Champlain (Samuel de) explores the coast of New England.

Champlain establishes the first French colony in New England on St. Croix Island in Maine. He subsequently returns to New England and charts the Massachusetts coastline in 1612. Champlain may have explored Boston Harbor, does visit Patuxet, which he calls Port St. Louis. The coast is so heavily populated by Native Americans, however, that Champlain does not recommend colonizing it.