Travelling in 1745
Around 1745, it took people six to eight weeks to travel from France to Canada. Thanks to the ocean currents, it took only four or five weeks to travel from Canada to France. During the winter months, there was no communication at all between the motherland and the colonyColonizationColonization occurs when one country takes control of another country, territory, or people. It happens when.... Too bad they didn’t have email!
Communicating between France and New France often took a long time. For example, when the governor needed to get in touch with the king in France, he would write a letter and send it by ship. He had to write his letter before the winter came so that it could leave with the last ship of the season, which was usually sometime in November.
Between November and April, the St. Lawrence River was frozen. Since no boats could reach New France during these months, the governor would get no response during all at time. Imagine having to wait six months before getting any news from France!
In the spring, when the first boat docked at Québec in April or May, the response to the governor’s letter sent in November would finally arrive!
Communication in New France was definitely not easy!
AuthorAuthor - A person who writes something Auteur - Une personne qui écrit quelque chose: Léon Robichaud
See also – Traces of the past:
