- 

 mage for him at the castle of St. Louis in Quebec. But 

 after Godefroy's death it is probable that the ' family 

 ceased to occupy the fief ; certainly the fief never arrived 

 at any degree of importance. 1 



During the years 1700-1760 it rained concessions on 

 the Cdte du Nord. Grants of fishing and trading rights 

 were made to the Sieurs Riverin, De la Chesnaye, Constan- 

 tin, De la Valtrie (who had married a daughter of Fran- 

 cois Bissot), De Leigne, Boucault and Foucault, De la 

 Fontaine, De Lanouilles, Marsal, Hocquart, Tache, Pom- 

 mereau, Vincent, De Beaujeu, and Estebe, as well as to 

 Mme. de Boishebert and the widow Fernel. 2 Hamilton 

 Inlet (Baie des Esquimaux) was granted at different times 

 to traders and merchants, on condition of its being ex- 

 plored; but none of the grantees seem to have complied 

 with the condition. It is noteworthy, however, that in 

 1779 Major Cartwright reports the discovery near Hamil- 

 ton Inlet of "the ruins of three French settlements." 

 And we know from Jeffrey's Northwest Passage that 

 in 1752 the French traded with the Eskimos at Ham- 

 ilton Inlet for whalebone and oil. Perhaps the French 

 Canadians went north of the Strait of Belle Isle oftener 

 than we hear about. 



Inside the Strait, however, there is no question about 



1 1 have to acknowledge here the kind assistance of Professor W. B. 

 Munro, of Harvard University. 



2 This list does not pretend to be perfect. 



