Samuel de Champlain's last published work was a retrospective summary of his thirty years of Canadian experience. It appeared in print soon after the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, signed on March 29, 1632, which returned to France the colony that had been captured by the English in 1629. At this time, the Company of One Hundred Associates recovered its trade monopoly in New France and brought over the families of colonists. In his Traitté de la Marine, Champlain handed down the knowledge he had accumulated on his 22 North Atlantic crossings. He formulated specific technical information and provided essential advice for navigating and approaching Canada's coasts. He hoped to make the sailor's job easier and wanted to present the undertaking to his countrymen in a favourable light.