Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier (December 31, 1491 – September 1 1557), baptized Jakez Karter, was a French explorer who is popularly thought of as one of the major discoverers of Canada, or more specifically, the interior eastern region that would become the first European-inhabited area of that country.

Second Voyage 1535-1536

Cartier set sail for a second voyage on May 19 of the following year with 3 ships, 110 men, and the two native boys (who were returned to the chief). He sailed upriver for the first time and reached the site of present-day Québec City, home of the Huron village of Stadacona where Donnacona was reunited with his two sons. Cartier left his main ships in a harbour close to Stadacona and used his smallest ship to continue upriver to visit Hochelaga (Montreal) and arrived on October 2, 1535. Much more impressive than the small and squalid village of Stadacona, more than a thousand Hurons came to the edge of the river to greet the Frenchmen. The site of their arrival has been confidently identified as the beginning of the Sainte-Marie sault, a location where the Jacques Cartier Bridge now stands.

Related Topics:
May 19 - Québec City - Huron - Stadacona - Hochelaga - Montreal - October 2 - 1535 - Jacques Cartier Bridge

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After spending two days among the Hurons of Hochelaga, Cartier returned to Stadacona on October 11. It is not known exactly when Cartier decided to spend the winter of 1535-1536 in Canada but the decision must have been made by his arrival in Stadacona as it was by then too late to return to France. Cartier and his men prepared for winter by strengthening their fort, stacking firewood and salting down game and fish.

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During this winter, Cartier compiled a sort of gazetteer which included several pages on the manner of the natives, in particular their habit of wearing only leggings and moccasins even in the dead of winter.

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From mid-November 1535 to mid-April 1536 the French fleet lay frozen solid at the mouth of the St. Charles river, under the Rock of Quebec. Ice was over two fathom (1.8 m) thick in the river and snow four feet (1.2 m) deep ashore. To add to the discomfort, scurvy broke out, first among the Hurons and then among the French. By mid-February, Cartier states that "out of 110 that we were, not ten were well enough to help the others, a thing pitiful to see". Cartier estimates the number of Hurons dead at 50.

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One of the natives who survived was Domagaya who had been taken to Europe by Cartier the previous year. Visiting the French fort for a friendly call, Cartier enquired and learned of him that a concoction made from a certain tree called annedda would cure scurvy. This remedy probably saved the expedition from destruction and by the end of the winter, 85 Frenchmen were alive.

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Ready to sail back to France in early May 1536, Cartier decided to kidnap Donnacona so that he may personally tell the tale of a country further north, called Saguenay, that was said to be full of gold, rubies and other treasures. After a arduous trip down the St Lawrence river and a three weeks Atlantic crossing, Cartier and his men arrived in Saint-Malo on July 15 1536.

Related Topics:
Saguenay - Gold - Saint-Malo

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So ended the second and most profitable of Cartier's voyages, lasting fourteen months. Having already located the entrance, he now opened up the greatest waterway for penetrating North America. He had made an intelligent estimate of the resources of Canada, both natural and human, despite considerable exaggeration on the mineral side. Whilst some of his actions with respect to the natives were dishonorable, he did his best to establish friendship with the Huron up and down the Great River, an indispensable preliminary to French settlement.

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