It Is Evident That
The Writer Was Busy On His Voyage Preparing His Narrative Of Travels For
Presentation To The King.
Towards the conclusion of his manuscript he says:
"We are now in the passage, and he that brought us, which was one of the
Commissioners called Collonell George Cartaret, was taken by the
Hollanders, and wee arrived in England in a very bad time for the plague
and the warrs.
Being at Oxford, wee went to Sir George Cartaret, who spoke
to His Majesty, who gave good hopes that wee should have a shipp ready for
the next Spring, and that the King did allow us forty shillings a week for
our maintenance, and wee had chambers in the town by his order, where wee
stayed three months. Afterwards the King came to London and sent us to
Windsor, where wee stayed the rest of the winter."
Charles II., with his Court, came to open Parliament and the Courts of Law
at Oxford, September 25, 1665, and left for Hampton Court to reside,
January 27, 1666. Radisson and Des Groseilliers must have arrived there
about the 25th of October. DeWitt, the Dutch statesman, and Grand
Pensionary of the States of Holland from 1652, becoming informed by the
captain of the Dutch "Caper" of the errand of Radisson and his companion
into England, despatched an emissary to that country in 1666 to endeavor to
entice them out of the English into the service of the Dutch. Sir John
Colleton first brought the matter before the notice of Lord Arlington in a
letter of November 12th. The agent of DeWitt was one Elie Godefroy Touret,
a native of Picardy, France, and an acquaintance of Groseilliers. Touret
had lived over ten years in the service of the Rhinegrave at Maestricht.
Thinking it might possibly aid him in his design, he endeavored to pass
himself off in London as Groseilliers' nephew. One Monsieur Delheure
deposed that Groseilliers "always held Touret in suspicion for calling
himself his nephew, and for being in England without employment, not being
a person who could live on his income, and had therefore avoided his
company as dangerous to the State. Has heard Touret say that if his uncle
Groseilliers were in service of the States of Holland, he would be more
considered than here, where his merits are not recognised, and that if his
discovery were under the protection of Holland, all would go better with
him."
On the 21st of November a warrant was issued to the Keeper of the Gate
House, London, "to take into custody the person of Touret for corresponding
with the King's enemies." On the 23d of December Touret sent in a petition
to Lord Arlington, bitterly complaining of the severity of his treatment,
and endeavored to turn the tables upon his accuser by representing that
Groseilliers, Radisson, and a certain priest in London tried to persuade
him to join them in making counterfeit coin, and for his refusal had
persecuted and entered the accusation against him.
To Des Groseilliers and Radisson must be given the credit of originating
the idea of forming a settlement at Hudson's Bay, out of which grew the
profitable organization of the Hudson's Bay Company. They obtained through
the English Ambassador to France an interview with Prince Rupert, and laid
before him their plans, which had been before presented to the leading
merchants of Canada and the French Court. Prince Rupert at once foresaw the
value of such an enterprise, and aided them in procuring the required
assistance from several noblemen and gentlemen, to fit out in 1667 two
ships from London, the "Eagle," Captain Stannard, and the "Nonsuch," ketch,
Captain Zechariah Gillam. This Gillam is called by Oldmixon a New
Englander, and was probably the same one who went in 1664/5 with Radisson
and Groseilliers to Hudson's Strait on the unsuccessful voyage from Boston.
Radisson thus alludes to the two ships that were fitted out in London by
the help of Prince Rupert and his associates. The third year after their
arrival in England "wee went out with a new Company in two small vessels,
my brother in one and I in another, and wee went together four hundred
leagues from the North of Ireland, where a sudden greate storme did rise
and put us asunder. The sea was soe furious six or seven hours after, that
it did almost overturne our ship. So that wee were forced to cut our masts
rather then cutt our lives; but wee came back safe, God be thanked; and the
other, I hope, is gone on his voyage, God be with him."
Captain Gillam and the ketch "Nonsuch," with Des Groseilliers, proceeded on
their voyage, "passed thro Hudson's Streights, and then into Baffin's Bay
to 75 deg. North, and thence Southwards into 51 deg., where, in a river
afterwards called Prince Rupert river, He had a friendly correspondence
with the natives, built a Fort, named it Charles Fort, and returned with
Success." [Footnote: Oldmixon, British Empire, ed. 1741, Vol. I. p. 544]
When Gillam and Groseilliers returned, the adventurers concerned in fitting
them out "applied themselves to Charles II. for a patent, who granted one
to them and their successors for the Bay called Hudson's Streights."
[Footnote: Ibid., Vol. I. p. 545.] The patent bears date the 2d of May,
in the twenty-second year of Charles II., 1670.
In Ellis's manuscript papers [Footnote: Ibid., Vol. V. p.319] has been
found the following original draft of an "answer of the Hudson's Bay
Company to a French paper entitled Memoriall justifieing the pretensions of
France to Fort Bourbon." 1696/7.
"The French in this paper carrying their pretended right of Discovery and
settlement no higher then the year 1682, and their being dispossessed in
1684. Wee shall briefly shew what sort of possession that was, and how
those two actions were managed. Mr. Radisson, mentioned in the said paper
to have made this settlement for the French at Port Nelson in 1682, was
many years before settled in England, and marryed an English wife, Sir John
Kirke's daughter, and engaged in the interest and service of the English
upon private adventure before as well as after the Incorporation of the
Hudson's Bay Company.
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