Jomard de 1842 a 1863. (Communication de M. D'Avezac.) Extrait du
Bulletin de L'Academie des inscriptions et belles lettres. Seance du
30 Aout 1867, p. 7. L'Annee Geographique. Sixieme annee (1867), pp.
548, 554.] But neither of these dates appears to be exactly correct;
as upon that portion of the map representing Saguenay, the person of
Roberval is depicted and his name inscribed, evidently denoting his
visit to that country, which did not take place until June, 1543.
[Footnote: Hakluyt, III, 242.] No information, could possibly have
arrived in France, to have enabled the maker of the map, to have
indicated this circumstance upon it before the latter part of that
year. On the other hand the arms of both the king and dauphin are
repeatedly drawn in the decorated border of the map, showing that it
was made, if not under the actual direction of Henry, at least while
he was in fact discharging the functions of admiral of France, which
he assumed after the disgrace of Chabot, in 1540, and continued to
exercise until the death of Francis, in 1547. It therefore belongs
to the period of 1543-7; and thus comes to us apparently impressed
with an official character. It is the work of an accomplished French
geographer, DURING THE REIGN OF FRANCIS, and it, no doubt,
represents not only the state of geographical knowledge in France at
that time, but also all the knowledge possessed by Francis of this
coast. Mr. Kohl expresses the opinion that it "is not only one of
the most brilliant, but also one of the most exact and trustworthy
pictures of the world which we have in the first part of the
sixteenth century. It gives accurately all that was known of the
world in 1543, especially of the ocean, and the outlines of the
coasts of different countries." He adds, "the author of the map must
have been a well instructed, intelligent and conscientious man.
Where the coasts of a country are not known to him, he so designates
them. For his representations of countries recently discovered and