The Monmouth inquirer., 1898-03-17
SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAlN.

Achievement OF the Trave Frcnchman
yvLo Gave the Name to Our Lake.
This article gives an exceedingly in
tesesting account OF the acnleVenelles ~
OF The brave and noble F'renchman VINO
gave his name to our Lake Champlain
The Indian name of that lake was Sar-
anac, but since the year 1909, when II
was first beheld by white men, 1t
has borne the name of its discovcrer,
Samuel dc Champlain
Samuel de Champlain was born in
France on the shores of the bay OF
Biscay. in 1867. Though OF a noble
family, he was poor, and, entering the
royal navy, he rose to the rank OF cap
tain During one of Henry the
Fourth's wars he left the sea ana
fought CALAMITY for the king on land;
and when the war was over the king
who loved the man of merit, granted
him small pension in order to retain
him near his person But Samuel de
Champlain was far too much OF man
to be willing to waste his life in dangl-
ing about court Being fond of adj
venture, eager to increase his knowl-
edge and desirous to do something for
the glory of France, he obtained per-
11lhSlOu Oi the klUS u utdAt d fO9dS~
to the new world He was then thirty
three years Of age Obtaining COM
nland of one of the ships of Spanish
fleet, he sailed to the West Indies and
remained two years and a half in
Spanish America, making sketches and
surveys and keeping diary which is
preserved to this day in France Be
sides visiting the principal West India
y, 1. -
Mexico and ON his return visited Pan
anna, where he conceived the idea of
cutting a canal across the Isthmus OF
Darien, nearly 300 years ago.
Returning to France, he found De
Chastes, a veteran soldier, full of a
project to go to the shores of the ST
Lawrsne e, discovered by Cartier seventy
years before Champlain Joined the en-
terprse During the voyage, made iii
two small vessels, in 1903. they sailed
past the lofty promontory on which
Quebec now stands and reached the
island on which is the city of Montreal
but only wilderness at the time The
rapids of the st. Lawrence prevented
further progress in small boats, SO that
the explorers returned to their ships
and went back to France
Next year, 1904, early in the spring,
with two larger sh 'ps, filled with a
crew of gentlemen, merchants, Hugue-
not ministers, Catholic priests. thieves
and ruffians, Champlain sailed again
for Canada expecting now to make a
permanent settlement Avoiding the
ST Lawrence, the adventurer selected
for the site of their establishment an
island at the mouth of a river empty
ing into Passamaquoddy bay The
ships returned to France, leaving on
this rocky island seventy men,
who experienced the horrors of a can
adian winter Drifting ice sometimes
cut them off from the mainland,
whence they drew piles of wood and
water Their wine froze solid in its
barrels. and was served out to the men
by the pound Thirty-five of the seven
ty-nine men died of scurvy before the
spring, and many more were reduced to
the last extremity.
Amid the gloom and terror of the
time Champlain preserved his courage
and serenity. and did all that was pos
sible to save his companions from des-
pair. In the spring a vessel from
France brought them good cheer and
restoration.
Champlain volunteered to brave an
other winter ON that bleak and icy
coast That winter however, proved
remarkably mild, and Champlain made
such excellent provisions for the sea-
son that only four men died Intrigues
at the French court broke up the col
ony the next year, and Captain de
Champlain returned again to his native
land
Three years passed -Champlain al
ways pining for the wilderness, the
broad rivers the strange men and the
transparent air of the western world
He was SO ambitious that new COM
pany was formed under his auspices;
and in 1908 he set sail again for Ameri-
ca, intending to plant permanent coll
ony on the banks of the st. Lawrence.
He founded the city of Quebec The
first winter there was terrible; bur
when at length the tardy spring had
opened the river, the undaunted Cham
plain, leaving most of his companions
to traffic in the fJrs, gathered party
of Indians and went forth upon a jour
ney of exploration.
In a small sloop, accompanied by a
feet of canoes, he once more ascended
the st. Lawrence; again passed by the
lofty mountain behind what is now
Montreal, and was again brought to a
stand by the rapids. He sent back his
sloop to Quebec with most of his white
followers, and the indians carried their
light canoes around the rapids to the
tranquil Sorel, where he embarked
with them for further exploration
Two white men alone of his party had
volunteered to accompany him His
Indians were sixty in number and the
whole company filled twenty-four
canoes. They advanced cautiously
for they were nearing the domain of
the terrible Iroquois the hereditary
! foes of the Indians under the command
of Champlain. A few of the canoes
kept far ahead OF the main body, and
the woods on each side of the river
were secured by the warriors and hun-
ters. At night the canoes were drawn
ND along the bank, and the whole party
slept.
The river widened as they went on.