“Dear, and well-beloved:—­On the report made to us that there has hitherto been bad management in the establishment of the families and workmen sent to the settlement of Quebec, and other places of New France, we write to you this letter, to declare to you our desire that all things should proceed better in future; and to tell you that it will give us pleasure that you should assist, as much as you conveniently can, the Sieur Champlain in the things requisite and necessary for the execution of the commands which he has received from us, to choose experienced and trusty men to be employed in the discovery, inhabiting, cultivating, and sowing the lands; and do all the works which he shall judge necessary for the establishment of the colonies which we desire to plant in the said country, for the good of the service and the use of our subjects; without, however, on account of the said discoveries and settlements, your factors, clerks, and agents in the traffic of peltry, being troubled or hindered in any way whatever during the term which we have granted you.  And fail not in this, for such is our pleasure.  Given at Paris March 12th, 1618.

                                        (Signed) “Louis.” 
                                        (And below) “Potier.”

The merchants brought their affairs before the notice of the Council of Tours, who decided that Champlain should retain his position.  The action of the council was a victory for Champlain, but it was soon followed by another still more agreeable.  The associates promised to provide for the organization of emigration during the following year on a scale which would assure the success of the settlement.  By this arrangement eighty persons, including three Recollet fathers would arrive in New France during the year 1619.  In order to have the proceedings regularly conducted, Champlain caused papers to be prepared by notaries, which were signed on December 21st, 1618, by Pierre du Gua and Lucas Legendre in the name of the associates, and also by Vermeulle, Corneille de Bellois and Mathieu d’Insterlo.  The document is as follows: 

“List of persons to be sent to, and supported at, the settlement of Quebec for the year 1619.

“There shall be eighty persons, including the chief, three Recollet fathers, clerks, officers, workmen and labourers.  Every two persons shall have a mattress, a paillasse, two blankets, three pairs of new sheets, two coats each, six shirts, four pairs of shoes, and one capote.

“For the arms:—­Forty musquets, with their bandaliers, twenty-four pikes, four arquebuses a rouet [wheel-lock] of four to five feet, one thousand pounds of fine powder, one thousand pounds of powder for common, six thousand pounds of lead, and a match-stump.

“For the men:—­A dozen scythes with their handles, hammers, and other tools; twelve reaping-hooks, twenty-four spades, twelve picks, four thousand pounds of iron, two barrels of steel, ten tons of lime [none having been then found in this country], ten thousand curved, or twenty thousand flat tiles, ten thousand bricks to build an oven and chimneys, two mill-stones [the kind of stone fit for that purpose was not discovered till some years afterwards.]