Document generated on 10/01/2021 11:07 a.m. Ontario History The Route and Purpose of Champlain’s Journey to the Petun in 1616 Charles Garrad Volume 107, Number 2, Fall 2015 Article abstract The route taken by Samuel de Champlain and party in 1616, during which he URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1050633ar encountered Cheveux-relevés-Odawa and Petun-Wyandot peoples, and also DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1050633ar some visiting Neutrals, is again considered. Previous conclusions are confirmed. That Champlain’s purpose was to proceed to the Neutrals, and See table of contents possibly further to China, and his reasons for not doing so, are suggested. Publisher(s) The Ontario Historical Society ISSN 0030-2953 (print) 2371-4654 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article Garrad, C. (2015). The Route and Purpose of Champlain’s Journey to the Petun in 1616. Ontario History, 107(2), 159–178. https://doi.org/10.7202/1050633ar Copyright © The Ontario Historical Society, 2015 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ 59 The Route and Purpose of Champlain’s Journey to the Petun in 1616 by Charles Garrad Intended for the celebration of Champlain’s 400th anniversary in 2015-2016 Introduction ong before Champlain was born, the belief was established in Eu- rope that the New World was part Lof a fabled and wealthy Asia. In 1524, an expedition commissioned by the king of Abstract The route1 taken by Samuel de Champlain and France, Francis 1, was undertaken spe- party in 1616, during which he encountered cifically to “discover a western passage to Cheveux-relevés-Odawa and Petun-Wyandot Cathay.”2 Ten years later, Jacques Cartier peoples, and also some visiting Neutrals, is again considered. Previous conclusions are confirmed. explored the Gulf of the St. Lawrence riv- That Champlain’s purpose was to proceed to er with the same purpose. He returned in the Neutrals, and possibly further to China, 1535 and entered the St. Lawrence river. and his reasons for not doing so, are suggested. “Here, at last, concluded Cartier, was the Résumé: Dans cet essai, nous revisitons passage he was seeking.” On his return to l’expédition entreprise par Samuel de Champlain, France, Cartier speculated to the King lors de laquelle il rencontra les Odawas, les Pe- that the river “might lead to Asia.”3 It was tuns, ainsi que des délégations de Neutres qui se trouvaient dans la région. Tout en confirmant les therefore likely that long before Cham- conclusions déjà établies, nous émettons de nouv- plain himself reached the St. Lawrence elles hypothèses sur les raisons pourquoi la pour- he “allowed himself to be persuaded that suite de la route qui conduirait vers les Neutres et the Asian Sea was not far away.”4 ensuite vers l’Orient n’a pas eu lieu.. 1 Map 1 is adapted from Champlain’s 1632 map Carte de le Nouvelle France, amended to show areas of contrasting accuracy, as indicating where Champlain was and where he was not. Both Maps 1 and 2 are taken from Charles Garrad, Champlain and the Petun, Research Bulletin 13, December 1997 (Toronto: Petun Research Institute, 1997) . <www.wyandot.org/petun>. 2 JR = Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 1896-1901 (hereafter JR), ed. Reuben G. Thwaites, 73 volumes, (Cleveland: The Burrows Brothers Company, Publishers), 3: 291-92, note 5. 3 Marcel Trudel, “Cartier, Jacques,” Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Vol. 1 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1966), 165-172, 167, 168. 4 Marcel Trudel, “Champlain, Samuel de,” Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Vol. 1 (Toronto: Uni- Ontario History / Volume CVII, No. 2 / Autumn 2015 OH autumn 2015.indd 159 08/09/2015 10:21:04 PM 60 ONTARIO HISTORY Map 1 - Part of Cham- plain’s “Carte de la Nouv- elle France” 1632, showing the contrasts in accuracy as indicating where he actu- ally visited and where he did not. Champlain’s Mandate and the The Commission was the result of Cham- plain’s lobbying, so it is possible that its Route to China wording was actually Champlain’s own, n 1612, the year that Henri de Bour- and reflected what Champlain thought Ibon, the Prince de Condé, was ap- he was most likely to be able to achieve at pointed the Viceroy of New France, that time. To find Indian tribes and ally Champlain received a mandate by Royal and establish trade with them was diffi- Commission: cult enough. To find the way to China by to bring