31.8 America: a.d. 1601 to 1700  (Page 12/16)

We noted above, in the section on Canada , that La Salle obtained some permits from the French crown to continue studies of the Mississippi. He and his party left Fort Frontenac (Kingston, Ontario) in the fall of 1678 and after some backtracking, failure to get more funds from the French king and other troubles, La Salle and his trusted aid De Tonty arrived at the Miamis River in November, 1681 with a party of 23 Frenchmen, 18 savages, Abenakis

Some of the adventures and hardships experienced by La Salle's company on its trip down the Mississippi are best taken from La Salle's own Memoirs, as translated in 1844 by Falconer (Ref. 63 ). La Salle wrote that he undertook the trip to satisfy the wish of the late Monseigneur Colbert, finance minister of France, of finding a port where the French might establish themselves and harass the Spaniards in those regions from where they derived all their wealth. He described the mouth of the Mississippi by saying that the coast and the banks were overflowed for more than 20 leagues above the mouth, making it inaccessible by land. He told of an assembly of more than 18,000 Indians of various nations, some of whom had come from a distance of more than 2,000 leagues (probably 600 to 700 miles) to throw themselves "into his arms". Because these Indians had already carried on war against the Spaniards, even without firearms, La Salle felt that it would be possible to form an army of more than 15,000 savages who would follow him to attack the adjacent provinces where there were not more than 400 native Spanish. He was apparently speaking of New Bisca, the most northern province of Mexico. He strongly advised the French crown to consider settling the Mississippi mouth region because "-firstly, the service of God may be established there by the preaching of the Gospel to numerous docile and settled nations--. They have already temples and a form of worship." He added that provinces which might be seized were very rich in silver mines; that the river itself was navigable for more than a 100 leagues for ships and 500 leagues for barks and overall for more than 800 miles from east to west.

Concerning the trip down the river, itself, the following information has been taken from writings of both La Salle and the Cavalier Henry de Tonty, as translated again by Falkoner. (Ref. 63 ) La Salle actually made 5 voyages under extraordinary hardships, extending over more than 5,000 leagues, most commonly on foot, through snow and water, almost without rest over 5 years. He traversed more than 600 leagues of unknown country among many barbarous and cannibalistic nations, against whom he was obliged to fight almost daily, although he was accompanied by only 38 men. Many of the various tribes he encountered lived in settled villages consisting of hundreds of cabins, of ten made of mud, with cane mats. In one such village the cabin of the chief was 40 feet square, the walls 10 feet high and 1 foot thick, with a 15 feet high, dome-shaped roof. The chief was seated on a camp bed with 3 of his wives and more than 60 old men, clothed in large white cloaks of mulberry bark were present. Sieur de Tonty was told that when the chief dies, his youngest wife, his house-steward and 100 men accompany him into the other world. In one village of the Natchez, there were more than 300 warriors. De Tonty contrasts these lower Mississippi people with those in Illinois- who lived in some of the finest lands he had ever seen. He said the Illinois Indians were brave but extremely lazy, except in war, when they think nothing of seeking their enemies at a distance of 600 leagues. Polygamy prevailed there also.