Chapter IX: Part 9

The City of _Mexico_, Capital of the Country and the Residence of the Vice-roy, is about eighty Leagues distant from _Veracruz_, to the Westward, the Way to it very bad and ill furnish’d with Provisions. That Country would be better in some Parts, if the people had the skill and energy to till it. They sow but little of our Wheat, and are satisfied with _Indian_ Corn[128] and _Cassabi_ Root, whereof they make Cakes, as is practis’d in the Islands. Their Trees and Fruits are the same as in other hot Countries. About the Town of _Veracruz_, there are Bushes of a Sort of Thorn, without Leaves, among which grows an extraordinary Plant; for tho’ it has but a small Stem, it shoots out Leaves of a Cabbage Green, as thick as a Man’s Finger, which grow out, one at the End of another, in the Shape of a Racket, and the Plant itself is so call’d. From those Leaves there grows out a Sort of red Figs, very juicy, with Seeds like those of the Pomgranate; the Juice is of a Violet Colour, but unsavoury. There is a Sort of Flies that cleave to it and are so fond of the Taste of the Fruit, that they burst and drop down dead. They are carefully gather’d and dry’d, and are the Scarlet Dye, call’d Cochinilla, which is brought into _Europe_, and makes that beautiful Colour. The Birds and Beasts are much the same as in other Countries of _America_. There is a Sort of Bird, all red, which for that Reason is call’d the _Cardinal_; this they often tame and teach to sing like a _Canary_ Bird. This is what I have been told concerning the Town of _Veracruz_.

[Sidenote: Havana.]

As for the _Havana_, a Town and Port no less famous, in the Island of _Cuba_, belonging as well as the other to the Crown of _Spain_, it stands towards the Western End, and on the North Side of that Island, almost under the Tropick of _Cancer_, and about four or five hundred Leagues on this Side of _Veracruz_. It is large and beautiful; the Port good, secur’d by two Forts on the two Sides, and good artillery, from twenty four to thirty six Pounds, the Entrance so narrow, that only one Vessel can go in at once. The Town is encompass’d by a good Wall, fortify’d with five Bastions, furnish’d with Cannon. The Streets are all as strait as a Line, and level, the Houses very handsome, but ill furnish’d. In the Midst of it is a fine Square, the Buildings about all uniform. The Churches are magnificent, and enrich’d with Gold and Silver, Lamps, Candlesticks, and Ornaments for the Altars. There are some Lamps curiously wrought, which weigh two hundred Marks of Silver, [each Mark being half a Pound.][129] The Revenue of the Bishoprick amounts to more than fifty thousand Crowns, and he who enjoy’d it in the Year 1703, as I was inform’d by my Friend, who gave me this Account of what he had seen, was the greatest Ornament of that City, for his Virtues and Charity, being satisfy’d with Necessaries, and spending all the rest upon the Poor, and in repairing decay’d Churches. Tho’ Strangers are prohibited to trade there, yet it is easier carried on than at _Veracruz_. The Inhabitants are more familiar; the Women have more Liberty, yet they do not go Abroad without their Veils to wrap and hide them. Many of them speak _French_, and dress after the _French_ Fashion, and some of our Nation have settled themselves there. When my Friend was there, a magnificent Festival was celebrated for fifteen Days successively, in Honour of K. _Philip_ the Fifth, and Monsieur _du Casse_ being then there, with his Squadron, the City desir’d him to join with them. To that Purpose, he set ashore five hundred Men, who perform’d the Martial Exercise in the great Square, which was much admir’d. The _Havana_ is the Place, where the Galeons meet. By this word should not be understood ships of extraordinary size; for most of them are but very inconsiderable craft which _Spanish_ vanity strives to magnify by a swelling name. But if these ships are not great, their precious freight is so. For all that, this city, the gateway to the treasures of the _West Indies_, is full of beggars—but it is by their own fault, and by their idleness that they are such. Provisions are dear there, especially Bread; but the Wine is not, tho’ it is good. Fish and Flesh there, are unsavory. The Inhabitants are _Spaniards_.

We have thought fit to describe those two famous Ports of the Bay of _Mexico_, as well because it has not been so exactly done before, as in Regard that the Settlement which is going to be made in _Louisiana_, may have some Dependance on them; for the _Havana_ lying in the Way, those who perform the Voyage may have the Conveniency of taking in Refreshments there, of putting in for Shelter in foul Weather, and of careening or refitting. As for the _Veracruz_, tho’ farther out of the Way, the Correspondence there may be advantagious for the Securing of the Colony of _Louisiana_.

But how can that fail of succeeding, under the Conduct of _Monsieur Crozat_, who has the Charge of that Enterprize, and whom Providence seems to have in a Manner ingag’d to advance in Wealth and Honour, to the Amazement of the World, and yet free from Envy, from Jealousy, and from any Sort of Complaints. There is therefore no Reason to presage otherwise than well of the Event of this Affair; the Blessings God has pour’d down upon all his former Undertakings, seem to be a Security for what is to follow. There is Reason to hope for still greater Blessings on this Project of a Settlement in _Louisiana_, as being equally advantagious to Religion and the State; for the propagating of the Knowledge and Service of God among an infinite Number of Savages, by Means of the Missioners, who are to be sent to and maintain’d in those vast Countries; the Planting of the Faith in that New World, only the Name whereof is known to us, and the Reducing of it to be a Christian and a _French_ Province, under the Dominion of our August Monarch, and to the eternal Memory of his Reign, will be the Consequences and the Fruits of _Monsieur Crozat_’s Care and Expence, the Glory of his Enterprize, the Security of the large Fortune he has made in this Life, and what is rare among such rich Men, the Earnest of much better in the Next. Heaven grant our Hopes and Wishes may be answer’d.

_I am_, &c.

_The Letters Patent granted by the King of_ France _to M._ Crozat.

