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 OF THE 
 
 UN IVER5ITY 
 
 or ILLl N015 
 
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 917.6 
 
 B65noEf 
 
 v.l 
 
 WlnoiJ Historical Survfi/
 
 Ss:©®&)5SSgi'SS:'S^'4^©?SiS3'§!3a 
 
 T R A V ELS 
 
 T H R O U G II 
 
 LOUISIANA. 
 
 jgs-@"g:^mg©^@^s@f5.©@s^.^^^ES
 
 
 
 \;ioJL-i 
 
 .■v/ 

 
 TRAVELS 
 
 THROUGH THAT PART OF 
 
 NORTH AMERICA 
 
 FORMERLY CALLED 
 
 LOUISIANA. 
 
 By Mr. B O S S U, Captain in the 
 French Marines, 
 
 Translated from the FRENCH 
 
 » 
 
 By JOHN REINHOLD FORSTER* F.A.S. 
 
 Illustrated with NOTES relative chiefly to 
 NATURAL HISTORY. 
 
 TO WHICH IS ADDED BY THE TRANSLATOR 
 
 A SYSTEMATIC CATALOGUE of all the 
 KNOWN Plants of English North-America, 
 
 o r, a 
 FLORA AMERICA SEP TENTRION ALIS. 
 
 TOGETHER WITH-., 
 
 An ABSTRACT of the most useful ano 
 
 necessary articles contained in 
 
 PETER LOE FLING'S TRAVELS 
 
 THROUGH Spain and Cumana in South America. 
 
 Referred to the Pages of the original Swedifli Edition. 
 
 VOL. L 
 
 Omari res ipfa negat* contenta doceri. Horat. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for T. DA VIES in RufTel- Street, Cpvent-Garden. 
 
 MDCCLXXL
 
 '■''(i'j-l. ■ .r 
 
 7? 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 T O 
 
 WILLIAM CONSTABLE, Efqi 
 of Burton-Constable. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 THE zeal with which you promote the 
 great caufe of learning, and efpeci- 
 ally that of Natural Hiftory, the Polite 
 Arts and Antiquities, intitle you to the 
 regard and homage of every one who is 
 converfant with Arts and Sciences : but 
 the favour you were fo kind to beftow up- 
 on me, before you proceeded on the tour 
 through the different parts of Europe, en- 
 courages me to take this early opportunity 
 to congratulate you on your return to vour 
 phiiofophic retirement, and publicly to ac- 
 knowledge the gratitude and attachment 
 which will ever prompt me to think my- 
 felf happy in my weak endeavours to ap- 
 prove my condud and fentiments to my 
 friends and benefa(5tors. 
 
 May 
 
 5:^96^.^2
 
 vi D E D I C A T I O K. 
 
 May you always enjoy perfed health, 
 
 and all the rational and moral blefllngs of 
 
 rthis life ; and, after a long feriss of years, 
 
 diftinguifhed by adions of . benevolence, 
 
 ' friendihip, and virtue, exchange thefe 
 
 ''tranfitory enjoyments for everlafling feli-' 
 
 city. Thefe are the fincere and invariable 
 
 wifhes of him who fiihfcribes himfelf, 
 
 xvjth thef trvieft regard. 
 
 'J 
 
 II SI R, 
 
 Your moft obllgea _ "V'^* 
 London, OcI. j. ^^^ ^ 
 
 obedient humble fervant, 
 
 1771. 
 
 hi 
 
 hi: 
 
 •in. 
 
 JOHN REINHOLD FORSTER:
 
 P R E F A C E. 
 
 to fupply the Engl ifli reader with a good 
 account of a country, which now enjoys the hap- 
 pinefs to be under the mild influence and fway of 
 the Britifn fceptre -, and, if properly adminiftered 
 and peopled, might in time become one of the 
 great fupports of that power, which makes Great 
 Britain refpected ever all the globe. The coun- 
 try here defctibed is lufceptible of great ' improve- 
 ments, capable to fupply the mother-country with 
 immenfe (lores of raw materials for her manufac- 
 tures, and to take in return the produds of our 
 induftry j a commerce which, ccnnecled with re- 
 ligious and civil liberty, is the only bafis on whicli 
 the grandeur of this nation can be laftingly found- 
 ed with any degree of probability. 
 
 The Catalogue of North American plants is a 
 mere attempt, to make the curiovis more atten- 
 tive. to the American fpontaneous produds, and 
 v;hich will give a higher degree of certainty of fuc- 
 cefs to the plantations of fuch plants as were re- 
 commended to tJie public, by the ingenious and 
 great promoter of Natural lliftory and Plantations 
 John Ellis, Efqi \nd. Catalogue of fuch foreign plants 
 as aye luorthv of beinz encouraged in our American 
 cclouies for the purpofes of ratdidney agricuUure, and 
 commerce. 
 
 The
 
 Tiii F R E F A C E. 
 
 The Englifh names affixed to the greater part 
 of the plants, will make it more eafy to the com- 
 mon people to know and to \ik them, bring the 
 icience more down even to the lowed capacities, 
 fix the hitherto vague and multifarious denomina- 
 tions of plants in various parts of America, and 
 qbviate that confufion and drynefs already too com- 
 mon ia the (ludy of that ufcful branch of know- 
 ledge. 
 
 L.oefling's. defcriptions of the SpaniSi and South 
 American plants are the only things in his journal 
 which deferve the attention of a curious reader ^ the 
 letters publifhed along with them in the Swedifh, 
 are compliments of a grateful pupil to his tutor, 
 znd queries and dubia relative to botany, and there- 
 fore not worth a tranflation. The Englifh public 
 has now all the voyages and publications of the 
 Lini-isan fchool -, Hi^JfeliniJl^ OJheck^ Toreen, Kalm, 
 and Lcefing make the whole of them. 
 
 The French word otttarde fignifies commonly a- 
 hujiardy but in North America they give that name 
 to a kind of geefe, which I therefore bes; to cor- 
 re<fl, vol. i. p. 96. ; having but lately got an in- 
 formation about it, from a gentleman who is juft 
 returned from North America. 
 
 The Sardines mentioned vol. i. p. 2. arc not, as 
 1 have fufpcfled in the note, xh'z pilchards^ fo com- 
 mon on our vYcftern coafts; but a kind of herring, 
 not yet dcfcribed, peculiar to the neighbourhood 
 of Belle- JJley and the coall of French Bretany.
 
 
 ^ i « )^*^ 000 )^*^ t^ % 
 TRAVELS 
 
 THROUGH 
 
 LOUISIANA. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 To the Marquis de TEstRade. 
 
 The Author's Departure for America ; Befcription 
 of the 'Tcwn cfCapt Francois ; Cruelties of the 
 Spaniards to^joards the Natives of the IJle of St. 
 Domingo ; ivorking of the Alines j true Origin ef 
 the Mai de Nipples, 
 
 ^^'^^^^■^vHEN I had the honour of tak- 
 "^^ ^^ ing my leave of you, I was or- 
 p^ v'^ dered to communicate to you 
 *^c^*'^J^ every particular that fhould ap- 
 pear remarkable to me in this new world ; 
 you fartlier defired of me an account of all 
 interefting fubjeds which might happen on 
 Vol. L B the
 
 2 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 the pafTage. I am glad that my ftay at 
 Cape Franfois affords me an opportunity of 
 fulfilling an engagement which is dear to 
 me, becatife its execution may prove agree- 
 able to you. 
 
 I was at Belle- Jp in 1750, M. Lt Cheva- 
 lier de Grojfoles commanded at that place ; he 
 gave me a letter from the Count d'Argenfon, 
 from which I learnt, that his Majefty had made 
 me Lieutenant in the Marines •, this Minifter 
 gave me orders to fet out immediately for 
 Rochefort; accordingly I went on board the 
 iirfl fifhing fmack deflined to carry the An- 
 chovies--^ .(Sardines) to Rochelle, which are 
 caught on the Coaft of Bretany, and which 
 are the chief fupport of the inhabitants of 
 Belle-JJk, 
 
 In 
 
 * The true Anchcvks are caught in the Mediterranean ; 
 and thofe few that now and then appear in the feas 
 near Eyzgland or France, are rather rare examples ; they 
 are certainly not fo numerous that a profitable fifhery of 
 them could be inllituted. The Sardine of our Author, 
 therefore, feems to be the Pilchard, a fifh that is very 
 copioufly caught on the coaRs of Cornv:all and French 
 B^retany. Linnaeus has no peculiar fpeciiic name for this 
 f £01, though the great Englijh natural hillorian, Ray, ia 
 his Syn. pifc. 104, had pointed out the charaders of 
 this fpecies ; which now is done more fully by Mr. Pen- 
 nant, in his Eritifn Zoology, HI. p. 291. F.
 
 LOUISIANA; 3 
 
 In November we weighed anchor before the 
 Palace '^^ (which is the name of the towrt on this 
 inland) ; and the very firil night of our voyage 
 we had fuch a violent ftorm on the coafr of Pot- 
 tou^ that our little veflel being beat about and 
 iurrounded by the waves, we expeded every 
 moment to go to the bottom : The crew connil- 
 ed of a pilot, and three failors from. Lower Brc- 
 tan%\ who are commonly called Sea-ii'olves ']" -y 
 and are fo well accurtomed to this element, that 
 they brave the hardeft weather. The wind hav- 
 ing increafed, our captain was obliged to put in 
 at the IJle de Dieu, fituated between Poitou and 
 the county d'Aunis. We (laid there eight days •, 
 at the expiration of which, thefea being calmed, 
 v/e fet fail again, and continued our voyage to 
 the Ifle of Rhc', from whence I crofied a chan- 
 nel of the lea about three leagues broad, that 
 feparates the ifle from the continent, and ar- 
 rived at Rcchelle, and the day after I came to 
 Rochefort. I was direded to addrefs myfelf to 
 the intendanc of the department of the mariile, 
 who is M. k Nvrmant dt Mejl^ a man of real 
 merit, and delcrving of the place he occupies, 
 by his talents and the goodneis of his heart : he 
 told me, that, as foon as I Ihould have equipped 
 fijyfelf for my voyage, I was to go to RcchUe, 
 
 B 2 and 
 
 * Le Palais. f Loups de msr.
 
 4 TRAVELS through 
 
 and embark in the fliip called the Pontchartralny 
 of 400 tuns. M le Normant had freighted this 
 fhip for the King's account, in order to tranf- 
 port four companies of the marines, whom we 
 took in at the citadel on the ifle of Rhi: they 
 were deflined to reinforce the garrifon of NeiJ9 
 Orleans. 
 
 We fet fail from Rochelk the 26th of Decem- 
 ber, and had contrary winds for above a fort- 
 night on the coaft of Spain. We were already 
 willing to put in at Corunna, in order to be Ihel- 
 tered from the violence of the winds ; when 
 happily the wind fhifted ; and, towards the end 
 of January, we were in fight of Madeira^ an 
 ifle belonging to Portugal * ; it is called the 
 queen of iflands, on account of its fertility and 
 the excellence of its foil ; it has near twenty 
 leagues in circumference, produces good wines, 
 and very fine fruits. 
 
 On the 15th of February wepafTed the tropic 
 of Cancer. The next day the failors fpent in 
 
 fome 
 
 * It is an African ifland in the Atlantic ocean, and fitu- 
 ated to the north of the Canary iflands ; which latter were 
 difcqjfered in 141 7, by a Norman gentleman called Jean 
 Bethenccurt, who bore the title of King of the Canaries, 
 and made the conqueft of them to the Spaniards, who polTefs 
 them now.
 
 LOUISIANA. 5 
 
 ibme ridiculous ceremonies, which they oblige 
 thofe to undergo who never pafied the line be- 
 fore : they are baptifed with fea-water •, but may 
 avoid this too abundant afperfion by making a 
 fmall prefent to the boatfwain. 
 
 Two months after leaving Rochelle we arrived 
 at Cape Francois, in the ille of St. Domingo ; 
 which is that part of America where the Spaniards 
 have firft built towns and forts. 
 
 The town lies at the bottom of a promontory : 
 it is defended by a fort cut in the rock, at the 
 entrance of the port. This fortrefs, which has 
 a good {lore of artillery, projecfls into the fea; 
 and by that means forms a cape, from whence 
 the town takes its name. Its inhabitants are 
 European merchants, Creoles, and negroes \ the 
 lad being employed to cultivate fugar-canes, 
 coffee, indigo, cacao, cotton, caiTia, tobacco, 
 and various other produfls. 
 
 The French and Spaniards have divided the 
 ifland between them -, the latter poffefs the weft- 
 ern part of it *. San Domingo is the capital of 
 
 B 3 the 
 
 * Since that time the Spaniards have given their fhare of 
 this ifland to the French. F.
 
 6 TRAVELS through 
 
 the illand ; it is the feat of a bifhop, whom the 
 King of Spain appoints. 
 
 This ifland is celebrated by the origin of the 
 mal de Naples^ or venereal difeafe. Authors dif- 
 agree fo much on this fubjedt, and have told 
 the ftory in fo many different ways, that I think 
 I fhall not do amifs to reprefent it in its true 
 light. 
 
 Nicolas de Ohando was governor of this ifle, to- 
 wards the end of the fifteenth century, during 
 the reign of King Ferdinand of Jrragon and Ifa- 
 hella of Cafiile : he had ftridt orders to work at 
 the converfion of the fubdued Indians j he diftri- 
 buted them among tl^e Spaniards, giving a hun- 
 dred of them to one rnan, fifty to another; and 
 calling this proceeding a repartimientOj (a divi- 
 fion). I believe ypvj will agree with me, Sir, 
 that this is a very fingular method of making 
 converts in America ; fuch maxims are quite 
 contrary to the true fpirit of the Chriftian reli- 
 
 gion 
 
 Thefe 
 
 * " The King Don Ferdinand, being informed of thefe 
 ** diforders, had turned r.ll his attention towards remedying 
 ** them ; and his care chiefly regarded the Indians, whom 
 •' he wifhed to proteft and convert, as it has always been the 
 Y maxim of the Catholic kings. He gave feveral orders, 
 
 «♦ and
 
 LOUISIANA. 1 
 
 Thefe Spaniards, greedy of gold, forced the 
 wretched Indians to work in the mines, and kept 
 them almoft buried in the earth for eight or nine 
 months together. This hard labour, the ful- 
 phureous vapours which continually rofe from 
 the mines, and the famine to which they were 
 reduced by the impoflibility of cultivating their 
 grounds, fo corrupted the mafs of their blood, 
 that their faces became tinged with a faftron co- 
 lour ; a kind of puftules came out on every part 
 of their body, and caufed them infupportable 
 pains. They foon communicated this ficknefs 
 to their wives, and fo of courfe to their ene- 
 mies ; and they ail perifhed for want of a, re- 
 medy. 
 
