New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-10-05

n ment as to whether the good missionary e!
IS aggerated the dangers to his frai vessel.
20 Vending his way through warlike tribe
n who were disarmed by the weakness itse
j. of his party he won their confidence by hi
g tact, Judgment and intrepidity. Trustin
q to the sanctity OF his ''otack gown" c
g which even the Indians in Missouri ha
@ heard, and to the virtues of the calumet
n the pipe of peace. which was the UNIVERSAL
II recognized flag OF truce in the upper an
g central valley of the Mississippi. he reache,
J. the village of Akamsea, which be states t.
i be in 33o 40 OF north latitude. Modern in
t vestigation has esta blished that he had herr
a reached, i'll the present State OF Arkansas
i the point at or near which the discoveries
b OF De Soto and Moscoso had begun. Thes,
f were unknown to him; but the Indians toll
9 him that TIE sea was but ten days Journey
+ distant; that many and warlike tubes in
;. teryened between them and 1t. and thai
they used firearms procured from white
) men, who. without doubt. were the Span
) lards OF Florida or Texas,
, Marquette and Joliet were fearless. bu.
not foolhardy. They held a consultation,
and, knowing the latitude OF the northern
shores Of the Gull of Mexico. drew the very
certain conclusions that the great river the Y
had navi gated for about fifteen hundred
miles could enter neither the Chesapeake
Bay nor the Gulf OF California. but must
have Its outlet into the sea somewhere on
the northern coast of the Gulf Of Mexico
In short like sensible, practical men, they
ascertained that they had discovered the
Mississippi as the mighty river which de.
sends from the regions west Of Lake Su.
perior to the Belize.
The information was TOO certain and too
precious to be risked in a further voyage in
| iran canoes of bark among Warlike hostile
Indians on the lower Mississippi, or Jealous
Spanlards on the coast of Florida or Texas.
| They accordingly returned up the Misss.
slppl and Illinois rivers. reaching the mis-.
sons on the Northern lakes in the fal! Of
| the year 1916;
The French authorities. both in Canada
| and in the mother country. seem to have
been so disappointed at the failure TO find a
passage to the Pacific and China, that they
attached slight Importance to the discov.
cries of Marquette and Joliet. Not so with
! sagaclouS and enterprislng French trader
! with the Indians. Robert Cavalier de La
Sale. From Joliet, on his way back to
! canada. he heard the particulars of the
| discovery. His genius for commerce
! grasped the idea, which is now again TAX
ing hold OF tie public mind, that the pro.
duets of our whole valley should FIND their
| way to Europe down the Mississippi and
through the Cult of Mexico
But i. was not until 1852 that he wen. on
his expedition. in which he navigated our
great river to its mouth. reaching the sea
on the ninth Of april of that year. On the
shore he ''planted cross. with the arms of
France, amid the solemn chants OK HYMN, |
and in the name Of the French King took |
possession OF the river. of all it's branches |
and the territory watered by them. and the |
notary drew up an authentic act. which all |
signed with beating hearts, and a leaden |
plate, with the arms of France and the !
names of the discoveries. was, amid The
rattle of musketry. deposited in the EARTH
MOI many years atterwaru the colony of !
Louisiana was founded. to remain under
FRENCH rule tor neatly a century-eXc ept
during thu comparatively short period OF
its subsection to Spain-and finally to be
united On terms of absolute equality TO the |
American Union, OF which it forms 80 great |
and invaluable part.
feel that this address wOuit! be iacom.
plete without some account OF the fates
which befeE the discoveries OF the Missi.-
spp! river after their return from their
daring expedition. Joliet fastened on IN
quebec TO make his report 10 the Count de
krontenac. Unfortunately. while shooting
the rapids above Montreal. his canoe turned. |
and he bareiy escaped with his life, losing
all his papers. Nevertheless. he drew 40 a |
narrative OF his voyage from recollection. |
ana also .ketched map OF the country
through waich ne had passed. These From
;enac forwarded TO France, and in previous
dispatches had announced the discover, of
the great river 10 the Gu!f o.. Mexico ! :.