_Louis_, by the Grace of God, King of _France_ and _Navarre_: To all who shall see these present Letters, Greeting. The Care we have always had to procure the Welfare and Advantage of our Subjects having induced us, notwithstanding the almost continual Wars which we have been obliged to support from the Beginning of our Reign, to seek for all possible Opportunities of enlarging and extending the Trade of our American Colonies, _We did in the Year 1683 give our orders to undertake a Discovery of the Countries and Lands which are situated in the Northern Part of America_, between New France and New Mexico: _And the Sieur_ de la Sale, _to whom we committed that Enterprize, having had Success enough to confirm a Belief that a Communication might be settled_ from New France to the Gulph of Mexico by Means of large Rivers; _This obliged us immediately after the Peace of_ Ryswick _to give Orders for the establishing a Colony there, and maintaining a Garrison which has kept and preserved_ the Possession, we had taken _in the very Year 1683 of the Lands, Coasts and Islands which are situated in the Gulph of Mexico, between Carolina on the East, and Old and New Mexico on the West_. But a new War having broke out in Europe shortly after, there was no Possibility, till now, of reaping from that new Colony the Advantages that might have been expected from thence, because the private Men, who are concerned in the Sea Trade, were all under Engagements with other Colonies, which they have been obliged to follow: And whereas upon the Information we have received concerning the Disposition and Situation of the said Countries known at present by the Name of the Province of _Louisiana_, we are of Opinion that there may be established therein a considerable Commerce, so much the more advantageous to our Kingdom in that there has hitherto been a Necessity of fetching from Foreigners the greatest Part of the Commodities which may be brought from thence, and because in Exchange thereof we need carry thither nothing but Commodities of the Growth and Manufacture of our own Kingdom; we have resolved to grant the Commerce of the Country of _Louisiana_ to the _Sieur Anthony Crozat_ our Councellor, Secretary of the Household, Crown and Revenue, to whom we entrust the Execution of this Project. We are the more readily inclined hereunto, because his Zeal and the singular Knowledge he has acquired in maritime Commerce, encourage us to hope for as good Success as he has hitherto had in the divers and sundry Enterprizes he has gone upon, and which have procured to our Kingdom great Quantities of Gold and Silver in such Conjunctures as have rendered them very welcome to us.

FOR THESE REASONS being desirous to shew our Favour to him, and to regulate the Conditions upon which we mean to grant him the said Commerce, after having deliberated this Affair in our Council, Of our certain Knowledge, full Power and Royal Authority, We by these Presents, signed by our Hand, have appointed and do appoint the said _Sieur Crozat solely to carry on a Trade in all the Lands_ possessed by Us, and bounded by New Mexico, and by the Lands of the English of Carolina, _all the Establishment, Ports, Havens, Rivers, and principally the Port and Haven of the Isle_ Dauphine, _heretofore called_ Massacre; _the River of_ St. Lewis, _heretofore called_ Missisipi, _from the Edge of the Sea as far as the_ Illinois; _together with the River of_ St. Philip, _heretofore called the_ Missourys, _and of_ St. Jerome, _heretofore called_ Ovabache, _with all the Countries, Territories, Lakes within Land, and the Rivers which fall directly or indirectly into that Part of the River of_ St. Lewis.

The ARTICLES.

I. Our Pleasure is, that all the aforesaid Lands, Countries, Streams, Rivers and Islands be and remain comprised under the Name of _The Government of_ Louisiana, _which shall be dependant upon the General Government of New France_, to which it is subordinate; and further, that all the Lands which we possess from the _Islinois_ be united, so far as Occasion requires, to the General Government of _New France_, and become Part thereof, reserving however to Ourselves the Liberty of enlarging as We shall think fit the Extent of the Government of the said Country of _Louisiana_.

II. We grant to the said _Sieur Crozat_ for Fifteen successive Years, to be reckon’d from the Day of Inrolling these presents, a Right and Power to transport all Sorts of Goods and Merchandize from _France_ into the said Country of _Louisiana_, and to traffick thither as he shall think fit. We forbid all and every Person and Persons, Company and Companies of what Quality or Condition soever, and under any Pretence whatever, to trade thither, under Penalty of Confiscation of Goods, Ships, and other more severe Punishments, as Occasion shall require; for this Purpose we order our Governours and other Officers commanding our Troops in the said Country forcibly to abet, aid and assist the Directors and Agents of the said _Sieur Crozat_.

III. We permit him to search for, open and dig all Sorts of Mines, Veins and Minerals throughout the whole Extent of the said Country of _Louisiana_, and to transport the Profits thereof into any Port of _France_ during the said Fifteen Years; and we grant in Perpetuity to him, his Heirs, and others claiming under him or them, the Property of, in and to the Mines, Veins and Minerals which he shall bring to bear, paying us, in Lieu of all Claim, the Fifth Part of the Gold and Silver which the said _Sieur Crozat_ shall cause to be transported to _France_ at his own Charges into what Port he pleases, (of which Fifth we will run the Risque of the Sea and of War,) and the Tenth Part of what Effects he shall draw from the other Mines, Veins and Minerals, which Tenth he shall transfer and convey to our Magazines in the said Country of _Louisiana_.

We likewise permit him to search for precious Stones and Pearls, paying us the Fifth Part in the same Manner as is mention’d for the Gold and Silver.

We will that the said _Sieur Crozat_, his Heirs, or those claiming under him or them the perpetual Right, shall forfeit the Propriety of the said Mines, Veins and Minerals, if they discontinue the Work during three Years, and that in such Case the said Mines, Veins and Minerals shall be fully reunited to our Domaine, by Virtue of this present Article, without the Formality of any Process of Law, but only an Ordinance of Re-union from the Subdelegate of the Intendant of _New France_, who shall be in the said Country, nor do we mean that the said Penalty of Forfeiture in Default of working for three Years, be reputed a Comminatory Penalty.

IV. The said _Sieur Crozat_ may vend all such Merchandize, Goods, Wares, Commodities, Arms, and Ammunition as he shall have caused to be transported into the said Country and Government of _Louisiana_, as well to the _French_, as _Savages_ who are or shall be there setled; nor shall any Person or Persons under any Pretence whatsoever be capable of doing the like without his Leave expressed in Writing.