 The afflifted Spaniards hoped, that this kind 
 of peft would not follow them to Europe, whi- 
 ther they went for the change of air -, but they 
 were deceived ; and, on their return, they gave 
 the Europeans the dillemper they got from the 
 
 jimericans. 
 
 B 4 How- 
 
 " and publifhed laws, that they fhould be inftruifled with 
 " mildnefs, difintcreflednefs, and by example : but as an 
 ** arrow falls without force at the bottom of the aim, when 
 " it is beyond the reach of the arm that fhot it; fo, all the 
 *' methods which he made ufe of to make his defigns fuc- 
 " cecd, loft their force as they got to a greater diftance." 
 fion Antonio ds So/iu
 
 8 TRAVELS through 
 
 However, Providence pitied thefe wretchec} 
 iflanders : an Indian \voman, the wife of a Spa-r 
 niard, difcovered, fome time afier^ that a kind 
 of wood called guayacatiy was a fuiiicient cure 
 for their diftemper *. 
 
 It is but too true, Sir, that evil produces evil. 
 The Spaniards have facrificed millions of men in 
 the new v/orld-, they have laid v/afce countries 
 of vail extent, in order to ufurp the gold of the 
 Indians. 
 
 r 
 
 Gold and filver give as rnuch trouble and far 
 tigue to thofe who work them out of the mines, 
 as they afford contentment and eafe to their pof- 
 feffors. A Spanilh engineer told me, that twen- 
 ty-nine years were fpent in fearching, in the 
 mountains of Potoji, for the famous vein of Cru~ 
 jerOy which is two hundred and fifty yards deep. 
 Such is the hard and fupernatural labour which 
 power and defire of riches exadls, and which is 
 
 executed 
 
 •-'• Notwithftanding what our author fays concerning the 
 origin of this difeafe, it is well known, that the inhabitants 
 of South and North America had the difeafe when the Eu- 
 ropeans came to them ; but they well knew how to cure it, 
 though they carefully kept this knowledge from their Euro- 
 pean enemies ; and it has but lately been difcovered, that 
 in the fouth the Guayacum, and in the north the Siillingia 
 fylvatica, together with other plants, are the Indian fpe- 
 cifics. F.
 
 LOUISIANA. 9 
 
 executed by neceflity and fervitude, in order to 
 extra6t gold from the bowels of the earth. The 
 •wretched workmen who are employed there, en- 
 joy neither the air of our atmofphere, nor the 
 light of the fun, and bury themfelves in infec- 
 tious and cold abyfles ; of which the exhalations 
 are fo unwholefome, that they caufe fvvoons and 
 giddinefs to the workmen as foon as they offer 
 to go in. They make ufe of candles to light 
 them in thefe dark fubterraneous places : the 
 metal is generally hard in them ; they break it 
 in pieces with hammers, load it on their Ihould- 
 ers, and mount upwards on ladders made of 
 twilled hides of oxen, with wooden Heps, contri- 
 ved in fuch a manner, that whilft one goes up 
 on one fide, another may defcend on the other : 
 thefe ladders are divided into ten fets. A man 
 generally carries two arohas of metal on his 
 back *, wrapped up in a piece of cloth : he that 
 goes firfl has a candle faftened to his thumb ; 
 and they all hold themfelves v/ith both hands on 
 the ladder, in order to be able to go upwards 
 for the fpace of 250 feet. 
 
 The general hiftory of America tells us, that 
 the nations of Florida took the facks with filver, 
 and threw them far from themfelves as ufelefs. 
 The Mexicans, on the contrary, were fond of 
 ^ gold ; 
 
 ^ An Aroba is 25 pounds, foids de Marc.
 
 io TRAVELS through 
 
 gold; though, as Jofeph d'AcoJla fays, in his 
 univerfal hiftory of the Indies, " it is true that 
 " their avarice was not arrived to that pitch 
 " where ours is •, and that, notwithftanding 
 " their being idolaters, they never have worfhip- 
 " ped gold and Ijlver fo much as fome bad 
 *' Chriftians have done, who have committed 
 *' the rnoft atrocious crimes for the fake of that 
 « metal." 
 
 The fame author relates the following anec- 
 dote, which perfectly characfterizes man's ftupid 
 defire after riches. " A Spanifh. monk, confi- 
 *' dering the height of the famous volcano of 
 ** Gtiatimala^ took it into his head, that that 
 *' which he faw inflamed muft needs be a mafs of 
 •* gold, fmce it had burnt for many ages toge- 
 ** ther without being confumed. Mifled by this 
 " falfe principle, he invented fome kettles, 
 " chains, and other inftruments, with which 
 •' he intended to draw the liquid gold from this 
 *' kind of well : but the fire difappointed him ; 
 " for the chain and kettle were fcarce entered 
 " into this infernal orifice, but they immediate- 
 " ly melted down. However," fays our author, 
 " this man perfiHed in inventing new methods 
 " for fetching up the gold after which he thirlled 
 " fo much i but one day happening to come too 
 ♦' near the mouth of the volcano, the exhalations 
 
 ** froin
 
 LOUISIANA. II 
 
 '* from it killed him, when he expefted to have 
 *' fucceeded in his whimfical defign. Thus 
 " blind mortals haften their death by too great a 
 purfuit after the luxuries of this life." 
 
 {( 
 
 But to return to the Indians of Saint Domingo. 
 The hiltory of that ifle informs us, that a Ca- 
 iique # called Poncra^ being harafled by the Spa- 
 niards, refolved to flee from his village, which 
 the enemies found abandoned, and where they 
 took three thoufand marks of gold, which had 
 been left there. Vafco Nunez de Balboa, the 
 fucceflbr of Nicolas de Obando^ fent his people 
 to the Cacique, with orders to aflure him, that he 
 Ihould not fear to return, becaufe he fhould be his 
 friend ; but that if he did not come back, he 
 Ihould go and hunt for him, and caufe him to 
 be devoured by his dogs •[-. 
 
 Poncra 
 
 ■^ A cacique is a petty prince or king of the Indians. 
 
 \ The Spaniards had brought over with them from Europe 
 feme maftifFs, which they had taught to hunt the Indians ; 
 as foon as they were let loofe upon thefe wretches, they tore 
 out their bowels, and devoured them. One of thefe dogs 
 called Baremel was very much dreaded all over the ifland ; 
 and though he was guarded by a fhield agaiaft the arrows of 
 the Indians, they, it is faid, at laft killed him, by piercing 
 his eyes with darts, which was a kind of triumph for them.
 
 12 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 Toncra was frightened by his threats, and did 
 riot venture to difobey. He brought with him 
 three of his vaflals. 'Nunez, de Balboa employed 
 in vain all the cunnino- imao-inable to brina him 
 to difcover the place where they got the gold, 
 which he had heard contained great quantities of 
 that metal : good ufage and puniihments were 
 equally infufficient to bring him to confefs what 
 perhaps he did not know. As to the three thou- 
 fand marks of gold which had been found, Pon- 
 era faid, that thofe who had amafled them died 
 in the times of his fathers, and that he had not 
 thought it worth while to fend people to fearch 
 for more, having no need of it. This unhappy 
 Cacique was given up to the fury of the dogs, 
 that devoured him with his three companions. 
 
 Some time after, a Spaniard fell into the hands 
 of the fubjedls of the unhappy F oner a ; they re- 
 proached him witk the exceffive thirft of his 
 countrymen after gold, and the injuflices it led 
 
 them 
 
 Antcnio de tierrera., in his firft Decas, relates, that this 
 £epce creature, v.hofe inftinft was fingular, guarded a nar- 
 row pafs in the ifle of St. Domingo ; and that, one day an 
 Indian woman, being defirous of paffing by him, addrefTed, 
 him in thefe words : Signer Dog, do mt hurt me ; / carry this 
 later to the Chrijlians : he adds, that the dog immediately 
 Jmeiled at her, pijfed at her, (thofe are his very words) arJi 
 Juffered her to pafs v.^ilhout doing her any harm.
 
 LOUISIANA. 13 
 
 them to commit ; that this avidity alone forced 
 them from their country, and brought them 
 acrofs numberlefs perils to that illand, to dillurb 
 its inhabitants, who lived peaceably before in 
 their huts, under the protedlion of the Great 
 Sprit *. 
 
 After this fliort harangue, they melted fome 
 gold, and poured it into his mouth and ears, 
 faying, Thou dog, fince. thou art fo willing to pof- 
 fefs it, glut thyjelf. 
 
 It muft, however, be ov/ned, Sir, that, if 
 the Mexican hiftory Ihews us nothing but horror, 
 that of St. Domingo, on the other hand, furniihes 
 us with inftances of generofity. 
 
 Don Pedro de Magaratit,, formerly a comman- 
 dant here for the King of Spain, was offered a 
 couple of living turtle - doves, by an Indian 
 in a great famine. The general took them, 
 paid the Indian handfomely for them, and beg- 
 ged part of the garrifon to go with him to the 
 highell part of the town -, where, being arrived, 
 he faid to them, holding the little creatures in 
 his hand, *' Gentlemen, I am forry that people 
 
 " have 
 
 • Thus the Indians call the Supreme Being.
 
 14 TRAVELS THROiJGif 
 
 *^ have not brought me provifions fnfHcient td 
 " treat you all •, 1 cannot refolve to fatisfy my ap-» 
 " petite, vvhilft you are ftarving :" and as he 
 had fpoke thefe words, he let the birds fly 
 away. 
 
 An infinite number of other inflances may be 
 added to this, which do no lefs honour to the 
 inhabitants of this ifle. There are feveral that 
 deferve to be recorded in hiftory ; and among 
 thofe that I have been told, I cannot help think- 
 ing the following ftory worth your notice. An 
 old inhabitant of St. Domingo had acquired a 
 confiderable fortune there by his labour, indu- 
 ftry, and trade. His condud and manners re- 
 mained unaltered by profperity •, and he only, 
 valued his riches, becaufe they enabled him to 
 ferve others. 
 
 Whenever a Ihip arrived from France^ he ran 
 to the coafh to fee the paflengers land, and gene-* 
 rally conduced them to his home. One day he 
 faw feveral young people, who expeded to make 
 their fortune as foon as they arrived ; they had 
 letters of recommendation, on which they de- 
 pended fo much, that they took little notice of 
 the good planter, who accofted them ; he left 
 them, wiihing them all kind of profperity: 
 
 fome
 
 LOUISIANA. 15 
 
 fome time after he met them again looking very 
 fad and difcontented with the reception they had 
 found. Gentlemen, fays he to them, you are 
 not recommended to me, and you did not rely 
 on me. I am your fellow-creature, and you wane 
 afliflance -, come to my houfe, you will there find 
 a table and a lodging at your fervice ; and during 
 that time perhaps fomething may ofter, that will 
 fuit your inclinations. The young people were 
 enraptured, and accepted his offers •, they fol- 
 lowed him to his houfe, where they found a 
 table fpread for twenty perfons, and ferved by 
 as many Negro fervants. One of the new co- 
 mers alked whether they v/ere at a wedding, 
 and was furprifed to hear that this was nothing 
 extraordinary. The m after cf the houfe kept 
 them in his houfe for fome time-, his advices, 
 and the pains he took about them, foon procu- 
 red them very advantageous fituadons. 
 
 You will eafily believe, Sir, that fo good a 
 mailer was loved and refpedled by all his flaves, 
 who looked upon him as upon their father. 
 This man was very far from being animated by 
 the brutal avidity of fome planters, that force 
 their wretched flaves to fuch hard labour, that 
 they refufe to marry, in' order to avoid genera- 
 ^ting flaves to fuch m afters, who treat them, 
 
 when 
 
 iPf
 
 « 
 
 i6 TRAVELS through 
 
 •when old and infirm, worfe than their dogs and 
 horfes *. 
 
 As to the inhabitants of the French illands in 
 the Weft Indies, I can aflure you they are very 
 generous towards ftrangers : a perfon may even 
 travel in the interior parts of the country, wich* 
 out the leaftexpence to himfelf; if his counte- 
 nance be free and open, and his behaviour de- 
 cent, he is fufficiently qualified for a favourable 
 reception in every habitation. 
 
 It is with great juftice that we reckon the 
 Creoles noble in France : their fentiments are fo 
 noble and delicate in every ftation of life, that 
 they perfeftly deferve that appellation. 
 
 Man is every where the fame •, he is equally 
 fufceptible of good and evil ; education corrects 
 his vices, but does not give him virtue ; the 
 
 fame 
 
 * I have feen a planter, whofe name v/as Chaperon, who 
 forced one of his negroes to go into a. heated oven, where 
 the poor wretch expired ; and his jaws being fhrivelled up, 
 the barbarous Chaperon faid, I believe the fellow laughs, 
 and took a poker to ftir him up. Since that time he is 
 grown the fcare-crow of all the flaves ; who, when they 
 have done fomething araifs, are threatened by their mailers 
 with, / 'Will /ell thee to Chaperon,
 
 L O U 1 S I A N ,A- 17 
 
 fame Being has created the civilized man and 
 the favage, and has endowed them with the 
 fame qualities, as you will find in the fequel of 
 my correfpondence. If I cannot amufe you 
 with my flile, at leafl I fhall make my narrative 
 interefting, through tlie fingularity of the fads 
 I intend to relate. 
 
 I am, S I R, ^c. 
 
 Cape Francois, the 15//; 
 of February 175 1. 
 
 
 
 Vol. I., C L E T-
 
 % 
 
 i9 TRAVELS THRouGS 
 
 
 LETTER IL 
 
 Tb M^ fame, 
 
 The Author's Departure from Cape Francois for 
 Louifiana. Short Vefcription of the Harbour of 
 the Havannah. Of the famous Gulph of Mexir 
 CO ; and. of New Orleans, 
 
 S I R, 
 
 K^.^"^ E weighed anchor the 8th of March 
 
 ^^^^ fight of Cubay which is the moft tern- 
 perate of all the Antilles. The Havannah is the 
 ftore of all the riches of America, on account of 
 its fituation, and the extent and convenience of 
 its harbour, which can contain upwards of a 
 thoufand fhips. It is the common rendez-vous 
 of the Spaniih fleets returning to Europe ; and 
 it is defended by three forts. Cul>a^ is two hun- 
 dred leagues long, and between twenty-five and 
 t;hirty broad i fixteen years have been fpent m 
 difcoveries to afcertain- whether it was an ifle or 
 
 continent ^
 
 Louisiana. 19 
 
 continent : it lies under the tropic of Cancer, 
 that is, in twenty-three degrees and a half north 
 latitude. Near the middle of the ifland, to the 
 fouthward, are a number of little ifles very 
 clofe to each other, which are called the Garden 
 of the Queen *. 
 
