Jacques de Meulles, seigneur of La Source (died 1703), was intendant (1682–86) and interim
governor general
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...
of
New France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...
. He was the son of Pierre de Meulles, king's councillor, treasurer-general of war supplies; d. 1703.
As chief administrator of the Colony, he issued
playing cards
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. Often the front (face) and back of each card has a f ...
as legal tender from 1684 onwards owing to a shortage of coins. The funds were used, in part, to pay soldiers who arrived in New France since 1665 to protect and built the colony.Charlotte Gray 'The Museum Called Canada: 25 Rooms of Wonder' Random House, 2004
He frequently came into conflict with
Louis de Buade de Frontenac
Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau (; 22 May 162228 November 1698) was a French soldier, courtier, and Governor General of New France in North America from 1672 to 1682, and again from 1689 to his death in 1698. He established a num ...
, the governor of New France, including a dispute over the siting of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
(Meulles wanted to rebuild it further into the lower-town). After his colonial career, he retired to