V. He may purchase in the said Country, all Sorts of Furs, Skins, Leather, Wool, and other Commodities and Effects of the said Country, and transport them to _France_ during the said Fifteen Years: And as our Intention is to favour, as much as we can, our Inhabitants of _New France_, and to hinder the Lessening of their Trade, we forbid him Trafficking for Castor in the said Country under any Pretence whatsoever; nor to Convey any from thence into our Kingdom or Foreign Countries.

VI. We Grant to the _Sieur Crozat_, his Heirs or those claiming under him or them, the Property of, in and to all Settlements and Manufactories which he shall erect or set up in the said Country for Silk, Indigo, Wooll, Leather, Mines, Veins and Minerals, as likewise the Property of, in and to the Lands which he shall cause to be Cultivated, with the Mansions, Mills, and Structures which he shall cause to be built thereon, taking Grants thereof from Us, which Grants he shall obtain upon the Verbal Process and Opinion of our Governor and of the Subdelegate of the Intendant of _New France_ in the said Country, to be by him Reported unto Us.

We will that the said _Sieur Crozat_, his Heirs, or those claiming under him or them, shall keep in Repair the said Settlements, Manufactures, Lands and Mills; and in Default thereof during the Space of three Years, he and they shall Forfeit the same, and the said Settlements, Manufactories, Lands and Mills shall be Reunited to our Domaine fully and amply, and in the same Manner as is mentioned above in the Third Article concerning the Mines, Veins and Minerals.

VII. Our Edicts, Ordinances and Customs, and the Usages of the Mayoralty and Shreevalty of _Paris_, shall be observed for Laws and Customs in the said Country of _Louisiana_.

VIII. The said _Sieur Crozat_ shall be oblig’d to send to the said Country of _Louisiana_ Two Ships every Year, which he shall cause to set out in the proper Season, in each of which Ships he shall cause to be imbark’d, without paying any Freight, 25 Tun of Victuals, Effects and necessary Ammunition, for the Maintenance of the Garrison and Forts of the _Louisiana_; and in Case we should cause to be laden above the said 25 Tun in each Ship, we consent to pay the Freight to the said _Sieur Crozat_, at the common Merchantile Rates.

He shall be oblig’d to convey our Officers of _Louisiana_ in the Ships which he shall send thither, and to furnish them with Subsistance and a Captain’s Table for 30 Sols per Day, which we will cause to be paid for each.

He shall likewise give Passage in the said Ships, to the Soldiers, which we shall please to send to the said Country; and we will cause the necessary Provisions for their Subsistance to be furnish’d to him, or will pay him for them at the same Price as is paid to the Purveyor-General of our Marine.

He shall be furthermore oblig’d to send on Board each Ship, which he shall cause to set out for the said Country, Ten young Men or Women, at his own Election.

IX. We will cause to be deliver’d out of our Magazines to the said _Sieur Crozat_, 10000 Weight of Gunpowder every Year, which he shall pay us for at the Price that it shall cost us, and this for so long Time as the present Privilege shall last.

X. The Wares and Merchandize which the said _Sieur Crozat_ shall consign to the said Country of _Louisiana_ shall be exempt from all Duties of Exportation, laid or to be laid, on Condition, that his Directors, Deputies or Clerks, shall engage to give within the Space of a Year, to be reckon’d from the Date thereof, a Certificate of their Unlading in the said Country of _Louisiana_; under Penalty, in Case of Contravention, to pay the Quadruple of the Duties, reserving to our selves the Power of giving him a longer Respite in such Cases and Occurrences as we shall think proper.

XI. And as for the Goods and Merchandize, which the _Sieur Crozat_ shall cause to be brought from the said Country of _Louisiana_, and upon his Account, into the Ports of our Kingdom, and shall afterwards cause to be transported into Foreign Countries, they shall pay no Duties either of Importation or Exportation, and shall be deposited in the Custom-House, Warehouses of Ports where they shall arrive, until they be taken away; and when the Deputies and Clerks of the said _Sieur Crozat_ shall be minded to cause them to be transported in Foreign Countries, either by Sea or Land, they shall be oblig’d to give Security to bring within a certain Time, a Certificate from the last Office, containing what they Exported there, and another Certificate of their unlading in Foreign Countries.

XII. In Case the said _Sieur Crozat_ be obliged, for the furtherance of his Commerce to fetch from Foreign Countries some Goods and Merchandize of Foreign Manufacture, in order to TRANSPORT them into the said Country of _Louisiana_. He shall make Us Acquainted therewith, and lay before Us States thereof; upon which we, if we think fit, will Grant him our Particular Permission with Exemptions from all Duties of Importation and Exportation, Provided the said Goods and Merchandize be Deposited afterwards in our Custom-House Ware-houses until they be Laden in the Ships of the said _Sieur Crozat_, who shall be obliged to bring in one Year, to be reckoned from the Day of the Date hereof, a Certificate of their unlading in the said Country of _Louisiana_, under Penalty, in Case of Contravention, to pay quadruple the Duties: Reserving to our selves, in like Manner, the Liberty of granting to the said _Sieur Crozat_, a longer Respite, if it be necessary.

XIII. The Feluccaes, Canoes, and other Vessels belonging to us, and which are in the said Country of _Louisiana_, shall serve for loading, unloading and transporting the Effects of the said _Sieur Crozat_, who shall be bound to keep them in good Condition, and after the Expiration of the said Fifteen Years shall restore them, or a like Number of equal Bulk and Goodness, to our Governor in the said Country.

XIV. If for the Cultures and Plantations which the said _Sieur Crozat_ is minded to make he finds it proper to have Blacks in the said Country of the _Louisiana_, he may send a Ship every Year to trade for them directly upon the Coast of _Guinea_, taking Permission from the _Guinea_ Company so to do, he may sell those Blacks, to the Inhabitants of the Colony of _Louisiana_; and we forbid all other Companies and Persons whatsoever, under any Pretence whatsoever, to introduce Blacks or Traffick for them in the said Country, nor shall the said _Sieur Crozat_ carry any Blacks else where.

XV. He shall not send any Ships into the said Country of _Louisiana_ but directly from _France_, and he shall Cause the said Ships to Return thither again; the whole under Pain of Confiscation and Forfeiture of the Present Priviledge.