 During the equinox we fuffered a very vio- 
 lent florm between Cape Catoche and Cape An-^ 
 iomo\ the latter, which we doubled on the 
 twenty-third,, is at the weftern point of the ifle 
 of Cuba. I was very fea-fick, having never been 
 at fea on fo long a voyage ; but the defire of 
 ferving my country in a new land, fufficiently 
 compenfated all the hardlhips I underwent on 
 my paffage. The winds changed, the fea be- 
 came fmooth, and, a few days after, we enter- 
 ed into the famous gulph of Mexico^ where we 
 met with a prodigious quantity of floating tim- 
 ber, coming from Louijima down the Yiver MiJ/i^ 
 fippi : thefe logs of wood are feen for above two 
 hundred leagues at fea, and fcrve as guides to 
 the entrance of the river in hazy and foggy wea- 
 ther ; it being very difficult to get into it, on ac-^ 
 Count of the rocks and flioals in the neighbour- 
 hood of its entrance. 
 
 C 1 In 
 
 Jardin de la Reyna,
 
 10 TRAVELS THROuctt 
 
 In the iirft days of April we perceived the 
 fort Balife at the mouth of the MiJJifippi. Mr. 
 le Moine d'3erville, a Canada gentleman, difco- 
 vered, in 1698 *, this mouth of the river, 
 which M. de la Salle miffed in 1684. Our vef- 
 fel ftruck upon the bar •, we fired a gun to call 
 the pilot, and at the fame time the captain dif- 
 embarked the artillery of the Ihipj and the two 
 hundred regular troops which were on board for 
 the fervice of the colony of Lottifiana •, which 
 made the veffcl fo much lighter, that Ihe came 
 afloat again. 
 
 On the 4th of April, we fet on fnore eighteen 
 officers at Fort Balife -j-, where M. de Santilly 
 commanded : this officer treated us to the beft 
 of his powerj while we ftayed at his poll, which 
 is entirely furrounded with marflies full of fer- 
 pents and crocodiles. 
 
 The Marquis de VaudreuiU governor of Loui- 
 fiana^ being informed of our arrival, fent feveral 
 
 boats 
 
 - — n-^ — I 1- Mill iBiiM .... I - ^^ '■ 
 
 « Mr. d^ Iberville, governor of Louifiona, conducJled the 
 firft colony thither in 1699 : after his death the country had 
 no governor for a long while : the fecond was M. ihla Motit 
 Cadillac ; and the third, M. de Blaivilh, youngell brother 
 of the firft. 
 
 t They reckon thirty leagues from this place to AVvv O.r- 
 leans, on account of the bendings in the river.
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 21 
 
 boats to fetch us, and to bring us refrefhments •, 
 we diftributed our foldiers on board them, and, 
 by failing and rowing, we got to New Orleans 
 on Eafter-day. The Marquis de Vmidreuil is to 
 receive twenty-four companies of marines, to 
 augment the forces in Loiiifiana ; thefe troops 
 come on board of merchant-fhips, freighted for 
 the King's account -, there are likewife fome fe- 
 male recruits enlifted in France, who eome to 
 people thefe climates. Induftrious foldiers, who 
 chule to marry thefe girls, get their difmiffion, 
 and a certain number of acres of ground to cul- 
 tivate : they get viduals from the King for three 
 years together, and he makes them a prefent of 
 half a pound of gun-powder, and two pounds of 
 fhot every month ; of a gun, a hatchet, a pick- 
 axe, and corn to fow their fields •, with a cow, a 
 calf, cocks and hens, &c. 
 
 The Marquis de Fatidreiiil has diftributed the 
 tv/enty-four new companies in the different parts 
 of the colony, without any regard to perfons ; fo 
 that every one may equally fhare the advantages 
 and the difadvantages. 'As to the detachment 
 near the Illinois^ a poft five hundred leagues di- 
 ftantfrom New Orleans^ it has fallen to thelliarc 
 of the company to which I belong. I have the 
 honour of being among the officers which M. 
 RouilU, the fccretary of flate for the marine-* 
 
 C 3 has
 
 "ti TRAVELS througiI 
 
 has recommended to the Marquis de Vaudreutl^ 
 and I am made perfetftly fenfiDle of the defe^ 
 rence fliewn to fuch a recommendation. I can 
 afTure you, Sir, that the General's table is of 
 great ufe to me, and to all thofe that are lately 
 arrived, and have not had time to take any 
 fixed lodgings. The affluence is very great ; 
 but the governor does the honours of his table in 
 fo noble and generous a manner, that he acquires 
 the efteem and friendihip of all the officers, whq 
 juflly ftile him the father of the colony. M. 
 Michel de la Rouvilliere, who fupcrintends the 
 markets *, likewife contributes to render life 
 agreeable to us, by the juft prices he fixes up- 
 on the viftuals of the country, and by every* 
 thing relative to his office. 
 
 We expeft to fet out for the Illinois the 20tK 
 of Auguft next ; Mr. de Macarty^ who is to go 
 with us, has been appointed commandant of the 
 detachment by the court. The different nations 
 which I Ihall be obliged to vifit during this long 
 voyage, will furnifli me amply with materials 
 for a defcription of the fine river MiJJifippi, and 
 '^he people oh its banks. 
 
 In the mean v,^hiie, I intend to give you a de- 
 fcription of Louijiana in general i but I believe 
 
 I do 
 
 t • - ■ 
 
 ■ L'ordonnatem:.
 
 L O U 1 J§ I A N A. 23 
 
 X do not need to be very prolix on this fubjeft, 
 as "you probably know moil of the plans and ac- 
 counts that have been publifhedof it. Let me 
 only obferve to you, that New Orleans^ the 
 Itreets of which run all in ftreight lines, is now 
 much greater and more populous than former- 
 ly. There are inhabitants of four forts, viz. 
 Europeans, Americans, Africans or negroes, 
 and Mejlizos *. The latter are thofe born of 
 Europeans and the natives of this country, whom 
 we call favages. The Creoles are thofe that are 
 born here of a French man and French woman, 
 or of European parents. 
 
 The Creoles in'general are Very brave, tall, 
 and well made ; they are well difpofed for culti- 
 vating the arts and fciences ; but as they can- 
 not make great progrefs therein for want of good 
 mafters, the rich and well-meaning fathers fend 
 their children to France^ as to .the beft fchoo^ in 
 the world, for all forts of acquirements. 
 
 As to the fair fex, whofe only art is that of 
 pleafmg, they are already born with that advan- 
 tage here, ^id have no need tg acquire it in Eu* 
 jrope. 
 
 C 4 J^^^ 
 
 Metife.
 
 ?4 .TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 .; '-New Orleans and Mobile are the only towns 
 where they fpeak the French pretty pure. The 
 negroes .are brought thither from Africa, and 
 are employed in cultivating the grounds, which 
 are excellently adapted to the culture of indigo, 
 tobacco, rice, maize, or Indian corn, and fu' 
 gar-canes, of which they have already made 
 plantations that have fucceeded very well. Thus 
 the merchants, tradefmen, and ftrangers, who 
 live, here, enjoy as it were an enchanted abode, 
 /j rendered delicious by tlie purity of its air, the 
 fertility of its foil, and the beauty of its fituation. 
 New Orleans lies on the banks of the MiJJiftppi^ 
 which is one of the greateft rivers in the world ; 
 becaufe, for S'oo leagues together, it paffes 
 through known countries. Its pure and delicious 
 water ■" runs for the fpace of forty leagues be- 
 tween a number of habitations, which form an 
 elegant fight on both its fhores ; where the plea- 
 fures of hunting artd fifhing, and all other en- 
 joyments of life, are abundant. 
 
 The capuchins are the firft monks that went 
 
 over to New Orleans as mifTionaries in 1723. 
 
 • Their luperior was the vicar of the parilli ; thefe 
 
 good 
 
 ' ■ M. le l^ ormant de Me'jl, being Intendant of the marine 
 at kochefort, always drank this water at his table. It has 
 the qualit}^ of ccnnibuting to the fecundity of women.
 
 LOUISIANA. 
 
 ^5 
 
 good friars only employ themfelves in affai/s 
 relative to their ftation in life. 
 
 Two years after, the Jefiiits fettled in Louijia- 
 na, Thefe cunning politicians have found 
 means to get the richeft fettlement in the whole 
 colony, which they have obtained through their 
 intrigues. 
 
 The Urfuline nuns were fent thither almoft at 
 the fame time. The occupation of thefe pious 
 girls, v/hofe zeal is truly laudable, is the educa- 
 tion of young ladies ; they likewife receive or- 
 phans into their community, for which the King 
 pays them fifty ecus a-head penfion. Thefe nuns 
 are likewife charged with the care of the military 
 hofpital. 
 
 My ftay here has as yet been fo Ihort, that I 
 have not been able to give you any account 
 of the nations which inhabit the banks of the 
 river ; however, I will endeavour to give you 
 an idea of the chara<5ler and turn of the Chitima- 
 chas, who are fettled on a river or branch which 
 bears their natne, to the weftward of Ne%v Or- 
 leans : I believe the anecdote will prove intereft- 
 ing to you, though this nation is very near ex- 
 tind. 
 
 In
 
 t6 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 In 1 720, one of their nation, having hid himfclf 
 in a lonely place on the banks of the Mijfiftfpiy 
 had murdered the AhU de St. Come, who was then 
 the miffionary of the colony. M. deBienvilky who 
 was then governor, made the whole nation an- 
 fwerable for it ; and, to fpare his own people, 
 he employed feveral nations of his allies to at- 
 tack them. 
 
 *rhefe Indians were worftei3 ; the lofs of their 
 "beft warriors forced them to afk for peace : the 
 governor having granted it them, on condition 
 that they would bring the head of the murderer, 
 ;-they punctually executed that condition ; and 
 . iafterwards prefented the calumet or pipe of 
 peace * to M. de Bienville. 
 
 The following is a relation of what I have 
 ^iieard concerning the ceremonies of this folemn 
 embafly. 
 
 ,, They arrived at New Orleans, fmging the fcng- 
 of the calumet, which they difplayed to the 
 
 wind, 
 
 ' ' ■ *■ The calumet is a long pipe, with a head of red, black, 
 or white marble, and a pipe of a reed two and a half or three 
 fe,et long. The Indians fend it by deputies to thcfe nations 
 with whom they will renew or treat of peace. -It is adorned 
 with the feathers of the white eagle ; it is a fymbol of peace 
 ajid plenty amongft tliem ; and one may go every where 
 without fear, with the calumet in hand, becaufe nothing H 
 "held more facred.
 
 t o u I s I A N a; ii 
 
 wind, and in a certain cadence, to announce their 
 cmbafly ; and they were drefTed out with their 
 beft ornaments, as is always ufual amongfl them 
 pn fuch occafions. The chief of the deputation 
 faid to the governor : How happy am I to find my-^ 
 felf in thy prefence ; th^ou haft lon^ been angry with 
 cur nation •, we have been informed of what thy heart 
 has told thee^, and we have heard with great joy^ 
 that it was willing to give us fine days. They 
 then fat down on the ground, leaning their faces 
 on their hands, the fpeaker without doubt to 
 recover his breath, and the others to keep filent. 
 During this interval every body was ordered not 
 to talk, nor to laugh whilfl the harangue lafted, 
 j>ecaufe they would be affronted at it, 
 
 The fpeaker, fome moments after, arofe with 
 two others ; one of them filled the pipe of the 
 calumet with tobacco, the other brought fire 5 
 the firft then lighted the pipe ; the fpeaker fmo- 
 ked a while, and then prefented the pipe to M. 
 de Bienville, that he might do the fame ; accor- 
 dingly the governor, and all the officers that 
 compofed his retinue, fmoked out of this calu- 
 
 r 
 
 met, each according to his rank : as foon as 
 this ceremony was over, the old orator took 
 back the calumet, and put it in M. de Bienville's 
 jliands, in order to be preferved by him. The 
 
 ipeaker
 
 f^f TR.A V E L S THROUGH 
 
 Ipeaker remained Handing, and the other am- 
 baiTadors fat down near the prefent which they 
 had brought, and which confided of roe-buck 
 and doe fkins, and in fome other furs, all dref- 
 /ed white, as a fign of peace. 
 
 The fpeaker or chancellor was drefled in a 
 robe of feveral marten-fkins fewed together •, it 
 was faftened to. his right fhoulder, and pafied 
 under his left arm ; he wrapped himfelf up in 
 this robe, and began his fpeech with a majeftic 
 air, addrefling himfelf to the governor : " My 
 " heart laughs for joy on feeing myfelf before 
 " thee i we have all of us heard the word of 
 *' i>eace which thou haft fent us : the hearts of 
 *' our whole nation laugh for joy on that occa- 
 " fion; the women, forgetting that inftant all 
 " that pafied, have danced ; and the children 
 *' have leapt like young roe-bucks. Thy words 
 *' Hiall never be forgotten, and our defcendants 
 *' will remember it as long as the ancient 
 " WORD * fnall laft : as the war has rnade us poor, 
 " we have been obliged to make a general hunt 
 ** or chace, in order to bring thee fome furs : 
 " but w^e were afraid of going to any great di- 
 *' ftance, left the other nations ftiould not yet 
 .^' have heard thy word ; nor are we come hither 
 " but trembling all the way, till w^e faw thy face. 
 
 " How 
 
 Thus they call traditicns.
 
 LOUISIANA, 29 
 
 " How glad are my eyes and my heart to be* 
 ** hold thee this day. Our prefents are fmall, 
 ** but our hearts are great to obey thy word ; at 
 
 thy comm^ands thou fhalt fee our legs run and 
 
 leap like thofe of the ftags, to do as thou fhalt 
 
 pleafe." 
 
 
 Here the orator paufed a little j then raifmg 
 his voice, he gravely continued his difcourfe. 
 
 " How beautiful is the fun to-day, in com- 
 ** parifon with what it was when thou wert an- 
 •* gry with us ! How dangerous is one villain ! 
 *' Thou knoweft that a fmgle man has killed 
 *' the chief of tke player *, whofe death has caufed 
 " that of our befl warriors : we have only old 
 *' mep, and v/omen with their children remain- 
 ** ing, who all (I retch out their arms towards 
 " thee as to a good father. The gall that for- 
 " merly filled thy heart, has given way to ho- 
 *' ney •, the great fpirit is no longer irritated 
 ** againft our nation ; thou hall required the 
 ** head of a villain from our hands, and in order 
 " to obtain peace we have fent it thee, 
 
 " The fun was red before, all the roads were 
 ** full of thorns and briars ; the clouds were 
 '* black, the water troubled and itained with 
 
 our 
 
 (.<. 
 
