Book I. 
' Fogs, Mifts, and Rains, which are extremely prejudicial, are never too many^ though they are commonly fold for 
But notwithftanding thefe Inconveniencies, the French four times their Worth, all Charges included, 
boaft very much of the Fertility of this Country, and, As foon as the Velfels arrive at Fluehec^ the Merchants 
indeed, where it is cultivated, it yields Indian^ and other there fend away the greateft: Part of their Cargoes that 
Sorts of Corn, Peas, Beans, and, in fhort, all kinds of are fit for the Indian Trade to Montreal^ and the 
Herbs and Vegetables in great Plenty. three Rivers, where they have Factors •, but the fineft 
As for Trees and Fruits, they are much the fame here Goods, more efpecially thofe before-mentioned, remain 
as in New England^ and the like may be faid of Ani- at E^uehec^ and are fold amongft the French themfelves i 
mals *, fo that with a reafonable Degree of Labour, there all thefe different Sorts of Merchandize are paid for in 
is no Doubt that People may fubfift there tolerably well j Money, in Bills of Exchange upon the Merchants of Ro- 
and as they are not burdened with Taxes, and as the chelle^ in Furs, or in Lumber. 
Gentry are allowed great Privileges in their Eftates, It muff, however, be obferved, that it is feldom or 
the People of Canada live, as the French Authors them- never thefe Ships return full laden into France^ becaufe 
felves exprefs it, very much at their Eafe, arid exercife a the Colony does not produce what is fufficient for that 
generous kind of Hofpitality, which is very laudable, and Purpofe ; and therefore, that their Voyages may turn to 
makes them fome amends for living, as it were, out of Account, they generally run down to Cape Breton^ and 
the World ; as to the Produce of this Colony, it con- there take on board a large Quantity of Coal for the 
fills of Furs, efpecially Caftors, which they purchafe French Sugar Iflands, where they are fure to complete 
from the Indians ; in feveral kind of Hides or Skins, their Cargoes with Eafe. We may gather from all this, 
which they likewife purchafe from the Natives ; in Fifhe- that whatever our own, or the French^ Writers may fay 
ries, which, however, are of no great Confequence •, in upon this Head, the Advantages received from Canada, 
fome Sorts of Drugs, and in what we call Lumber, that by the French^ are very far from being fo great as moil 
is. Planks, Pipe-ftaves, and other things of that Nature. People imagine. If ever there is any Money in the Co- 
The greateft Part of the Commerce of the Country is lony, it comes thither from France, in virtue of the 
carried on in light Canoes, made of Bark, proper for Eftablifhment on the King’s Account ; this amounts to 
the navigating their Lakes and Rivers, incumbered with about one hundred thoufand Crowns of their Money, 
Water-falls, which render them unfit for other kind of which makes fomewhat more than twelve thoufand 
. Veffels j fo that whatever Improvements are made here. Pounds of ours, which is generally drawn off again 
no Increafe of Shipping or Seamen can poffibly be expedl- by the Over-Ballance of their Trade with Old France. 
ed from them. In Winter they make ufe of a kind of This royal Eftablifhment accounts, likewife, for the Bills 
Sledges, which are drawn either by Horfes, or by Dogs, of Exchange, but at the fame Time it moft evidently 
and are very proper for pafting over vaft Tradls of Snow fliews that this cannot be accounted a thriving Colony, 
and Ice, and enable them to continue their Commerce when it cannot bear its own Expences, or even keep a 
with the Indians all the Winter, which, however, the Part of the Money that is fent thither to pay the King’s 
French tell us is attended with one great Inconveniency. Officers j for it appears by the beft Accounts that can be 
The Perfons who carry on this Trade muft have Li- had from thenc^, that the running Caffi oi Canada 
cences granted by the Governors, which are confined to amounts but to a very inconfiderable Sum, andisfome- 
a certain Number every Year ; and though this brings times reduced even fo low as a thoufand Crowns, and 
them in large Sums, yet by hindering the Refort of In- there is always three fourths of that at Fluehec, The 
dians to their Fairs in the Suminer, when every Man is at Calculations of the whole Trade of Canada are fo various. 
