Julien (Jules)-Maurice Quesnel Quesnel was born 25 October 1786 into a well-connected Montreal family. His father, Joseph Quesnel, was a popular poet, dramatist and composer in addition to being a successful merchant. Jules studied at the College Saint-Raphael from 1797 to 1799, and then entered the service of the North West Company as a clerk in 1804. In 1805 and 1806 he assisted David Thompson in his explorations, and then was clerk to Simon Fraser on his 1808 journey through what was later to be British Columbia. His time with the North West Company appeared to be a means to an end. In 1809 he sent a rather unhappy letter to his friend Joseph-Maurice Lemothe complaining (click to see transcription): “My interests oblige me to remain in the North for a long time…despite the little hope there is for a young man at present in this country, I am resolved to continue to its term the career that I had the misfortune to undertake.” He further went on to say that New Caledonia is a place where “there is nothing to be had but misery and boredom” and that “although I am of an excellent temperament, I perceive that my health is already declining.” |
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