Jacques Cartier was born on December 31, 1491, in Saint-Malo, France. King Francis I told Cartier to go on an expedition to the northern lands, now known as the eastern coast of North America, in 1534. Taking two ships with him and 61 crew members, he journeyed past the Gulf of St. Lawrence. He also came across and discovered Prince Edward Island. He was ordered to create a community along the St. Lawrence River in 1541. He found a large amount of what he thought was jewels and riches, when he stopped neara Quebec. He later left his new colony without waiting for its new residents. When he returned to France, his riches were foundn to be valueless. Cartier's career later ended when he left the new
