Nowadays the word “Cartier” conjures up the image of incredibly expensive watches. But it should also make you think of Jacques Cartier, a French explorer who had the good sense to marry into an upper class family; this enabled him a life of luxury as well as to explore the world.
On this day May 19th, in 1535, Jacques Cartier begins his second voyage to The New World. His first voyage was commissioned by the King, his purpose was to find Asian Islands and bring back its wealth of gold. Instead he ended up by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, which is next to Quebec, Canada. He began trading with the Iroquois in his first voyage in 1534. When he erected a cross saying “long live the king of France” and announced possession the territory, the Iroquois quickly came to understand his intent. Upon this occurring, Cartier kidnapped two of the leader’s sons.
On his second voyage to North America Cartier had the two kidnapped Native Americans on board. It was on this voyage that himself and his crew of 110 men were trapped by the freezing of waters, and thus were stuck in North America through a freezing winter. Scurvy broke out, and 25 men died with it. One of the natives instructed Cartier how to make an extraction from a tree which would cure scurvy, and it was through this that he survived.