was very bad, being rainy, attended with a cold north wind, and the ways very full of water; yet they surmounted all difficulties, and lodged themselves in the best of the towns, at a quarter of a league from the great river. Hither they brought all the maize from the other towns, amounting to six thousand bushels. The place also afforded wood, better for the building of vessels than any thing they had yet seen in Florida.

"The general now set every person that could be useful, He collected all the iron that could be gotten, even the chains from the prisoners, and wood was immediately felled for timber. Providentially there was found among their number some one artificer qualified to serve for every use. In fine, after great fatigue and perseverance, seven brigantines were finished in the month of June, but a difficulty, very hard to be overcome, yet remained, and that was, to set them afloat: for the Indians had declared, that the great river rose only once a year, at the time when the snows were melting; which had already happened, and no rain had fallen for a long space. However, it pleased God that the river swelled suddenly, upon the increase of the moon, and came, as it were, to fetch the brigantines away; so that they were floated into the bed of the river with great ease. A thing which, but for this event, would have been effected, not without great labour and the hazard of straining them, and opening their seams in hauling them down to the water. And thus, on the second day of July, in the year 1543, the Spaniards were all embarked, and departed from Minoya. Moscoso appointed a captain to each brigantine, and made them swear to obey him in the same manner as they did when ashore. This being done, they proceeded to Guachoya. found the current very strong, and advanced at a great rate by the help of their oars, till they came to Quigaltam. Moscoso sent, from time to time, parties ashore, and found great quantities of maize in the houses, which were after

Leaving this place, they

wards embarked on board of the vessels. While they were passing through this province, frequent attacks were made upon them by the Indians, in one of which the Spaniards lost about twenty-five men, with their commander, John Gasman, who was detached with this party in canoes, to attack the enemy; by whose canoes, much larger and more numerous than his, he was soon surrounded, when the Indians, throwing themselves in multitudes into the water, and laying hold upon the Spaniards' canoes, overturned them all in an instant. These brave men all perished, being carried to the bottom by the weight of their armour.

"This success so encouraged the Indians, that they omitted no opportunity of annoying the vessels during the whole time of their falling down the river, sometimes making a shew, as if they intended to board them, and constantly kept up a continual discharge of their arrows from the banks of the river. The Spaniards lost a considerable number of men upon this occasion. They at last lined the gunnels and quarter-decks with a breast-work made of double mats, so thick as to prevent the arrows from penetrating.

"When they had arrived at about half a league's distance from the mouth of the river, the general landed his men, in order to refresh them, as they had been greatly fatigued by rowing. Here they staid two days only, as the Indians still continued to alarm them. The 18th of July they put to sea, with a favourable wind, and after a passage of fifty-two days, arrived at the mouth of the river Panuco, on the continent of Mexico, on the 10th of September 1543, having undergone various fatigues, dangers and difficulties, as well by sea as by land, and lost above one-half of their number in this unfortunate expedition."

Biedma returned soon after to Spain, for it is stated that in 1544 he presented his relation to the king and his council of the Indias.

CHAPTER XIII.

Of the voyage of Jacques Carthier to Canada in 1540.

Francis the First saw and talked with Donnacona, and the other people brought by Carthier from Canada, ten in number; they were baptized and were some time in France, but never returned to their native country; all save one little girl, about ten years old, died in Bretaigne before Carthier's third voyage.

He sailed from St. Malo with five ships the 23d of May 1540, but owing to stormy weather had a tedious voyage, and did not reach the haven of Santa Croix until the 23d of August. He was visited immediately by the people, among whom was Agona, appointed king by Donnacona when he went to France. The death of Donnacona was at once communicated, but the truth was concealed as to the rest. Of them, it was said that they staid in France as great lords, and were married, and would not return to their country.

Carthier went up to a river and haven about four leagues higher, which he thought better for his ships to ride in, and there he kept three of them: the other two departed on the 2d of September for St. Malo, with letters to the king to give information of Carthier's proceedings, and communicate the fact that Sir John Francis de la Roche, Lord of Roberval, who was appointed the king's lieutenant and governor, had not yet arrived. Carthier, after his fort was

begun at the place which he had selected, called Charlesbourg Royal, went up the river to see the Lord of Hochelai, who in the former voyage gave him a little girl, and had been in other things friendly. In return, Carthier gave him two young boys, and left them with him to learn his language," and bestowed upon him a cloak of Paris red, which cloak was set with yellow and white buttons of tin and small bells," and also made him some other presents. Carthier afterwards visited the Saults, which form what is now called the Sault St. Louis, between Montreal and Lachine, and then returned to Charlesbourg Royal. On his way back, he called at the dwelling of the Lord of Hochelai, but he was absent. There being some reason to apprehend hostilities from the natives, Carthier caused all things in the fortress to be set in good order. At this point, the relation of Carthier's third voyage abruptly breaks off; and nothing is known of his proceedings for a considerable time. He arrived in the harbour of Saint John in June 1542, and thence departed home for Bretaigne.*

*Hakluyt's Collection, vol. 3, p. 232 to 240. Hawkins's Quebec, p. 55 to 64. Mr. Hawkins says that Charlesbourg Royal is Cap Rouge, and that Hochelai is Richelieu.

CHAPTER XIV.

Of the voyage of Sir John Francis de la Roche, Lord of Roberval, to Canada in 1542.

Carthier had, in his third voyage, only the appointment of captain general and leader of the ships, and may have been embarrassed in his proceedings by the absence of the knight, who was the king's lieutenant and governor. This person did not sail from Rochelle till the 16th of April 1542: on the 8th of June he entered the road of Saint John, where he found seventeen ships of fishers. In the account of his voyage, there is the following statement:

"While we made somewhat long abode here, Jacques Carthier and his company returning from Canada, whither he was sent with five sail the year before, arrived in the very same harbour. Who, after he had done his duty to our general, told him that he had brought certain diamonds, and a quantity of gold ore, which was found in the country. Which ore, the Sunday next ensuing, was tried in a furnace and found to be good.

"Furthermore, he informed the general that he could not, with his small company, withstand the savages, which went about daily to annoy him, and that this was the cause of his return into France. Nevertheless, he and his company commended the country to be very rich and fruitful. But when our general, being furnished with sufficient forces, commanded him to go back again with him, he and his company, moved as it seemed with ambition, because