Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-03

a northwest passage by water to the
Pacific ocean. Whoever should make
this discovery would by diminishing the
distance to the markets of the East
Indies. confer a boon of untold CONNER
cial value upon his country. and earn Tor
| himself an imperishable name Inns ua!
dream of all the old navlgators nau
4 haunted the mind of Champiain from the
first. With two bark canoes provisions
and arms, an Indian guide ana Tour
! Frenchmen. Champlain proceeded up 'he
| Ottawa. This river is distinguished by
it's numerous rapids and falls many 81
them impossible even by the light canoe:
| and at the time the shores were ilned
| with dense and tangled forests winch
could only be penetrated with the UTMOST
| difficulty
1t was while crossing one of these
| portages suffering more from the 0os-
quitoes than their burdens, that mann
plain is supposed to have lost his astTo-
labe: AND his journal shows that ms
subsequent records of latitude in the
1 journey failed of the general accuracy
which characterized his earlier entries.
At least an astroiabe with an inscription
| OF Its Paris maker and the date lbD5 was
dug up on this route in August, lSo'.
Plans for Success of Colony.
| Having placed everything in order at
Quebec he returned to France. where he
remained during the whole Of the year
1914, occupied largely in adding new
members to his company OF associates
and in perfecting such plans as were
| necessary for the success OF the coionF'
| On his return in 1915 Champian EN-
| barked with an interpreter, -,
| servant and ten savages IN TWO picH
| bark canoes. They assembled the ottawa
| entered the Mattawan. and by otheT wd-
tiers reached Lake Nipissing. Crossing
| this lake and following the channel OF
1 y II
the Georgian bay, and coasted along
| until they reached the present county OF
| SimcOe.
When the frosts of December had seal
ed up the ground. the streams and the
| lakes they returned to the home OF the
| Hurons and Simcoe Here Champlain
passed the winter. making excursions 10
| neighboring Indian tribes, studying their
| habits and characteristics from MS per-
sonal observation and writing out the
results with great minuteness and de-
tail.
In 1927 Cardinal de Richelieu had be-
come grand master and chief of naviga-
| tion and commerce OF France. He saw
| the Importance of rendering this colony
worthy of the fame and greatness of the
nation under whose authority 1t had
been planted. Acting with characteristic
promptness and decision. he dissolved the
old company and instituted a new one.
which he called La Compagnie de la
Nouvelle France. consisting of hun
dred or more members and commonly
known as the Company Of the Hundred
Associates. 1t proposed to send to Can
ada in 1923 from two hundred to three
hundred artisans Of all classes, and with
in the space Of fifteen years to transport
four thousand colonists to New France.
These were to be wholly supported by
the company for three years, and after
that they were to have assigned to them
as much land as was needed for cultiva-
ton. The settlers were to be natives of
France and exclusively of the Catholic
faith. and no Huguenot was to be al
| lowed to enter the country. In the spring
of 1913 the company thus organized dis
patched four armed vessels to convoy
fleet Of eighteen transports. laden with
em1grants and stores. together with one
hundred and thirty-five pieces of ord
nance. to fortify the settlement of
Quebec.
Transports and Conveys Confiscated.
AS war existed at that time between
England and France, an English fleet
was already on it's way to destroy the
French colony at Quebec. The transports
and conveys sent out by the Company of
One Hundred Associates were intercepted
on their way, carried into England and
confIscated. On the arrival of the Eng
llsh at TadOussac David kirke, the com
| mander, sent a summons to Champlain at
Quebec, demanding the surrender of the
town. This Champlain declined to do
with such an air of assurance that the
English commander did not attempt to
force his demand, but promptly estab-
iished a blockade. The supplies for the
settlement having thus been cut off by
the English Before the next spring the
colony was on the point of perishing by
starvation. Half of them had been bill
leted on Indian tribes to escape impending
death.
The 18th of July, 1879. three English
vessels appeared before Quebec and again
demanded its surrender. Destitute of pro-
visions and of all means Of defense, with
only handful of furnishing men. Cham
plain delivered up the post without hesi-
tation. All Of the movable property be-
longing to the company was surrendered.
The whole colony, with the exception of
| such as preferred to remain. were trans
ported to France by way Of England On
their arrival at Plymouth it was ascer-
tanned that war between the two coun-
tries was at an end Notwithstanding
this. Champlain was taken to London and
| held as prisoner of war for several
weeks, during which time base attempt
was made to compel him to pay a ransom
for his freedom. Such Illegal and unjust
articles practiced upon man like Cham
plain, of course. came to nothing, except
to place upon the pages of history fresh
example of what the avarice of men will
lead them to do.
After having been detained month,
Champlain was permitted TO depart for
France. Ii was not until 1883 that he left
France again, and then with a large num-
Der Of colonists, recommissioned as gov
ernor to join his little colony at Quebec.
He addressed himself with his old energy,
but nevertheless with declining strength,
to the duties OF the hour-to the removal
ton and improvement Of the habitations
and fort. to the holding Of numerous
councils with the Indians In the neighbor-
hood. and to the execution of plans for
winning back the confidence and the traf-
fic of allied tribes. In these occupations
two years soon passed. Christmas day.
the 18th of December. 1885. Champlain
died in the little fort which he had erected
on the rocky promontory at Quebec, amid
the tears and sorrows of the colony, to
which for tWenty-seven years he had de-
voted his strength and thought with rare