Radisson's Voyages and their Manuscripts

Warkentin, Germaine

Archivaria 1999 48199-222
(ReLIS:jul:qehdfa:y:1999:v:48:p:199-222)

Abstract:

Though in the twentieth century the French explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson (ca. 1640-1710) has taken his place among the important expioration writers of Canada, until 1885 he was rareiy conceived of as a writer at ah. As a histor-¡caí figure Radisson had made his mark: there is documentation of his activi-ties in the Jesuit Relations, the letters of Marie de l'Incarnation, in archival repositories in Quebec, the archives of the Hudson's Bay Company, in the British Library, the Bibliothéque Nationale, the Pubiic Record Office, the Vat-¡can Archives, and even a possibie contact account from the Native point of view.2 There also exist a number of affidavits and petitions in his name.3 Nor ¡5 the significance of the expiorations of Radisson and his brother-in-law Médard Chouart des Groseilliers in doubt. Eariy chroniclers iike Oldmixon (1708), Ellis (1748), Robson (1752), and La Potherie (l753)~ were weli aware that it was information provided by the two explorers which led to the founda-tion of the Hudson's Bay Company and thus changed, in J. B. Brebner's mem-orable words, 'the course of history for half the North American continent

Pages: 199-222
Volume: 48
Year: 1999

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