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The Jesuits (1632-1673)Relations des Jésuites en Nouvelle-France. Paris et Rouen: 1632-1673, 41 vol.
The complete original collection of the Relations of the Jesuits of New France consists of 41 small volumes in duodecimo format, the first of which appeared in 1632 and the last in 1673. The Relations are in fact annual reports of Jesuit missionaries addressed to their superior, the Provincial in Paris. In fact, in 1565 the Company of Jesus had decreed that once a year the provincials were to send to Rome an account of the memorable actions and events within their jurisdictions. The Relations of the Jesuits of New France were thus originally the Canadian section of the annual report of the Province of Paris. At the time the missions lived mainly on charity. It was therefore thought to be a good idea to publish the Relations of the Jesuits of New France, to make the French public aware of the evangelization of the Indians of North America and, of course, to solicit gifts from benefactors. The Relations describe first and foremost the living and working conditions of the missionaries, as well as the beliefs and mores of the various Indian tribes of North America. However, they also contain a wealth of information about the natural resources of the country: climate, fauna and flora. They also report a number of events that happened in the newly established colony and, finally, describe various voyages of exploration, in which more than one missionary had taken part. In fact, between 1630 and 1660, most advances in the knowledge of the Canadian territory, especially in the Great Lakes region, were due to Jesuit missionaries.
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