ain them, by robbery or otherwise, for France, and
at the same time to endeavour to find a north-west passage to
Cathay". As long before as 1506 the Florentine explorer, Giovanni
Verozzani, had seized the territories of North America lying to the
north of the St. Lawrence River in the name of the King of France,
but the seizure had never been enforced, and remained a seizure
only in name.

On this, his first voyage, Cartier discovered Newfoundland, and,
sailing on, anchored off the northerly coast of the Gaspe
Peninsula, by which the River St. Lawrence sweeps into the gulf of
the same name. The season was very late, however, and bad weather
was to be expected, so Cartier was obliged to set sail for France
without delay. He took with him to France two sons of an Indian
chief, and they caused great excitement in Paris.

King Francis I was so pleased with this exploit that on October 31,
1534, he nominated Captain Jacques Cartier to be "Royal Pilot"
(_Pilote Royale_), and had three more ships prepared for him to
make a second voyage to Newfoundland. Preparations for the
departure were hurried on at St. Malo, Cartier's birthplace, and at
the beginning of May all was ready for the departure.

Three ships took part in the voyage, viz.: _La Grande Hermione_,
_La Petite Hermione_, and _La Hermionette._ The first two were
vessels rated at 120 and 80 tons respectively, and the last was a
galleon of 40 tons. On the after part of the first two vessels
there were no less than three decks as superstructure, while
forward there was only one deck. They were provided with the full
naval armament of the sixteenth century; on the gunwale were
mounted small cannon, and also a battery of mortars or similar
weapons.

The galleon was a long slender ship of extremely low freeboard,
rakish rigged as a single-master, both sails and oars being used as
a means of propulsion; two small cannon were mounted forward, and a
round dozen arquebuses were also carried. The total company and
passengers of the three ships were only 110 all told.

On the morning of May 19th, 1535, the little flotilla set forth on
its long voyage of exploration after having saluted the town with
every gun on board.

On September 14th of the same year Cartier sighted land, which
sprea