710 • REFORT— 1898. 



the place of that indispensable adjustment, and the men, unoccupied most 

 of the time, slept around it, starved there, got sick and died on the spot, 

 one after the other, as a matter of course. Father Biard, evidently ahead 

 of his generation, once made the remark that an iron box (a stove) such 

 as used in Germany was preferable by far to the poisonous system of 

 caboose. The improvement made by Champlain in his house at Quebec 

 consisted in substituting an ordinary chimney for the open fireplace above 

 alluded to. It is likely that Louis Hebert in 1617, and Guillaume Couil- 

 lard about 1620, built similar smoke-escapes in their homes 3 they also 

 had the good sense to fit door and window sashes so as both to close her- 

 metically and open easily when required. These marvels were not to be 

 surpassed for a long while after that. 



The equipment provided for the men of Cartier, Roberval, Chauvin, 

 De Monts, and Champlain was not generally suitable in Canada. Slouch 

 felt hats are not equal to fur caps in winter ; boots and shoes of European 

 fabrics could not compete with the moccasins ; and as for overcoats, it 

 may be said they were not fit for the climate. Gloves, trousers, and under- 

 clothes adapted to the exigencies of 30° below zero constituted a puzzle 

 for these people. Snowshoes and mitts were doubtless adopted at an 

 early date from the Indians. 



It was well known tluoughout France that Canada was a purgatory 

 for civilised people, and would never be settled by Christians. 



Building houses was not customary in Quebec until 1632, because the 

 men (all without families) were located for the winter in what was called 

 the fort. As it was not intended to increase the colony, no carpenter was 

 needed for other purposes than to keep the ships in repair. 



This awkward situation remained the same during twenty-six years. 

 What was the cause of it ? Simply this : the men for Canada were 

 recruited from the working classes (if not of the worst), through the 

 suburbs of large cities and towns, the very individuals who were the least fit 

 for the tiials to be met in a wild country. For instance, a shoemaker is 

 not called upcn to find his daily bread and meat by sowing wheat, plant- 

 ing vegetables, or hunting and fishing. Those men do not know how to 

 manufacture clothing or to dress themselves appropriately ; neither can 

 they prepare beaver or other skins to make a soft and warm garment. 

 Their ' coaling ' power was also limited, for the wood standing in the 

 forest was for them a foreign product, accustomed as they were to receive 

 their fuel all cut up and dry at the door of their homes. Necessity, it is 

 said, is the mother of invention ; but this only applies to people who 

 already live by inventions, such as poor country folks — not the ' citizens ' 

 who depend upon the shops in their street. Furthermore, those who 

 came to Canada ' took no stock ' in the future of the country, and they 

 returned to France (when not buried here) in haste, without having had 

 time to learn much. The fur companies did not ask them to become 

 Canadians. They had no reason to turn a new leaf and devise a means 

 of life so completely difl"erent from their habits and aspirations. 



Now we will close this unfortunate period by saying that about twelve 

 or fifteen of the youngest men, still employed in the neighbourhood of 

 Quebec in 1631, were merged into the subsequent immigration and 

 became equally competent with that new formation, i.e., the actual 

 settlers. This little squad, strange to say, was all from Normandy, and 

 every one of them educated far more than ordinary people : this was the 

 only gocd result of a century of wrong management in the affairs of 

 Canada. 



