Chap. m. of the V cn in AMERICA. 
but what became of him was very uncertain*, fome 
fay that he was loft *, others, that he went alhore with Part 
of his Crew, and that falling into the Hands of the Sa- 
vages, they killed and eat them^ whichj however, is very 
improbable j certain it is, that in this Voyage he was 
loft : And from what the Reader has feen, he will be of 
Opinion, that the French have no great Caufe to boaft of 
his Expeditions, which were thirty Years later than thofe 
of the Cabots. 
2. After this unlucky Adventure, it was fome Years 
before the French thought of fitting out any more Ships 
for Difcovery *, but at length Admiral Chabot prevailed 
upon James Cartier an experienced Pilot of St. Malays., to 
undertake another Expedition: Upon which he failed 
from that Port the 20th of April 1 534, with two Ships 
of fixty Tons each, and one hundred and twenty Men. 
He arrived on the loth of May on the Coaft of Ne"jj- 
foundland.^ and finding the Country covered with Ice and 
Snow, failed to the Southward, and entered into a Bay, 
which bears, at prefent, the Name of Spanijh Harbour *, 
where, liking both the Country and the People, he went 
afhore. It is reported that the Spaniards had long before 
vifited this Coaft, and there are fome Authorities to prove 
it *, but finding no Signs of any Minerals, they were in a 
Hurry to go off" again, crying out, in their Language, 
Aca Nada / that is, there is nothing here, meaning the 
Country was good for nothing; which Words the In- 
dians retained, and when the French came afhore, cried 
out Aca Nada ! Aca Nada ! which they took for the 
Name of the Country, fo that it has been called Canada 
ever fince. This is a very ftrange Derivation, but as we 
.hnd it in the beft French Authors, it is worth fetting 
down. 
He afterwards difcovered a good Part of the Gulph 
of St. Laurence, and of the Hands that are fituated there- 
in ; after which he returned to France, where he arrived 
fafely on the 5th of September. The next Year he was 
fent again with three large Ships, in order to make 
-a Settlement *, and becaufe he entered the Gulph on the 
P’eaft of St. Laurence, he gave it that Name, which was 
afterwards extended to the River, which in his firft 
Voyage he had called the River of Canada. He was very 
fuccefsful in this Expedition, and went up as high as the 
Fall of St. Louis, giving Names to the Hands and Rivers 
as he thought proper ; and it is certain that he fliewed 
himfelf, in the Courfe of this Voyage, a very expert Sea- 
man. But though at firft he was extremely well pleafed 
with the Country, yet the Scurvy getting among his Peo- 
ple, and bringing them into a very low Condition, fo 
that twenty- five of them died in a very fhort Space of 
Time ; he began to alter his Sentiments, and to fancy 
that it was a very unwholefome and bad Climate. At 
laft, however, when he found himfelf attacked with this 
Diftemper, he applied to the Inhabitants, and enquired 
of them, as well as he could, whether they knew of any 
Cure for this Diftemper ^ Upon which they taught him 
to make an Infufion of the Leaves and Bark of the 
White-thorn-tree, by which they were all very fpeedi- 
ly recovered. 
As foon as the Seafon of the Year would permit, 
he returned into France, where he arrived in the Spring 
’ t)ut there is no obtaining any Certainty 
as to the Account he gave of the Country which he had 
difcovered : If we truft to his written Memoirs, it will 
appear, that he gave King Francis I. a very juft and fair 
Account of the Places he had vifited, and reprefented the 
fettling a Colony in that Part of the World, as an Adtion 
extremely worthy of the moft Chriftian King ; but if we 
adhere to what is generally reported in France, either he, 
or fome who came home with him, acfted a very different 
Part, and gave fo difcoii raging a View of this new-found 
Country, that the King looked upon it as not worth the 
keeping, or troubling himfelf about. 
