Discovery and exploration of the Mississippi valley |
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Algonquin apres Arkansas arrived ascended assez autres avoit ayant baptized bark bien bœufs buffalo c'est cabin called calumet Canada canoes Cavelier chief Christian Clercq Comte de Frontenac cross death deux discovery embarked enemies entered Espiritu Santo estant estoit expedition explored fait Father Allouez Father Marquette Fort Frontenac France French Frenchmen Frontenac gave Green bay gulf gulf of Mexico Hennepin hundred leagues Huron Ilinois Indians Iroquois Jesuits Jolliet Kaskaskia killed labors Lake Lake Superior land lieües Mackinaw manitou March Marquette's Maskoutens Membré mesme Mexico mission missionary Missisipi Mississippi mouth narrative nations navigation obliged Ottawa party passed peuples portage prairies present qu'ils qu'on Quebec Quinipissa reached river Colbert sailed Salle Salle's sauvages Seignelay sent sieur de la sieur de Tonty Spaniards superior terre tion took tout tribes village voyage warriors winter
Popular passages
Page xiii - The river was almost half a league broad. If a man stood still on the other side, it could not be discerned whether he was a man or no. The river was of great depth, and of a strong current : the water was always muddy : there came down the river continually many trees and timber, which the force of the water and stream brought down.
Page 23 - I thank thee, Blackgown, and thee, Frenchman," addressing M. Jollyet, "for taking so much pains to come and visit us ; never has the earth been so beautiful, nor the sun so bright, as to-day; never has our river been so calm, nor so free from rocks, which your canoes have removed as they passed; never has our tobacco had so fine a flavour, nor our corn appeared so beautiful as we behold it to-day.
Page 5 - Jollyet, for he was a young man, born in this country, and endowed with every quality that could be desired in such an enterprise. He possessed experience and a knowledge of the languages of the Ottawaf country, where he had spent several years ; he had the tact and prudence so necessary for the success of a voyage equally dangerous and difficult ; and, lastly, he had courage to fear nothing where all is to be feared.
Page 166 - We found it in a good state, and La Salle left his orders here. As from this spot navigation is open at all seasons and free from ice, we embarked in our canoes, and on the 6th of February reached the mouth of the River Seignelay, at 38° north.
Page 11 - We accordingly concluded that the name has been given on account of the quantity of slime and mud there, constantly exhaling noisome vapors which cause the loudest and longest peals of thunder that I ever heard. The bay is about thirty leagues long, and eight wide at its mouth; it narrows gradually to the extremity, where it is easy to remark the tide which has its regular flow and ebb, almost like that of the sea.
Page 23 - He harangued us in a few words, to congratulate us on our arrival, and then presented us his calumet and made us smoke ; at the same time we entered his cabin, where we received all their usual greetings. Seeing all assembled and in silence, I spoke to them by four presents which I made ; by the first, I said that we marched in peace to visit the nations on the river to the sea ; by the second, I declared to them that God their Creator had pity on them, since, after their having been so long ignorant...
Page 122 - Having arrived on the nineteenth day of our navigation five leagues below St. Anthony's falls, these Indians landed us in a bay and assembled to deliberate about us. They distributed us separately, and gave us to three heads of families in place of three of tb'eir children who had been killed in war.
Page 23 - ... never has our tobacco had so fine a flavor, nor our corn appeared so beautiful as we behold it today. Here is my son, that I give thee, that thou mayst know my heart.
Page 7 - Our joy at being chosen for this expedition roused our courage, and sweetened the labor of rowing from morning till night. As we were going to seek unknown countries, we took all possible precautions, that, if our enterprise was hazardous, it should not be foolhardy : for this reason we gathered all possible information from...
Page 49 - Mexico, the basin of which is at the latitude of 31 degrees 60 minutes, while we were at 33 degrees 40 minutes, we judged that we could not be more than two or three days...