XVI. The said _Sieur Crozat_ shall be obliged, after the Expiration of the first nine Years of this Grant, to Pay the Officers and the Garrison which shall be in the said Country. During the Six last Years of the Continuance of this Present Priviledge: The said _Sieur Crozat_ may in that Time propose and nominate the Officers, as Vacancies shall fall, and such Officers, shall be Confirmed by us, if we approve of them.

Given at _FONTAINBLEAU_ the Fourteenth Day of September in the Year of Grace 1712. And of Our Reign the 70th.

SIGNED _LOUIS_
By the KING

_PHELIPEAUX_, &c.

Registered at _PARIS_ in the Parliament, the Four and Twentieth of
September, 1712.

_Discovery of the Mississippi._

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT OF THE TRAVELS OF NICOLET, ALLOÜEZ,
MARQUETTE, HENNEPIN, AND LA SALLE IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.

The pioneer of French travellers to the country west of the great lakes, and the first white man who is reputed to have reached a northern tributary of the Mississippi, was Jean Nicolet, who in 1634, or thereabouts, made treaties with the Indians at Green Bay, and ascended Fox River.

The “Relation de ce qui s’est passé en la Nouvelle France, 1640,” Paris, 1641, gives the earliest indication of this voyage, and a summary description is given in the Relation of 1642–43. These reports are reprinted in the “Relation des Jésuites,” vol. i., Québec, 1858. Margry’s “Découvertes et établissements des Français,” vol. i., pp. 47–53, contains the portions of the above which refer to Nicolet, and a translation of the account in the Relation of 1640 is printed in Smith’s “History of Wisconsin,” vol. iii. Du Creux’s “Historia Canadensis,” Paris, 1664, gives the first connected history of the life and exploits of this explorer. A translation of Du Creux’s narrative is appended to Butterfield’s “History and Discovery of the Northwest, by John Nicolet,” Cincinnati, 1881.

Shea states, in his “Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi,” that Nicolet descended the Wisconsin to the Mississippi. This opinion was adopted by Parkman in his “Jesuits in North America,” p. 166, but his later judgment is given in the “Discovery of the Great West.” A more careful examination of the evidence demonstrates the improbability that his travels extended farther than the Wisconsin, and in the opinion of Butterfield, the latest writer upon this voyage, he did not reach that river, but stopped at the country of the Mascoutins upon Fox River.

Benjamin Sulté, a Canadian historical writer, in writing upon Nicolet, in his “Mélanges d’Histoire et de Littérature,” Ottawa, 1876, shows, for the first time, that this journey was probably made in 1634, instead of 1638 or 1639, as before thought.

Sulté’s article with notes by L. C. Draper, is printed in the “Wisconsin Historical Society Collections,” vol. viii., pp. 188–194; also in the “Canadian Antiquarian,” vol. viii., pp. 157–164.

Butterfield, who has carefully investigated the records, agrees with Sulté in assigning 1634 as the true date, and brings out additional, if not conclusive evidence to support this theory, in his monograph cited above. Margry, in the “Journal de l’Instruction publique,” 1862, under the caption, “Les Normands dans les Vallées de l’Ohio et du Mississipi,” describes Nicolet’s travels and Gravier’s “Découvertes et établissements de la Salle;” Harrisse’s “Notes pour servir à l’Histoire [etc.] de la Nouvelle France,” and Parkman’s “La Salle,” also give some account of the expedition.

In 1642 Jogues and Raymbault, two missionaries, penetrated as far west as Sault Ste. Marie, at the outlet of Lake Superior. See account of this mission in the Jesuit Relation of 1642. Margry’s Collection, vol. i., pp. 45–47, contains a reprint of the narrative of this journey. See also Shea’s Charlevoix, vol. i., p. 137, for notice of the undertaking.

The next recorded visit to the West is that of two French traders, who wintered upon the shores of Lake Superior in 1658. See the Jesuit Relation of 1659–60, and the extract in Margry’s Collection, vol. i., pp. 53–55, and translation in Smith’s Wisconsin, vol. iii., p. 20. Father Ménard began a mission at St. Theresa Bay, Lake Superior, in 1661. See Lallemant’s letter in the Relation of 1662–63. A translation of this letter is in Smith’s Wisconsin, vol. iii. See also Perrot’s “Mémoire sur les mœurs des sauvages,” Paris, 1864; Shea’s Charlevoix, vol. i., p. 49, and a note by Shea in _Historical Magazine_, vol. viii., p. 175. Ménard’s letter, written just before his departure for Lake Superior, with notes by E. D. Neill, may be found in the “Minnesota Historical Society Collections,” vol. i., pp. 135–138.

In 1665, Claude Alloüez, another missionary, began a mission at Chegoimegon, Lake Superior. See the journal of his travels in Le Mercier’s Relation of 1666–67, a translation of which is in Smith’s Wisconsin, vol. iii. Marquette took charge of this mission in 1669, and Alloüez went to the Baie des Puantes (Green Bay), and in 1670 made a visit to the Mascoutins on Fox River. Harrisse thinks he crossed to the Wisconsin at this time. In reporting his operations, Alloüez describes the “Messi-sipi” from information given by the Indians. See Dablon’s Relation of 1669–70, p. 100. Translation in Smith’s “Wisconsin,” vol. iii.

Alloüez spent many years among the Indians upon Green Bay, and in the Illinois country. See the Jesuit Relations covering the years 1669–79. The full titles of these Relations are given in chronological order in Harrisse’s “Notes pour servir à l’Histoire [etc.] de la Nouvelle France.” Dr. Shea printed in the Cramoisy series the abridged Relations for 1672–79, and Martin’s “Mission du Canada” prints them for the first time in full. Shea gives a life of Alloüez in his “Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi.” See also notes upon him in Margry’s Découvertes, etc., vol. i., pp. 57–72; also in Bancroft, in Shea’s Charlevoix, vol. iii., and in Shea’s “Catholic Missions in the United States.” Gravier and Parkman also give some account of his travels.

