Nicolas Denys
Denys, Nicolas
Nicolas Denys, trader, colonial promoter (b at Tours, France 1598; d 1688). A young La Rochelle merchant, Denys sailed for Acadia in 1632 with Isaac de RAZILLY, and spent the next 40 years trying to develop the colony. Many of his ventures were unsuccessful, and he suffered heavy losses from such commercial failures as his fishing establishments at Port Rossignol (Liverpool, Nova Scotia) in the 1630s and on Cape Breton Island in the 1650s. Other enterprises provoked conflicts with rival traders and he made a powerful enemy of colonial governor Charles de MENOU D'AULNAY.
In 1653 he acquired territory on the Gulf of St Lawrence from Canso to the Gaspé, including Cape Breton and the other gulf islands, with rights to land and government. Plans to bring settlers were never fulfilled, but he continued trading. About 1670, leaving his headquarters at Nepisiguit (BATHURST, NB) to his son Richard, Denys returned to France to publish his Description and Natural History of the Coasts of North America (1672; repr, ed W.F. Ganong, 1908). It is a vivid account of Acadia and a reminder that Denys, despite many reverses, promoted French colonial development there for 4 decades.
Author JOHN G. REID
Links to Other Sites
Nicolas Denys
Nicolas Denys, one of the leading figures in Acadia for over half of the 17th century. From the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online.
Denys’ description of the cod fishery at Newfoundland
An account of the cod fishery at Newfoundland in the 17th century. From the book “ The Description and Natural History of the Coasts of North America,” written by Nicolas Denys. From the “Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage” website.
St. Peters Canal National Historic Site of Canada
This site chronicles the history of the St. Peter's region and St. Peter's Canal, which connects the Atlantic Ocean with Bras d'Or Lake.
The story of the founding of Montreal is perhaps unique in history....
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