CIIARLEVOIX, PIERRE FRANcOIS XAVIER DE, born at St. Quentin in 1682, was educated by the Jesuits, and was sdrnitted into their order in early life. In 1720 he was appointed to one of the Jesuit missions in Canada, and, embarking at Rochelle, he arrived at Quebec in the autumn of that year. Ile explored a large part of Canada, and examined several of the rivers and lakes, which were then not much visited by Europeans. In going from North America to St. Domingo, he suffered shipwreck ; but a second voyage was morn fortunate, and he reached that island in September, 1722. After two or three weeks stay in St. Domingo, he sailed for France, and arrived at Havre is the month of December. Ho afterwards made a journey into Italy on some business of his order, which frequently entrusted him with Important employments. Besides producing the voluminous works that bear his name, ho wrote during twenty-two years in the '1116moires do Trovoux,' a literary journal conducted by the Jesuits. He died at La Macho in 1761.
lie was a laborious compiler, and the documents and accounts of foreign countries (furnished by Jesuit missionaries, who were scattered in almost every corner of the world) upon which he principally worked, were numerous and occasionally valuable; but both ho and his authorities were partial, prejudiced, credulous, and superstitious, and too much given to tedious details of the proceedings and cero monks of their own order. His separate works are, 1, 'Hietory and
Description of Japan,' 3 voLs. 12mo, Rouen, 1715; and 2 vols. 4to; Paris, 1736; this work is taken almost entirely from Kampfer ; 2, History of St. Domingo,' 2 vols. 4to, Paris, 1730; 3, 'Hietory of New France,' 3 vols. 4to, Paris, 1744, which contains a good account of the French establishments in Canada and North America ; (part of this work, including his own travels in those countries, was translated into English in 1760, under the title of 'Journal of a Voyage to North America;') 4, History of Paraguay,' 3 vols. 4to, Paris, 1756; which was translated into English in 1769.
The thick quartos of Charlevoix are a compound of travels and history, not very skilfully mixed ; but although he had neither the order and philosophy necessary to an historian, nor the enterprise and vivacity of a traveller, he was a very industrious man, and col lected many things which still render his books valuable for occasional reference.