Jean Talon
Jean Talon, Count d'Orsainville was a French colonial administrator who served as the first Intendant of New France. Talon was appointed by King Louis XIV and his minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to serve as the Intendant of Justice, Public Order and Finances in Canada, Acadia and Newfoundland for two terms: 1665 to 1668 and 1670 to 1672.
Talon attempted to change the economic base of the colony from fur trading to agriculture, but found this could not be accomplished without a larger population. Talon arranged for settlers to come to New France, including over 800 women known as the King's Daughters. These were young orphans that came to New France to marry men present there. He encouraged population growth through marriage grants and baby bonuses, which were financial compensation given to a couple when they married, and again when they had children.
Talon tried to diversify the economy of New France by introducing new crops such as flax and hops for making beer, by starting a shipyard and lumber industry, and by encouraging mining. He started the first commercial brewery in Canada, La Brasserie du Roy, in Québec City in 1668. Talon also worked to increase the population, the agricultural production, and the private sector of the burgeoning colony.
Weak and destitute New France
Prior to Jean Talon's arrival in the French colony in 1665, the colony, founded by Samuel de Champlain and situated along St. Lawrence River, was in a state of weakness and destitution despite its existence for more than half a century. Its failure in progress had been due to several key factors, including poor governance of the colony by trading companies, forgetfulness on the part of France, and the horrors caused by the wars between the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat clans.The progress of the colony had been stifled by trading companies, because the companies valued money and profit rather than the survival of the colony.
The French minister in charge of New France's affairs back in France was Cardinal Richelieu. At first he was involved in improving the colony's situation through attempts to increase the population of the colony, but he had been unsuccessful. Later on, his attention shifted to European politics, and New France's affairs were left ignored.
For 25 years, the colonists had been living with the effects of engaging in a violent war against the native inhabitants of the land, the Iroquois. In New France, no adequate military force existed to battle the Haudenosaunee. Other situations added to the degrading of the colony, included internal strife among the leaders in New France over questions of liquor traffic, lack of immigration from France, dying fur trade, and poor agriculture. The colonists of New France, the governor and the bishop petitioned to France for assistance.
Early life
Jean Talon was born in Châlons-en-Champagne to Philippe Talon and Anne Marie de Bury, where he was baptized on January 8, 1626. His family was related to the Parisian Talons, who held in succession the high office of attorney-general of France. After studying at the Jesuits' College of Clermont, Talon was employed in a commissariat. His abilities soon became apparent, and when he was 30, he was promoted to the position of Intendant for New France. When an Intendant was needed for the task of bringing the dying New France back to life, Colbert, an administrator of France, thought immediately of Talon and recommended him to the king. Talon's commission is dated March 23, 1665.Rescue of New France
Louis and his minister decided in 1663 to give New France a new constitution. The charter of the Company of One Hundred Associates was cancelled and the old Council of Quebec, which was formed in 1647, reorganized and became the Sovereign Council. The Sovereign Council was composed of the governor, the bishop, the intendant, an attorney-general, a secretary, and five councilors. Its functions included general jurisdiction for the administration of justice in civil and criminal matters, and the questions of police, roads, finance, and trade.In 1665, the King sent the Carignan-Salières Regiment, a new governor, a new intendant, settlers and labourers, and supplies to New France. The Lieutenant Général of the Americas, Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy, was dispatched to deal with the threat of the Iroquois. On September 12, 1665, the ship Saint Sebastien arrived in New France with Daniel de Rémy de Courcelle, the governor, and Jean Talon, the intendant of justice, police and finance.
A long letter of instructions was drafted by Colbert to guide Jean Talon in his mission to New France. The instructions dealt with mutual relations of Church and State, discussed the question of assistance to the recently created West India Company, and contemplated the war against the Iroquois and how it could be carried out successfully. Other instructions included the following: the establishment of the Sovereign Council and the administration of justice; the settlement of the colony and the advisability of concentrating the population; the importance of fostering trade and industry; the question of tithes for the maintenance of the Church; the establishment of shipbuilding yards; and the encouragement of agriculture.
