The French

Documents dated 1504 bear witness to the presence of Bretons in Newfoundland. Research translated by B. Robertson in (1968) quotes archival documents, "From time immemorial the Bretons frequented the banks of the island." and "In 1514 the fishermen from the Island of Brehat paid tithes of Newfoundland fish for sixty years". But the XVI century was the century of France. It was during this century that the fishing industry took its place on the international scene.

French people had probably settled in Placentia from the beginning of the XVII^th century. Once national unity was established under Henry IV, France could begin to think seriously about establishing a colonial empire, and Newfoundland was to become part of it. As early as 1603, Champlain suggested to the king that the Avalon Peninsula should be used as a port of call for the transport ships. During the same period, M. de Sainte-Catherine in his " Memoire pour Terre-Neuve' advocated the systematic colonization of the island from Norombegue and Quebec, relying upon two important posts, Placentia and Cape Breton, which would have taken control of the back-country. So, very soon, Placentia became part of the official or unofficial future plans of the French.

However, it was not before the second half of the XVII^th century that France decided to officially found a colony in the island. Placentia was then chosen because this part of the country was free of ice all year round and the fish could therefore be delivered to Europe before that of any competitor. However, this establishment, above all, was in line with a very precious economic imperative: to fight against English competition in the fisheries. However, we should also mention other motives, such as Colbert's wish to provide the Indies with fish. For this purpose it was absolutely essential to exploit dry fisheries and therefore to have a foothold on the continent. During the same period, Louis XIV also conceived the idea of "se render puissant par mer." He insisted on the expansion of the North American fisheries, which could ensure his control of this new continent. As well, government policy on this latter point led to the granting of subsidies to fishing-boat builders, preferential tariffs on dried fish and the occupation of Placentia, where first-quality cod could be found. Finally a question of defense could also determine the founding of the colony: "For the French to feel safe in North America, they had to deny the use of Newfoundland to any enemy. " In short, the reasons for the founding of Placentia can be summarized as the absolutism and mercantile policy of Louis XIV, both of which aimed at possessing, controlling and producing. In 1662, France simply wanted to regain the rights and privileges that it had lost to England during the Wars of Religion.

As can be well imagined, the founding of Placentia did not take place without the violent protests of the English , who felt that it was an encroachment upon their rights. People concerned immediately sent letters of repudiation to King Charles II, whilst a " Traite sur la peche de l'Amerique ou sont examines et discutes les ancienanciens droits de l'Angleterre a cette peche et les differentes restrictions qu'Elle a eprouvees" makes it clearly undertaken with the tacit French occupation of Placentia was undertaken with the tacit approval of the king of England. Prowse supports the same hypothesis, basing his conviction on the testimony of Isaac Dethick, am Englishman living in Placentia, John Matthews of Ferryland, and Lady Hopling. However , he hastens to add that there is no "positive evidence" but that, in the circumstances, the event must have taken place! Without totally rejecting this theory, it is impossible for affair is a matter of secret diplomacies, we shall have to suppose and not assert.

What history tells us, however, unequivocally is that the French established themselves quite firmly in Placentia in 1662, perhaps even more solidly than the English in St. John's during the same period. This taking possession of the town involved certain dangers and called for solutions: the English threat was still imminent, even if as of 1660 Charles II had forbidden the British to establish colonies in the island; the Dutch and freebooters constantly roamed around the post and were liable to attack it at any moment; it was also necessary to protect the fishing boats that put in there on their way to Canada. One of the solutions was to barricade the town behind fortifications strong enough to meet the needs of the period and the danger of invasion. Thus it was that over the course of half a century of official occupation the French built a series of fortifications at points considered most effective for the defense of the colony: a fort on the level ground to the east of Placentia, a palisade around the town ( these two construction soon disappeared), Fort louis on the north side of the gut ( today, the town of Jersey Side), Fort Royal on the mountain ( Castle hill ), a little redoubt stretching from the port to the entrance to the bay.

Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, a soldier of New France, launched several successful attacks from Placentia and St. John's and other places along the coast. The Newfoundland campaign was the most cruel and devastating of Pierre Lemoyne d'Iberville's career . In four months he destroyed 36 settlements and 500 houses, captured more than 300 fishing boats and almost 200,000 pieces of cod, took 700 prisoners and left 200 dead. Almost 4,000 square kilometres of territory had been conquered. The English fisheries on the island were completely disorganized and the losses were enormous. In Ferryland alone, damages totaled 12,000 sterling . Considerable damage had been done to English life and property. But France did not have long to benefit from these conquests. In England, news of the destruction of the Newfoundland settlements alarmed the West Country merchants, who were involved in the fishery. England, which had until then neglected the proper defense of the island, immediately sent out Admiral John Norris and Colonel John Gibson with 2,000 troops and 12 vessels to retake St. John's. By the time they arrived in the spring of 1697 , d'Iberville had left, and the town was deserted. Everything was destroyed, with the exception of one house. As soon as they drooped anchor, the troops began to rebuild Fort William and by the time peace was concluded between England and France with the signing of the Treaty of Ryswick a few months later, English had reoccupied all the settlements d'Iberville had destroyed. As for the colony at Placentia, the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713 ceded it to England. Without Naval support, the guns of Placentia were powerless to influence the imperial rivalry. The history of the fort, the focal point of French colonization in Newfoundland for 50 years, ended in failure.

McCarthy, Michael. "The French colony at Placentia", Lecture delivered to the Newfoundland Historical Society.