 * So they call our miffionaries.
 
 '3^ TRAVELS THROUGIl 
 
 *« our blood ; our women lamented without inter- 
 •' miflion the lofs of their relations, and durft not 
 " venture to go and fetch wood for preparing 
 *' our vidluals ; at the leafl fhriek of the birds 
 " of night all our warriors were on foot ; they 
 " never llept without their arms ; our huts were 
 *' abandoned, and our fields lay fallow ; we had 
 " all of us empty ftomachs, and our faces look- 
 *' ed long and meagre •, the game and wild-fowl 
 •' fled far from us ; the ferpents angrily hiffed 
 at us ; and the birds that perched near our 
 habitations feemed, by their doleful notes, to 
 fmg us fojigs of death. 
 
 cc 
 cc 
 
 ce 
 
 To-day the fun is bright, the (ky is ferene^ 
 *' the clouds are vanifhed, the roads covered 
 " with flowers ; our gardens and fields fliall 
 *' henceforth be cultivated, and we will offer 
 *' their firft-fruits to the great fpirit ; the water 
 *' is fo clear that we fee ourfelves in it ; the fer- 
 pents fly from us ; the birds amufe us by the 
 fweetnefs and harmony of their fongs 5 our 
 wives and children dance, and forget to eat and 
 " to drink ; the whole nation laughs for joy, to 
 " fee us walk on the fame road with thyfelf and 
 *' the French ; the fame fun fliall light us, w6 
 ** fliall have but one and the fame fpeech, and 
 ** our hearts fliall make but one ; we will kill 
 ^ them that fliall kill the French ; our warriors 
 
 ** fliaH 
 
 C( 
 
 «c
 
 LOUISIANA; 3f 
 
 •* Ihall hunt to make them fubfift, and we will 
 " eat together : Will not that be good ? what 
 t^ doft thou fay to it, father ?" 
 
 To this difcourfe, which was fpoken with a 
 firm tone of voice, with grace and decency, 
 and even, if I may be allowed the expreflion, 
 with the moll majeftic deportment, M. de Bie?i- 
 ville anfwered in a few words, in the common 
 language, which he fpoke pretty fluently ; that 
 he was very glad that their nation had recovered 
 their fenfes •, he gave them fomething to eat ; 
 and, as a mark of friendfhip, he put his hand 
 into that of the fpeaker, and fo fent them home 
 fatisfied. — Since that time they have always been 
 inviolably attached to the French, and furnifli 
 i^€w Orleans with game. 
 
 My third letter will prove more interefting j 
 however, I hope I have hitherto fulfilled my 
 promifes j and am, 
 
 S I R, &c, 
 
 iV/fw Orleans, the ifi 
 efjulj 1751, 
 
 LET
 
 32 TRAVELS through 
 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 7o the fame. 
 
 Defcription of the religious Cujloms and Ceremonies 
 of fome Nations which inhabit the Banks of the 
 great River Miflifippi, Confpiracy of the Natches 
 againjl the French, 
 
 SIR, 
 
 K^^^ AM now arrived at the place where 
 ^ I ^ the great nation of the Natches for- 
 Sml^^Jm( nierly lived, of which the public 
 news have faid fo much. It is aflerted, that this, 
 formidable nation gave laws to others, on ac-. 
 count of the great extent of their country. 
 They inhabited all the fpace of land between 
 the river Menchak^ which is about fifty leagues 
 from the fea, and the river Hoyoy which is near 
 460 leagues from the fea. 
 
 On
 
 L b U I S I A N A. 
 
 o 
 
 ^ 
 
 On the 2oth of Augufl we fee out from Ncu; 
 Orleans on our voyage to the Illinois, m fix boats, 
 On board of which were the four companies 
 about which I wrote to you in my preceding 
 letter, commanded by M. de Macarty. We are 
 bbliged to row up againfl: the current of the 
 Hver MiJJifjppi, on account of the many wind- 
 ings of that river, which runs between two great 
 forefts, the trees of which appear to be as an- 
 cient as the world. 
 
 The firll: places you come to on yoUr voyage 
 are two villages peopled with Germans, being 
 the reft of a grant made, in 1720, by the 
 King to Mr. Lazu. This colony was to confift of 
 Germans and Provenfals, to the amount of 
 ifooperfonsi the ground for it was laid out 
 near a wild nation called the Jkanfas ; it was 
 four leagues fquare, and the colony was erected 
 into a dutchy. They had already tranfported 
 thither the ammunition and ftores for a company 
 of dragoons, and mefchandifes for the value of 
 Upwards a million of livres ; but Mr. Law fail- 
 ed, and the India company, which was at that 
 time eftabliihed in Louifiana, took poffefTion of 
 all the goods. 
 
 The colonifts feparated, and the Germans 
 
 fettled ten leagues above AV«' OrkaTJs : they are 
 
 Vol. I. D very
 
 34 T R A V EL S through 
 
 very laborious, and are looked upon as the pro- 
 viders and victuallers of the town. The two 
 villaojes are under ""the direction of a SwediHi 
 
 captain*. 
 
 Two leagues further you find a nation called 
 CoUa-p'iJfas^ who are. dittinguifhed by their at- 
 tachment to the French ; they are now rediiced 
 to a very fmall number-, their true namp is A(iiie- 
 Icn Pijfo.s^ that is, the nation who hear and fee. 
 
 Next you meet with the Oumas^ who adore the 
 fun. This nation, with mofl of the others in 
 America, believes, that the Supreme Being re- 
 fides in the fun, and that he defires to be re- 
 vered in that vivifying orb, as the author of na- 
 ture : they fay, there is nothing here that can 
 be compared to him, and that this wonder by 
 enlightening the earth, fpreads joy and abun- 
 dance on it Upon thefe principles they wor- 
 fhip him, as the.vifible image of the greatnefs 
 and goodnefs of a deicy, that condefcends to 
 make himfelf known amona; men, by diftribut- 
 ing his benefacflions amongPc them. 
 
 Fifteen 
 
 * It is Mr. Arenfocurg, who vas -at the battle of Pukavn 
 jrt 1709, with Charles XII. This old officer is. the head of 
 a numerous family eftablifued iu Louifiana. :
 
 LOUISIANA. 35 
 
 Fifteen leagues above the Otimas, in going up 
 the river, ydu arrive at the Cut point. This 
 place is about forty leagues diftant from Ne-iv 
 Orleans. The foil of it is very fertile, and co- 
 vered with fruit-trees. There are a number of 
 Frenchmen in this part of the country, who ap- 
 ply them.felves to the culture of tobacco, cotton, 
 rice, maize, and other corn ; the colonifts like- 
 wife trade in building-timber, which they carry 
 dov/n the river to New Orleans upon rafts. 
 
 Upon the left Ihore of the river, a little above 
 the Cut-pointy you fee the village of the Tonikas, 
 an Indian nation who have ever been attached 
 to the French. Their chiefs have always exert- 
 ed themfelves to be our allies in war-, the laft 
 of them, who was very brave, received a dan- 
 gerous wound in an expedition againft the Nat- 
 ches : the King, on receiving an account of this 
 affair, honoured him with a commiffion, as bri- 
 gadier of the armies of red men •, and further 
 prefented him with a blue ribbon, f om which 
 hung a filver medal, with a reprefentatiort of 
 Paris: hs likcwife received a gold-headed cane. 
 
 After the malTacre of the French by the 
 Natches, whereof I intend to give you an ac- 
 count in its place, a part of that naricn pretend- 
 ed to be defirous of making peace with the 
 
 D 2 grand
 
 36 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 grand chief of the Tonikas : the latter commu- 
 iiicated this to the commander-general of the 
 French, to whom he was very much attached ; 
 the Natches prevented the anfwer, and afiaffinated 
 the Tonikas, beginning with their grand chief; 
 his enemies, who feared our advice and our 
 fo'*ces, made hafte to ruin and deltroy a great 
 number of his fubjeds. We fliall always lament, 
 together with thefe good Indians, the lofs of a 
 man, whofe great qualities would do honour to 
 a civilized nation. 
 
 After eighty leagues navigation from the ca*_ 
 pit-al of Louijiana, we arrived at the poll of the 
 Natches, which, about twenty years ago, was 
 very confiderable, but is very infignificant at 
 prefent. 
 
 The fort is fituated on an eminence, which 
 commands the river Mijfifitpi, from which it is 
 vibout the diflance of a cannon - fliot. The 
 ground, which in this country is always rifing 
 higher, would be one of the mofl fertile, if it 
 were cultivated; tobacco, cotton, and maize 
 fucceed very well in it. 
 
 ' I have made fome (lay at this poft, whicn fs * 
 commanded by the Chevalier d'Orgon^ a natural 
 
 foil
 
 LOUISIANA. 57 
 
 fon^o? the Prince de Lamhefc^ of the houfe of 
 Lorrain. ^ . " 
 
 1 
 
 t 
 j 
 
 " The Natches who lived here formerly were a. 
 very confiderable nation. They formed feveral 
 villages, that were under fome peculiar chiefs ; 
 and thefc laft again, obeyed one grand chief of 
 the whole nation. All thefe princes bore the 
 name of Suns ; there were five hundred of them, 
 all relations of the great Sun, their common fove- 
 reign, who carried on his breaft the image of 
 the fun, from which he pretended to trace his 
 origin, and which was adored under the name 
 of JVachil, which fignifics the great f re or theya-*^ 
 frcmefire. 
 
 The manner in which the Natches 'rendered 
 divine fervice to the fun, has fornething folemn 
 in it. The high-prieft: got up before fun-rlfing, 
 and marched at the head of the people with a 
 grave pace, and the calumet of peace in hand j, 
 he fmoked in honour of. the fun, and blew the 
 firft mouthful of fmoke towards him. On the 
 appearance of that luminous body, all the by- 
 Itanders began to howl by turns after the high- 
 prieft, and contemplated it with their arms ex- 
 tended to heaven. Then they threw themfelves 
 on the ground ; and their women brought their 
 
 D 3 children,
 
 38 T. R A V E L S through 
 
 children, and taught them to keep in a devout 
 attitude. 
 
 About, their harveft-time, which happened in 
 July, the Natches celebrated a great feait. They 
 began with blacking their faces ; and did not 
 eat till three hours after noon, having previouf- 
 ly purified themfelves in the baths; the oldefl 
 man in the nation then offered to their deity the 
 firft fruits of their crops. 
 
 They had a temple in which they kept up an 
 eternal fire ; the priefts took great care to pre- 
 ferve it, and for this purpofe they were only al- 
 lowed to make ufe of the wood of one kind of 
 tree •, if unhappily the fire was extinguifhed, all 
 the people were in the greateit confternation, 
 and the negledful prlells were puniihed with, 
 death : but fuch an event happened very fel- 
 dom i for the keepers of this celeflial fire could, 
 eafily renew it, by fetching common fire under 
 pretext of lighting their calumets •, for they 
 were not allowed to employ the holy fire for that 
 ufe. 
 
 "When their fovereign died, he was accompa- 
 nied in the grave by his wives, and by feveral 
 of his fubjeds. The lefTer Suns took care to 
 follow the fame cuflom -, the law likewife con- 
 demned
 
 LOUISIANA. 
 
 '^ I 
 
 ciemned every Naichtz to death, who had mar- 
 ried a girl of the blood of the Suns, as foon as 
 fhe was expired. On this occafion, I muft tell 
 you the hiftory of an Indian, who was no ways 
 willino- to fubmit to this law : his name was Ei- 
 teaoical % he contrafted an alliance with the 
 Suns ; but the confequences which this honour 
 brought along with it, had like to have proved 
 very unfortunate to him. His wife fell fick •, as 
 foon as he faw her at the point of death, he fled, 
 embarked on a piragua on the MiJJifppi^ and 
 came to Ne'w Orleans. He put himielf under 
 'the protection of M. de Bie'nvllk, the then go- 
 vernor, and offered to be his huntfman. The 
 Governor accepted his fervices, and intereftcd 
 himfelf for him with th^ Natc/ics, who declared 
 that he had nothing more to fear, becaufe the 
 ceremony was paft, and he was accordingly no 
 longer a lawful prize. 
 
 Etteaclealy being thus affured, ventured to 
 return to his nation ; and, without fettling 
 among them, he made feveral voyages thither : 
 he happened to be there when the Sun, called 
 the Stung Serpent, brother to the great Sun, 
 died •, he was a relation of the late wife of Et- 
 feaHed, and they refoived to make him pay his 
 debt. M. de Bienville had been recalled to 
 France, and the fovereign of the Natches 
 
 D 4 thought
 
 40 T R A V. E L'S • THROucii 
 
 thought, that the protedor's abfence had annul- 
 led the reprieve granted to the proteded per^ 
 fon ; and accordingly he cauled him to be arr- 
 refted. As foon as the poor fellow found him-' 
 felf in the hut of the grand chjef of \yar, together 
 with the other viflims deftined to be facrificed 
 tp tliQ Stung Serpent^ he gave vent %o the excefs 
 qf bis grief. The favourite wife of the late Sun, 
 who was likevvife to be facrificed, and who faw 
 the preparations for her degth with firmnefs, 
 arwi feemed impatient to rejoin her hufband,. 
 hearing Etteal^eaW complaints and groans, faid 
 to him. Art thou no warrior ? l^e anfwered. 
 Yes, I am one. However, faid fhe, thou cry- 
 eft, life is dear to thee j and as that is the cafe, 
 it is not good that thou ihouldft go along with 
 V^s, go with the womeq. EUeaEiml replied; 
 True, life is dear to me j it would be well if I 
 walked yet on earth till to the death of the great 
 Sun, and , I would die with him. Go thy way, 
 faid the favourite, it is not fit thou fhouldft go 
 Ayith us, and that thy heart fhould remain be- 
 hind on e^rth ; once more get away, and let me 
 fee thee no more. 
 
 '' EtteaBeal^xdiViQX. ftay to (laye tKis order re- 
 peated to him j he difippeared like lightning : 
 three old women, two of which were his rela- 
 tions, offered to pay his debt-, their age and 
 
 their
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 41 
 
 their infirmities had difgufled them of life ; none 
 of them had been able to ufe their legs for x 
 great while. The hair of the two that were re^' 
 lated to Ettea5leaU were no more gray than thofc 
 of women of fifty-five years in France. The 
 other old woman was a hundred and twenty 
 years old, and had very white hair, which is a 
 a very uncommon thing among the Indiansr 
 none of the three had a quite vrrinkled Ikiff/ 
 They were difpatched in the evening, one at the 
 door of the Stung Serpent, and the other two up- 
 on the place before the temple*. 
 
