Pierre le Gardeur, sieur de Repentigny, (born about 1610?) had at this time three children, and fixed his residence at Quebec. During 1642-47, he was commander of the Canadian fleet of the Hundred Associates; and in his care Dauversière placed the provisions, arms, and other supplies purchased by the latter for the colony of Montreal (1642). In the autumn of 1644, Le Gardeur and Jean Paul Godefroy (afterwards his son-in-law), went to France as delegates from the inhabitants of Canada, to obtain from the government some restriction of the fur-trade monopoly hitherto enjoyed by the Company of New France; they also requested that Récollets might be sent to Canada as parish priests, for the benefit of the French population--the Jesuits being mainly missionaries to the Indian tribes. The latter effort failed; but the fur trade was ceded by the company to the French colonists of the St. Lawrence valley; the latter were obliged to support their government, the garrisons, and the religious establishments, and to pay the company 1,000 pounds of beaver skins annually as a seignorial rent. For particulars of this arrangement, see Ferland's _Cours d'Histoire_, vol. i., pp. 338, 339; the royal decree confirming it (dated March 6, 1645) is given in _Édits du Conseil du Roi concernant le Canada_ (Quebec, 1854), pp. 28, 29. Other decrees (March 27, 1647, and March 5, 1648) reorganized the government, and granted a considerable degree of autonomy to the inhabitants.--See Ferland, _ut supra_, pp. 356-358, 363-365; and Sulte's _Can.-Français_, vol. iii., pp. 7, 8, 14; cf. Faillon's _Col. Fr._, vol. ii., pp. 92-94.
Pierre le Gardeur had done much to bring about these political changes; but, for some reason, he opposed the new ordinances, so strongly that he was superseded in the command of the fleet. Departing immediately afterwards for Canada, he died at sea (July, 1648), from an epidemic disease that prevailed on shipboard. He had obtained from the Company of New France (April 16, 1647) two concessions on the St. Lawrence--the seigniory of Lachenaye, and that afterwards known as Cournoyer, opposite Three Rivers.
58 (p. 221).--Jacques le Neuf de la Poterie (born 1606) came to Canada in 1636, with Pierre le Gardeur, whose sister Marguerite was his wife (see _note_ 57, _ante_). In the preceding January, De la Poterie had obtained a grant of the seigniory of Portneuf, above Quebec, on which he made improvements, and where at first he resided. He was governor of Three Rivers during November, 1645-August, 1648; June, 1650-August, 1651; September, 1652-July, 1653; and July, 1658-December, 1662. In 1649, he purchased a fief at Three Rivers from Champflour; and in the same year he obtained a grant of the Isle aux Cochons, at the mouth of the St. Maurice River. About this time, he was active in the organization of a volunteer militia. In 1665, De Mézy (then governor of New France) a few days before his death gave De la Poterie a commission appointing the latter as his successor, in case of that event; but the council refused to recognize his authority, excepting over the militia. In October, 1666, he went to France; but it is not known whether he returned thence.