New France the 16th and early 17th centuries New France's economy was heavily centered on its Atlantic fisheries. This would change in the later half of the 17th and 18th centuries as French settlement penetrated further into the continental interior. Here French economic interests would shift and concentrate itself on the development of the North American fur trade. It would soon become the new staple good that would strengthen and drive New France's economy, in particular that of Montreal, for the next century. The trading post of Ville-Marie, established on the current island of Montreal, quickly became the economic hub for the
George (given name) George (given name) George is a widespread masculine given name, derived from the Greek () through the Latin . Its popularity is due to the widespread veneration of the Christian military saint Saint George (George of Lydda, d. 303). The Greek name as given in the Roman era may ultimately derive from the name of Zeus Georgos, an epithet of Zeus in his aspect as the god of crops. Even though the saint has been considered a patron saint of England since the 15th or 16th century, the given name was rarely given in English prior to the accession of