The Ely miner., 1928-06-22

North American continent. This expe.
dition had another important result,
also. 1t revealed to the French the
natural water route from Canada to
the Hudson river and for the next
century and a half both the English
and the French made use of this route
in their efforts to penetrate to the
heart of the enemy country in the
long series of wars which dated from
that time.
Champlain next turned his attention
to the West, and in 1913 went up the
Ottawa to confirm the story of a
Frenchman that thence lay a water
route to the sea, the fabulous passage
to Cathay and the Indies. He discov-
cred that his informer was fake, but
two years later, in the summer of
1915, he again pushed West and was
the first white man to gaze upon the
Great Lakes. In that year, too, he
had another fight with the IroQuois.
near Lake Oneida, but this time he
did not have such an easy victory.
He himself was seriously wounded and
his defeated party barely made its es-
cape alive.
When Champlain reached Quebec he
was greeted as one returned from the
dead, for he had been gone so long
that he had been given up for lost.
He found the colony in a bad condi-
tion. Politics in France had been at
work again and the struggling little
colony in New France was being used
as political football for various fac
tions in the mother country. But the
undespairing Champlain did the best
he was able under the circumstances,
and kept the colony alive until 1927,
when Richelieu, the far-sighted imperi-
alist, came into power and gave some
real encouragement to the colony. But
new blow fell in 1929 when an Eng
lish fleet appeared before Quebec and
forced its surrender.
Champlain was allowed to sail for
England. Arriving there he earnestly
advised the French ambassador to
urge the king of France to insist upon
the return of New France when peace
should be made. In 1852, when the
treaty of peace was signed, New
France was returned 10 its former
owners, and Champlain once more set
out for Quebec. For the next few
years he devoted himself industriously
to building up the colony and was see
ing his efforts rewarded when he was
stricken with paralysis and died on
Christmas day in 1885.
"No one can deny that the mariner
of Brouage, with his extraordinary
perseverance and energy, was admir-
ably fitted to be the pathfinder of a
new realm" writes William Bennett
Munro in his Crusaders of New
j France in the Yale University Press
CHRONICLES of America" "Not often
does one encounter in the annals of
any nation a man of greater tenacity
and patience Chagrin and disap-
pointment he had to meet on many
occasions, but he was never baff1ed
nor moved to concede defeat. His per-
severance, however, was not greater
than his modesty, for never in his
writings did he magnify his difficulties
nor exalt his own powers of overcom-
ing them, as was too much the fash
ion of his day. AS writer his style
was plain and direct, with no attempt
at establishment and no indication
that strong emotions ever had much
influence upon his pen. He was es-
sentially a man of action and his mar
rative is in the main, simple record
of such a mans achievements. His
character was above reproach; no one
ever impugned his honesty or his sim
cere devotion to the best interests of
his superiors To his church he was
loyal in the last degree; and it was
under his auspices that the first of the
Jesuit missionaries came to begin the
enduring work which the order was
destined to accomplish In New
France"