into subjection, submission and exploring the St. Lawrence and the rivers full obedience all the people of the said which flowed into it would prove impos- land (New France), to trade and traffic ami- ably and peacefully, to have carried out... sible, but his mandate of 1612 gave him discoveries and reconnaissance of the said the task of finding it. After four fruitless lands and notably from the said place called years, and certainly at some point, he Quebec... to extend upwards from this place, might have begun to doubt that China in the interior of the lands and rivers which was to be reached through New France. discharge into the said Saint Lawrence river, to try to find the easy route to pass through It is possible that Champlain reached the said country to the country of China and this point during his visit to the Petun the East Indies.5 Country in early 1616 and, after conver- versity of Toronto Press, 1966), 186-199, 188. 5 Samuel de Champlain, The Works of Samuel de Champlain,” 6 volumes and a portfolio of maps, (To- ronto: The Champlain Society, 1922-1936), 1925 2: 241-47; Cornelius J. Jaenen (ed.),The French Regime in the Upper Canada Country of Canada during the Seventeenth Century (Toronto: The Champlain Soci- ety, 1996), 54-56; Trudel, Histoire, 1186. OH autumn 2015.indd 160 08/09/2015 10:21:05 PM CHAMPLAIN’S JOURNEY TO THE PETUN 6 Map 2 - Champlain’s Route through the Gens de Petun in 1616? sations with Neutral visitors there (whose country he had intended to visit next after the Petun), he then intended to proceed further, perhaps with their help. Certain- ly at some point his objective of reaching China, or at least the route to it, “seems to have inter- ested Champlain less and less, or else he no longer had the lei- sure to concern himself with it.”6 Champlain then adopted a policy of heavily emphasising in detail his successes in other fields, such as exploration, promoting trade, alliances and warfare, and finding reasons not to pursue the task of finding China. However, if this is true it has yet to be explained why Cham- plain continued in later years to promote the idea he could reach China, or at least Asia. In Febru- were repeated in 1621. A revised mandate ary 1618 he assured the King “that by way of 1625 simply “encouraged him to look of New France one could easily reach the for the route to China.” Finally the same Kingdom of China and the East Indies” arguments were again presented in 1630 specifically “by way of the river St. Law- when the King Louis XIII began lobby- rence... which... issues from a lake , from ing for the restoration of New France fol- which flows a river that empties into the lowing the Kirke brothers’ occupation.8 said South Sea.” He was careful to avoid Given that after 1616 the possibility of being held responsible for this informa- his reaching China and its unbounded tion by stating it was “according to the riches was always advanced under ex- account given... by a number of people” treme conditions when he had nothing from “divers peoples and nations,” whom to lose, and he could always blame the he had discovered..7 The same arguments aboriginal people for misinforming him, 6 Trudel, “Champlain, Samuel de,” 186-199, 195. 7 Champlain, Works, 2: 326, 330. 8 Trudel, “Champlain, Samuel de,” 186-199, 196. OH autumn 2015.indd 161 08/09/2015 10:21:07 PM 62 ONTARIO HISTORY Champlain felt confident in continuing found that the Father was planning to to associate himself with the possibility visit the neighbouring Petun, as he had of finding the route to China even if he also “thought of doing.”11 Such a journey had privately developed doubts. His pro- would be entirely within his mandate. posal that the “river St. Lawrence... issues They, presumably with other Frenchmen from a lake, from which flows a river that who were not mentioned in the 1619 empties into the said South Sea” may par- text, set off from Huronia together and tially explain why a river which is shown reached the Petun Country in two days. on his 1616 map as having no particu- There he again met the band of Odawa lar significance appears in his 1632 map (Ottawa) he had previously encountered hugely enlarged and labelled “Grande on the French River,12 whom he had nick- riviere qui vient du midy” (Big river that named the Cheveux-relevés, into whose comes from the south) even though it winter territory the Petun had moved, flows in the wrong direction, and it, and and also some visiting Neutrals.