rance. What follows is an illuminating comment upon
the conditions that prevailed under the Bourbon monarchy. As Champlain
saw things, the merchants who clamoured for freedom of trade were
greedy pot-hunters. 'All they want,' he says, 'is that men should
expose themselves to a thousand dangers to discover peoples and
territories, that they themselves may have the profit and others the
hardship. It is not reasonable that one should capture the lamb and
another go off with the fleece. If they had been willing to
participate in our discoveries, use their means and risk their persons,
they would have given evidence of their honour and nobleness, but, on
the contrary, they show clearly that they are impelled by pure malice
that they may enjoy the fruit of our labours equally with ourselves.'
Against folk of this sort Champlain felt he had to protect the national
interests which were so dear to him and De Monts. As things then {73}
went, there was only one way to secure protection. At Fontainebleau a
great noble was not habituated to render help without receiving a
consideration. But protection could be bought by those who were able
to pay for it.

The patron selected by Champlain was the Comte de Soissons, a Bourbon
by lineage and first cousin of Henry IV. His kinship to the boy-king
gave him, among other privileges, the power to exact from the regent
gifts and offices as the price of his support. Possessing this
leverage, Soissons caused himself to be appointed viceroy of Canada,
with a twelve-year monopoly of the fur trade above Quebec. The
monopoly thus re-established, its privileges could be sublet, Soissons
receiving cash for the rights he conceded to the merchants, and they
taking their chance to turn a profit out of the transaction.

Such at least was the theory; but before Soissons could turn his post
into a source of revenue he died. Casting about for a suitable
successor, Champlain selected another prince of the blood--Henri de
Bourbon, Prince de Conde, who duly became viceroy of Canada and holder
of the monopoly in succession to his uncle, the Comte de Soissons.

The part of Champlain in these transactions {74} is very conspicuous,
and justly so. There was no advantage in being viceroy of Canada
unless the post produced a revenue, and before the viceroy could
receive a revenue some one was needed to organize the chief Laurentian
traders into a company strong enough to pay Soissons or Conde a
substa