THE CROSSING
THE CROSSING
Does this apprenticeship make him nervous or irritable
? Does the stress affect his health ? Whatever, before the
notary Moreau, on the 27th of March 1656, Pierre Micheau,
just as 20 other men, hired himself to Jacques Pépin, a ships'
factor and merchant of La
Rochelle to go to work in Quebec for
3 years. His salary would be 36 livres (pounds) per year, with
an immediate advance of 38 livres and 5 sols. He is 18 or 19 years
old. This Jacques Pépin calls upon the services of the notary
Moreau who specializes in the commercial acts. Since 1655, the Compagnie
de la Nouvelle-France had allowed several large merchants rochelais to
arm with the ships on their account for Quebec. They transport there
food, goods and passengers. It is even an obligation for them to
take on board hired
men.
During following weeks, the settlers thus embark
in La Rochelle, port located at 49 kilometers of Fontenay, on the ship
La
Fortune. Owned by M. Auboyneau, this three-mast ship is
a 100 tons burden. During this crossing of 1656, the master on board
was M. Edouard Raymond. In addition to Jacques Pépin,
P.
Thévenin was also ship-owner. A distance of 1 200 lieues
separated the port of La Rochelle from that of Quebec. On the way
there, the sailing ship could cross in approximately nine weeks;
on the return trip, the west winds made it possible to cross the
Atlantic in only five weeks.
The crossing of our ancestor Pierre Micheau was crowned with success
but one can imagine the anguishes which tormented him : winds, storms,
ices, instruments lacking in precision, hackers. Everything leads
to believe that he catches sight of Quebec city before the end of the springtime
of 1656.
