The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-15

By the channel Of the Illinois. This. n true
would place 10 La Saile's credit the discovery
| OF both the Ohio and the Mississippi. That L.
salls reached the Ohio and pursued II for 9
| while IL conceded By Parkman sud others. and
II has been contendsd that the explorers
memorial TO Frontenae in 1877 to some extent
| substantiates the claim. On the whole. Mr..
winsor thinks that the conclusion 10 very
fairly put IN the latest judgment expressed by
DR.. shea. that La Sale. by way OF Lake Erie.
reached the Illinois. or some other afiuent OF
the Mississippi but made no report and made
NO claim, having failed to reach the main
river" That In Montreal La SALES projects
were regarded as having entirely missed
fruition seems Indicated By the rocking name
OF La Chine which was applied TO the estate
he had parted with, in derision OF his abortive
attempt TO find his way to China.
Iu.
In 1873 the Count OF Frontsnsc. Who in the
previous year had been appointed Governor Of
New France. reared q fort named after him
SELF at place called Catarsoui. on the north
ern shore OF Lake Ontario. and formed plans
OF another fort at Niagara and OF building q
vessel on Lake Erie. his purpose being to bar
the Dutch and English effectually from the
waters OF the upper lakes. In 1914 he sent La
Sale. with whom he had formed cordial rela-
lions. to Europe. in order 10 urge the fulnl-
ment Of his projects on the French Govsrn-
ment He wrote to Colbert that La Sale was q
man worth listening to- and thus the King
heard from the latter . proposal that Fort
Frontsnac and the adjacent lands should be
granted to him IS q seieniory. In recognition
OF the service which he proposed to render to
New France. he also solicited = patent OF no.
bility. Colbert acauiescinR. all went as La
Sale wished. except that he was obliged to
agree TO rebuild the fort in masonry.
This agreement was not an unimpor-
tant factor in his later difficulties. In
1915 We ind La Sale &C Frontenao
engaged In increasing It's efficiency rs . trad
ing post. According to an official report OF
Frontenac's. he spent $4,000 livres on the
fort. gathered settlers on the walls. and
launched two orthree small vessels on Lake
Ontario. Mr.. Winsor thinks there IL some
reason for supposing that La Sale had come
to think Il easy to open channel Of commune
cation with the Mississippi Valley by way OF
the Maumee and Wabash and to extend his
trade beyond Niagara in that direction. With
such dreams floating in his mind he once
more. in 1877 embarked for France. In q
NON orial to the King he said that his work at
Fort Frontenac was intended to form . base
for Western trade that should extend to the
Mississippi. and no seems to have believed that
this river flowed into what then stood for
Mobile Bay on Spanish maps. To this end
he asked to DO allowed to establish
other posts toward the south and west for
the space Of Ave YEARS His visbss
ware complied with in n.tent nv
which he was allowed to build forts I'm
tbs covetsd countrv "tbrouob vhicb n ,vopid
seem that A massage 70 Mexico can be found {"
Thereupon La Sale seems to have called sue
eessfullv upon his relatives in France for q. nj
tai. what was mora i'm ortant he sseursd The
fealty Of a remarkable man Hugh Tonty. tb.
son OF an italian refugee. whose name IA pre-
served In the system of Tontine in surance In
mora faithful serviror than Ton,v was N
;. Sale and II IA nronou csd one q, the nroos.
hat tbe discoyerer Of the mouth Of the Mis.I.-
.inpi had som etbinp In him which com nsllsd
reapect that Tonty remained hi. fast fr,snd
In 1879 Ia ea,ls aai,ed from RocbeIIs tatJno
With him shipvriRhts and m schanios. together
With anchors. sails. and cordare for a ye,se To |
30 built ON Lake Erie.
-
Nv.
Thu mart thres vears vsrs vs,r. a, tr,., |
vhicb would have broke The snirit a, Almost |
INV man exoept La salle The vssssl buiIt for |
AXE Erie fouudsred: another yeassl b.0un on |
hs banks Of tina nlinoi. River had 10 hs ah.n-
ioned attem pts to establish fortified posts ON
he last named river failed; over and over
gain the adyenturer was deserted by COM
,anions whom be trusted. Az last In Lupn,t
es1. he was once M ore ON his wny west. A.
,ordine to one account. he had ffty-four ner-
ons in his train. OF whom tventy-tbree vers
srenchmen. By November he had reacbed
Fort Miami. whore he divided his party. Most
4 the train. under Tonty and a Freneh prioat
famed Membre. pushed around the head Of
AXE Michigan 100 miles to the Chi
ago River. and thence dragged their
,urdsns over eighty leagues of the
rozen streams to the Illinoia On
An. 4. 1882. La salls himself ioin,d
hem By the Ksnkakee routs Tbey found
pen water for their canoes when they reached
'ort Crayscnun La SALES ruined most on the
illinois. and on Feb. Q they glided ont upon
he Mississippi. known at that time an the
Gilbert River. Passing the mouth of the
sage River tths Missouril Membr4 record.
renort that bayond the mountain. vbara
! |