INTRODUCTION

These two volumes of sketches are offered as companion books of the “Pioneer Priests of North America.” They are condensed and somewhat rapid narrations of the lives of a number of men who were conspicuous in the days when civilization was being brought to this continent: explorers, founders of states and colonies, governors of provinces, commandants of forts, captains of vessels, officers of the regular army, leaders of the reckless coureurs de bois, daring traders who, in the interests of commerce, ventured alone among the savages, besides pirates, filibusters and peaceful colonists. They are mostly Frenchmen, or native-born Canadians, but there are a few Spaniards, an occasional Englishman, and towards the end, a distinguished man who is frequently put down as Scotch, but who constantly insisted on his Irish origin. A great State on the Pacific slope claims him as its founder. The field of their operations was extensive, for it stretched from oceap to ocean and from Hudson Bay as far south as Brazil.

Some of them are ideal heroes and may be proposed as models; the glory of others is sadly tarnished; and a few are subjects of reproach. From all, however, lessons of conduct may be learned, and, here and there, in the course of a narrative, it is possible to correct certain false appreciations of facts and motives which a class of biased writers have fastened on American history. The series is arranged chronologically so that the various sections connect more or less with each other. Ample time and abundant, as well as reliable, material were available for the prosecution of the work, and whatever mistakes have been made must be ascribed to the author.

Volume 1  |  Volume 2