Canadian History has many distinct and unique chapters. Among the most significant of these chapters is the colonization of the area surrounding the St. Lawrence River in what is now the Province of Quebec. To better understand the colony of New France and its significance to the Canadian story, an examination of the administration, the church and the land tenure system of New France, will be necessary.
The origins of New France are rooted in the 16th century. During his second voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, in 1535, Jacques Cartier discovered the existence of, "the St. Lawrence, the river of Canada" (Cafe and Lower, 1948. pg. 27). This river was to become the heart and main transportation system of the New France colony. Despite the fact that Cartier's discovery of the St. Lawrence area occurred in 1535, the first permanent French colony in New France was not established until 1608 when Samuel de Champlain and De Monts founded a colony on what is now the city of Quebec. It should be noted that the small French colony of Port Royal, located in what once was called L'Acadie (now part of the modern maritime provinces) was founded before Quebec, in 1605. However, it was Quebec City, located on the banks of the St. Lawrence Rive
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The land was divided into narrow strips of land moving back from the St. The British now controlled from the Gulf of Mexico to Hudson's Bay (Chafe and Lower, 1948). While it may be up for debate as to the ultimate successes and failures of these three elements, it is not debatable that these items all influenced the French presence in North America. These fur traders were concerned solely with the acquisition of furs from the Native people living in the area. Even though the proclamation demonstrated tolerance for the French language, the new British ruling class was not prepared to willingly accept the presence of the Catholic Church. Wars with England in Europe and the Iroquois in Canada also prevented many potential colonists from settling in New France. By the time of the conquest of New France by the British the population of the New England colonies was nearly 13 times greater than that of New France (Chafe and Lower, 1948). The Seigniors were not permitted to partake in the fur trade. This system of Royal Government would last until the British conquest of the colony. Tolerance for Catholics was limited both in Britain and her colonies, and Quebec society would be no exception. In the early years of the colony French Missionaries helped to forge the strong ties between the Huron tribe and the French people that proved to be so crucial to the colonies well being (Henretta, Brownlee, Brody and Ware, 1993, p. The Intendant assisted the Governor and was responsible for justice, finance and police affairs, including measures to ensure order and the material well-being of the colony. The Governor and Intendant were joined by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Quebec in forming a governing body for the colony (Chafe and Lower, 1948). These plots of land were granted by the colonial administration to either members of the Roman Clergy or to elite members of the colony.
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