The cartography of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from Cartier to Champlain

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1887 Excerpt: ...itself is, did Cartier leave any maps? None whatever are known, but there are three distinct lines of evidence to show that he did. (1) Upon a priori grounds we might infer it. The value of maps was fully recognized in those days, and it would be a part of Cartier's duty, as an official explorer, to make them, to illustrate his explorations to his master, Francis I. It is probable that these were in manuscript only. (2) We are told positively by Cartier's nephew or grand-nephew, Jacques Noel, of St. Malo, that there were such maps. In two letters 2 from the latter to his friend, John Growte, one of which is dated June 19th, 1587, and the other undated, but written only a short time later, it is said that Noel map of 1550, (Kohl, op. cit., pp. 226 et sotj., and America, iv. 86, 88) is supposed to represent ideas current as to the Gulf before Cartier. If this could be proven, it would show much greater knowledge than we have any other evidence of. Dr. Kohl expresses the belief (op. cit, p. 350) partly founded upon the Viegas' map, that " the Portuguese and French fishermen had circumnavigated the Gulf long before Cartier, which, indeed, is rendered probable by other reasons." 1 Garneau-for instance, (Hist-du Canada,) says, "Dans ce premier voyage, il ne fit aucune decouverte importante, les parages qu'il visita dtant dt'ja connus en grande partie des pecheurs, qui y avaient mcme donne des noms a plusieurs caps, comme le cap Royal, le cap d'Orleans, pres de Miramichi, le cap de Montmorency," and Cartier distinctly says he named the former cape, and implies that he named the latter. 2 Hakluyt, Voyages and Navigations, iii. 290, 291, ed. 1810. had a book containing a map, " which is agreeable to the booke of Iacques Cartier," that i...