THE NEWFOUNDLAND FISHERY QUESTION. 233 



FRANCE AND NEWFOUNDLAND. 



The claims of France to the use of this island's materiel are those 

 only which by the negligence of England, or the blundering of English 

 statesmen, have been, in the course of ages, acquired ; and, are not, so 

 far as they go, of an innate or original nature ; that is, they are not, 

 per se, those of _^rsi coming. 



Following " Barclay's " Narration, the references therein being 

 verifiable, we may summarise the facts as follows : — It is clear, that 

 the Queen Regent pf France, in 1524, while her son, Francis I. was 

 a minor, commissioned a Florentine, named Verazzini, to secure as 

 much territory in North America, " from the North to the South 

 Seas," for " the Court of France,'' as he could. 



In 1534, we find the celebrated expedition of Jacques Cartier sent 

 out to Newfoundland. Cartier's account is the most valued Ameri- 

 can work which has ever appeared. In 1525, Cartier, with three 

 ships, again quitted St. Malos, his native port, reaching Newfound- 

 land in 49 days. 



The next French effort was that of 1542, under General and 

 Admiral De La Roche (these two offices were in those days often 

 combined). This was followed by that of an able naval officer, Samuel 

 De Champlain, in 1603. Henry IV. made the leader. Governor of 

 Canada, where he remained for 32 years, founding Quebec, and 

 establishing a trading company. His name is preserved in the 

 magnificent lake so called. His narrative, preserved in the Collections 

 of Voyages, by Harris, Pynson, and others, is one of lasting interest. 



In 1676, Father Hennipin, a Franciscan monk, quitted France 

 with a large company, and under' Jesuit auspices, established Missions 

 in Canada. ♦ The " Journal " bearing his name is valuable. It must 

 ever be remembered that entire dependence upon French narrations 

 of matters referring to Canada and Newfoundland cannot be placed, 

 as it has long been proved that they are often incorrect, both in 

 map and text. Captain Carter, in his travels, gives, from his own 

 observation and experience in Cariada, (where he fought against the 

 French, and in which country he resided many years, and whose 

 account was, after most careful enquiry at home, found by the 

 Government to be a correct description), many examples of our 

 assertion. 



In 1679, Mons, De La Salle quitted France with a well sup- 



