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Show 10 TilE ULY AND TilE TOTEM. gathering of its bidden treasures, rather than the establishment of any European settlements in its glorious retreats. It was not till the eighteenth day of February, in the Year of Grace, one . thousand five hundred and sixty-two, that the plan of the Admiral of France was sufficiently matured for execution. On that day he despatched two vessels from France, well manned and furnished, under the command of one John Ribault,• for tho express purpose of making the first permanent European establishment in these regions of romance. The narrative of this enterprise is chiefly drawn from the writings of Rene Laudonnicre, who himself went out as a lieutenant in the expedition. Laudonnicro, in his narrative of their progress, says nothing of the secret objects of Coligny, of which he probably knew nothing. He ascribes to the King-the Quecn·mothcr, rather-a. nobler policy than either of them ever entertained. "My Lord of Cha.stillon," (Coligny) thu.s he writes,-" A nobleman moro desirou.s of the publique than of his privat-e benefits, understanding the pleasure of the King, his Prince, which was to discover new and strange counil"ics, caused vessels for this purpose to be made ready with all diligence, nnd men to be levied meet for such an enterprise." This is merely courtly language, wholly conventional, nnd which, spoken of Charles the Ninth,--n. boy not yet in his teens-savors rather of the ridiculous. There is no question that the expedition o1·iginated wholly with Coligny i as little is it questionable, though Lnudonnicre says nothing on this subject, that it was designed in consequence of that policy which showed him the ever present • Chn.rle\·oix d~critK.os Ribault IL'I "un ancien officier de ma.rine,n and •peaks of him as a man of experi~nce and "Z~le Huguenot." Of hi• nucls, on this expedition, he say& that they belonged to the clast called "Robergu, el qui differoient pcu des Caravellet Espagnollel." "JIInST i:XPEDITION. 11 danger of the I!ugucnots. It docs not militate against this policy that he made usc of a pretext which \Vas suggested by the passion for maritime discovery common in those days. Dy the assertion of tl1is pretext, he was the more easily enabled to persuade tbe Queen-mother to a. measure upon which she otherwise would never have suffered the ships of the IIuguenots to weigh anchor. But this question need not detain us. Laudonnierc speaks of the armament a.s ample for the purpose for which it was designed-" BO well furnished with gentlemen and with ouldo souldicrs that he (Ribault) had mcanes to achieve some notable thing, and worthio of eternall mcmoric." 'l'his was an exaggeration, sometlling Spanish in its t{!nor,--onc of tl10se flourishes of rhetoric among U10 voyagers of that day, which had already grown to be a sound without much signification. The vessels wore small, as was the compliment of men dispatched. The objects of tho expedition were limited, did not contemplate exploration but settlement, and, consequently, were not likely t.o find opportunity for great enterprises. The voyage occupied two months; tho route pursued carefully avoided that usually taken by the Spaniards, whom already our adventurers had cause to fear. At tho end of this period, land was made in tho latitude of St. Augustine, to the cape of which they gavo the name of St. Franyois. From this point, coasting northwardly, they discovered "a very fairo nnd great rivcr"-the San l\Iathco of the Spaniards, now tho St. John's, to wl1ich Ribault, ns l10 discovered it on tho first of May, gave the name of that month. This river he penetrated in his bot~ts. lle wns met on the shore by many of the natives, men and women. 'fhesc recei\'cd him with gentleness and pence. Their chief man made :m oration, ami honored Ribault, at tho close, with n. present of " chamois skinnes." On tho ensuing day 1 |
