n the neighborhood, and these different from
those met by Cartier, while the town itself was no longer in existence.
Champlain, upward of seventy years after Jacques Cartier, visited
Hochelaga, but made no mention in his narrative either of the town or of
inhabitants.

[47] Commission dated October 20, 1540. In this document the French
King's appreciation of Cartier's merits is strongly shown in the terms
employed to express his royal confidence "in the character, judgment,
ability, loyalty, dignity, hardihood, great diligence, and experience of
the said Jacques Cartier." Cartier was also authorized to select fifty
prisoners "whom he might judge useful," etc.

[48] His description is substantially as follows: "On both sides of the
river were very good lands filled with as beautiful and vigorous trees
as are to be seen in the world, and of various sorts. A great many oaks,
the finest I have ever seen in my life, and so full of acorns that they
seemed like to break down with their weight. Besides these there were
the most beautiful maples, cedars, birches, and other kinds of trees not
to be seen in France. The forest land toward the south is covered with
vines, which are found loaded with grapes as black as brambleberries.
There were also many hawthorn-trees, with leaves as large as those of
the oak, and fruit like that of the medlar-tree. In short, the country
is as fit for cultivation as one could find or desire. We sowed seeds of
cabbage, lettuce, turnips, and others of our country, which came up in
eight days."

[49] Early in the spring of 1542 Cartier seems to have made several
small excursions in search of gold and silver. That these existed in the
country, especially in the region of the Saguenay, was intimated to him
by the Indians; and this information probably led Roberval afterward to
undertake his unfortunate excursion to Tadousac. Cartier did find a
yellowish material, which he styled "_poudre d'or_," and which he took
to France, after exhibiting it to Roberval when he met him at
Newfoundland. It is likely that this was merely fine sand intermixed
with particles of mica. He also took with him small transparent stones,
which he supposed to be diamonds, but which could have been no other
than transparent crystals of quartz.

[50] Cartier was born December 31, 1494. He was therefore in the prime
of life when he discovered Canada, and not more than forty-nine years of
age at the time when he returned home fro