Liberty to make the moft of his Goods, this Pradlice that there is no reckoning upon any of them with tolera- 
turns to the Prejudice of the Colony in general. The ble Security •, but I perfuade myfelf that I rather ex- 
Normans were the firft who ingroffed the Trade of Ca- ceed than fall fhort in my Computation, when I eftimate 
nada, and for many Years there were no Ships feen in the the Amount of this Trade at eight hundred thoufand Li- | 
River of St. Laurence, but from Rouen, Dieppe, and vres a Year, or at thirty-five or thirty-fix thoufand Pounds 
Havre du Grace. The Trade then fell into the Flands Sterling. 
of the Inhabitants of St. MaW% and Nantes, and laft of The Reader will eafily fee from hence, that the Calcu- 
all it is become, in a great Meafure, the Property of the lations, with refpedl to the People in Canada, which we 
the People of except that fome Ships are fent have taken French Author?,, are exceffive, and that 
from Bourdeaux and Bayonne, which are freighted with after all there cannot be above half the Number of Souls , 
Wines, Brandies, Tobacco, and all Sorts of Iron and they fpeak of. The Danger, therefore, of our Colonies ! 
Steel Wares. ■ does not at all arife from the Trade carried on between ! 
There are two Seafons in which Ships fail from France Old and New France, but from the Number of Inhabit- 
to this Country, viz. towards the End of April, or the ants in the latter •, who, while they can fubfift them- 1 
Beginning of May, and at the Clofe of Augufi, or Be- felves there, will be always very dangerous and trouble- | 
ginning of September ; the Reafon of which is, that they fome Neighbours, and therefore we need not wonder that I: 
may arrive as the Ice is juft broke, or a little before it is the People of New England are fo uneafy about them *, , 
formed, for with refped to the reft of the Year, there is but could we once people Nova Scotia, and fecure the ;; 
no croing thither. The Veffels employed in this Trade e'X- Poffeffion of the Eland of Cape Breton, I muft confefs !; 
por*t alHheir Goods from Cuftom-free, neither are that, in my Opinion, our Fears would be foon over, i, 
they liable to any Duties in Canada, except for Brazil To- fmce the Trade between Old and New Franc e,^ in the f 
bacco i upon which there is five Pence a Pound, or about Space of a few Years, would be leffened half in half, [« 
twenty Shillings Sterling hundred Weight •, the Cargo and perhaps in a few Years more would decline to little : 
of thefe V effels is pretty much the fame with what is fent or nothing. 
to the French Hands, and as we ffiall fpeak of them here- 8. Vf hile the French were in poffeffion of Acadia, or 5 
after, there is no need of mentioning them here •, but Nova Scotia, they raifed that Colony to a much greater a 
it is proper to obferve, that Tobacco, Sugar, and fome Degree of Perfection, than they are ever like to do Cayia- p 
other Wefi Indian Commodities, make a Part of thofe da •, and, indeed, a great Part of the Traae of the latter i 
Caro-oes, the Soil and Climate of Canada not allowing its was owing to the former, and to the Settlement of Cape | 
Inhiitants to raife any of thefe Commodities for their Breton ; the Lofs that the French have fuffered by the ,b 
own Ufe-, and we muft likewife remark, that for the Ceffions made to us by the Treaty of Utrecht, and the 
fame Reafon there is a Difference in the Woollen Goods true State of their Affaffs in this Part of the World and 
exported thither, coarfe Cloths being fent to Canada, ours, will beft appear from the following Account taken iji 
and thin and light Stuffs to the Elands ; the Profits from Father Charlevoix, who is, beyond Companfon, ,ir 
upon thefe Goods are < very large, feldom lefs than fifty the moft accurate Writer that I have ever met with upon j 
percent, and thofe that go off beft are of leaft Ufe, this Subjed; the Perfon who knew moft, and has ffiewn / 
fiich as Ribbands, Laces, Snuff-Boxes, Watches, Rings, the greateft Sincerity in fpeaking what he knew, and not J 
Necklaces, and fuch kind of things, of which there over-valuing things, as is the Cuftom with moft Oi ^ 
3S4 
The Discoveries and Settlements 
1 
