Rather than being concentrated in the hands of large companies, as is the case today, shipping during this period was run by many small shipowners. A great many of the ships crossing the Atlantic were scarcely larger than the corvette and the brigantine shown here. Although the builders knew how to construct larger ships, the owners lacked the means to outfit such vessels, and by distributing cargo among many smaller craft losses were reduced in the event of shipwreck. The average capacity of merchant vessels sailing between La Rochelle and Canada ranged from 150 to 200 tons. Ordinances of the period stated that every vessel leaving for QuΘbec had to have a certain number of labourers for the colony on board: three for vessels of sixty tons and six for those of 100 tons. Upon arrival, the captain of the ship had to locate a master who was willing to employ the workmen and refund him for their passage. Many colonists made the crossing under conditions such as these and had to work as domestics for three years before getting settled on their own. The barque in this illustration is typical of those used on the St. Lawrence for the transport of passengers and cargo between Quebec City and MontrΘal.
Courtesy: Salle Gagnon, BibliothΦque municipale de MontrΘal
