Weekly Trinity journal., 1861-03-16
Discovery of the Mississippi.

"Behold, in 1913, on the tenth day OF June,
the meek, singh hearted, unpretendng, iustri-
Gus Marquette, with Joliet for his associate, five
Frenchmen as his companions, and two Algon-
quins as guides, lifting their two canoes on their
backs, and walking across the narrow portage
that divides the Fox river from the Wisconsin.
They reach the waters edge:-u uttering special
prayer to the immaculate Virgin, they leave the
streams that, flowing onwards. could have borne
their greetings to the castle of Quebec ;-olready
they stand by the Wisconsin. "The guides re-
turned" says the gentle Marquette, leaving
us alone in this unknown land, in the hands OF
Providencen France and Christianity stood in
the valley of the Mississippi. Embarking ON the
broad Wisconsin, the dscoverers, as they sailed
west between alternate praires and hill-sldes
beholdng neither man nor the wanted beasts of
the forest; no sound broke the appalling silence
but the ripple of their canoe, and the lowing Of
the buffalo In seven days they entered hap
PLY the Great River, with joy that could not
be expressed :" ord the two birch bark canoes,
rising their happy sails under new skies and to
unknown breezes, hoated down the calm mag
nilicence of the ocean stream, over the broad,
clear sand bars, the resort of lnnumerabe water
fowls,-gliding past isets that swelled from the
bosom of the stream, with their tufts of massive
thickcts, and between the wide plains OF Illinois
and Iowa, all garlandcd with majestic forests, or
chcckcrcd by island groves and the open yastness
/ of the prairie.
About sixty leagues below the mouth OF the
Wisconsin, the western bank of the Mississippi
bore its sands the trail of men, little footpath
was dsccrncd leading into n beautiful prairie;
and, leaving the canoes, Joliet and Marquette
resolved alone to brave meeting with the
savages After walking six miles they behcld
village on the bank Of the river and two others
on "a slope, at distance of mile and u half from
! the first. The river was Mou in Boue'na, or
Moingona of which we have corrupted the same
into Dcs Moines. Marquette aud Joliet were the
ll.ng lNt lnNvn 'nm
mendng themselves to God, they uttered loud
cry. The Indians hear four men advance slowly
to meet them, bearing the peace pipe brilliant
with many colored plumes "We are Illinois"
said they-that is, when translated. We are
men, aud they offered the calumet An aged
chief received them at his cabin with npralsed
hands, cxclaming, How beautiful is the sum-
Frcnchmen, when thou comest to visit us Our
whole village awaits thee thou shalt enter IN
peace into all our dwellings" And the pilgrims
were followed by the devouring gaze OF an aston
ished crowd.
At the great council, Marquette published to
them the one true God, their Creator lie spoke,
also of the great Captain of the French, the
governor of Canada, who had chastiscd the Five
Nations and commanded peace aud he question
cd them respecting the Mississippi aud the tribes
that passed its banks. For the messengers who
announced the subjugation of the lr0qnois, II
magnificent festival was prepared OF hominy,
After six days delay, and invitations to new
visits the chieftain Of the tribe, with hundreds OF
warriors, attended the strangers TO their canoes
and, selecting n peace-plpe embelllshed WIN the
head and neck Of brilliant birds, aud all feather
| ed over with plumage OF various hues, they
| hung round Marquette the mysterious arbtcr OF
peace and war, the sacred calumet, II safeguard
among the nations.
The little group proceeded onward. al did
not fear DEATH" said Marquette 81 should
have esteemed it the greatest happiness to have
died for the glory OF Cod They passed the
perpendicular rocks, which wore the appearance
| of monsters; they heard at II distance the noise
of the waters Of the Missouri, known to them by
its Algonquin name of Pektanoni and when
they came to the most beautiful confluence Of
rivers in the world-whcrc the swilter Missouri
rushes like conqurcrer into the calmer Missis-
spp dragging 1t, rs 1t wcrc hastily to the sea .-
! the good Marquette resolved in his heart antlci
pating Lewis aud Clarke, one day to ascend the
| mighty river to its source to cross the ridge
that divided the oceans, and descending wcster
ly flowing stream, to publish the gospel to the
people of this New World.
In u little less than forty leagu es the canoes
Aoatcd past the Ohio, which was then, and long
afterwards called the Wabash. Its banks were
tenanted by numerous villages Of peaceful Shaw
nees who quailcd under the incursons Of the lr-
oquos.
The thick canes began to appear so close and
strong that the buffalo could not break through
them the insects become intocrable us shell
ter against the suns Of July, the sails are boldcd
into an awning The prairies vanish and forests
of whitewood, admirable for their vastness aud
height, crowd even to the skirts Of the pehbly
shore. IL is also observed that, in the land Of
the Chckasas, the Indians have guns.
Near the latitude of thirty three degrees, on
the west bank Of the Mississippi stood the village
! of Mitchigamea in the region that had not been
oI hu a of Soto
"Now," thought Marquette, "we must, indeed,
ask the aid OF the Virgin" Armed with bows
and arrows, with clubs, axes, and bucklers, amid
continual whoops, the natives, bent on war; en-
bark in vast canoes made ont Of trunks oil hollow
trees; but, at the sight of the mysterious peace
pipe held a0ft, God touched the hearts of the old
men, who checked the impetuosity Of the young,
and, throwing their bows and quivers into the ca.
noes, as a token Of peace they prepared hos
ptabc welcome.
The next day long, wooden canoe, containing
ten men, escorted the discoverers eight or ten
leagues to the village Of Akansea, the limit of
their voyage. They had left the region of the
Algonquins, and, in the midst Of the Sioux and
/ Chcasas, could speak only by an Interpreter.
half league above Akansea, they were met by
two boats, in one of which stood the command
| er, holding in his hand the peace-plpe, ana sing
ing as be drew near. After Offering the plpe' nc
| gave bread of maize. The wealth OF the tflDe
consisted in buffalo skins their weapons were ak
cs of steel-a proof of commerce with the En-
/ r0peans.
Thus had our travellers descended below the
entrance Of the Arkansas, to the genial cilmes
! that have almost no winter but rains, beyond The
bound of the Hurons and Algonquin languages
to the vicinity of the Gulf OF Mexico and TO
! tribes of Indians that had obtained European
arms by traffic with Spaniards or with Virginia
So, having spoken of God, and the mysteries
of the Catholic faith having become certain
that the Father Of Rivers went not to the east oil
Florida, nor yet to the Gulf of California, Mar,
quette and Joliet left Arkansas, aud ascended
the Mississippi.
At the thirty eighth degree OF latitude, they