INTRODUCTION.
. ond?e et d?finitivement orga-
nise en 1540 par St~ Ignace de
Loyola, la Comagnie de Jsus avait
d?j? depuis plus d'un demi-si?cle
envoy? des missionnaires dans toutes
les parties du monde. L'Am?rique
en particulier, ? mesure qu'on y
d?couvrait de nouvelles terres, ?tait
devenue le th??tre de leurs travaux.
D?j? le Br?sil, le P?rou, la Floride,
le Mexique, presque tout le midi du
Nouveau-Monde avait eu ses ap?-
tres; le nord et plus sp?cialement
le Canada eut les siens ? son tour.
En I 6 les P?res Biard et Masse
vinrent en Acadie s'associer aux
premiers d?fricheurs de la Nouvelle-
France.
En I 625 leurs successeurs, appel?s
par les P?res R?collets pour partager
leurs p?nibles travaux, d?barquent
au pied du rocher encore solitaire
de Champlain; dix ans plus tard
(1635) ils y jettent les fondements
de leur coll?ge de Qu?bec, o? l'?lite
de la jeunesse canadienne alla d?s
lors se former ? la science et ? la
vertu.
L'ann?e pr?c?dente (i634) le P?re
Lejeune avait fond? une r?sidence
dans la ville naissante de Trois-
Rivi?res.
Montal ne devait avoir son tour
u'en 642 ; cependant d?s i6a6,
The Soiely 5ffesu founded anr
definitively organized by St. Igna-
tius of Loyola, in I540, had, for
more than. half a century, been
sending missionaries into every part
of the habitable world. As fast as
new lands were discovered in Ame-
rica, they were evangelised by mi-
sionaries of the Society. Brazil,
Peru, Florida, Mexico, in fact nearly
the entire southern portion of the
New World had received its Apos-
tles: the Northern portion, and Ca-
nada in particular, were now to re-
ceive theirs.
In i 6I Fathers Biard and Mass
accompanied to Acadia the ilrst et-
tiers of New-France.
In I625 their followers, being re-
quested by the Recollet Fathers of
New France to share their hard -
bors, landed at the foot of the the.
lonely rock of Champlain; ten
years later, in 1635, they laid there
the foundations of the college ef
Quebec, destined for many years to
be the training school of the Cana-
dian youth, in science and virte.
In the previous year, (1634)
Residence had been established ty
Father Lejeune in the incipient
city of Three-Rivers
The turn of Montreal did nt
come till 1642; nevertheless s
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