Promoting colonization, agriculture, shipbuilding and commerce
It was up to Tracy and Courcelle to protect the colony from Iroquois attacks. Once Talon arrived in New France, his first task was to organize transportation of provisions, ammunition, tool, and supplies for the maintenance of the troops and to take care of incoming soldiers and laborers, making sure that those who contracted disease, received proper nursing and medical attention.Tracy had led a successful attack against the Iroquois and won peace for the colony, restoring order and harmony. He left Canada on August 28, 1667; Courcelle remained as governor and Talon remained as the Intendant.
Now that peace was restored, Talon could carry out his works of colonization. In 1665, he had taken back the land granted to the Jesuits to establish about forty dwellings in preparation for new settlers, who would arrive the following year. These dwellings were to be grouped in three adjacent villages named Bourg-Royal, Bourg-la-Reine, and Bourg-Talon.
One of the most important historical documents of this period was carried out by Talon. A general census of New France was taken during the winter of 1666–67 to gather information about the colony. This the first Canadian census of which we have any record. It did not include the king's troops, which formed a body of 1200 men.
Talon was highly organized in his establishment of settlements. New villages were established as close as possible to the capital and the settlers were grouped around a central point to encourage mutual help and defense. Proper dwellings were made ready to receive the newcomers. Talon proceeded to fill these dwellings with settlers, trying to have some skilled artisans, such as carpenters, shoemakers, and masons in each village.
Talon's colonization policy was to give grants of settlements to soldiers and habitants. They took possession of the land and received an ample supply of food and tools required. They would receive payment in clearing and tilling the first two acres. In return, they had to clear and prepare another two acres in three or four years so that the two acres could be given to the next round of incoming settlers.
Under Talon's successful colonization policy, the settlement of the country progressed rapidly. A census taken in 1668 gave very satisfactory figures. While in 1667 there had been under cultivation, in 1668 were now under cultivation, and wheat production amounted to 130,978 bushels.
Talon's activity showed great zeal for the public good. In terms of promoting agriculture, he erected a brewery near the St. Charles River in 1668 to support cultivation of wheat. Furthermore, hemp was highly needed in the colony for making coarse cloth. To promote the production of hemp, he created a monopoly of thread. He seized all the thread on the shops, and gave notice that to acquire thread, they had to exchange it with hemp.
Talon promoted commerce through his introduction of the shipbuilding industry. Through encouragement of shipbuilding, he had in mind the extension of the colony's trade with the West Indies and France. He also encouraged the development of the fishing industry along St.Lawrence River.
To further encourage the growth of the colony, Talon established various policies to promote marriage and bearing of children. To young women who married, the intendant gave 50 livres in household supplies and some provisions. According to the king's decree, each youth who married at or before the age of twenty was entitled to 20 livres, called "the king’s gift." During the years 1665–68, 6000 livres were used to support the marriage of young gentlewomen without means, and another 6000 livres for settlement and marriage of four captains, three lieutenants, five ensigns and a few minor officers. Furthermore, families having ten children in their household were entitled to a pension of three hundred livres annually and four hundred livres were given to family with twelve children.
To balance the number of men and women living in the colony and to promote further marriage, girls were carefully selected from France to be taken to Canada. Some of them were orphans, who grew up under the king's protection in charitable institutions. They were known as the "King's Daughters". The rest of the girls belonged to honest families, whose parents were willing to send them to a new country where they would be well provided for. When these young women arrived in Canada, they immediately married or were placed for a time in good families.
Strenuous efforts of Talon gave great impulse to population. In 1665, there were 3,215 settlers, and 533 families. Three years later, the population now contained 6,282 settlers and 1,139 families. Jean Talon was hard at work in laying the foundation of an economic and political system and making commercial, industrial progresses.