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Quebec

By 1508 Early explorers from northwest Europe were fishing the waters off of Canada for cod.

French, Basque and Spanish

Navigators visited the waters off Newfoundland and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Drying fish took several weeks, during which time they began trading with natives: metal and cloth, copper kettles, blankets and trinkets were given to the natives in exchange for furs and fresh meat.

Map: Eastern Canada

Map of Eastern Canada.

French explorer Samuel de Champlain took the name K'bec, from an Amerindian language mean "place where the river becomes narrow." During the 17th and 18th centuries, Qu bec City was the centre of New France and its enormous territory.

At the time, this empire covered all of what is known today as Eastern Canada, the Eastern United States, the Great Lakes and Louisiana, extending from Hudson's Bay in the North to Florida in the South.

The Beaver.
The Beaver, Educational Illustration
Published by the
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge
1843

By the year 1600, the European need for more beaver fur exploded; European fashion caused the over-hunting of beavers for hats and beaver felt.

As beavers were plentiful in Canada, trading for pelts became another profitable industry alongside fishing. By 1608, a base was established at Quebec to exploit the fur trade. Permanent residents of the colony were permitted to trade for furs with the Indians but they had to sell the beaver and moose hides to the company at prices fixed by the Ministry of Marine. All other furs were traded on a free market; thus the trade was not a monopoly, but the law of supply and demand had been suspended for beaver and moose hides.

Trappers in the Wind RiversTrappers in the Wind Rivers.

Trappers in the Wind Rivers.

England appointed David Kirke, a native of Dieppe, to conquer Que bec and New France. His brothers Lewis, Thomas, John and James would assist him. In 1628, a fleet of three English ships landed at Tadoussac and took possession of the port. Kirke s men seized a small farm at Cap Tourmente, which, until then, had been used for storing hay and for cattle grazing, and used it as a base. The English captured the French found there, looted the buildings and made off with the cattle. They then intercepted a French ship carrying supplies to the Qu bec colonists. As they gradually took control of the St. Lawrence River, the Kirke Brothers sent a delegation to Quebec, calling for Samuel de Champlain, commander of New France, to surrender the colony.

Samuel de Champlain. Founder of New Frances. Gayle K. Brunelle.

For Samuel de Champlain, surrendering was out of the question. First, he consulted Francois Grav du Pont, a colleague since 1603, and others in authority. Then he gave his response to the Kirke Brothers: the colonists had all that they needed weapons and provisions to fight for their land. The Kirke Brothers fell for Champlain's bluff and refrained from attacking, but they would be back the following year. Meanwhile, food grew scarce in Qu bec. Champlain tried to make the most of his alliances with the Aboriginal peoples, asking them, for example, to help supply the French with food and shelter for the coming winter.

On the journey back to England, the Kirke Brothers seized four French ships carrying supplies and colonists to Quebec. Between 1628 and 1629, by capturing ships and returning their passengers to France, the Kirke Brothers prevented hundreds of settlers from joining the colony. As a result, the Compagnie des Cent-Associ's, which was responsible for establishing and populating the colony, lost several hundred thousand livres in revenue.

The Seven Years' War

After the Seven Years' War (1756-63), Anglo-Americans (Yankees, or Bastonnais), English and Highland Scots merchants supplanted the Canadian bourgeois and the agents of French merchants at Montr al. The new merchants forged a commercial link with London; the fur trade expanded greatly and served a variety of purposes economic, political and scientific.

British Capturing Quebec in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham French and Indian War. c. 1759

Battle of the Plains of Abraham. The activity from the new merchants garnered the attention of the Hudson Bay Company; the success of its new rivals forced the company to alter its coast-factory trading policy, and in 1774 the Hudson Bay Company penetrated inland from the bay to found Cumberland House, close to the Saskatchewan River. For their part, the new merchants learned that co-operation among themselves, rather than competition, was the road to commercial success.

However, by 1810, the Hudson Bay Company had regained its strength and market share, only to face the 20th Century disdain on the killing of animals for their fur.

Germans and Jews in Quebec

Initially, Quebec was made up of French, English and Natives. Starting from around 1896, immigration of people who spoke neither French nor English began arrived in substantial numbers: The first groups to have arrived in significant numbers in Quebec were the Germans and Jews who came in late 19th and early 20th centuries. Jews were in majority Yiddish speakers and established themselves in large numbers in Montreal. They were followed by large contingents of Italians, from the early 20th century.

July 29, 1871, Sacramento Daily Union, Sacramento, California, U.S.A.

