Third voyage
In May of 1541, Cartier departed on his third voyage with 5 ships. He had by now abandoned the idea of finding a passage to the Orient and was set to establish a permanent settlement along the St.Lawrence River on behalf of France. A group of colonists was a few months behind him at this time.
Cartier set up camp again near Quebec and they found an abundance of what they thought were gold and diamonds. In the spring, not waiting for the colonists to arrive, Cartier abandoned the base and sailed for France. En route, he stopped at Newfoundland, where he encountered the colonists, whose leader ordered Cartier back to Quebec. Cartier, however, had other plans; instead of heading to Quebec, he sneaked away during the night and returned home to France.
There his ''gold'' and ''diamonds'' were found to worthless and the colonists abandoned plans to found a settlement, returning to France after experiencing their first bitter winter. After these setbacks, France didn't show any interest in these new lands for half a century and Cartier's career as a state-funded explorer came to an end. While credited with the exploration of the St.Lawrence region, Cartier's reputation has been tarnished by his dealings with the Iroquois and abandonment of the incoming colonists as he fled the New World.
Cartier set up camp again near Quebec and they found an abundance of what they thought were gold and diamonds. In the spring, not waiting for the colonists to arrive, Cartier abandoned the base and sailed for France. En route, he stopped at Newfoundland, where he encountered the colonists, whose leader ordered Cartier back to Quebec. Cartier, however, had other plans; instead of heading to Quebec, he sneaked away during the night and returned home to France.
There his ''gold'' and ''diamonds'' were found to worthless and the colonists abandoned plans to found a settlement, returning to France after experiencing their first bitter winter. After these setbacks, France didn't show any interest in these new lands for half a century and Cartier's career as a state-funded explorer came to an end. While credited with the exploration of the St.Lawrence region, Cartier's reputation has been tarnished by his dealings with the Iroquois and abandonment of the incoming colonists as he fled the New World.