In June, 1671, St. Lusson, in the presence of a large number of Indians, took possession of the country on the lakes in the name of France. The “Procès verbal” of the ceremony is in Margry, vol. i., pp. 96 _et seq._

Perrot, a noted Canadian _voyageur_, in 1670–71 travelled along the shores of Green Bay. Perrot’s journal, which records the daily events of his life among the Indians from 1665 to 1726, was edited for the first time at Paris, in 1864, by Father Tailhan. It is entitled “Mémoires sur les mœurs et coustumes et relligion [sic] des sauvages de l’Amérique septentrionale.” Tailhan’s notes add value to the work. See regarding Perrot, Shea’s Charlevoix, vol. iii., p. 165, and _Historical Magazine_, vol. ix., p. 205.

A description of the geography of the country as known previous to the exploration of the Mississippi by Joliet and Marquette is given by Dablon in the “Relation de la Nouvelle France, les années 1670 et 1671,” Paris, 1672. See the Quebec reprint in “Relation des Jésuites,” vol. iii. The Relation, as printed in 1672, gave a map of the great lakes; for a description of which see Parkman’s “La Salle,” p. 450.

In 1673 Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet navigated the Mississippi in canoes to the Arkansas. Father Marquette’s narrative of the voyage, in an imperfect form, was published by Thevenot in his “Recueil de Voyages,” Paris, 1681. Thevenot also published it as an independent work, with the title, “Voyage et découverte de quelques pays et nations de l’Amérique septentrionale.” In this latter shape it was reproduced by Rich, at Paris, in 1845. The map accompanying this version, and which is inserted in fac-simile in Bancroft, is said not to be by Marquette. The authentic map was first published in Shea’s “Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi,” where the two maps are compared. The Thevenot text appears translated in French’s “Historical Collections of Louisiana,” pt. 2, pp. 279–297, and Spark’s “Life of Marquette,” in the “Library of American Biography,” vol. x., is, in a measure, a translation of it.

Marquette’s complete journal, prepared for publication, in 1678, by Claude Dablon, Superior of the Canadian Missions, remained inedited until Shea published it in his “Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi,” New York, 1853, giving the original text and a translation. This version, known as the _Ste. Marie_ text, was reprinted in 1855, with important annotations, by Shea, under the title, “Récit des voyages et des découvertes du R. P. J. Marquette, en l’année 1673, et aux suivantes; la continuation de ses voyages par C. Alloüez, et le journal autographe, du P. Marquette en 1674 et 1675.” [Albanie: Imprimerie de Weed, Parsons et Cie.] 1855 (10), 169 (2), pp. Map, 12mo. Martin’s “Mission du Canada, Relations inédites (1672–1679),” vol. ii., contains a modified version of the _Ste. Marie_ text. Hennepin’s spurious “New Discovery,” London, 1698 and 1699, has, as an appendix, a poor translation of the Thevenot production.

Joliet, while on his way to Montreal to report his discoveries, lost his memoranda and maps. He was enabled, however, to draw up a brief recital from memory, which, with a map, he presented to Frontenac in 1674.

Two versions of this narrative are printed in Margry’s Collection, vol. i., pp. 259–270. Dablon despatched to his Superior at Paris an account derived from Joliet’s verbal testimony, which may be found printed in Martin’s “Mission du Canada,” vol. i., pp. 193–204. A translation is given in the _Historical Magazine_, vol. v., pp. 237–239. A letter sent by Joliet from Quebec, October 10, 1674, briefly recounts his late adventures. It may be found in Harrisse’s “Notes pour servir à l’Histoire [etc.] de la Nouvelle France,” pp. 322 and 323. A narrative based upon Joliet’s report is appended to Hennepin’s “New Discovery,” London, 1698.

Joliet made several maps, showing his discoveries, only one of which has been edited. Gravier’s “Étude sur une carte inconnue, la première dressée par L. Joliet en 1674,” contains a fac-simile of the map in question. A letter from the discoverer to Frontenac is inscribed upon it. Gravier considers this map, apparently with good reason, to be the earliest representation of the course of the Mississippi from personal knowledge.

Frontenac’s letter announcing the successful result of Joliet’s mission is printed in Margry, vol. i., p. 257, and a translation is inserted in the “New York Colonial Documents,” vol. ix., p. 116. See the following for notices of Joliet: Faillon’s “Histoire de la Colonie française en Canada,” vol. iii.; Ferland’s “Notes sur les régistres de Notre-Dame;” Margry’s articles in the _Revue Canadienne_, December, 1871, January, March, 1872. French’s Historical Collections, second series, has a brief biography. The works hereafter cited upon the history of the discovery of the Mississippi necessarily include a history of the Marquette-Joliet expedition.

We now come to La Salle, Hennepin, and Tonty, 1669–87. Margry’s “Découvertes et établissements des Français dans l’Ouest et dans le sud de l’Amérique septentrionale, 1614–1698,” Paris, 1879–81, contains the documents which the editor collected in the archives of France. This work now comprises four large octavo volumes, three of which are mainly devoted to documents upon La Salle’s explorations. The contents of these three volumes are arranged under the following heads: 1re partie, “Voyages des Français sur les grands lacs et Découverte de l’Ohio et du Mississipi (1614–1684);” 2me partie, “Lettres de La Salle;” 3me partie, “Recherche des bouches du Mississipi (1669–1698).” The more important of these papers are indicated hereafter in their chronological order. The fourth volume of this collection embraces the documents relating to D’Iberville’s colony, at the mouth of the Mississippi, 1698–1703.

In 1669 La Salle, accompanied by Dollier and Gallinée, set out from Montreal to discover the Mississippi. They proceeded in company to the western extremity of Lake Ontario. At this place La Salle, professing illness, parted from the missionaries, ostensibly to return to Montreal. Dollier and Gallinée continued their journey along the northern shores of Lake Erie, thus taking a course hitherto untravelled, and reached Sault Ste. Marie in May, 1670, having spent the winter on the shores of Lake Erie. Gallinée’s journal, entitled “Récit de ce qui s’est passé de plus rémarquable dans le voyage de MM. Dollier et Gallinée,” is printed in Margry, vol. i., pp. 112–166. The Abbé Faillon, who first discovered the records of this journey, gives a synopsis of Gallinée’s recital, with a fac-simile of his map, in the third volume of his “Histoire de la Colonie française en Canada.”

