With this inglorious departure ends the career of the first great French colonizer.  Robervai resumed his voyage and landed above Quebec.  There he built a single abode for the whole colony on the model of a college or monastery, with a common hail and kitchen.  Of the doings of the settlers we have but scanty accounts, but we learn enough to see that the colony was ill-planned from the outset, and that either Roberval was unfit for command or singularly unfortunate in his subjects.  The supplies were soon found to be inadequate, and scurvy set in, the colonists became disorderly, and Roberval ruled them with a rod of iron.  Trifling offenses were punished with fearful severity; men and women were flogged, and if we may believe one account, the punishment of death was inflicted with no sparing hand.  How long the colony lingered on is unknown.  Roberval himself returned to France only, it is said, to die a violent death in the streets of Paris.  There is nothing to tell us whether his colonists returned with him or whether, like White’s unhappy followers, they were left to fall victims to the horrors of the wilderness.  Whatever was their fate, no attempt was made to restore the colony, and the St. Lawrence was left for more than fifty years to the savages and wild beasts.

[1] From Doyle’s “English Colonies in America.”  By permission of the publishers, Henry Holt & Co.  Jacques Cartier was born at St. Malo, France, in 1494, and died some time after 1552.  He made three voyages to Canada, the first in 1534, the second in 1535, the third in 1541.

    [2] The site is now occupied by Montreal.

II

CARTIER’S OWN ACCOUNT[1]

Vpon Thursday being the eight of the moneth, because the winde was not good to go out with our ships, we set our boates in a readinesse to goe to discouer the said Bay[2], and that day wee went 25 leagues within it.  The next day the wind and weather being faire, we sailed vntil noone, in which time we had notice of a great part of the said Bay, and how that ouer the low lands, there were other lands with high mountaines:  but seeing that there was no passage at all, wee began to turne back againe, taking our way along the coast and sayling, we saw certaine wilde men.... and by and by in clusters they came to the shore where we were, with their boates, bringing with them skinnes and other such things as they had, to haue of our wares.... til they had nothing but their naked bodies; for they gaue vs all whatsoeuer they had, and that was but of small value.  We perceiued that this people might very easily be conuerted to our Religion.  They goe from place to place.  They liue onely with fishing.  They haue an ordinarie time to fish for their prouision.  The countrey is hotter than the countrey of Spaine, and the fairest that can possibly be found, altogether smooth, and leuel.  There is no place be it neuer so little,