USA > Louisiana > The province and the states, a history of the province of Louisiana under France and Spain, and of the territories and states of the United States formed therefrom, Vol. I > Part 9
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According to the account of Hennepin, they were taken far to the north, on the Rum or St. Francis river in Minnesota, near Mille Lac, where they were adopted into different bands of the same tribe, after which their treatmint was about the same as that of the Indians. Hennepin became the son of Aquipaguetin, a sub-chief of the Issati, or Issanti, a division of the great Sioux nation, the terror of all the nations to the south and east. The three whites made themselves useful, and soon gained the good graces of their captors. The principal chief, Quasicoudé, became their fast friend-was really angry that they had been despoiled of their goods. Finally, they all went on a grand buffalo hunt to the mouth of the St. Francis or Rum river. Here Hennepin prevailed upon the principal chief to permit him to go to the mouth of the Wisconsin, to meet his friends whom La Salle had promised to send there to join him. Michael Accanlt, who liked the wild Indian life, refused to go with him ; but Pickard Du Gay accompanied him. The two were given a small birch canoe, an earthen pot, a gun, a knife and a robe of beaver skin. They soon reached the Falls of St. Anthony and passing round it, continued down the Mississippi, suffering intensely from want of sufficient food, reaching and passing Lake Pepin. They soon after met Aquipaguetin and a party of warriors, who reported that no white traders had yet reached the mouth of the Wisconsin ; whereupon, in sheer desperation, they determined to join a large party of Sioux hunters, to save themselves from starvation. Among this band they found Accault. All participated in the grand hunt along the borders of the Mississippi, in the heat of July and amid the wonderful foliage of the upper river. While thus engaged they learned that a party of whitemen from Lake Superior were approaching their vicinity, and soon afterward there arrived Daniel Greysolon du Lhut and four other Frenchmen, all well armed. ' They were now east of the Mississippi on the Chippeway river. Du Lhut had already become famous as a discoverer in the region of Lake Superior. All being French, and having in view the same general objects, they went back with the Sioux to their villages on Mille Lac. After this, undoubtedly through the influence of Du Lhut, Hennepin and his party were feasted and permitted to do as they pleased. Du Lhut and his party finally determined to accompany Hennepin on his journey to the mouthi
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of the Wisconsin, and thence to Green Bay. It was now autumn, but the journey was made withont accident. The men whom La Salle had promised would be sent to the mouth of the Wisconsin were not seen, and the travelers continued on to Green Bay, and thence on to Canada.
The incursion of the Iroquois into the Illinois country, evi- dently an attempt of the English to extend the Iroquois domain well into the valley of the Mississippi and hence a corresponding extension of their own territory, was estimated at its true import by the observant La Salle. To counteract the attempt, he resolved to try to cement the western tribes against the Iroquois, and to center them around a strong fort which he should erect on the Illinois river. In the spring, La Salle went with a small party from Fort Miami to the Illinois river, and while there learned what had become of Tonty, and also learned that Father Henne- pin had passed through the Wisconsin country on his way to Can- ada. After attempts to cement the friendship of the Miamis and . and the Illinois, La Salle returned to Mackinac, and there met Tonty and his little party. Their adventures were recounted and their ready sympathies exchanged. One would think that they were now ready to give up the project of exploring and tak- ing possession of the Mississippi, but not for an instant was this paramount object lost sight of by La Salle and Tonty. It was determined to return to Canada, recruit themselves thoroughly, and try again.
With a force of thirty men and with ten or a dozen heavily- laden canoes, La Salle again finally set forth, passing up Lake Ontario to about the present Toronto, thence across to Georgian bay, thence through the straits and down the eastern side of Lake Michigan to Fort Miami, thence around the lake to the Chicago river, thence up the same and across the portage to the Des Plaines, and thence down the same and the Illinois. It was now January, 1682, and the prairies were covered with snow and the rivers with ice, so that the journey was made mostly by sledge. Some of his men had deserted him at Mackinac, but at Fort Miami he had recruited his forces with French-Canadians and Indians to forty-one men and a number of squaws to do the cooking. Arriving at Peoria Lake, they resolved not to finish the brigantine, but to proceed as they were, and accordingly continued, and on February 6, 1682, reached the Mississippi, which was then filled with floating ice and formed a beautiful but dangerous sight. On February 13, the river having become comparatively clear, they all started down on the swift current. Thus, after the lapse of
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two years and a half from the date of first setting out, the expe- dition was afloat on the sweeping Mississippi, a fact all important to the modern inhabitants of the Louisiana Purchase.
