To avoid another bitter cold winter at St. Croix, de Monts decided to move the colony – lock, stock, and barrel – to the much more benevolent Port Royal across the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia. According to Champlain, “When this decision was arrived, all the buildings, provisions, people, stores, and animals were transported across the Bay of Fundy. The buildings were again set up here, not scattered about as at Ste. Croix, but in the form of a large square to protect the colonists against winter and the Indians” (Bigger 1901: 59). Champlain, Gravé Du Pont and 45 men would stay the winter, while the other two leaders of the mission, de Monts and Poutrincourt, would return to France to get their affairs in order. Gravé Du Pont was made governor.
The settlers were blessed with a much milder winter than before, and although scurvy again proved to be a problem, the colony lost only five of its residents to the disease this time. Water and game were readily available, and the local Mi’kmaq came to the settlement to trade fresh meat for French bread. The Frenchman became great friends with two of the local chiefs Secoudon and Messamouet.
When spring arrived, Gravé Du Pont had a pinnace fitted for another voyage of discovery along the coast of New England. With pilot Champdoré (Pierre Angibaut) at the helm, they set out on March 16 but crashed on Manan Island and, after repair, had to return to Port Royal. On April 9, they set out again and suffered another crash, this time destroying the boat. They were rescued by the local chief, Secoudon, and his companions. Champdoré was blamed for this accident and put in chains by Gravé Du Pont.
By this time the colonists were becoming quite concerned that no relief vessels had arrived from France. When none had appeared by 15 June, Gravé Du Pont decided they must build another pinnace to travel to Cape Breton or Gaspé to find a ship to take them back to France. Many French fishermen had been chasing cod in the region for the last century. Champdoré, as an expert carpenter, was released to build the pinnace, and on July 17 they departed.
It was another momentous journey, with Champdoré again playing a central role. As Champlain relates: “We came to anchor in Long Island strait, where during the night our cable broke, and we were in danger of being lost because of the great tidal currents which dash against numerous rocky points that lie within and at the outlet of this place: but by the efforts of all, this was avoided, and we managed that time to escape. On the twenty-first of the month, between Long Island and Cape Fourchu, there arose a heavy squall that broke our rudder-irons and placed us in such a predicament that we did not know what to do; for the fury of the sea did not permit us to land, since the breakers ran mountains high along the coast … Champdoré, who had again been handcuffed, said to some of us that if Pont-Grave were willing, he would find a means of steering our pinnace … Champdoré was accordingly set free for the second time; and thereupon, taking a rope and cutting it, he very cleverly mended the rudder, and made it act as well as ever it had done. In this way he makes amends for the mistakes he had committed on the first pinnace … and he was freed from the accusation against him. (Biggar, 1922: 385 – 386)
The group finally arrived at Cape Breton, where they learned upon landing that a relief vessel was on the way Port Royal. They turned back and, on July 22, found Poutincourt at Port Royal with 50 men, including Marc Lescarbot, a famous French author, poet, and lawyer. He would later become famous for his Histoire de la Nouvelle-France (1609), based on his Acadia experiences and other research.
As soon as the new and old groups of settlers were united, they got busy improving the colony for the next year. Leaving them to their work, Champlain, Poutrincourt, and the irrepressible Champdoré set out on another voyage along the coast of New England to Nauset Harbor, returning in the late fall (previous blog).
The colonists fared very well in the winter of 1606-07. Champlain organized the first social club in North America, the Ordre de Bon Temps (Order of Good Cheer), to maintain spirits and keep them occupied. Members took turns providing fresh game and leading a ceremonial procession to the table. During this winter, the first theatre event in Canadian history also took place – Marc Lescarbot’s Le Théâtre de Neptune.
When spring came, Poutrincourt set his men to work once more to till and hoe the ground and plant new seed. Plants from the seed that had been sowed the previous fall were now growing nicely. Great numbers of fish were coming up the river to spawn, and overall, the future looked very bright for the colony.
All seemed to promise well for the colonies’ future when, out of the blue, a boat arrived to inform Poutrincourt and the colony that de Monts’ monopoly, originally granted for ten years, had been revoked during the winter. Everybody would have to return to France. The costs of maintaining the colony had risen so much that support for it could no longer be justified. Also, excluding other traders to maintain a monopoly had proven impossible.
Illustration: The first play in Canada – The Theatre of Neptune. Charles Williams Jefferys (1869 -1951). Library and Archives Canada.
Bibliography:
Biggar, H. P. (1901). The Early Trading Companies of New France: A contribution to the history of commerce and discovery in North America (Vol. 1). University of Toronto Library.
Biggar, H. P. (1922). The works of Samuel de Champlain. Vol. 1: 1599 – 1607. The Champlain Society, Toronto.
De Costa, B.F. (1891) The voyage of Pierre Angibaut, known as Champdoré, a captain in the marine of New France, made to the coast of Maine, 1608. Maine History Documents. 634. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistory/634
Catalysts of trade and exploration 