O. M. Marshall’s pamphlet, entitled “The First Visit of La Salle to the Senecas,” Buffalo, 1874, contains a textual translation of this document. The Société historique, of Montreal, published in 1875 an edition of this journal, with notes by the Abbé Verreau. Margry prints in his collection, vol. i., pp. 342–402, a narrative which he calls “Récital d’un ami de l’Abbé de Gallinée.” This purports to be notes, taken by the writer, who Margry thinks was the Abbé Renaudot, of conversations had with La Salle at Paris in 1678, in which he recounted his adventures in Canada from 1667 to 1678. In it is stated that after leaving Dollier and Gallinée, instead of going to Montreal, La Salle kept on until he reached the Ohio, and later went to the Mississippi by way of the Illinois. Parkman prints extracts from this paper in his “Discovery of the Great West,” but does not credit it wholly; he, however, admits that La Salle discovered the Ohio, and most likely the Illinois. It is upon this document, that Margry bases his claim that La Salle was the first to reach the Mississippi.

The following writers take issue with Margry: Brucker, “J. Marquette et la Découverte du Mississipi,” Lyon, 1880, and in the “Études religieuses,” vol. v.; Harrisse, in “Notes pour servir à l’Histoire [etc.] de la Nouvelle France,” Paris, 1872; in an article entitled “Histoire critique de la Découverte du Mississipi,” in the _Revue maritime et coloniale_, vol. xxxii, pp. 642–663.

Shea, in whom Margry finds perhaps his most strenuous opponent, discusses the question in an address read on the bi-centennial of Marquette’s voyage, published in the “Wisconsin Historical Society Collections,” vol. vii., pp. 111–122. He has, however, published a pamphlet, in which he examines the matter more in detail, entitled “The Bursting of P. Margry’s La Salle Bubble,” New York, 1879. Tailhan, in notes to Perrot, and the Abbé Verreau in his edition of Gallinée’s journal, also refute Margry. Colonel Whittlesey’s tract, forming No. 38 of the Western Reserve Historical Society’s publications, entitled “Discovery of the Ohio by La Salle, 1669–70,” is an inquiry upon the subject. Margry presents his arguments in full, in articles upon “Les Normands dans les vallées de l’Ohio et du Mississippi,” published in the _Journal géneral de l’Instruction publique_, Paris, 1862. See also a paper by him in the _Revue maritime et coloniale_, vol. xxxiii., pp. 555–559; his pamphlet, “La Priorité de La Salle sur le Mississipi,” Paris, 1873; a letter in the _American Antiquary_, vol. i., pp. 206–209, Chicago, 1880, and in remarks in the preface to his “Découvertes et établissements des Français,” vol. i.

Gravier in his “Découvertes de La Salle,” Paris, 1870, in the “Compte rendu of the Congrès des Américanistes,” 1877, pt. i., pp. 237–312, and in _The Magazine of American History_, vol. viii., p. 305, supports the Margry theory.

In August, 1679, La Salle having completed his arrangements and obtained letters patent from the king for another attempt upon the Mississippi, set sail in the Griffon, upon Lake Erie, and arrived at Michilimackinac about two weeks later. The Illinois was reached in January, 1680, but owing to adverse circumstances, La Salle being compelled, for want of supplies and other causes, to make twice the journey between the Illinois and Canada, the exploration of the Mississippi was not accomplished until April, 1682. The adventures of La Salle’s party upon the great lakes and in the Illinois country, previous to the voyage down the Mississippi in 1682, are recounted with minute detail in the “Relation des Descouvertes et des Voyages du Sieur de La Salle, 1679–81,” printed in Margry’s Collection, vol. i., pp. 435–594.

Margry considers this paper to be the official report drawn up by the Abbé Bernou from La Salle’s letters. The account of the journey to Fort Crevecœur in 1679–80, given in this narrative, is nearly identical with the description of the same voyage in Hennepin’s “Description de la Louisiane.” For this reason Margry charges Hennepin with plagiary, which calls out a defence of the latter by Shea, in his edition of Hennepin’s “Louisiana,” where the two narratives are compared. Membré’s journal in Le Clercq’s “Premier Établissement de la Foy,” Paris, 1691, which is reproduced in English in Shea’s “Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi,” and Tonty’s Memoirs, which will be more fully described farther on, also report this stage of the explorations. Hennepin’s spurious “Nouvelle Découverte” also contains an account, which does not differ materially from that given in the “Description de la Louisiane.”

Mathieu Sâgean, who claimed to have been with La Salle in 1679–80, dictated from memory, in 1701, a report of his adventures in Canada. See Parkman’s La Salle, p. 658, concerning Sâgean’s pretensions. Shea published Sâgean’s narrative in 1863, with the title, “Extrait de la Relation des avantures et voyage de M. Sâgean.”

In February, 1680, Hennepin, by La Salle’s orders, set out from Fort Crevecœur for the upper Mississippi. He ascended that river to the Sioux country, and discovered St. Anthony’s Falls. Hennepin’s first work, “Description de la Louisiane,” Paris, 1683, relates the events of this expedition, and also gives an account of La Salle’s journey from Canada to the Illinois in 1679–80. Shea gives in his “Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi” the portion of this work relating the voyage to the upper Mississippi. Hennepin’s works are held in disrepute, owing to undoubted plagiarisms and falsifications which characterize some of them. Shea, however, shows in the preface to his edition of the “Description of Louisiana,” New York, 1880, that this charge applies only to the “Nouvelle Découverte” and “Nouveau Voyage,” and other works made up from these two last, and that they were probably published without Hennepin’s sanction. Parkman agrees with Shea in considering the “Description de la Louisiane” to be an authentic work.

For criticisms upon Hennepin, see Sparks’ “La Salle;” Parkman’s “Discovery of the Great West;” Harrisse’s “Notes pour servir à l’Histoire [etc.] de la Nouvelle France,” p. 145; and the preface to Margry’s Découvertes, etc. Shea’s early judgment upon Hennepin, which he has modified as indicated above, is given in his “Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi.” E. D. Neill, in a pamphlet entitled “The Writings of L. Hennepin,” lately published by the Minnesota Historical Society, dissents from Shea’s exculpation of Hennepin, and declares that no evidence has been produced to clear him from the charge of plagiary.