"We descended the river and found six leagues below on the right a great river (the Missouri-ED.), which comes from the west, on which there are numerous nations. We slept at its mouth. The next day we went on to the village of Tamarous, six leagues off on the left. There was no one there, all the people being at their winter quarters in the woods. We made marks to inform the savages that we had passed, and continued our route as far as the river Ouabache (Wabaslı), which is eighty leagues from that of Illinois. It comes from the east, and is more than 500 leagues in length. It is by this river that the Iroquois advance to make war against the nations of the south. Continuing our voyage about sixty leagues we came to a place which was named Fort Prudhomme ( Memphis), because one of our men lost him- self there when out hunting and was nine days without food. As they were looking for him they fell in with two Chikasas sav- ages, whose village was three days' journey inland.
M. de la Salle sent back one of them with presents to his village, so that if they had taken Prudhomme they might send him back, but we found him on the tenth day, and as the Chikasas ( Chicka- saws ) did not return we continued our route as far as the village of Cappa, fifty leagues off (one hundred and thirty miles below Memphis). We arrived there in foggy weather, and as we heard the sound of the tambor we crossed over to the other (west) side of the river, where in less than half an hour we made a fort. The savages having been informed that we were coming down the river, came in their canoes to look for us. We made them land and sent two Frenchmen as hostages to their village; the chief visited us with the calumet and we went to the savages. They regaled us with the best they had, and after having danced the calumet ( dance) to M. de la Salle, they conducted us to their village of Toyengan, eight leagues from Cappa. They received us there in the same manner, and from thence they went with us to Toriman two leagues further on, where we met with the same reception.
"It must be here remarked that these villages, the first of which is Osotonoy, are six leagues to the right descending the river, and are commonly called Akancas ( Arkansas). The first three villages are situated on the river ( Mississippi). M de la Salle erected the arms of the King there; they have cabins made with the bark of cedar; they have no other worship than the
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adoration of all sorts of animals. Their country is very beauti- ful, having abundance of peach, plum and apple trees, and vines flourish there; buffaloes, deer, stags, bears, turkeys are very muinerous. They have even domestic fowls. They have very little snow during the winter, and the ice is not thicker than a dollar. They gave us guides to conduct us to their allies, the Taencas, six leagues distant. The first day we began to see and to kill alligators, which are numerous and from fifteen to twenty feet long. When we arrived opposite to the village of the Taen- cas, M de la Salle desired me to go to it and inform the chief of his arrival. I went with our guides, and we had to carry a bark canoe for ten arpens (nearly two-thirds of a mile), and to launch it on a small lake in which their village was placed. I was sur- prised to find their cabins made of mud and covered with cane mats. The cabin of the chief was forty feet square, the wall ten feet high, a foot thick, and the roof, which was of a dome shape, about fifteen feet high. I was not less surprised when on entering I saw the chief seated on a camp bed, with three of his wives at his side, surrounded by more than sixty old men, clothed in large white cloaks, which are made by the women out of the bark of the mulberry tree and are tolerably well worked. . The women are clothed in the same manner ; and every time the chief spoke to them, before answering him, they howled and cried out several times, "O-o-o-o-o-o-o!" to show their respect for him, for their chiefs are held in as much consideration as our kings.
