CHAPTER IX.

THE RIVER ST.

LAWRENCE.

THE THREE CHIEF RIVERS OF NORTH AMERICA.

NEXT to the Mississippi-including under that designation the whole fluvial system of which the Mississippi proper is the central and connecting trunk-the two most important rivers of the North American continent, considered both in respect to their present commercial importance and to the influence which they have exerted upon the history of the country, by the facilities afforded by them, at a very early period, for penetrating into the interior of the continent, are the St. Lawrence and the Hudson. The circumstances under which these rivers were first discovered and explored are very curious and interesting. The St. Lawrence was first entered by a French navigator-the Hudson by an English one.

JAMES CARTIER.

The name of the navigator who discovered and

first ascended the St. Lawrence was James Cartier.* He made several voyages in the course of his life to the coasts of Newfoundland and into the neighboring seas. The one from which the most important results were obtained took place in the year 1535-more than thirty years after Cabot's general exploration of the coast.

SAILING OF THE EXPEDITION.

The expedition was fitted out from the port of St. Malo, in France. As was usual in the case of such maritime enterprises in those times, a grand religious ceremony was observed a few days before the time of sailing. This service was held in the cathedral of St. Malo. In obedience to the orders of the commander the whole company assembled in the choir of the cathedral, where all, after confessing their sins and receiving absolution, were blessed by the bishop, who stood before the altar dressed in his pontifical robes, and surrounded by other priests who were present to assist in the services. A large concourse of spectators, assembled in the nave and aisles and ambulatory of the cathedral, witnessed the ceremony.

This ceremony took place on Sunday. On the

Pronounced Car-ti-a.

Wednesday following, the expedition sailed. It consisted of three ships, which were named respectively the Great Hermina, the Little Hermina, and the Hermerillon. These vessels were called ships, but the largest was only of one hundred and twenty tons burden, while the smallest was only a boat of forty tons. It is astonishing that men could be found willing to trust themselves in embarkations of this kind on voyages so distant, and leading into such stormy and icy seas.

THE VOYAGE.

The voyage was an extremely tempestuous one. The ships experienced a favorable wind for one day after leaving the port, and then a succession of gales and storms set in, which continued for more than a month, during which time they were so tossed about, and were buffeted by the winds and waves so severely, that they all narrowly escaped destruction. As they approached the American coast, too, the sea, as is usual in those latitudes, was covered with fogs and scudding mists, which made it impossible to see the way. In such a state of weather it is dangerous for vessels to attempt to keep near each other, for fear of collision; and if they separate at all they soon lose sight of each other in the fog, and then the chance

is very small of their coming together again. The vessels of Cartier's squadron were dispersed in this manner before they reached the American shores, but such an accident had been anticipated, and a place of rendezvous had been appointed, where they all safely met at the end of the voyage. This place of rendezvous was a small bay called the Bay of Castles, at the entrance of the strait of Bellisle. The flag-ship of the squadron, the Great Hermina, reached the place of rendezvous on the fifteenth of July. Cartier, who, of course, sailed in this ship, waited there till the twenty-sixth, when he had the satisfaction of seeing both the other vessels come safely in on the same day.

SEARCH FOR A PASSAGE THROUGH THE LAND.

After remaining a short time in port, to supply the ships with water and to rest and recruit the men, the squadron sailed again, and now commenced the search for a passage through the land that might lead to India. Cartier had two Indian interpreters on board, and he relied on these to enable him to open communication with the natives. These interpreters were the sons of an Indian chief. He had taken them from their native land on a previous voyage which he had made to these shores, with the consent, he says, of

their father, on condition that he should bring them back the following year. These men bore the euphonous names of Taignoagny and Domagaia.

The Bay of Castles, which was the place of rendezvous for the squadron, is situated, as has already been said, at the entrance of the Strait of Bellisle. The squadron passed down through this

strait into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and after exploring the shores of the gulf for some time they came at length to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River.

The mouth of the St. Lawrence, at its entrance