The bi-centenary of Hennepin’s discovery of St. Anthony’s Falls was celebrated by the Minnesota Historical Society in 1880, and the proceedings on the occasion will be reported in the next volume of its collections. The account of a pretended voyage by Hennepin down the Mississippi, taken from the spurious “New Discovery,” London, 1698, is inserted in “French’s Historical Collections,” part i., pp. 195–222; also in volume one of the “Archæologia Americana,” published by the American Antiquarian Society. The latter work also contains an account of La Salle’s last voyage, taken from the same unreliable source.

Shea’s edition of Hennepin’s “Louisiana” contains a bibliography of the numerous memoirs, issued under Hennepin’s name, where also may be found a translation of La Salle’s letter of August, 1682, reporting the voyage on the upper Mississippi. Du L’hut, who, in 1679, visited the Sioux near Lake Superior, and later descended the St. Croix to the Mississippi and rescued Hennepin from the Sioux, gives an account of his adventures in a “Mémoire sur la Découverte du pays des Nadouecioux dans le Canada,” which is printed in Harrisse’s Notes, pp. 177–181, and translated in Shea’s Hennepin.

The “Procès verbal de prise de possession de la Louisiane, à l’embouchure de la mer ou Golphe du Mexique, 9 avril, 1682,” in Margry, vol. ii., pp. 186–193, gives the principal incidents of the voyage down the Mississippi from the Illinois. This document may also be found in Gravier’s “La Salle,” and in English in Sparks’ “Life of La Salle,” also in French’s “Historical Collections,” part i., and with the title, “Narrative of the Expedition of La Salle to explore the (Mississippi) Colbert River, in 1682,” in French’s Historical Collections, second series, pp. 17–27, New York, 1875.

La Salle’s letter, written at the junction of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, printed in Margry, vol. ii., pp. 164–180, a translation of which is given in _The Magazine of American History_, vol. ii., pp. 619–622, describes the journey to the Missouri.

The procès verbal of the act of taking possession at the Arkansas, March 13 and 14, 1682, in Margry, vol. ii., p. 181, reports another stage of the voyage. Membré’s journal of the entire expedition, first printed in Le Clercq’s “Établissement de la Foy,” Paris, 1691, is reproduced in English in Shea’s “Discovery of the Mississippi.” Shea has lately brought out an English translation of Le Clercq under the title, “First Establishment of the Faith in New France,” New York, 1881, two vols. 8vo. He there compares Membré’s narrative with Hennepin’s “Nouvelle Découverte” and “Nouveau Voyage,” and also points out the variations between it and the account published by Thomassy in his “Géologie pratique de la Louisiane.”

Thomassy’s document is entitled, “Relation de la Découverte de l’embouchure de la Rivière Mississipi.” Parkman considers it to be the “official report of the discovery made by La Salle, or perhaps for him by Membré,” and says that the Le Clercq narrative is based upon it.

To which Shea replies, that it “seems strange to assume that the fuller document given by Le Clercq must be drawn from a shorter form.”

The two documents are essentially identical, and afford trustworthy data upon the voyage.

According to Boimare, a manuscript copy of Membré’s journal exists in the library at Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Henri de Tonty, who was with La Salle from 1678–83, reports the explorations during that time, in a memoir written at Quebec in 1684, which is published for the first time in Margry, vol. i., pp. 571–616. Another narrative by him, entitled “Mémoire envoyé en 1693 sur la Découverte du Mississipi, par de La Salle en 1678, et depuis sa mort par le sieur de Tonty,” is printed in its integrity in Margry’s “Relations et Mémoires inédits,” pp. 1–36, Paris, 1867. A translation of it is included in French’s “Historical Collections,” part i., pp. 52–83, and also in Falconer’s “Mississippi,” London, 1844. These two memoirs formed the basis of the work published under Tonty’s name, but which he disavowed, entitled “Dernieres découvertes dans l’Amérique septentrionale de M. de La Salle,” Paris, 1697.

This work was reproduced under the title of “Relation de la Louisianne” in Bernard’s “Recueil de voyages au Nord,” Amsterdam, 1720 and 1724.

An English translation was published at London in 1698, with the title, “An Account of La Salle’s Last Expedition and Discoveries,” and is reproduced in part in the New York Historical Society Collections, vol. ii., pp. 217–341.

Parkman says that the “Dernieres découvertes” is “a compilation full of errors.”

Margry prints in vol. i., pp. 547–570, of his Collection, a memoir entitled “Récit de la descouverte que M. de La Salle a faite de la rivière de Mississipi en 1682.” The author of the paper was Nicolas de La Salle, who wrote it in 1699, at the request of the French authorities, to serve as a guide to D’Iberville in his search for the Mississippi. Margry says that the writer bore no relationship to the discoverer.

La Salle’s memorial of 1684, proposing an expedition to the Gulf of Mexico, printed in Margry, vol. iii., pp. 17–30, and in French’s “Historical Collections,” part i., pp. 37–44, also in the second series of French’s publication, and in Falconer’s “Mississippi,” briefly indicates his discoveries up to that time.

The French documents, collected by Brodhead in the archives of the Departments of Marine and of War, and printed in the ninth volume of the “Documents relative to the Colonial History of New York,” Albany, 1855, include official correspondence which reports the movements of the explorers from time to time.

Shea promises an edition of a journal by Peñalossa, which will show the mercenary motives which inspired La Salle. Margry prints some documents concerning Peñalossa’s propositions to lead a party of buccaneers from St. Domingo to unite with La Salle in an attack on the Spanish mines in New Mexico.