 -'■^ The generofity of thefe women gave Ettea5leal 
 life again, acquired him the degree of conftdered, 
 and cleared his honour, which he had fullied by 
 fearing death. He remained quiet after that 
 time ; and, taking advantage of what he had 
 learnt during his ftay among the French, he be- 
 came a juggler, and made ufe of his knowledge 
 to impofe upon his countrymen -fr. 
 
 The 
 
 * A cord is faftened round their necks with a flip knot, 
 and eight men of their rehticns ftrangle them, by drawing 
 four one way and four the other ; fo many are not neceflary, 
 byt as they acquire nobility by fuch executions, there arc 
 always mere than are wanting, and the operation is perform- 
 ed in an inftant. 
 
 f The jugglers In this country perform the function^ 
 of priefts, phyficians, and fortune- tellers, and chiefly pre- 
 tend to pafs for forcerers.
 
 42- T-R A V.EL S ' THROUGH 
 
 • The morning after this execution, they rrsdd^-' 
 every thing ready for the convoy 5"' and the houit> 
 being come, the great mailer of the Gererrfortfeg'j 
 appeared at the door of the hue adorned fuitably:' 
 to his qualityi; the vidirns who Aver« m^&(rcmr^> 
 pany the deceafed prince' into the' msMfion of ^iiie> 
 fpiritSy came .forth ;:.;they ^con-fided of"' the' -fa- 
 vourite wife of the deceafed, r^f his fecofid wifey 
 his chancellor, his phyfician, his hired man, 
 that is his firdfervant, and of 'fome old wom^n. 
 
 > 
 
 The favourite went to the great Sun, with- 
 whom there were feveral Frenchm.en, to take 
 leave of him : {he gave orders for the Suns of 
 both fexes that were her children to appear, and 
 fpoke to the following effect : 
 
 " Children, this is the day on which I am to 
 " tear myfclf from you arms, and to follow 
 " your fattier's' Heps, who waits ,for me in the 
 *' country of the Ipirits ; if I were to yield, to 
 ':^. your tears, I would injure my love, and fail 
 '* in my dtity. I have done enough for you, by 
 *' bearing you next to my heart, and by fuck- 
 'v.lij^g you with my breads. You that are de- 
 V' fccnded of his blood, and fed by my milk, 
 " ought yoii to fhed tears ? Rejoice rather that • 
 " you are Sin7S and warriors •, you are bound to 
 ^ give examples of firmnefs and valour to the 
 
 " whole
 
 LOUISIANA. 43 
 
 *' whole nation : go, my children, I have pro-. 
 " vided for all your wants, by procuring you 
 " friends ; my friends, and thofe of your fither, 
 " are yours too ; I leave you amidft them ; 
 " they are the French, they are tender-hearted 
 "and generous, make yourfelves worthy of 
 " their efteem, by not degenerating from your 
 " race ; always ad; openly with them, and never 
 " implore them with meannefs. 
 
 " And you Frenchmen,'* added flie, turning 
 hcrfelf towards our ofHcers, *' I recommend my 
 *' orphan-children to you •, they will know no 
 " other fathers than you ; you ought to protedb 
 " them." 
 
 After that fhe got up •, and, followed by her 
 troop, returned to her hufband's hut, with a 
 furprifmg firmnefs. 
 
 A noble v/oman came to join herfelf to the 
 number of viflims of her own accord, beinsr en- 
 gaged, by the friendlHip fhe bore the Stung Ser- 
 pent, to follow him into the other world. The 
 Europeans called her the haughty lady, on ac- 
 count of her majeftic deportment, and her 
 proud air, and becaufe Ihe only frequented the 
 company of the moll diftinguiihed Frenchmen ; 
 they regretted her much, becaufe Ihe had the 
 
 know-
 
 44 T'R 'AVE L''S^ THROUGH 
 
 knowledge of feveral fimples, with which fhe' 
 had faved the lives of many of our fick. This* 
 moving fight filled our people with grief and 
 hofFQr, The favourite wife of the deceafed rofe' 
 up, and fpoke to them with a fmiling countenance:' 
 '*-! die without fear," faid fhe, " grief does not*^ 
 ** embitter my laft hours, I recommend my' 
 *■' children to you j whenever you fee them>^ 
 *' noble Frenchmen, remember that you have 
 ** loved their father, and that he was till death 
 *' 2L tru? and fincere friend of your nation, whom ' 
 " i;e loved more than himfelf. The difpofer of^ 
 " Jife has been pleafed to call him, and I (hall'* 
 '* foon go and join hirn i I fhall tell him that I 
 " have feen your hearts moved at the fight of 
 "his corps: do not be grieved; we Ihall be ' 
 ^' longer friends in the country of the fpiriis than '' 
 '* ht^^i becaufe we do ngt die there again *>'* ^ 
 
 Thefe words forced tears from- the eyes of all 
 the French ; they were obliged to do all they 
 could to prevent the great Sun from killing him- 
 felf i for he was inconfolable at the death of his 
 - brother, 
 
 *? At the hour intended for the ceremony, they made the 
 viftims fwallow little balls or pills of tobacco, in order to :* 
 make them giddy, 2nd as it were to take the fenfation of"l 
 pain from them ; sfter that they were all ftrangled, and put 
 upon mats, the favourite on the right, the other wife oa the 
 left, and the others ac<;cjding to their tank. • •^^''■' x^^^
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 4> 
 
 brother, upon whom he was ufed to lay the 
 weight of government, he being great chief of 
 war of the Natches. i. e, GeneralifTimo of their 
 armies •, that prince grew furious by the refifl- 
 ance he met with ; he held his gun by the bar^ ' 
 rel, and the Su7iy his prefumptive heir, held it 
 by the lock, and caufed the powder to fall out of 
 the pan •, the hut was full of Suns, Nobles, and 
 Honourables *, who were all trembling : but the 
 French raifed their fpirits again, by hiding all the 
 arms belonging to the fovereign, and filling the 
 barrel of his gun with water, that it might be 
 unfit for ufe for fome time. 
 
 J, 
 
 As foon as the Suns faw their fovereign's life 
 in fafety, they thanked the French, by fqueez- 
 ing their hands, but without fpeaking -, a mod 
 profound filence reigned throughout, for grief 
 and awe kept in bounds the multitude that were 
 prefent. 
 
 The wife of the great Sun was feized with 
 fear during this tranfadlion. She was afked 
 
 whether 
 
 * The eftablifhed diftindions among thefs Indians wcrt 
 as follows : The >%unsj relations of the great Sun, held the 
 highefl rank ; next came the AWf/; afcer them the Hone- 
 rabks ', and laft of all, the common people, who were very 
 much defpifed. As the nobility was propagated by the wc- 
 xnen, this contributed much to multiply it.
 
 46 TRAVELS through 
 
 ijjvhether Ibe was ill ; and fhe anfvvered aloud, 
 *' Yes I am i" and added, with a lower voice, 
 " if the Frenchmen go out of this hut, my huf- 
 " band dies, and all the Natches will die with 
 " him ; flay then, brave Frenchmen, becaufe 
 *' your words are as powerful as arrows j be- 
 *' fides, who could have ventured to do what 
 " you have done ? But you are his true friends 
 " and thofe of his brother." Their laivs obliged 
 the great Sun's wife to follow her hufband in the 
 grave : this was doubtlefs the caufe of her fears j 
 and likewife the gratitude towards the French, 
 who interefled themfelves in behalf of his lifcj 
 prompted her to fpeak in the above-mentioned 
 manner. 
 
 The grcai Sun gave his hand to the officers, 
 ahd faid to them : " My friends, my heart is fo 
 *' overpowered with grief, that, though my 
 " eyes were open, I have not taken notice that 
 ^' you have been Handing all this while, nor 
 " have I aflced you to fit down ; but pardon the 
 *' exccfs of my affliftion." 
 
 The Frenchmen told him, that he had no 
 
 •^ lieed cf excuies ; that they were going to leave 
 
 him alone, but that they would ceafe to be his 
 
 friends unlefs he o-ave orders to light the fires 
 
 again
 
 LOUISIANA. "47 
 
 again *, lighting his own before them, and that 
 they fliould not leave him till his brother was 
 buried. 
 
 He took all the Frenchmen by the hands, and 
 faid, " Since all the chiefs and noble officers 
 *' will have me ftay on earth, I will do it, I will 
 not kill myielf ; let the fires be lighted again 
 immediately, and I'll wait till death joins me 
 ^* to my brother ; I am already old, and till I 
 " die I fhall walk v/ith the French •, had it not 
 *• been for them, 1 fnould have gone with my 
 *' brother, and all the roads would have been 
 " covered with dead bodies." 
 
 t4 
 ii 
 
 This prince only furvived the Slwig Serpent 
 one year, and his nephew fucceeded him. The 
 reign of that young prince proved very unfortu- 
 nate to the colony. You Ihall fee, Sir, by the 
 fcquel of this letter, that the colony owes its 
 fafety only to the mother of this fovereign ; ilie 
 got from him the fecret of the general confpiracy 
 againu our nation, v/hom Hie loved very much. 
 
 I muft do juftice to the Indians -, the projed 
 which they formed of deftroying ail the Frenct 
 
 here^ 
 
 * The great Sun had given orders to put out all •'^o f-::'^, 
 v-hich is oniy done at tiie death of the fovereigns.
 
 48 TRAVELS through 
 
 here, was not tke refult of natural inconftancjr 
 or fickle temper ; it was the bad condud of aft 
 oincer, who infulted a people whom he ought 
 to have treated gently, that roufed their anger. 
 Free born nnen, living peaceably in the country 
 where their anGeftors fettled, could not bear ths 
 tyranny which the ftrangers exercifed over them, 
 who were come to fettle amongft them. The 
 Sieur de Chepar^ commandant of the polt of the 
 Naiches, neglefted to gain the efteem of the 
 French and the Indians under his care ; he abu-' 
 fed thofe who would not enter into his criminal 
 conduct, and trufled the moil important pofls 
 to ferjeants and corporals who were entirely de- 
 voted to him. You can eafily conceive. Sir, 
 that fhe military difcipline was entirely fubvert- 
 ed by preferences of this kind^ which are fo con- 
 trary to fubordination^ 
 
 M. Bumont, the fecond officer, rhade remoH'- 
 
 firances^ which were not attended to, and to 
 
 which he gave no other anfwer than by putting 
 
 him in irons. As foon as he was fet at liberty, 
 
 he v/cnt down to the capital to lay his complaints 
 
 before M. Terrier^ then governor of Loiiiftana. 
 
 \A> de Chepar was recalled to give account of his 
 
 condu(^ ; he was to be broken, but his intrigues 
 
 and his patrons ferved him, he w.'iS acquitted 
 and Cent back to his poll. 
 
 Inftead
 
 Louisiana. 4^ 
 
 Inftead of being corrc(fled Sy this mortifica- 
 tion, he condufled himlelf as before, and be- 
 came the objedl of deteftation and abhorrence of 
 both the French and Indians j he irritated the 
 latter, and forced them to come to the moft 
 riolent extremities. M. de Ckepar^ defirous of 
 making his fortune in a Ihort time, fummoned 
 the Sim of a village called the ^pple, to retire 
 with his people, and to leave him the ground 
 vVhich he occupied, becaufe he wanted to make 
 himfelf a habitation on it, which fhoilld turn 
 out to good account. The Cacique reprefented to 
 him, that the bones of his anceftors were repofed 
 there : his remonftrances proved ufelefs ; the 
 French commandant ordered the Great Siln to 
 caufe the village to be dvaculted, and even 
 threatened to fend him loaded with irons to Ne'uj 
 Orleans in cafe of non compliance. Perhaps 
 this officer thought, he could treat the chief as 
 a Have •, he did not refled, that he fpoke to a 
 man accuftomed to command, and-s^hofe autho- 
 rity was defpotic over his fubjeds. 
 
 The Great Sun heard him^ and retired with- * 
 out fliewing any palTion -, he aflembled his" 
 council, v/here it was refolved, that M. dc Che- * 
 far Ihould be told, that before they coulti eva- 
 cuate the Apple village, they muft: make the plan " 
 of another, and that this required two 7r.oons tifnl^. * 
 
 Vol. I. , E This
 
 50 TRAVELS through 
 
 This refolution was notified to ihe gover- 
 nor, who fent back the melTengers, and threat- 
 ened them with the feverefl: puniHiments, if the 
 village of the Apple was not put in his hands 
 v/ithin a very fliort term. This anfwer was 
 brought to the council, where the old men were 
 of opinion that they ought to gain time, during 
 which they fhould confult upon the means of 
 getting rid of thefe troublefome ftrangers, who 
 were going to become tyrants. As they knew 
 M. de Che-par to be very felfifh, they agreed to 
 propofe it to him, to grant them a delay of feveral 
 months, during which each hut was to give him 
 a tribute in Indian corn or maize, in game, and 
 in furs. The avarice of the governor made 
 him fall into the fnare \ he accepted the propo- 
 rtion, but pretended however that he only did 
 it in order to oblige the nation, whom he loved 
 on account of their conftant friendfhip with the 
 French. The Great Sun was not impofed upon 
 by this artful difmtereftednefs ; he ordered his 
 council to meet again, and informed them, that 
 the term they had dcfired had been granted, and 
 that it was neceflary they fhould make good ufe 
 of it, confider of the means of gettino- rid of a 
 heavy tribute, and above all of the tyrannical 
 domination of the French. He obferved, that 
 fuch an enterprize required an inviolable fecrer, 
 folid meafures, and, above all, a great deal of 
 
 cunning y
 
 LOUISIANA. 
 
 P 
 
 cunning -, he recommended it to thenlj that 
 they fhould in the mean while increafe the proofs 
 of confidence and friendlliip to the French ; re- 
 fiedl upon what was to be done, and return to 
 the council as foon as they had hit upon fome 
 projeft which might be attended with certain 
 fuccefs* 
 
 During five or fix days the nobles and old 
 men confulted with each other, and met ao-ain 
 unanimoufly refolved to deftroy all the French. 
 The oldeft man in the council, having faluted 
 his chief, fpoke to the following efliedl : 
 
 " We have long experienced, that the neigh- 
 " bourhood of the French does us more harm 
 " than good ; we old men perceive it, but our 
 " youths do not fee it ; the European goods 
 " pleafe the young people, but of what fervice 
 " are they ? They feduce our wives, corrupt 
 " the manners of the nation, debauch our girls, 
 *' and make them proud and idle. The young 
 " men are in the fame cafej the hufbands muft 
 " over-work themfelves, merely to fatisfy the 
 " luxury of their wives. Before the French 
 *' came into thefe countries, we were men, we 
 " were contented with what we had ; we walk- 
 " ed boldly on all the roads, becaufe v.e were 
 *' our own mafbeis; but now we only go by 
 
 groping. 
 
 ii a "
 
 52 TRAVELS through 
 
 ** groping, for fear of finding thorns in our 
 " way ; we go like (laves, and fuch we fnall 
 " foon be, fince they ufe iis as fuch already. 
 '* As foon as they fhall have power enough, 
 ** they will no longer keep in bounds, they will 
 ** load us with irons ; has not their chief threat- 
 " ened to offer that indignity to ours j and is 
 " not death preferable to flavery '* ?" 
 