"When I was in his cabin, the chief told me with a smiling countenance the pleasure he felt at the arrival of the French. I saw that one of his wives wore a pearl necklace. I presented her with ten yards of blue glass beads in exchange for it. She made some difficulty, but the chief having told her to let ine have it, she did so. 'I carried it to M de la Salle, giving him an account of all that I had seen, and told him that the chief intended to visit him the next day, which he did. He ( La Salle) would not have done this for savages, but the hope of obtaining some merchandise induced him to act thus. He came the next day with wooden canoes to the sound of the tambour and the music of the women. The savages of the river use no other boats than these. M de la Salle received him with much politeness and gave him some pres- ents; they gave us in return plenty of provisions and some of their robes. The chiefs returned well satisfied. We stayed dur- ing the day, which was the 22d of March. An observation gave thirty-one degrees of latitude. We left on the twenty-second and slept in an island ten leagues off. The next day we saw a canoe,
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and M. de la Salle ordered me to chase it, which I did, and as I was just on the point of taking it, more than one hundred men appeared on the banks of the river to defend their people. M. de la Salle shouted out to me to come back, which I did. We went on and encamped opposite them. Afterward, M. de la Salle expressing a wish to meet them peaceably, I offered to carry them the calumet, and embarking went to them. At first they joined their hands as a sign that they wished to be friends; I who had but one liand told our men to do the same thing. I made the chief men among them cross over to M. de la Salle, who accompanied them to their village three leagues inland and passed the night there with some of his men. The next day he returned with the chief of the village where he had slept, who was a brother of the great chief of the Natchez; he conducted us to his brother's village, situated on the hillside near the river at six leagues dis- tance. We were well received there. This nation counts more than 300 warriors. Here the men cultivate the ground, hunt and fish, as well as the Taencas, and their manners are the same.
"We departed thence on Good Friday, and after a voyage of twenty leagues, encamped at the mouth of a large river, which runs from the west ( Red River). We continued our journey and crossed a great canal, which went toward the sea on the right (probably Atchafalaya river). Thirty leagues further on we saw some fishermen on the bank of the river and sent to reconnoitre them. It was the village of the Quinipissas, who let fly their arrows upon our men, who retired in consequence. As M. de la Salle would not fight against any nation, he made us embark. 'I'welve leagues from this village, on the left, is that of the Tangi- baos. Scarcely eight days before this village had been totally destroyed. Dead bodies were lying on one another and the cabins were burnt. We proceeded on our course, and after sail- ing forty leagues arrived at the sea on the 7th of April, 1682."*
Concerning the mouth of the Mississippi, or rather the mouths, Tonty wrote as follows: "M. de la Salle sent canoes to inspect the channels ; some of them went to the channel on the right hand, some to the left, and M. de la Salle chose the center. In the evening each made his report, that is to say, that the channels were very fine, wide and deep. We encamped on the right bank ; we erected the arms of the king, and returned several times to inspect the channels. The same report was made. .
* Memoir by the Sieur de la Tonty, sent in 1693, on the discovery of the Missis- sippi and the neighboring nations.
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Provisions failing, we were obliged to leave the sea coast sooner than we wished, in order to obtain provisions in the neighboring villages. We did not know how to get anything from the village of the Quinipissas, who had so ill-treated us as we went down the river. We lived on potatoes until six leagues from their vil- lage, when we saw smoke." Here the Indians made every pre- tense of friendship, but the next morning at day break attacked the whites. They were vigorously repulsed, and the journey up the river was continued. When the Natchez nation was reached, again protestations of friendship were made, but the signs of hos- tility were too numerous. "We went up to their village, and as we saw no women there we had no doubt of their having some evil design. In a moment we were surrounded by 1,500 men. They brought us something to eat, and we ate with our guns in our hands. As they were afraid of fire-arms they did not dare to attack us. The chief begged M. de la Salle to go away, as his young men had not much sense, which we very willingly did- the game not being equal, we having only fifty men, French and savages. We then went on to the T'aencas and then to the Akan- sas, where we were very well received. From thence we came to Fort Prudhomme, where M: de la Salle fell dangerously ill, which obliged him to send me forward on the 6th of May to arrange his affairs at Michillimackinac. In passing near the Ouabache (Wabash meaning the Ohio), I found four Iroquois, who told us that there were one hundred men of their nation coming on after thein: This gave us some alarm. There is no pleasure in meeting warriors on one's road, especially when they have been unsuccessful. I left them and at about twenty leagues from Tamaraas we saw smoke. I ordered our people to prepare their arms, and we resolved to advance, expecting to meet the Iroquois. When we were near the smoke, we saw some canoes, which made us think that they could only be Illinois or Tamaraas. They were in fact the latter. As soon as they saw us, they came out of the wood in great numbers to attack us, taking us for Iroquois. I presented the calumet to them; they put down their arms and conducted us to their village without doing us any larm. The chiefs held a council, and taking us for Iro- quois, resolved to burn us; and but for some Illinois among us we should have fared ill. They let us proceed. We arrived about the end of June, 1682, at the river Chicagou, and by the middle of July at Michillimackinac. M. de la Salle having recov- ered, joined us in September."