LA SALLE’S VOYAGE TO THE GULF OF MEXICO AND ATTEMPT TO DISCOVER THE
MISSISSIPPI—1684–87

In 1683 La Salle returned to France and presented, in two memorials to the king, propositions for an expedition to colonize the Mississippi, and take possession of the Spanish mines in New Mexico. The first memorial, which gives a brief account of his previous achievements, is in Margry’s Collection, vol. iii., pp. 17–30. A translation is in French’s “Historical Collections,” part i., pp. 37–44; also in the second series, pp. 1–15, of the same publication, and in Falconer’s “Mississippi.” The second, which defines his schemes at greater length, is printed in Margry, vol. ii., pp. 359–369; in English, in French’s “Historical Collections,” part i., pp. 25–34. The accessory official documents relating to various features and stages of the expedition are included in the second and third volumes of Margry’s Collection. We have two narratives by members of this expedition, which relate its history from the time of departure from France down to and after the death of La Salle. The first to appear in print was Douay’s, which was published by Le Clercq in his “Premier Établissement de la Foy,” Paris, 1691. Shea printed a translation of it in the “Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi,” New York, 1853.[130] A comparison of Douay’s journal with Joutel’s narrative is made by Shea in his edition of Le Clercq, published at New York in 1881.

Joutel, who seems to have been next in command to La Salle, kept a journal, which is published for the first time in its integrity in Margry’s Collection, vol. iii., pp. 89–534. An abridged and modified version of this narrative was published at Paris in 1713, under the title, “Journal historique due dernier Voyage que feu M. de La Salle, fit dans le Golfe du Mexique.” Joutel complained that changes were made by the editor in retouching the work for publication. The text published by Margry is much fuller than the printed edition. An English translation of the Paris production, under the title, “Journal of the Last Voyage performed by M. de La Salle,” etc., was published at London in 1714, and in 1719 another edition was brought out as “Joutel’s Journal of his Voyage to Mexico and Canada.” An edition in Spanish was published at New York in 1831, with the title, “Dario histórico del último Viaje que M. de la Salle hijo para descubrir el desembocadero y curso del Mississipi.” Charlevoix says that Joutel was the most reliable of La Salle’s followers, and Parkman thinks that he “gives the impression of sense, intelligence, and candor throughout,” while Douay, in the latter’s opinion, did not always write honestly. Jean Cavelier, an older brother of La Salle’s, who, after the latter’s assassination, escaped to Canada in company with Joutel and Douay, is said to have drawn up a report of the expedition for M. de Seignelay, the Minister of Marine.

Parkman possesses a manuscript which he says is a portion of the first draft of this report. Dr. Shea edited Parkman’s document under the title, “Relation du voyage entrepris par feu M. Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, pour découvrir dans le golfe du Mexique, l’embouchure du fleuve de Missisipy. Par son frère, M. Cavelier” A Manate [N. Y.] 1858, 54 pp. 16mo, and printed a translation in his collection of “Early Voyages up and down the Mississippi,” Albany, 1861.[131]

Margry gives in his Collection, vol. ii., pp. 501–509, a portion of a journal kept by Cavelier. Both these narratives from Cavalier’s pen are very imperfect, the former failing for the latter part of the expedition, and the journal stops before the landing in Texas. La Salle’s assassination, which took place in 1687, was witnessed by Douay, who gives an account in his journal. Joutel relates the event from the testimony of eye-witnesses, and Tonty states what he learned from the survivors of La Salle’s party. See also “Relation de la mort du Sr. de La Salle, suivant le rapport d’un nommé Couture à qui M. Cavelier l’apprit en passant aux Akansas,” in Margry, vol. iii., pp. 601–606.

A letter written by La Salle, March 4, 1685, erroneously dated at the mouth of the Mississippi, is in Margry, vol. ii., pp. 559–563, and a translation is appended to Shea’s “Early Voyages.” The “Procès verbal fait par La Salle avant de conduire son frère au Mississipi, 18. avril 1686,” in Margry, vol. iii., pp. 535–549. relates La Salle’s operations in Texas, including his first two journeys from the Texas colony to find the Mississippi by land.

The Spaniards, in 1689, visited the site of La Salle’s colony, and made prisoners of the survivors whom they found among the Indians. Two of these captives escaped to France, and their testimony in regard to the fate of the colony is given in Margry, vol. iii., pp. 610–621.

Parkman cites the official journal of this Spanish expedition, which is inedited. It is entitled “Derrotero de la jornada que hizo el General Alonzo de Leon para el descubrimiento de la Bahia del Espíritù Santo, y problacion de Franceses.” Buckingham Smith’s “Colleccion de varios documentos para la historia de la Florida,” pp. 25–28, contains a narrative by a member of the Spanish company, entitled “Carta en que se da noticia de un viaje hecho á la Bahia de Espíritù Santo, y de la poblacion que tenian ah los Franceses,” which is also inserted in French’s “Historical Collections,” second series, pp. 293–295. Barcia, in his “Ensayo chronológico para la historia general de la Florida,” Madrid, 1723, gives an account, from an unknown source, which is translated in Shea’s “Discovery of the Mississippi.”

This closes the list of principal contemporary narratives of the first explorations by the French of western territory. Margry’s Collection contains many documents of minor interest, but important, which have not been noted. A journal by Minet, the engineer who returned to France with Beaujeu in 1686, in Margry, vol. II, pp. 589–601, and Tonty’s “Lettres sur ce qu’il a appris de La Salle, le voyage qu’il a fait pour l’aller chercher,” 1686–1689, in Margry, vol. iii., pp. 551–564, must, however, be mentioned.

SECONDARY AUTHORITIES.

Charlevoix’s “Histoire et Description générale de la Nouvelle France,” Paris, 1744, is the first historical work of value to treat of the early explorations. Charlevoix was familiar with the country traversed by Marquette and La Salle, having, in 1721, followed the latter’s route to the Mississippi. Shea published at New York, in 1866–67, an English translation of this work, and in the notes which he added, embodied the results of his extensive studies upon the early history of America, showing the latest knowledge possessed of the first travellers.

In 1844 Sparks issued his “Life of La Salle,” for the materials of which he depended upon the printed narratives of Hennepin, Joutel, Tonty, and the recitals in Le Clercq’s “Premier Établissement,” etc., being unable to obtain any of the MSS. which are now accessible. Sparks’ “Life of Marquette” appeared in 1845, and soon after Falconer’s work “On the Discovery of the Mississippi,” which contained translations of important MSS., was published at London.