 Here the orator paufed ; and, after taking 
 breath, continued as follows : 
 
 " What lliall we wait for ? Shall we fuffer 
 
 " the French to multiply till we can no longer 
 
 "refill them ? What will the other nations fay 
 
 5*' of us ? We pafs for the mod fenfible among 
 
 " the red men f, and they will have reafon to 
 
 *' fay that we have lefs fenfe than other people. 
 
 ^-f* Why fhall we wait longer ? Let us fet our- 
 
 ." felves at liberty, and let us fhew that we arc 
 
 ** true men. We muft begin this day to pre- 
 
 " pare for it; we mull order our wives to get 
 
 " viv5luals in readinels, without telling them the 
 
 " reafon. 
 
 I ' ■ III ■ 1 1 1 
 
 „, *; ITature alone has taught thefe favages to refpefl their 
 fqvereign, and to cheriih liberty. 
 
 -'^yThus the Indlanff call themfelves, to diilinguith theih- 
 felvcs from the Europeans^ who are white, and from the A- 
 fi icans who are black.
 
 <( 
 
 cc 
 
 LOUISIANA. 53 
 
 *' reafon. Let us bring the calumet of peace to 
 " all the nations of this country, and tell them 
 " that the French ftrive to fubdue this whole 
 " continent ; and that, as they are ftronger in 
 " our neighbourhood than any where elfe, we 
 " fhall be the firft whom they will load with 
 their yoke. As foon as they fhall have fufH- 
 " cient forces, they will load all the other na- 
 " tions with it •, let us convince them how much 
 *' it is their interefl to prevent this misfortune, 
 " which cannot be avoided but by exterminating 
 " them ; let all the nations join us in this un- 
 dertaking i let us deftroy the French every 
 where on the fame day, and at the fame hour; 
 " let the time of the maiTacre be that of the ex- 
 " piration of the term their chief has granted 
 " us : thus we can free ourfelves from the tri- 
 " bute which we have laid on ourfelves ; and 
 " thus the victuals which we brought them, will 
 " come into our poffefllon again : On that great 
 " day of liberty our warriors fhall have their 
 " fire-arms with lliem ; the Natches fhall fpread 
 ♦♦ among the French, there fhall be three or 
 *' four of us in each houfe to one Frenchman ; 
 " they faall borrow fire-arms and ammunition 
 *' of them, under pretence of a general chace 
 *' on account of fome great feaft, and they Ihall 
 *' promife to bring back fome game. Some 
 " guns fired near the houfe of the governor of 
 
 E 3 " the
 
 cc 
 
 t.1 
 
 4C 
 
 54 T R A V E L S throitch 
 
 " the fort, fhall be the fignal for them to fall 
 *' upon the French. In order to make all the 
 *' advantage we can of this blow, the other na- 
 " tions muft fecond us ; they muft make the 
 *' fame maffacre of the Frenchmen at their fe- 
 '• veral ftations j to be fure of that, we muft 
 ♦' make fome bundles of rods, containing art 
 equal number, give each of them a bundle, 
 *' and keep one -, let them take notice of the 
 number of days they are to wait ; every morn- 
 ing one rod muft be cut in pieces and thrown 
 " into the fire, and when there will be but one 
 *' left, the time of the Daughter is come ; it 
 ^' muft begin at the firft quarter of the day (i. e. 
 ** at nine o'clock in the morning); we fhall fall 
 " upon our tyrants all at once j they ftiall be 
 *' overwhelmed on all fides -, and when they are 
 " once deftroyed, it will be an eafy matter to 
 " prevent thofe from fettling among us that 
 " come from the old continent, acrofs the great 
 " lake. It muft be recommended before all 
 " things, to be exaft in drawing a rod from the 
 " bundle every day ; the leaft miftake can have 
 "dangerous confequences ; we ftiall charge 
 " fome wife man with it, and we muft beg our 
 '^ neighbours to imitate us." 
 
 o 
 
 Kere the orator gave over, and the old men- 
 approved of his propofal ; the Sun of the Jpple 
 
 village
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 55 
 
 village applauded above all ; he was the moft 
 hurt by the injuftice of M. de Che-par \ his pri- 
 vate revenge would accordingly be the moft fa- 
 tisfied, he feared to fee it fail, and therefore re- 
 prefented to the council the confequences of in- 
 difcretion, and even engaged them to keep the 
 fecret of this confpiracy from the female Suns'^. 
 It now remained to make the grand chief of the 
 Natches enter into their fcheme ♦, notwithftanding 
 the great dcfire he had to be rid of the French, 
 the projeft feemed too violent to him ; the Sun 
 of the Apple took upon himfelf to determine 
 him to it ; he was reckoned a man of fenfe and 
 penetration, and on that account was in great 
 repute with the nation : he fucceeded ; he re- 
 marked to the great Sun the necelTity of this 
 meafure, by telling him v/hat he had to fear for 
 himfelf J the French governor of the fort had 
 threatened him, that he would foon drive him 
 from his village ; the great Sun was young, and 
 confequently a v/eak man, he that fpoke to him 
 was a cunning one , the defign was approved of: 
 the next morning, when the Suns came to fa- 
 lute their fovereign, they received orders to go 
 
 E 4 to 
 
 * The Indians have two words to denote male and fe- 
 male Suns, (after the manner of the Englifli words /r;W, 
 princefs) which the French "author has happily expreiled by 
 SeleildiXiA Sokille.
 
 56 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 to the village of the Apple, under feme pre-r 
 tence or other, v/ithout raifing any fufpicion thac 
 they went thither in purfuance of fome order; 
 this was executed as required. .The feducing 
 genius of the Sun of the Apple attradbed them 
 ^n, and they all promifed to enter into the con- 
 fpiracy. A council of Suns and old men was 
 im.mediately formed ; the projedl was propofed 
 there again, and carried unanimoufly ; the old 
 men were appointed ambafiadors to the other 
 nations ; they had warriors to accompany them, 
 and it was forbidden under pain of death to 
 Ipeak of this to any perfon. They fet out im- 
 mediately all at once, and unknown to the 
 French. 
 
 Notwithftanding the profound fecret that was 
 kept among theNatches, the common people was 
 iineafy at the councils of Suns and noble old men 
 that had been held -, it is not uncommon in every 
 country in the world, to fee fubjefts endeavour 
 to penetrate the fecrets of the court. However, - 
 the curiofity of the people could not be fatisr 
 fied ; none bu; the female Suns (or princefles) 
 had a right in this nation to enquire why they 
 kept their proceedings fecret from them. The. 
 yOung wife of the great Sun was but eighteen 
 years old, and cared very little about it ; -only 
 the female Sun called the S(ung Jrm, m.other 
 
 of
 
 ^.i 
 
 LOUISIANA: si 
 
 of the fovercign, and a woman of good fenfe, 
 (which fhe was not ignorant of) could take it. 
 ill, that they kept the fecret from her. She 
 fhewed her difcontentment to her fon, who an-^ 
 fwered, that the embaflies were fent out for the' 
 fake of renewing alliances with other nations, 
 with whom they had long been at peace, and 
 who might think themfelves defpifed if they, 
 were longer neglefled. This difTimulated an-, 
 fwer feemed to appeafe the Sun Stung Arm^ but. 
 it did not take off her uneafinefs j on the contra-, 
 ry it redoubled, when fhe faw, upon the return . 
 of the ambafladors, that the Suns aflembled in 
 fecret with thofe deputies, to hear how they had 
 been received, whereas fuch councils were gene- 
 rally held in public. 
 
 The princefs was vexed at this : What, faid ^ 
 fhe to herfelf, they hide from me what the whole . 
 nation ought to know : if her prudence had no^, 
 checked her anger, fhe would have given vent . 
 to it then. It was happy for the French that fhe ^ 
 thought herfelf thus defpifed -, fhe juftly feared 
 to augment the impofTibility of coming at the, 
 fecret, if fhe laid open her difpleafure. Her ge- 
 nius fuggefted her the means of fatisfying hep 
 curiofity j fhe prevailed upon the great Sun, her 
 fon, to go with her to fee a relation who lived 
 in the vijlage of the Apple, and v/ho fhe had 
 
 heard
 
 58 T R. A V E L S through 
 
 heard was very ill. Under pretence of leading 
 him the fineft road, Ihe took him on the longeft, 
 which was indeed the leafl frequented. She had 
 a good deal of penetration ; fhe imagined, that 
 the motive of this fecret arofe from their carry- 
 ino: on Ibmethino- to the difadvantage of the 
 French -, what confirmed her conjedures, were 
 the preparations which the Sun of the Apple 
 was making. Finding herfelf in a folitary place 
 with her fon, fiie fpoke to him in the following 
 words : 
 
 " Let us fit down here, for I am tired, and 
 " I have likewife fomething to fay to thee •," as 
 foon as they were feated, fhe added, " Open 
 " thy ears to hear me •, I never taught thee to 
 " lie, and 1 always told thee, that a liar did not 
 *' deferve to be ranked among men, and that a 
 lying Sun deferved to meet with the grcateft 
 contempt, and even from women; therefore 
 " I believe thou wilt tell me truth. Tell me 
 " then, are not all the Suns brothers r How- 
 *' ever, they all keep off from me, as if my lips 
 ** were cut ofi^, and I could not retain my words ; 
 " or doft thou think that I ever fpoke in my 
 *' fieep. I am io defpair to fee myfelf flighted 
 '^ by my brothers, but above all by thee. 
 " What, art thou not my own offspring ? Haft 
 '"' thou not fuckled at my breaft ? And have I 
 
 " not 

 
 LOUISIANA. 59 
 
 " n6t fed thee with my purefl blood ? Does not 
 " the fame blood run in our veins ? Couldft 
 " thou be a Sun if thou wert not my fon ? Haft 
 '' thou forgotten, that, without my care, thou 
 ** wouldft have been dead long ago ? Every 
 " body, and I myfelf have told thee, that thou 
 " art the ion of a Frenchman * ; but my own 
 " blood is dearer to me than that of ftrangers. 
 " I now walk by thy fide like a bitch, without 
 " being looked upon •, I wonder that thou doft 
 " not kick me away with thy foot : I am not fur- 
 " prifed that the others hide themfelves from 
 " me •, but thou, who art my fon, canft thou 
 " do it ? Haft thou ever feen a fon miftruft his 
 " mother in our nation ? Thou art the only 
 " one of that temper. There is fuch an uproar 
 *' in the nation, and I am ignorant of the caufe 
 " of it, I who am the old Sun •, art thou 
 " afraid that I ftiould rebuke thee, or make thee 
 " the flave of the French, againft whom you 
 " a6t ? O ! I am tired of this contempt, and 
 " of walking with fuch ungrateful people." 
 
 The 
 
 * This princefs had, for a long time, loved an officer of 
 our nation ; there was no doubt of his being the father of 
 the great Sun, and that tock oft nothing of the refped that 
 his fubjeds owed him ; the women gave nobility among 
 them, and they were contented if they were fare of a man's 
 mother, they cared very little to know who was his father.
 
 AC 
 
 6p TRAVELS through 
 
 The fon of this Sun was quite (Iruck with her 
 difcourfe •, he was moved by it to tears, and 
 heard thele remonftrances with the ufual tran- 
 quility of an American, and wiih the refpedt 
 due to a princefs -, he afterwards anfwered her 
 to the following purport. " Thy reproaches are 
 arrows which pierce my breafl, and I do not 
 think I ever fcorned or defpiled thee j but haft 
 " thou ever heard it faid, that the refolves of 
 " the council of the old men may be revealed ? 
 *' Is it not the duty of all men to keep fecrets, 
 ** and I who am a Ibvereign ought not I to fet 
 an example ? The great Sun my wife has 
 not been informed of the fecret any more than 
 thyfelf. Though it is known that I am a 
 " Frenchman's fon, I have not been miftrufted ; 
 " they have well imagined, that thy great ge- 
 " nius would find out the fecret of the council ; 
 *' but when it was kept from the great Sun my 
 *' wife, was it fit that thou Ihouldft be informed 
 *'- of it ? But fince thou haft guelTod it all, 
 ." what can I tell thee further ? Thou knoweft 
 " as fnuch of it as m^'felf, fo ihut thy mouth." 
 
 " I was dubious," faid (he, " about whom 
 " ycu vs-ere taking fo many precautions ; but 
 ** fince it is againft the French, I fear you have 
 *' not taken your meailires well to furprife 
 **1.hem : for I know they have a great deal of 
 
 " fenle. 

 
 LOUISIANA. 6i 
 
 " ienfe, though the governor of this flation has 
 ** loft his ; they are brave •, they have goods 
 ** in fufficient quantity to make all the other na- 
 ** tions ad: againfl: us. If you had a mind to at- 
 " tack only the red men, I ihould fleep with 
 *' more fecurity ; I am no more young*; an 
 " old woman's life is a trifle, but thine is dear 
 to me. If your old men have thought it as 
 cafy a matter to furprife the French as the red 
 " men, they are grofsly miftaken ; the French 
 *' have refources which we have not, thou know- 
 " eft they have the /peaking fuhjlance (i. e. pa- 
 per)." 
 
 
 (( 
 
 Her fon told her, that ftie had nothing to fear 
 with regard to the meafures which had been, ta- 
 ken. After telling her all that I have juft now 
 informed you of, he told her that the bundle of 
 rods was in the temple, upon the flat piece of 
 wood (or the table). 
 
 When the princefs was fufliciently informed 
 of every particular, ftie pretended to approve 
 of the proceedings j and, leaving her fon entire- 
 ly eafy, ftie only m.editated on the means of ren- 
 dering this barbarous defign abortive ; flie had 
 but little time left, for the dav fixed for xhic 
 
 maflacre was near at hand. 
 