Religious Intelligence

Maritime Provinces Geological Antique Map. Roe 1878Maritime Provinces. 1878.

Maritime Provinces. 1878.

A Quebec paper says that two young men, lately from Rome, and formerly Roman Catholic priests, arrived in that city to seek a Protestant pulpit to preach from. They appeared to have upon them letters from some of tne bishops of the Church of England, and were accordingly taken by the hand by the leaders of some of the Protestant churches, and one of them invited to preach in the Baptist church. The day previous to his preaching he got into trouble by accusing his confrere of robbing him of his reference papers, which were demanded of him by the Young Men's Christian Association, who were about getting up a subscription for both of them.

The fellow not getting a satisfactory answer, took it into his head to box his confrere's ears, which he did. This took place at 11 o'clock in, the morning, in front of the rooms of the Young Men's Christian Association and nearly opposite the market-place. The cries, "Help, help," soon attracted the police, and the pugilist preacher was walked off to the station. He was let out that evening and quietly turned up next morning in the pulpit of the Baptist church, and held forth tor almost an hour before a large audience, delivering, as the innocent congregation believed a most eloquent and impressive sermon. The preacher has since left the city, but his companion has been locked up for drunkenness.

June 12, 1874, Sacramento Daily Union, Sacramento, California, U.S.A.

FOREIGN NEWS
Fatal Affair at Sea

Quebec, Canada, June 11th. The Captain of the ship Manlius, arrived from Liverpool, reports that on the night of May 13th, one of the crew was fatally stabbed and another then jumped overboard and was lost.

May 25, 1890, Daily Alta California, San Francsico, California

TWO MILLIONS OF DEBTS.
Embarrassment of the Heaviest Lumber Dealers in Quebec.

Quebec, May 24th. In consequence of speculation and decline in prices in England, Smith, Wade & Co., the leading lumber dealers of this city, are in financial difficulties. Their liabilities are $2,000,000. The principal creditors are Bryant, Powis & Bryant of London, $300,000, and of Quebec, $175,000; the Bank of Montreal, $130,000; Merchant's Bank. $125,000; Bank of British North America, $75,000; Union Bank, $25,000; Western lumber men, $700,000. There is widespread alarm for the results to the lumber trade.

September 9, 1892, Los Angeles Herald, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

QUEBEC WAKED UP.

All Immigration by Land or Water Stopped.

Toronto, Ont., September 8. lt is believed a case of cholera has been found aboard the steamer Wandralin, from Hamburg, which passed the farther point yesterday. The Quebec government hastily issued a proclamation forbidding immigration, and making regulations for the inspection of vessels last night.

Washington, September 8 United States Consul Ryder, at Quebec, telegraphed the state department today as follows: "Order passed in council last night prohibiting all immigration by land or water to Quebec."


1899. World's Fleet. Boston Daily Globe

Lloyds Register of Shipping gives the entire fleet of the world as 28,180 steamers and sailing vessels, with a total tonnage of 27,673,628, of which 39 perent are British.

Great Britain10,990 vessels, total tonnage of 10,792,714
United States 3,010 vessels, total tonnage of 2,405,887
Norway 2,528 vessels, tonnage of 1,604,230
Germany 1,676 vessels, with a tonnage of 2,453,334, in which are included her particularly large ships.
Sweden 1,408 vessels with a tonnage of 643, 527
Italy1,150 vessels
France 1,182 vessels
   

For Historical Comparison
Top 10 Maritime Nations Ranked by Value (2017)

  Country # of Vessels

Gross

Tonnage

(m)

Total

Value

(USDbn)

1 Greece 4,453 206.47 $88.0
2 Japan 4,317 150.26 $79.8
3 China 4,938 159.71 $71.7
4 USA 2,399 55.92 $46.5
5 Singapore 2,662 64.03 $41.7
6 Norway 1,668 39.68 $41.1
7 Germany 2,923 81.17 $30.3
8 UK 883 28.78 $24.3
9 Denmark 1,040 36.17 $23.4
10 South Korea 1,484 49.88 $20.1
Total 26,767 87.21 $466.9

The Project

Maritime Nations, Ships, Sea Captains, Merchants, Merchandise, Ship Passengers and VIPs sailing into San Francisco during the 1800s.

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Sources: As noted on entries and through research centers including National Archives, San Bruno, California; CDNC: California Digital Newspaper Collection; San Francisco Main Library History Collection; and Maritime Museums and Collections in Australia, China, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Wales, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, etc.

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