Document Record

Title

Nouvelle-France : Correspondance officielle

Identifier

lac_mikan_99820
99820
MG 8 A 1
R12297-0-4-F
Government
French Canada
Aboriginal
Military
oocihm.lac_mikan_99820

Document source

Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada

Language

French

Description

Quebec has had a long and varied history, starting with the colony of New France. In 1534, French explorer Jacques Cartier (1491 - 1557) planted a cross in the Gaspé peninsula and claimed the land in the name of King Francis. In 1608, the city of Quebec was founded with 28 men. In 1630, there were only 103 colonists living in the settlement, but by 1640, the population had reached 355. Fur traders, known as coureurs des bois, extended French influence south and west to the Great Lakes. Eventually, Cardinal Richelieu (1585 - 1642), adviser to French king Louis XIII, wanted to make New France as populous as the English colonies to the south, and founded the Company of One Hundred Associates in 1627 to invest in New France, promising land parcels to hundreds of new settlers and to turn the region into an important farming and mercantile colony. Richelieu introduced the seigneurial system, a semi-feudal system of farming that existed until the 19th century. The Roman Catholic Church, and missionaries such as the Recollets and Jesuits, became firmly established in New France as well.
This collection contains transcripts of documents relating to the North American colonies copied from archives in Paris in the mid-19th century. It include letters, memoranda, laws and regulations of metropolitan and colonial authorities, a census, queries, stories of travel and exploration, newspaper campaigns, relationship struggles and articles of capitulation, reports of conferences on Indian treaties, statements of income and expenditure, states of ammunition and goods, lists of officers and vessels, commissions and officers' commissions and various other documents.

URL

https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_mikan_99820