The Office of Inteiidant in Neiu Fr-ancc t^Z attention. That jealousy of industrial development which marked the policy of England toward her American colonies seems never to have characterized the policy of France toward Canada. It is of course true that in New France industry was such a puny infant that it gave the mother-land no cause for fear. At any rate the French government strove very earnestly to foster it by encouragements of various sorts, and committed the application of these stimulating agencies to the hands of the intendant. From time to time this offi- cial brought to the notice of the king the specific industrial needs of his colony, and rarely without meeting with ready response. Differ- ent intendants plied the patient sovereign with requests for tilers, brickmakers, potters, iron-workers, glass-makers, weavers, and so on ; while one, less definite in his requests, asked for " all sorts of artisans ". They also desired materials with which to get indus- tries started. Champigny requested supplies of hemp-seed and flaxseed, in order that the raw materials of industry might be raised in the colony.' Hocquart asked for some fanning-mills, that the quality of flour produced in the seigniorial mills might be improved.- ]Iore often the intendant desired that some enterprising colonial might be assured of a monopoly in return for undertaking to start some particular industry. Still oftener the king was asked for a money bonus by his zealous agent, who never failed to point out how easy it would be for a certain industry to make progress were it only established. Under the spur of these various encouragements, one enterprising colonial established a tannery, another a hat factory, a third a shoemaking industry, and others started establishments for the making of potash and the curing of fish. Talon, who is often called the " Colbert of New France ", was especially energetic, both by stimulus and by example, in promoting industry. With his pri- vate means he built a brewery at Quebec, besides establishing a tar manufactory and assisting in the promotion of various other enter- prises.^ Of the other intendants, Raudot and Hocquart were con- spicuous for their vigorous attempts to foster colonial industry. Despite these various encouragements, however, colonial industry would not thrive : in every case the enterprise seemed to famish when the royal pap was withdrawn. It is true that the benefits of en- ' Champigny to Minister, November 6, 1688, Correspondance Generale, VI. 389. = Hocquart to Minister, October 4, 1731, ihid., LIV. 43. s Chapais, lean Talon, ch. xvi. The personal enthusiasm and enterprise of the intendant were strongly praised by Governor Frontenac in one of his despatches to the minister. See Frontenac to Colbert, November 2, 1672, Cor- respondance Generale, III. 327.
- Cf. Claude Marie Raudot, Dcii.v Intendants dn Canada sous Louis XIV.
(Auxerre, 1854), passim. AM. HIST. REV., VOL. XU. — 3.