 This 
 
 * Her lover was already dead fome time*
 
 62 TRAVELS through 
 
 This woman could not confent to fee all the 
 French deftroyed in one day by the confpiracy 
 of the Natches ; fhe therefore undertook to bid 
 them keep upon their guard •, for that purpofe 
 fhe made ufe of fome Indian girls who had 
 French lovers, but llie commanded them ex- 
 prefsly not to fay that they acted by her orders. 
 
 The Sieur de Mace, enfign of the garrifon of 
 the fort at the Natches, received advice by a 
 young Indian girl who loved him ; flie told him 
 crying, that her nation was to mafiacre all the 
 French. M. de Mace, amazed at this difcourfe, 
 queftioned his miftrefs : her fimple anfwers and 
 her tender fears left him no room to doubt of 
 the plot : he went immediately to give M. de 
 C^(p.7r intelligence of it, who put him under arreft 
 for giving a falfe alarm •, feven of the inhabitants 
 of the fort, intruded by the fame means, co- 
 ming to afk his leave to take up arms, in order 
 to prevent a furprifc, were put in irons -, the go- 
 vernor treated them as cowards, and was vexed 
 that they endeavoured to infpire him with any 
 miftruil againft a nation that fliewcd fo much 
 friendihip: the regularity of their payments kept 
 up his fecurity : he did not fufped the politics of 
 the Indians •, he blindly defpifed them, nor did 
 he think men of their kind capable of fo much 
 
 cunning. 
 
 The
 
 LOUISIANA. 65 
 
 The Sun Sltm^ Arm faw with grief, that her 
 cares for the confervation of the French were 
 ufelefs ; fhe was determined to ferve them in 
 fpite of themfelves -, flie could not preferve them 
 all, and therefore fhe endeavoured to lefien the 
 number of vidtims as much as poOlble •, jfhe fe- 
 cretly went to the temple *, fhe drew a couple 
 of rods out of the bundle unnoticed by the 
 priefls ; her intention was to forward the day 
 fixed for the execution of the confpiracy -, fhe 
 forefaw that the maffacre which would happen at 
 the Nntches would foon be fpread far about, 
 that the French who were fettled among the 
 other nations would be informed of it, and be 
 upon their guard. That was the only thing that 
 remained for her to do, and fhe fuccceded in it ; 
 the Natches found they were come to their iaft 
 rod, without perceiving the impoflure ; they 
 boldly began the intended flaughter, in the per- 
 fuafion that their allies would acb at the fame 
 time. 
 
 The 28th of December 1729, at eight in the 
 morning, the Indians fpread among the French -, 
 fome difcharges of guns, that were to ferve as a 
 fignal, were fired near the door of M. de Chepar'^ 
 
 houfe ; 
 
 * Only the Sims among the women could go into th: 
 temple.
 
 64 TRAVELS through 
 
 houfe ; and immediately they fell upon tht 
 French every where at the fame time. 
 
 Me(r. de Roily, chief fadors of the Weft In- 
 dia company, were killed firft. M. de la Loire 
 des Urfins houfe made fame refinance •, his fer- 
 vants killed eig;ht Natches before thev were over- 
 powered. M. des Urftns himfeif, who juft was 
 taking a ride, but returned at the firft firing of 
 the guns, was ftopped by a troop of Indians : 
 he defended himfeif very bravely, killed four of 
 them, and died pierced with wounds. This is 
 all that the entreprife coft the Indians : they 
 murdered near two thoufand perfons j only 
 twenty-five or twenty-fix negroes efcaped, and 
 moft of them were wounded. One hundred and 
 fifty children, ninety women, and as many ne- 
 groes, were taken prilbners, in hopes of felling 
 them to the Englifli in Carolina, 
 
 During this carnage the great Sun was quiet- 
 ly fitting under one of the India company's 
 ware-houfes -, they brought him firft of all the 
 head of the governor, then thofe of the chief 
 Frenchmen, which he ordered to be ranged 
 round the firft. All the others were put in 
 heaps ; the corpfes were not buried, and be- 
 came the prey of vultures j they cut open the 
 bodies of women big with child, and murdered 
 
 almoft
 
 LOUISIANA. 65 
 
 almoft all thofe that had children at the breaft, 
 becaufe their cries and tears importuned thenn ; 
 they made all the reft (laves, and treated them 
 with the greateft indignity. 
 
 Some people pretend, that M. de Chcpar had 
 the misfortune to perilh laft of all, and to be the 
 fpeftator of this horrible flaughter : he then 
 found, but too late, how wife the advices were 
 that had been given him. The Indians told 
 him, that a dog as he was did not deferve to die 
 by the hands of warriors : he was given up to 
 the Jiinking fellozvs *, who killed him with ar- 
 rows, and afterwards cut off his head. 
 
 Such was the death of a man who only follow- 
 ed his own head, his cruelty, his avarice, and 
 his ambition. As no Frenchman efcaped from 
 this maflacre, it cannot be exaflly afcertained 
 what kind of death they made the Governor un- 
 derso -, it is enousih to know, that his enemies 
 were a barbarous people, whom he had irritated. 
 A o-ood adminiftration would have attached them 
 to the French, who drew great advantages from 
 them : thus the fault of one man can draw after 
 it the ruin of a whole colony ; one cannot be 
 
 Vol. I. F fuf- 
 
 *=■ The common people among the Natches are called Mi- 
 (he-Michequip!y which ^\gw\iiQ% Jiink;ng fdlo-<.v.
 
 66 TRAVELS through 
 
 fufficiendy cautious in the choice of thofe wh(5 
 are to be fent as governors into thofe parts. The 
 Indians, notwithftanding the ideas we have of 
 them, are not always eafily managed ; polir 
 tics and wifdom muft neceffarily be employed, 
 in order to obtain their friendftiip j they will not 
 be offended with impunity, this hiftory is a 
 proof of it-, nothing could be better conduced 
 |:han the plot of the Natehes ; and how unhappy 
 had it been, without the interpofition of Provi- 
 dence ! The Sun Stw:g Arm was worthy of the 
 greateft acknowledgements, but it is not weU 
 known hovy they have been made to her. 
 
 The nations who entered into the ^lot with 
 the I^atches^ not knowing the ftratagem by 
 which the fVroke had been advanced, beJieved 
 they were betrayed : The Cha£faw nation ima- 
 gined, that the Natehes were unwilling to give 
 them their fhare of the plunder of the French ; 
 and, to convince the latter that they had no part 
 in the conjuration, they joined them in order to 
 chaftife the Hatches. Thefe returned the French 
 women and the negroes whom, they liad taken \ 
 fonie time after they were attacked in their in- 
 trcnchments, but efcaped by the help of a thun^ 
 der-ilorm, and quitted the country. About a 
 thoufand of them were taken and brought to 
 New Orleans^ and afterwards fold to the iOe of 
 
 St,
 
 LOUISIANA. 6^ 
 
 St. Domingo. Among thefe prlfoners was the 
 Great Sun, his wife, and his mother, who rela- 
 ted to the French the above detail of the plot. 
 The Great Sun difowned the maflacre ; he faid 
 that his nation had abufed his youth, in or- 
 der to ftrike this blow ; that he had always lov- 
 ed the French -, that it was their own chief who 
 had ■ compelled the Natches to this defperate 
 adion, by his extortions upon a free nation. 
 The French were contented with his difavowal ; 
 they treated him and his mother and wife with 
 gentlenefs ; but as they did not return to their 
 nation, they foon died with grief. Since that 
 time this country is not inhabited : the Natches, 
 being purfued by the French, and being too 
 weak to refift them, took refuge among the Chi- 
 cachas *, where they found an afylum. 
 
 We ftill have a fort here, but the colony is 
 far from being brilliant -, the means of eftablilh- 
 ing it would be to attrafb other Indians to it. 
 This is all, Sir, which I can relate to you con- 
 cerning this part of the country. I Ihall now 
 foon leave it, and continue my voyage •, and I 
 conclude my letter, by renewing to you the pro- 
 teftations of thofe fentiments which you know 
 me capable of. And am, SIR, &c. 
 
 ^t the Natches, Sept. 
 
 lo. 1751. F ^ L E T- 
 
 f Chickafaws.
 
 6S TRAVELS through 
 
 Vf 
 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 To the fame. 
 
 The Author arrives at the Akanzas. Unhappy 
 Death of the People of Ferdinando Soto. Re^ 
 flections on the Folly of Menwhofeek for a Moun- 
 tain of Gold. Origin of the famous Dorado. 
 Short Account of the tragic Death of M. de la 
 Salle, ,-). 
 
 SIR, 
 
 J^^^^FTER failing about a hundred and 
 ^ A 53 twenty leagues to the north of the 
 bt^^:^ Natches, up the Mijifippi^ without 
 meeting with any habitation on the road, we 
 arrived among a nation famous for their friend- 
 fiiip for the French, and known formerly from 
 the expedition of Ferdinando Soto. I fpoke to 
 an old Indian chief of this country, who told 
 me, he faw M. de la Salle here in 1682, when 
 he difcovcred tlie great river St. Louis, known 
 
 under
 
 LOUISIANA. 69 
 
 under the name of MiJJiftppi, or, as the Indians 
 pronounce it, MeJJiaJJ'epi, which fignifies all the 
 riversy or the great river. 
 
 M. de la Salle pafled by this nation in coming 
 down the river : he made acquaintance with 
 them, and took poflelTion of their country in 
 the name of Louis le Grande of glorious memo- 
 ry * ; after fixing the crofs and the arms of 
 France there, he followed the courfe of the Mif- 
 ftfippi-, which enters into the famous gulph of 
 Mexico. He took the latitude at its mouth, 
 which he found to be twenty-nine degrees north ; 
 he failed up again afterwards to the river of 
 Jllifjois, from whence he went to Canada^ and 
 from thence he returned into France. 
 
 F 3 On 
 
 * If tyranny, oppreffion, and unbridled ambition are fuf- 
 ficient to immortalize a prince, it is certain Lexvis XIV. has 
 a juft claim to be called great. It was his happinefs to have 
 great minifters in the firll part of his life, in a time when 
 the greater part of Europe had very few manufadures ; but 
 he was weak enough to give ear to the advices faggefted to 
 him by the Jefuits, and a fuperannuated and bigotted mi- 
 ftrefs : this overturned the fyllem of grandeur for which the 
 minifters had laid a good foundation, and Lewis had the 
 misfortune to fee all the rival nations around him grow 
 powerful and rich, by the emigration of his oppreflcd Pro- 
 teftant fubjefts, and thus he outlived his own greatnefs : 
 his death was the moft fortunate event for France in her 
 weak and exhaulled Itate. F.
 
 70 TRAVELS through 
 
 On his arrival at court, he imparted his dif- 
 covery to MefT. Colbert and de Seignelai^ who ob- 
 tained for him a commiflion from the King, im- 
 porting, that all the countries which lie Ihould 
 difcover from New Bifcay to the Illinois^ and the 
 people, both French and Indians, that Ihould be 
 in thole countries, Ihould be under his orders. 
 
 It was at the fame nation, called Akanzas^ 
 that Mr. Jcutel arrived, who fet out after the 
 death of M. de la Salle, with guides to find out 
 the Mijtfippi. This is the only officer who has 
 left us an account which may be credited. I 
 think I ought to give you an abftrad of it ; 
 you will find the hiflory of M. de la Salle in it, 
 and of the end of his unlucky expedition. 
 
 In regard to Ferdinand Soto's voyage, I fliall 
 ^but jnft mention, that the general hitlory of the 
 Weft Indies informs us, that this great officer, 
 proud and enriched by the conqueft of PerUy af- 
 ter imbruing his facrilegious hands in the blood 
 of the unfortunate family of the Incas, intended 
 to penetrate into this country with the braveft 
 of his foldiers, to fubdue the nations that inha- 
 bit the neighbourhood of this river, of which I 
 ^^am going to give you a defcription ; but he did 
 not know the interior parts of this vaft conti- 
 nent; perhaps he cxpe(^ed to find effeminate 
 
 nations
 
 LOUISIANA. 71 
 
 luxations in itj, as in South America ; he was niif- 
 taJcen in his hopes, part of his people were kil- 
 led with clubs by the Indians, who flayed the 
 principal officers of his army, and afterwards 
 cxpofed their fkins on the door of their temple, 
 which fo frightened the Spaniards that they re- 
 imbarked im.mediately for EuropCi 
 
 Tlie hiftorian fays, that Ferdinand Soto died 
 of the fhame which the bad fuccels of this enter 
 prize had brought on him, in 1543 ; and, fince 
 that time till 16S2, this fine country has been 
 inhabited by no Europeansi 
 
 The fate of M. de la Salle has been no happier 
 than that of Ferdinand Soto. 
 
 There is no virtue in man which is not blend- 
 ed with fome faults ; this is generally the fault 
 of human nature ; and what increafes our humi- 
 liation, the greateft virtues are often accompa- 
 nied by the greateft vices. You will eafily per- 
 ceive this. Sir, by the fhort extrad from M, 
 jfouters Journal. 
 
 M. Robert Cuvdier de h Salk fet fail from Rp- 
 thelle the 24th of July 1684, with a fquadron of 
 four Ihips, commanded by M. de Beaujeu, a 
 captain of a fhip. Two hundred and eighty- 
 
 F 4 five
 
 72 TRAVELS through 
 
 five perfons, together with thirty volunteers * 
 and feme gentlemen, and a number of workmen 
 and girls embarked with him. M. de la Salle 
 was on board M. de Beaujeu's Ihip, in whom he 
 repofed no manner of confidence. Whatever 
 that officer propofed to him, he always anfwered 
 with an air of haughtinefs, This is not the King's 
 intention •, he certainly did not take the proper 
 fteps to interefl a man in his undertaking, whofe 
 affillance he wanted to make it fucceed. Every 
 one accordingly began to judge difadvantage- 
 oufiy of an expedition, the chiefs of which feem- 
 ed to a6b by very different principles ; and time 
 has unhappily confirmed it. 
 
 The 28th of December 1684, the fquadron 
 difcovered the continent of Florida -, and M. de 
 la Salle having heard much about the current 
 that fet in to the eaftward in the Mexican gulph, 
 he made no doubt but that the mouth of the 
 MiJJifippi was far to the weft ; an error that was 
 the caufe of all his misfortunes. Accordingly 
 he bore away weftward ; but he advanced very 
 little, becaufe he went near the fhore from time 
 
 to 
 
 '^* Among thefe were three priefts of St. Sulpitius, one of 
 them M. iie la Salle's brother, Chedewlle his relation, and 
 Majultc, befides four recollefts, who were to eflablifh the 
 miiTions among the Indians. There were likewlfe two of 
 his nephews, Moranget and CaveHer fourteen years of age.
 
