Intendant of New France

The Intendant of New France was an administrative position in the French colony of New France. He controlled the colony's entire civil administration. He gave particular attention to settlement and economic development, and to the administration of justice. The office of the Intendant of New France was created by Louis XIV. In 1663, Louis and his minister decided to give New France a new constitution. The charter of the One Hundred Associates was cancelled and the old Council of Quebec, which was formed in 1647, reorganized and became the Sovereign Council of New France. The Sovereign Council was composed of the governor, the bishop, the intendant, an attorney-general, a secretary, and five councilors. Because the Intendant of New France managed the financial matters like money and so on, as well as the infrastructure of the colony, he had enormous amount of influence in the colony’s government.

During the century and a half preceding the French Revolution, the main administrative organization of France was known as the Généralité. At the head of this division was placed the Intendant of Justice, Police and Finance. The intendant was, according to W. B. Munro, "armed with very extensive administrative powers, distinguished by his loyalty to the interests of the king, and in a sense reflecting the absolutism of the monarchy." The intendant was bound to no authorities, statutes or regulations. He was appointed by, removable by, and responsible to the King alone.

In France, the intendants had an essential role to play in the administrative machinery. According to Pierre Clément, they were required to deal with acts of oppression by officials, to address examples of incorrect procedure and extortion by judicial officials. They judged on the authority of the council and pronounced judgements without appeal, including the death penalty. Additionally, they kept watch over provisions, supplies and the condition of the prisons. The attorneys-general informed the intendants of all abuses committed in the province. Furthermore, they reviewed the troops in order to make sure that they were well equipped, and judged soldiers without appeal. Lastly, they were concerned with taxes and infrastructure such as roads, canals, and mines.

...
Wikipedia