Audiobook · read by volunteers
Chronicles of Canada Volume 02 - Mariner of St. Malo: A Chronicle of the Voyages of Jacques Cartier
Stephen Leacock (1869–1944)
Read by Susan Denney, Kevin McAsh, Robin Cotter · 10 chapters · 2 h 27
About the book
In April 1534 a sailor from Saint-Malo set out across the Atlantic on the orders of King Francis I of France. His name was Jacques Cartier, and before leaving he made his men swear to behave themselves truly and faithfully in the service of the Most Christian King. Over three voyages he explored the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, entered the Gulf of St Lawrence, and sailed up the great river to Stadacona and Hochelaga, spending a hard winter at Stadacona. It was during these voyages that the name Canada first came into use, from an Iroquoian word for a village. Stephen Leacock tells the story of these journeys clearly and vividly. This is the second volume of the Chronicles of Canada, and it takes about two and a half hours, read by three voices.
Introduction
Jacques Cartier was a sailor from Saint-Malo who married well and came to serve King Francis I of France as an explorer. In April 1534 he sailed for the New World. Before sailing, his men swore an oath to behave themselves truly and faithfully in the service of the Most Christian King.
The account recorded here was written by Stephen Leacock, who lived from 1869 to 1944, and published in 1914 as Volume 2 of the Chronicles of Canada, under the title Mariner of St. Malo: A Chronicle of the Voyages of Jacques Cartier. The series was intended to cover Canadian history in a readable manner, and Leacock brings to this volume the clear style that made him a popular writer.
The book follows Cartier from his early life through the first voyage, with its stops at Newfoundland and Labrador and its exploration of the Gulf of St Lawrence. It was on that voyage that Cartier planted a cross at Gaspé and claimed the land for the King of France. It continues with the second voyage up the St Lawrence, to Stadacona, to Hochelaga and through a winter at Stadacona, and concludes with the third voyage, the close of Cartier’s career and a summary itinerary of his voyages. The ten chapters of the recording follow this order.
The reading lasts about two and a half hours and is shared among three LibriVox volunteers. Some of the language belongs to the early twentieth century, and modern historians would treat certain episodes, in particular the encounters with Indigenous peoples, differently. Still, it remains a lively introduction to one of the great figures in the story of North American exploration.
Public domain
Stephen Leacock died in 1944: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text