Joliet seems then 20 have fallen back into
his oGiglDa. Gbs"uritv. and beca ne AGAIN a !
trader with he lndian-. The French gov !
eminent rewarded hs service. by the git. :
Of the islam. ~ Auticos-i. and al. that Is
known ~ III" IL that after varicu. .iciszi-
,udss o: fortune he died, az II is vaguely ; !,
''some years prio. to 49,.
The subsequent career OF Father Mar !,
luette has NOR. in i: OF melancholy
'omance. Returning from his EXPEDITION 10 :,
discover the Mississippi. be sent 10 his SUI
,eror las IN the ordinary coarse OF hi. =
luty as soldier of the Company Of Jesus, q
o repOr: limsel: to his immediate com. !,
nandaItt,S modest account OF the discoy- -
ries. az II made not by himself bu. by the
'ieur joliet. His strength having been :,
earIy exhausted by the great hard.hps of | :"
rs voyage he remained TO recUperate hi, ! d
ealth az TIE mission eli St. Francis Xavier, d
Il Green Bay, until September, 1874. Then a.
artia'!y recovering he set gu: for his mis- =;
ion among the Illinois Indians. On his III
Tay thither he was again taken i'll and was 9.
I, pass the winter III a miserable -
pen cabin eli the bank OF heChicayo river
ut cared 10: b.; some French traders there. !
In the spHng OF lb1J he was so far recov. W.
red as to proceed to his mission. Having
ertOrmed lis duties tIere he was return ~
* along tle eastern shore of Lake Mich ! -
i'm. Still he pe'severed in his voyage l i
ntH az las conscious that ne was about 10 ID"
e. ana p.cdelvlng the moutl, OF a small
Vef witnan enlnence on the bank whici. =
: thought suited to his burial he caused 81
: compa. ;ons to land there with him.
On that iesert coast, on the eighteenth of G Ge
az. IS. . vixen tu: thirty e git wears old GU
It'll the most cheerful calmues- 81. met his
ID; EiS last words were. ''.nat.' DEL '"i
cmenh, rcI. When his last agony was
e;. his two GiscOnsoiate companions, odI
,ried hishody according to the directions ~.
had given, and only the summer sephyrs VII
I'm off TIE placid surface Of Lake Mich,- COZ
n came 'hithcr gently through the sur
und:Dg prest. to softly chant his funeral VI
rye. But hi. body was not long to remain !
ere. TIE Indians whom rs had instructed pr
Lapon". at the extremity Of Lake Sup.- ho'
u. learning OF the death of their beloved i
ieher, deliberately resolved, 10 remove his 80
hes tron their desolate Iestin. place -.
acing tlen. in a box OF birch bark, they
ought them. in 1917. in barbarc state, dat
lvoyed % ovev twenty Canoes. to Mack mn
W.. her
There. with appropriate religious cere- .l.e
mics, tier We're deposited in little vault g.,
the middle o.: the Mission Church. .I'n
here. says the ch-oniclev, The repose. as ~,
guardian ange! OF the Ottawa Missions" ho.
3 missionaries abandoned that pos, in Eo.
II. burning down their church. Another | -,a
5 aftervard erected OF its site. but that 81
has disappeared. Ii seems not 70 be ~, ~
OWN whether the m,ssicnarie. took the ..'>
les 81; Marquette away with chem o. not. ''''
thus the las. resting place Of the dis
e?er q the Mississippi !. now as I'M II
,wn as that Of his fore:unner in :t.ex- thee
ration. the gallant DeSoto. whose corpse dres
} bu,iei in lts southern water. wor
or long time Marquette's fac. seemed! Sak
10 be:ss completely burie,! as his NOR shell
YemairS For some reason no. l,nnv, ! OF ,