However, three or four Years after, the Projed of 
fettling in this Country began again to be talked of, and 
a Gentleman odFicardy, whofeName Francis de la 
Roque, Lord of Roberval, undertook to accomplifli this 
Defign ; to qualify him for which. King Francis L by 
Letters Patent, dated January 15, 1540, granted him 
VoL. II. Numb. 93. 
abundance of fine Titles, fuch as Viceroy, and Lieilfenani 
General in Catiada, Hockelaga, Saguenay, Newfoundland^ 
Bellifle, Cape Breton, Labrador-, the grand Bay and Coaft of 
of Baccakes-, giving him the fame Power and Authority 
in thofe Places that he had himfelf, which was very eafily 
done, fince there was not a Frenchman, or a Cottage, iri' 
any one of the Places, nor had he any mdre Title to 
moft of them, than to Lands in the Moon. However 
this Gentleman, who had a good Eftate, and Was a Man 
of Family, refolved to purfue this Expedition, and pre- 
vailed upon James Cartier, by the large Promifes he made 
him, to undertake another Voyage to the Coafts of Ca- 
nada in Quality of his Pilot. 
3. It was this Gentleman that, in two or three Voyages 
he made, firft fixed fome French Settlements in America^ 
which however were afterwards abandoned. After this 
Time the Navigation of the River St. Laurence fell into 
different Hands, and from time to time Voyages were 
made thither to very little Purpofe. In 1608, or there- 
abouts, they laid the Foundation of the City of Fpuebec^ 
after having fettled, and abandoned; feveral other Places. 
It was fome time after, that Champlain beftowed the Name 
of New France upon this Country ; but then he took in 
likewife Acadia, and other Coafts^ that had long before 
been difcovered by us ; for the French, according to a 
Maxim natural enough with them, thought every Coun- 
try which they had not feen before, unknown to all the 
reft of the World, and fo fet up Croffes and the French 
Arms, to Ihew that they had taken Poffeffion of them. 
It muft be obferved, that moft of thefe Expeditions were 
made in the Reign of our King James I. when the Englijb 
Colonies were but thin, and far enough from being 
ftrong ; and yet his Subjedls afferted their prior Rights to 
thofe Places of which the French had taken Poffeffion^ 
demolifhed their Croffes, drove away the People v/here 
they found them, and forced them to confine their Views 
to the Gulph and River of St. Laurence, where, with 
much-ado, in the Space of twenty Years, they raifed 
three or four Settlements, of Which E^uebec was, as it ftill 
is, the chief. 
In 1629 the Fnglifh, under the Command of Sir 
Ker'k, followed them even thither, as looking upon C4- 
nada to be within the Limits of the Englifj Dominions^ 
and made themfelves Mafters of Eluebec, and of all their 
Settlements. When this News arrived in France, that 
new difcovered Country was looked upon to be of fo little 
Confequence, that it was long debated in the French 
Councils, whether they fhould demand the Reftitution of 
this Colony, though they already had eftablifhed a Com- 
pany for managing that Commerce ; but at laft it was re- 
folved, that it fhould be demanded ; and it was accord- 
ingly reftored by the Treaty of 1632, but in a very bad 
Condition, and as a Place hardly worth the keeping, 
Mr. Champlain was the firft Governor after it fell again 
into the Hands of the French, and from this Time forward 
they purfued their Difeoveries and Settlements in thofe 
Parts, without any Moleftation from us, but ftill with 
many and great Difficulties ; fo that though they have 
often changed their Manner of condudbing their Affairs in 
thefe Parts of the World; have applied to, and received 
the Proteftion of the ableft of their Minifters ; and have had 
Company after Company fet up, on purpofe to promote 
and to encourage their Commerce, yet have they been able 
to make no greater Matter of it, though, befides their 
Pains and Attention, thefe Settlements in Canada have 
a£l'ually coft the French vaft Sums of Money. 
The Reafons of thefe many and great Difficulties are 
very eafy to be found ; for with refped; to France itfelf, 
though it be a very large Country, and tolerably well 
peopled, yet it is the Inhabitants only of Part of its 
Coafts, that are inclined to naval Expeditions, or, to fay 
the Truth, are capable of them, and they have not 
a Force fufficient for any great Undertakings. In the 
next place, the Country of Canada is very far from being 
agreeable to French Conftitutions, more efpecially before 
there were any regular Settlements made there ; fo that 
.of Numbers of People fent thither, a great Part periftied 
by the Hardfliips they endured ; many of them took the 
firft Opportunity of returning ; and at their Return gave 
4 U fuch 