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After reaching the mouth of the Mississippi, they ascended a
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short distance to a considerable elevation, prepared a column and a cross, and upon the column fastened the arms of France and the following inscription :
LOUIS LE GRAND, ROI DE FRANCE ET DE NAVARRE, REGNE: LE NOUVIEME APRIL, 1682.
"The whole party under arms chanted the Te Deum, the Exau- diat, the Domine Salvum fac Regem; and then, after a salute of firearms and cries of Vive le Roi, the column was erected by M. de la Salle, who, standing near it, said with a loud voice, in French : 'In the name of the most high, mighty, invincible, and victorious prince, Louis the Great, by the grace of God, king of France and Navarre, fourteenth of that name, this ninth day of April, one thousand six hundred and eighty-two, 1, in virtue of the commission of his Majesty ( Louis XIV), which I hold in my hand, and which may be seen by all whom it may concern, have taken, and do now take in the name of his Majesty and of his successors to the crown, possession of this country of Lonis- iana, the seas, harbors, ports, bays, adjacent straits; and all the nations, people, provinces, cities, towns, villages, mines, min- erals, fisheries, streams, and rivers comprised in the extent of Louisiana, from the mouth of the great river St. Louis on the eatsern side, otherwise called Ohio, Alighinsipou ( Alleghany), or Chickagona, and this with the consent of the Chouanons ( Shawa- noes), Chicachas ( Chickasaws), and other people dwelling therein, with whom we have made alliance; as also along the River Colbert or Mississippi, and rivers which discharge them- selves therein, from its source; beyond the country of the Kious (Sioux) or Nadouessions, and this with their consent, and with the consent of the Motantees, Illinois, Mesigameas ( Metchiga- mias), Akansas, Natches, and Koroas, which are the most con- siderable nations dwelling therein, with whom also we have made alliance either by ourselves or by others in our behalf; as far as the mouth at the sea or Gulf of Mexico, about the 27th degree of the elevation of the north pole, and also to the mouth of the river of Palms (Rio de Palmas) ; upon the assurance which we have received from all these nations that we are the first Europeans who have descended or ascended the River Colbert, hereby pro- testing against all those who may in future undertake to invade any or all of these countries, people, or lands above described to the prejudice of the right of his Majesty acquired by the con- sent of the nations herein named, of which and all that can be
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needed, I hereby take to witness those who hear me, and demand an act of the notary as required by law.'
"To which the whole assembly responded with shouts of Vive le Roi and with salutes of fire-arms. Moreover, the said Sieur de la Salle caused to be buried at the foot of the tree to which the cross was attached a leaden plate, on one side of which were engraved the arms of France and the following Latin inscription :
"LUDOVICUS MAGNUS REGNAT. NONO APRILIS CIO IOC LXXXII.
ROBERTUS CAVELIER, CUM DOMINO DE TONTY, LEGATO R. P. ZENOBIO MEMBRE, RECOLLECTO, ET VIGINTI GALLIS, PRIMUS HOC FLUMEN, INDE AB ILINEORUM PAGO, ENAVIGAVIT, EJUSQUE OSTIUM FECIT PERVIUM, NONO APRILIS ANNI CIO IOC LXXXII."
"After which the Sieur de la Salle said that his Majesty, as eldest Son of the Church, would annex no country to his crown without making it his chief care to establish the Christian religion therein, and that its symbol must now be planted, which was accordingly done at once by erecting a cross, before which the Vexilla and the Domine Salvuin fac Regem were sung, where- upon the ceremony was concluded with cries of Vive le Roi. Of all and every of the above the said Sieur de la Salle having required of us an instrument, we have delivered to him the same signed by us, and by the undersigned witnesses, this ninth day of April, one thousand six hundred and eighty-two."
"De La Salle. "Pierre You.
"P. Zenobe, Recollect Missionary.
"Gilles Meueret.
"Henry De Tonty.
"Jean Michel, Surgeon.
"Francois de Boisrondet.
"Jean Mas.
"Jean Bourdon.
"Jean Dulignon.
"Sieur D'Autray.
"Nicolas de La Salle."
"Jaques Cauchois.
"La Metairie, Notary."
