Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-07-31

which sat the hard poddng merchant with the deep wrinkles
of thought and forecast his brew planning schemes of trade
with unknown natons and surveying with curious eye that
boundess territory which seemed he went along to stretch
in commensurate proportion with the nhnteness of space in
that a bark say where unused his brevary that gray
headed MONK leaning that long staff snrmouned with the
silver cross OF Christ and computing the souls that he had
saved and still hoped to from dolaty, is there not
much poetry in the famed vessel of Argos sailing quest
the golden fleece Were their hearts brave those
of the Greek adventures their dangers great
and not the object which they had in view much superior
The grandeur OF their enterprise was, at that time,
fully appreciated On their return TO Quebec, and their
giving information that they had discovered that mighty
OF which the Europeans had but vague knowledge conveyed
to them by the Indians and which, from the accounts given
of its width and length considered to be Of the great
est wonders of the world universal admiration expressed
the bells of the cathedral oed mery for whole day, and
the bishop, followed by his clergy and the whole population
sang solemn Te Deum at the foot of the altar. Thus
the first acquaintance of European fathers with the great
valley of the Mississippi of which present State of Louis
is the heart there instinct that told them
there that the seeds of empire and greatness
Were they right in those dvinatons which pushed them
onward to that favored spot through many obstacles
Greatness and empire there and therefore all the future
elements OF poetry.
Joliet and Marquette Dead and nothing yet had been
done to take OF the newly discovered regions of the
West but the impetus given; the march of civilization
begun could not retrograde that mighty traveller with
religion for his guide pushed onward by the hand of God
and the same spirit which had driven the crusaders to ASIA
turned The attention Of Europe to the continent of Anne
ca The spell which had concealed the Mississippi amidst
hitherto impenetrabe forests, and it were, of
trees, broken and the Indians who claimed its banks
their hereditary domain, ated witness the rapid
succession of irresistible intrudes
Seven years the expedition Of Marquette and Joliet
had rolled by, Robert Cavalier de La Sale in the month
OF January 1882 Toasted his eyes with the sight Of the far
famed Mississippi For his companions he had forty soldiers
three monks, and the Chevae de Ton He had received
the education of Jesuit and had been destined the coser
and become of children in seminary of that cee
of he was 10 Rut he
had that WILL and those PASSIONS and that intellect which
cannot be forced into contracted channel of action Born
poor and pebeian he wished be both noble and rich
obscure, he ionged to be famous Why Man shapes
his denes when the forude of the soul corresponds
with the vigorous organization of the mind When the
daes prompt the execution of what genius conceves nothing
remains but to choose the field of That choice was
soon made by La Sale America then exercising mag.
netc attraction upon all bold Spirits and did fail have
the same influence his Obeying the impulse of his
ambon he crossed the Atlantic without hesitation and land
ed in Canada in 1878.
When the continent of America that fond object of his
Dreams La Sale felt that he congenia atmosphere
with his temperament His mind seemed expand his
ceptons to become vivid his natural eoquence be
gifted with more persuasion and he acknowledged
by all who and heard him to be superior being Brought
into contact with Count Frontena who the of
Canada he communicated to him his and projects the
aggrandzement of France and suggested him gigantic
plan Of connecting the ST. Lawrence with the Mississippi by
uninterrupted chain of forts "FIom the information
which have been able to collect said he the Count ..
think may affirm that the Mississippi draws source some
where the vicinity Of the Celestial Empire and that France
will be only the mistress of all the territory between the
ST. Lawrence and the Mississippi but will command the trade
of China, flowing down the and mighty channel which
shall open 10 the Gulf of Mexico" Count Frontenac was
seduced by the magncence of the prospect keched by the
enthusiast but daring incur the expenses which such
undertaking would have required referred him the Court
of France
To France then, the advenurer returns with increased
confidence for he had secured thing, he had gained
pontntroducton to the noble and the wealthy under the
auspices Of Count Fronenac The spirit of Columbus was
in him. and nothing abashed he would have forced his way
the foot Of the throne and appealed Majesty ITSELF with that
assurance which genius mparts But sufficient it for
him to gain the good gaces of of the royal blood Of France
the Prince de Cont He fired the princes mind with his
contagious enthusiasm, and through him obtained from
the King not only of land,
clothed with all the powers and privileges which he required
for trading with the Indians and for carrying on his medated
plans of discovery Nay he ennobed by letters pa
tent and thus of the most ardent wishes of his heart
gratfed At last, he no longer pebeian and with
Macbeth, he could exclam "NOw, thane of Cawdor the
greatest is behind"
La Sale recrossed the Atlantic with one worthy Of being
his ds debates, and capable of understanding the workings
of his mind and of his heart That the Cheyaer
De Ton, who, officer, had served with distinction in
many war, and who afterwards became famous among the
Indians for the iron hand with which he had artciay sup
piled the one which he had lost.
On the 18th of September l67s proud and erect with the
consciousness of success La Sale stood again the walls of
Quebec and stimulated by the cheers of the whole popua-
o he Immediately entered into the execution of his projects
-Four years AFTER in 1882 be at the mouth Of the Missis
spp, and in the Gas appears by notaa still ex
tan) OF the most pSsdnt, most high iuincibe and
victorious Prince Louis the Great King France took pos
Of all the country which he had discovered How his
heart have sweled with exuaon when he stood al the
mouth Of the great which all his hopes had centeed
when he unurled the white banner and erected the stately
column which he appended the royal escucheon Of France
amidst the shouts Of his companions and the discharge
arms With what devotion he have Joined in the solemn
1e Deum sung on that memorable occasion
To relate all the hearthrlng adventures which occurred
to La Sale during the four years which elapsed between the
opening and the conclusion Of that expedition would be to 90
beyond the limits which allotted me- Suffice il TO saw
that this day the hundredh part Of the diff
hcules which he had TO encounter would mmoralze man.
All il be true that greater than when engag
ed in generous and unyedng struggle against dangers and
adversely then il be admitted that during those four
Of trials La Sale pe-emneny great Was he not wor-
thy Of admiration when the camp Of the Iroquois who
first had received him like friends but had been converted
into foes he dared aone to the charges brought
against him by the subtle Mansoa, whose words were so
persuasive and whose wisdom appeared wonderful that
attributed to his holding intercourse with spirits of ano
Their world How interesting the spectacle How wildly il
pictures itselfto my mind How would grace the pages
Fennmore Cooper Of one having the magic pen Of Wal
ter Scott Methnks that Areopagus old Indian
warriors listening with knit brows and compressed lips the
passionate accusation skuy urged against La Sae and
To the prediction that amy the while race the
forerunner Of destruction to all the Indian tribes La Sale
in his turn how eloquent how pathetic he when
appealing to the better feelings Of the Indians and how de-