ROBERVAL and CARTIER. They neither embarked in company, nor acted in concert. Cartier ascended the St. Lawrence and built a fort at Quebec; but no considerable advances in geographical knowledge would seem to have been made. In June, 1542 he returned to France. On the way back he met Roberval on the banks of New Foundland, with more provisions and arms, and returning with him to the fort, he assumed the command, while ROBERVAL ascended the St. Lawrence. Cartier not entering with cordiality into the views or measures of Roberval, the expedition after remaining about a year returned to France.

In the career of French discovery in New France there occurs here an hiatus or suspension of over fifty years. The causes of this suspension may be found in that portion of the history of France which embraces that period; they were domestic troubles, civil war, &c., which divested the nation from all projects of discovery and colonization.

It was under the reign of Elizabeth, that England made the first attempt at colonization in America. In 1584 Sir Walter Raleigh, under the patronage of the Queen, fitted out two vessels, to "visit the districts which he intended to occupy, and to examine the accommodations of the coasts, the productions of the soil, and the condition of the inhabitants." These ships approached the North American Continent by the Gulf of Florida, and anchored in Roanoke Bay, off the coast of North Carolina. This was followed the year after by seven more ships, which left 108 men at the Roanoke Colony, The immediate prospect of forming a colony was finally unsuccessful. A fleet under Sir Admiral Drake, that was returning home after a successful expedition against the Spaniards in the West Indies, touched at Roanoke on its homeward passage, and took the colonists home to England.

There were several other attempts to colonize by Raleigh, and under his auspices, but were failures; amounting only to the landing of several ship loads of emigrants, illy provided for subsistance or defence; to become a prey to the natives, or perish for food. At the period of Queen Elizabeth's death, not an Englishman was settled in America.

In 1603, Bartholomew Gosnold, planned an expedition in a small vessel with only thirty men—discovered a much nearer route than had hitherto been pursued—visited the coast of Massachusetts, and returned with a rich freight of peltry. His favorable accoun

led a few merchants of Bristol to send out two vessels, to examine the country Gosnold had visited. They returned, confirming his statements. Another expedition followed, which, returning, reported so many "additional particulars commendatory of the region, that all doubt and hesitation vanished from the minds of the projectors of American Colonization; and an association sufficiently numerous wealthy and powerful to undertake this enterprise, being speedily formed, a petition was presented to the King for his sanction of the plan, and the interposition of his authority towards its execution."

In April 1606, King James issued letters patent to Sir Thomas Gates, George Somers, Richard Hakluyt, and their associates granting to them those territories in America, lying on the sea coast between the thirty-fourth and forty-fifth degrees of north latitude, together with all the Islands situated within one hundred miles of their shores.

The patentees were divided into two companies. The territory appropriated to the first, or Southern Colony, was called Virginia. That appropriated to the Northern Colony, was called New England. They were termed the London and Plymouth companies.

Three vessels soon sailed under the auspices of the London Company, having on board one hundred and five men destined to remain in America; among the adventurers, were George Percy, a brother of the Duke of Northumberland, Gosnold, the enterprising navigator, and Capt. John Smith. The squadron arrived in the Chesapeake Bay, April 1607. These colonists founded the settlement at Jamestown, and theirs was the first successful scheme of English colonization in America. In 1608, this colony first tilled the soil of what now constitutes the United States, unless the Spaniards had previously planted in Florida.

In 1607 the Plymouth company made an abortive attempt to form a colony in northern Virginia. The expedition returned to England and damped the spirit of emigration by the representations it made of the soil and climate they had visited. Six years after they fitted out two vessels, and placed one of them under the command of Capt. Smith, who had become identified with the colony at Jamestown previously. This expedition explored with care and diligence, the whole coast from Cape Cod to Penobscot. Capt. Smith went into the interior of the country, made a map of the coast, which on his return he presented to the King, accompanied with a highly favorable account of the country. Capt. Hunt, who

commanded one of the vessels, instead of returning with Smith, enticed a number of Indians on board his vessel, and touching at Malaga on his homeward voyage, sold them as slaves; thus upon the threshold of New England colonization, provoking the natives to abandon their pacific policy, and look upon the new comers as enemies. The very next vessel that visited the coast of New England, brought news of their vindictive hostility.

It was reserved for the pilgrim fathers, who, to escape persecution in England, had fled to Leyden, to commence the colonization of New England. Obtaining from King James a tacit acquiescence and from the Plymouth Company a grant of a portion of their territory, one hundred and twenty of their number embarked at Delft Haven, reaching the coast of America, after a long and dangerous voyage, on the 9th of November, 1620, and the coast of Massachusetts, the spot they afterwards called New Plymouth, on the 11th of December.

On the 30th day of September, 1609, two hundred and thirtynine years ago, Henry Hudson an Englishman, but then in the employ of the Dutch East India Company, entered the southern waters of New York, and the next day moored his ship within Sandy Hook. He ascended the river that now bears his name, as far up as Albany, some exploring parties of his expedition having gone as far as Troy. He was from the day he passed Sandy Hook, until the fourth of October, engaged in an examination of the bay of New York, the banks of the river, &c., trafficking with the natives, gratifying his own and their curiosity, by receiving them on board his vessel, and otherwise cultivating their acquaintance and friendship.