In a letter to the French minister under date of November 6, 1787, Governor D'Denonville wrote, "The year after, in 1672, the Mississippi river was discovered, as well as the Illinois, Chaouna- nons (Shawanese) and other tribes unknown to the Europeans, by Sicur Jolliet and the Jesuit Father Marquette, who reached the thirty-second degree, planting the royal arms and taking over in the King's name the newly discovered countries. A few years later, Sieur de la Salle pushed Lis discoveries further onward as 1-7
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tar as the sea, taking possession everywhere by planting the royal arms."
The following order was issued by the king, pursuant to the request of La Salle, to be permitted to establish a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi :
"LOUIS, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, KING OF FRANCE AND NAVARRE, GREETING:
"Having resolved to cause some expeditions to be undertaken in North America, to subject to our dominion divers savage tribes, and to convey to them the light of the faith and of the Gospel, we have been of the opinion that we could, not make a better choice than of Sieur de la Salle to command in our name all the Frenchmen and Indians whom we will employ for the execution of the orders we have entrusted unto him. For these and other reasons us moving, and being morcover well informed of his affection and fidelity for our service, we have by these presents signed by our own hand constituted and ordained, and do commission and ordain, the said Sieur de la Salle to command under our authority, as well in the country which will be subject anew to our dominion in North America, from Fort St. Louis on the Illinois river unto New Biscay (Durango), as well among the French and Indians whom he will employ in the expedition we have entrusted to his care, cause them to live in union and concord the one with the other; keep the soldiers in good order and police according to our rules; appoint governors and special commanders in the places he shall think proper, until it shall be by us otherwise ordered ; maintain trade and traffic and generally to do and to exercise for us in the said country all that shall apper- tain to the office of commandant, and enjoy its powers, honors, authorities, prerogatives, franchises, liberties, wages, rights, fruits, profits, revenues and emoluments during our pleasure, to execute which we have given and do give unto you power by these presents, whereby we command all our said subjects and soldiers to acknowledge, obey, and hear you in things relating to the present power. For such is our pleasure. In witness whereof we have caused our privy seal to be affixed to these presents. Given at Versailles the 14th of April, 1684."
"(Signed) "LOUIS."
After his voyage to the mouth of the Mississippi, La Salle. returned to France, made his report and his recommendations, and was received with such favor that his losses and misfortunes were, to a great degree, removed and settled. France and Spain
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were now at war. La Salle proposed to the French court to estab- lish a fortified colony on the Mississippi, about sixty leagues from its mouth, and make it the principal depot of the trade of the river valley. In order to carry this design into execution lie asked for one war vessel of about thirty guns, necessary ordnance for the fort that he should erect, and two hundred men to be recruited in France, to protect the fort and the colony. Should every thing go well with the colony, he further assured the French court that he would have no serious difficulty in raising a large force of Indians for the conquest of New Biscay (Durango) from the Spaniards. These schemes were disclosed by La Salle to Louis XIV in person, who received them with evi- dences of satisfaction. That monarch was then in the heyday of his ambition and military splendor, and the idea of a vast increase in his American dominions at the expense of the Spanish gov- ernment met his hearty approbation.
Instead of one vessel, the king offered La Salle four. The little fleet, consisting of the Joly, a frigate of thirty-six guns, the Belle, a small frigate of six guns, the Aimable, a store-ship and the St. Francois, a ketch of two masts, set sail from Rochelle on July 24, 1684. The latter was captured by the Spanish, which was a serious loss, as she was laden with stores and ammunition. After stopping some time at St. Domingo to replenish the losses so far as possible they again set out on the 25th of November, the fleet now reduced to three ships. Rounding the western extremity of Cuba, they steered northiward, but through a series of baffling currents and shifting winds were driven far out of their intended course and finally came to anchor in Espiritu Santo Bay on the coast of Texas. After consultation they decided to retrace their steps, and accordingly sailed eastward ten or twelve leagues and anchored in what is now the Bay of St. Bernard, or Matagorda. It had been ordered that Capt. Beaujeu should com- mand the vessels while at sea, and that La Salle should command on shore. This arrangement had already occasioned considerable trouble, but at St. Bernard an unfortunate disagreement arose over the provisions. La Salle, in order to save the provisions designed for the colonists from the sailors resolved to land at this bay, which he accordingly did. It was realized that the ves- sels had missed the mouth of the Mississippi, but La Salle resolved to make the most of the mistake. He wanted to go to the Mississippi, but as he and Capt. Beaujeu could not agree regarding water and stores, he soon learned that if the object of 1
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