This book is an account of Champlain’s first voyage to New France, or Canada, in 1603. Amyar de Chastes, the governor of Dieppe, received from King Henry IV of France a grant of land in Canada, and asked Champlain to accompany him on a voyage to explore the territory. The expedition left Honfleur on March 15, 1603, and reached Tadoussac after a 40-day Atlantic crossing. Champlain first explored some 50-60 kilometers up the Saguenay River. He then proceeded up the Saint Lawrence River to near present-day Montreal. He returned to France on September 20, 1603, and quickly prepared this account of the rivers, lakes, coasts, and especially the people of this part of North America. In choosing <em>Des sauvages</em> to denote the people of North America and as the title of this work, Champlain did not mean “savages,” but “forest dwellers” (from the Latin <em>silva</em>). Champlain came to be known as the “Father of New France.” In 1608, he founded the trading post that became Quebec City, and was involved until his death in 1635 in promoting the exploration, mapping, and settlement of the colony. This work is the first of four extended travel narratives by Champlain covering the period 1603-11.
<br>Discovery and exploration; Indians of North America; Indigenous peoples; New France
Champlain, Samuel de (1567-1635)
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