There have been preserved minute details of this first European visit to our State. It forms a chapter in our history of great interest, not only from the fact that it informs us of the discovery of our now Empire State—of the first European advent upon the waters of the Hudson, to the site of our great northern commercial emporium, but from its giving us by far the best and most satisfactory accounts of the natives, as they were found in their primitive condition. Hudson testifies, as precedent navigators had done to their general friendly reception of the stranger European. In his four weeks' interview with the natives, nothing occured to mar its pacific character, until one of their number had been wantonly killed by one of his men. The Indian, attracted by curiosity, and

having perhaps but imperfect ideas of the rights of property, stole into the cabin window, and pilfered a pillow, and some wearing apparel. The men discovering his retreat with the articles shot at and killed him. In an attempt to recover the articles, another native was killed. Previous to this, there had been what the natives construed into an attempt to carry off two of their number. Following after these events, was a concerted attempt on the part of the natives to get possession of the vessel. At the head of Manhattan Island in the inlet of Harlem river, they had collected a large force. The vessel going down the river approached the shore near the place of ambush. Hunson discovering them, and their hostile intentions, lay off, the Indians discharging at the vessel a volley of arrows, which was returned by the discharge of muskets. This skirmishing continued as the vessel moved farther down, the Indians assaulting with their arrows, the Europeans retaliating with their muskets, and occasionally by the discharge of a cannon. Nine of the Indians were killed, none of the Europeans. How astounding to these simple warriors, armed only with their bows and arrows, must have been this their first knowledge of the use of gun-powder, and its terrible agency as an auxiliary in war! And that they were not dismayed, did not, flee at the first explosion of a volley of muskets, is a matter of especial wonder.

Thus a relation, an acquaintance, that was commenced, and for some time was continued in amity, had a hostile termination. Hudson sailed down the river and put to sea.

This first European advent to our state, was marked by another event, more important in the annals of the aborigines, than any that has occured during their acquaintance with our race. It was the inflicting upon them a curse, more terrible in its consequenses than all else combined, of the evils that have attended their relations with us; a curse equal in magnitude, in proportion to the aggregate numbers to be effected by it, to that which England has visited upon the Chinese by force of arms; (and there is some coincidence in the two events, for in both cases there was the predisposition, the physical tendency, to destructive excess):—While Hudson's vessel lay in the river, (near Albany, as inferred from his account,) "great multitudes flocked on board to survey the wonder." In order to discover whether "any of the chiefe men of the country had any treacherie in them, our master and mate took them into the cabin and gave them so much wine and aqua vite that they were

all merrie; and one of them had his wife with him, which sate so modestly as any of our counterey womene, would doe in a strange plaice." One of them became intoxicated, staggered and fell, at which the natives were astonished. It "was strange to them, for they could not tell how to take it." They all hurried ashore in their canoes. The intoxicated Indian remaining and sleeping on board all night, the next day, others ventured on board and finding him recovered, and well, they were highly gratified. He was a chief. In the afternoon they repeated their visits, brought tobacco "and beads, and gave them to our master, and made an oration showing him all the country round about." They took on board a platter of venison, dressed in their own style, and "caused him to eate with them: then they made him reverence, and departed all," except the old chief, who having got a taste of the fatal beverage chose to remain longer on board. Thus were the aborigines first made acquainted with what they afterwards termed "fire water;" and aptly enough for it has helped to consume them. The Indians who met Hudson at Albany were of the Mohawk nation.

The discovery of Hudson was followed up by several voyages from Holland, with the principal object of traffic on the river, and among the natives he had discovered. The Dutch built two small fortified trading posts, the one on Castle, and the other on Manhattan Island. The English attempted a colony upon the river, but were unsuccessful. It was not until 1623 that effectual colonization commenced. In that year, and soon after, vessels were fitted out by the Dutch company, emigrants embarked in them, forts were built, settlements founded. The colony was called New Netherland. The first governor came out in 1023.

In 1603, a company of merchants was formed at Rouen for the purpose of colonization. They were invested with authority to explore the country, and establish colonies along the St. Lawrence. Samuel Champlain, an able mariner, a partner in the company,

NOTE.-The strong appetite of Indians for intoxicationg drinks, has been observed from our earliest intercourse with them. The first navigators, who reached them, bringing "strong water," the traders who have found them ignorant of the existence of it, and fatally enticed them to its taste, have uniformly borne testimony that with few exceptions, when they have been once under the influence of it, their appetites are craving for further indulgence. The author has been informed by one who has spent most of his life among the fur traders on the head waters of the Mississippi, that he has known an Indian runner to make a journey of two hundred miles and back through deep snow, to obtain a gallon of whiskey, to finish a carousal, after having exhausted the supply of a trader.