 LOUISIANA. 73 
 
 to time, and failed along the coaft, to try whe- 
 ther he could not difcover what he fought for. 
 
 The 2d of January 1685, the fquadron was, 
 according to conjediure, pretty near the mouth 
 of the Mijfifippi\ and on the loth they paiTed 
 by it, without perceiving it. M. de la Salle^ be- 
 ing perfuaded that the fquadron was but jufl op- 
 pofite the Appalachian mountains, continued his 
 voyage without fending his long-boat on Ihore. 
 
 It is faid, that people Ihewed him the mouth 
 of the river, and that he would not fo much as 
 take the trouble of getting a certainty, . becaufe 
 he had taken it into his head, that it could not 
 be the place which w^as pointed out to him. 
 His obftinacy could not be conquered nor jufti- 
 fied. 
 
 He certainly did not know, or did not think 
 of it, that the greateft men in the world have 
 often been, in part, indebted for their greateft 
 fuccefs to people of inferior merit i and that 
 thofe are the wifeft, who profit by the advice 
 and underilanding even of thofe that are lefs en- 
 dowed than they thcmfelves. 
 
 Some time after, upon fome hints which the 
 Indians on the coafl: gave him, he wanted to re- 
 turn ;
 
 74 TRAVELS through 
 
 turn ; but M. de Beavjeu refufed to do him that 
 favour. They purlued the fame courfe •, and 
 the fquadron, in a few days, came to St. Ber^ 
 ^lard's bay, without knowing it. This bay is 
 one hundred leagues to the weflward of the 
 mouth of the Mi-Jfift-ppi \ they cafl anchor there, 
 and fent the boats upon difcovery, in order to 
 try to get knowledge of the place they were in. 
 They found a very fine river, with a bar at the 
 mouth of it, where there is not above ten or 
 twelve feet water. This difcovery was made af- 
 ter many times failing backwards and forwards, 
 and after feveral meetings of the council, in 
 which nothing was concluded, becaufe whenever 
 one propofed any thing, the other was fure to 
 oppofe it. 
 
 M. de la Salle ^ who believed he was near the 
 MiJJifippi, and whom M. de Beaujeu's prefence 
 eonftrained more than it did him any fervice, 
 refolved to land all his people in that place,* 
 Having taken this relolution, on the 20th of 
 February he fent orders to the commander of the 
 Ihip La Flute to land the heaviefl goods, and to 
 go up into the river. He intended to be pre- 
 fent at the execution of his orders -, but the 
 Marquis de la Sablonniere, and five or fix French- 
 men, having been taken by the Indians as they 
 walked in the woods, he haftened to free therri. 
 
 He
 
 LOUISIANA: ft, 
 
 He was not yet far from the fhore, when, call- 
 ing his eye towards the bay, he faw the Flute 
 manoeuvring in fuch a manner as to beat againlt 
 the rocks j his bad luck, fays Joutel in his re- 
 lation, prevented his returning to avoid that 
 misfortune. He continued his journey towards 
 the Indian village, where his people had been 
 carried to ; and when he came there, he heard a 
 cannon fired. He took this as a fignal to give 
 him notice, that the Flute was loll ; and his 
 conjedlure proved true. 
 
 Thofe who were witnelTes to this accident 
 plainly took it to be the effed of a premeditated 
 defign of M. de St. Aig'ron^ who commanded 
 that vefTel. This lofs had many difagreeable 
 confequences, as it contained the ammunition 
 utenGls, tools, and in general all that is necef- 
 fary to a new fettlement. M. de la Salle halten- 
 cd to the place where the fhip was loft, and 
 found every body in a total ina6lion. He beg- 
 ged M. de Beaujeu to lend him his boat and ca- 
 noe, which he obtained very eafily. 
 
 He began with faving the crew ; next he got 
 the powder and flower, afterwards the wine and 
 brandy ; he brought on Ihore about thirty bar- 
 rels : had the boat of the Flute been able to 
 
 afiilt
 
 y6 TRAVELS through 
 
 aflift that of the fhip Le Joli, almoft every thing 
 would have been faved •, but that was funk on 
 purpofe, and the night being come, they were 
 obliged to defer the unlading till the next morn- 
 ing. Some hours being paft, the wind, which 
 came from the fea, grew more violent, and 
 the waves increafed ; the Flute beating againft 
 the rocks burft, and a quantity of goods 
 fell out through the opening, and were carried 
 away by the fea. This was only perceived at 
 break of day ; thirty more barrels of wine and 
 brandy were faved, together with fome barrels 
 full of flower, meat, and peafe : all the reft 
 was loft. 
 
 To increafe the misfortune, they were fur- 
 rounded on all fides by Indians -, who, notwith- 
 ftanding the care that was taken to prevent 
 their profiting any thing by the general confu- 
 fion, took away feveral things which had been 
 preferved from the wreck. The theft was 
 not perceived till they were retired with the 
 booty. They had left feveral of their canoes on 
 the ftiore, which were feized upon : very weak 
 reprifals indeed, which coft much more than they 
 were worth. The Indians came at night to take 
 their canoes -, they furprifed thofe who were left 
 to take care of them, and, finding them afleep, 
 they killed two volunteers, whom M. de la Salle 
 
 regretted
 
 LOUISIANA. ']^ 
 
 regretted very much, and wounded his nephew 
 and another perfon. 
 
 So many miisfortunes, one after another, dif- 
 gufted leveral perfons who were upon the expe- 
 dition ; and, among others, MefT. Doinmai'iUe 
 and Mignet^ two engineers, who were willing 
 to return to France, to which the dilcourfes of 
 M. de la Salle's, enemies contributed greatly •, for 
 they never ceafed to cry down his conduct, and 
 tax his project as a filly and rafh undertaking. 
 He, on the contrary, never fnewed more refolu- 
 tion and firmnefs ; he conftrudted a warehoufe 
 furrounded with good intrenchments ; and tak- 
 ing it into his head, that the river, in which he 
 was, might pofFibly be one of the branches of the 
 Mifflfifpi^ he prepared to go up in it. 
 
 They immediately began erefling a fort; as 
 foon as the work was fomewhat advanced, M. de 
 la Salle gave Joutcl orders to finifh it, left him 
 the command of it, and about one hundred 
 men : he took the reft of his people, about 
 fixty in all, with himfelf, and embarked on the 
 river, with the refolution of going up as high 
 as he could. Joutcl ftayed but a fhort time after 
 him in the fort which had been begun •, every 
 night the favages were roving in the neighbour- - 
 hood ; the French defended themfelves againft' 
 
 them,
 
 78 T R A V E L S through 
 
 them, but with lofTes that weakened them. 
 On the 14th of July, Joutel received an order 
 from M. de la Salle to join him with all his 
 people. 
 
 Many good flout men had been killed or ta- 
 ken by the Indians ; others were dead with fa- 
 tigue, and the number of fick increafed every 
 day i in a word, nothing could be more unhap- 
 py than M. de la Salle's fituation. He was de- 
 voured v^/'ith grief; but he difTimulated it pretty 
 well, by which means his diffimulation degene- 
 rated into a morofe obftinacy. As foon as he 
 faw all his people together, he began in good 
 earneit to think of making a fcttlement, and 
 fortifying it. He was the engineer of his own 
 fort, and being always the lirll to put his hand 
 to work, every body worked as well as he could 
 to follow his example. 
 
 Nothing was wanting but to encourage this 
 good-will of the people, but M. de la Salle had 
 not fufficient command of his temper. At the 
 very timiC when his people fpent- their forces 
 •^ith working, and had but juft as much as wasi 
 abfolutely ncceflary to live upon, he could not 
 prevail on himfelf to relax his feverity a little, 
 or alter his inflexible temper, which is never 
 feafonable, and lefs fo in a new fcttlement. It; 
 
 is
 
 LOUISIANA. 79 
 
 IS not fufficient to have courage, health, and 
 watchfulnefs, to make any undertaking fucceed-, 
 many other talents are requifite. Moderation, 
 patience, and dilintereflednefs, are equally ne- 
 ceffary. It is ufeful to dilTmiulate now and then, 
 to prevent making evil worfe. Gentlenefs is the 
 belt method v^hich every commander can fol- 
 low, 
 
 M. de la Salle punilhed the leaft faults with an 
 vnheard-of cruelty ; and feldom any word of 
 f omfort came from his mouth to thofe who fuf- 
 fered with .the greateil conflancy. He had of 
 courfe the misfortune to fee all his people fall 
 into a ftate of languor and defpondency, which 
 was more the efFeft of defpair, than of excefs of 
 labour or fcantinefs of good nourifhment. 
 
 Having given his lafl orders at his fort, he 
 refolved to advance into the country, and began 
 to march on the 12th of January 1687, with 
 M. de Cavelier hjs brother, Moranget and the 
 young Cavelier his nephews. Father Anaji alius a 
 Francifcan friar, Jputel, Duhaut^ UArcheveque de 
 Marne, a German whofe name was Hiens, a fur- 
 geon named Lie'tot, the pilot T'eJ/ier, Sagel, and 
 an Indian who was a good huntfman. I men- 
 tion them all, becaufe they Ihall be Ipoke of in 
 jhe fequel. 
 
 As
 
 8o TRAVELS through 
 
 As they advanced further into the country, 
 they found it inhabited -, and when they were 
 but forty leagues from the nation of the Cenls, 
 they heard that there was a Frenchman among 
 thofe Indians. It was a failor from Lower Bre- 
 imry, who had lofl: himfelf when M. de la Salle 
 firft came down the Mijfifippi : this poor wretch 
 lived among the Cenh fince 1682, having been 
 adopted by them. He did not hope to fee Eu- 
 rope again, nothing but chance could procure 
 him the means of returning thither : Joutel went 
 to fetch him from amongfl thofe Indians. He 
 only quitted them to be witnefs of a crime. 
 
 The 17th of May, Moranget being on a hunt- 
 ing party, and having, as it is faid, abufed 
 with words Duhaut, Hiens, and the furgeon 
 Lietot, thofe three men refolved to get rid of him 
 as foon as pofllble, and to begin with the fervant 
 of M. de la Salle, and his Indian huntfman who 
 was called Nika, who both accompanied Moran- 
 gety and could have defended him. They com- 
 municated their defign to UArcheveque and the 
 pilot 'Teffier, who approved of it, and defired to 
 take part in the execution. They did not fpeak 
 of it to the Sieur de Marne, who was with them, 
 and whom they wiHied to have been able to get 
 away. The next night, whilft the three unhap- 
 py vi6lims whom they would facrifice to their 
 
 revenge
 
 LOUISIANA. 8i 
 
 revenge flept very quietly, Lietot gave each of 
 them leveral blows with the hatchet on the head. 
 The Indian arid the fervarit died immediately. 
 Mormigei raifed himfelf fo as to fit lip right, 
 without fpeaking a word ; and the murderers 
 obliged the Sicur de Marne to difpatch him, 
 threatening to kill him too if he refufed •, thus, 
 by making him an accomplice of their crime, 
 they wanted to fecure themfelves ag'ainft his ac- 
 cufing them. 
 
 The firft crime is always follow^ed by uneafi- 
 nefs i the greateft villains find it difficult to con- 
 quer it : the murderers conceived, that it would 
 hot be eafy to efcape the juft vengeance of M. 
 ie la Salle^ unlefs by preventihg him -, and this 
 they refolved upon, after deliberating on the 
 means of effe<flino; it. Thev thought the fafcfl 
 way was to meet him, and furprife all that ac- 
 companied him, and fo open themfelves a way 
 for the murder which they intended to perpe- 
 trate. 
 
 So ftrange a refolution could only be inlpired 
 by that blind d fpair, which hurries villains into 
 the abyfs which they dig for themfelves : an un- 
 expefted Incident became favourable to them, 
 and delivered into their hands the prey which 
 
 Vol. I. G they
 
 la TRAVEL S through 
 
 tthey fought for. A river that feparated them 
 from the camp, and which was confiderably in* 
 creafed fmce they pafTed it, kept them two days : 
 this retardment, which at firfl feemed an ob- 
 ilacle to their projed, facilitated the execution 
 pf it. M. de la Salle, wondering that his nephew 
 'Sid not return, nor either of the two men that 
 were with him, determined to go and feek them 
 himfelf. It was remarked, that he was uneafy 
 when he was going to fet out, and inquired with 
 a kind of uncommon concern whether Moranget 
 had quarrelled with any one. 
 
 He then called JouteU and intruded him with 
 t4ie command of his camp, ordering him to go 
 his rounds in it from time to time, and to light 
 fires, that the fmoke might bring him on his 
 road again, in cafe he fhould lofe his way ; he 
 likewife bid him give no body leave to abfent 
 himfelf. He fet out on the 20th, attended by 
 Father Anafiafms and an Indian. As he ap^ 
 proached to the place where the aflaffins had 
 ftopt, he faw fome eagles foaring pretty near the 
 place, and concluded that there was fome car- 
 rion : he fired his gun •, and the confpirators, 
 who had not yet feen him, guefTmg that it was 
 he who was coming, got their arms in readinefs. 
 The river was between them and him : Duhaut 
 
 and
 
 LOUISIANA. ^3 
 
 and 'Djfrckiveque crofied it ; and feeing M. de 
 la Salle advancing flowly, they flopped. D«- 
 haut hid himfelf in the long grafs, with his gun 
 cocked, UArcheveqtie advanced a little more : 
 and a moment after, M. de la Salle knowing him, 
 afked him where his nephew was ? He anfwered, 
 that he was lower down. At the fame inftant 
 Duhaut fired ; M. de la Salle received the Ihot in 
 his head, and fell down dead. 
 
 It was the 20th of May 1687 that this mur- 
 der was committed near the Cenis. Father Ana- 
 fiafius^ feeing M. de la Salle drop down at his 
 {ctt, expefted that the murderers would not 
 fpare him, though they fliould have no other 
 view in it than to get rid of a witnefs of their 
 crime. Duhaut came near him to quiet him^ 
 and told him, that what they had done was an 
 a6l of defpair, and that they had long thought 
 of revenging themfelves on Moranget^ who had 
 endeavoured to ruin them. Father AHaJiafm 
 informed M. Cavelier of his brother's death; that 
 gentlemen told them, that if it was their inten- 
 tion to kill him likewife, he would forgive them 
 his death before hand, arid he only demanded, 
 as a favour^ a quarter of an hour to prepare him- 
 felf for death. They replied, that he had no- 
 thing to fear, and that nobody complained of him. 
 
 G 2 Jouul
 
 84 T R A V EL S through- 
 
 Joutel was fiot then in the camp -, U/^rche- 
 veque^ who was his friend, ran to inform him, 
 that his death was certain if he jOiewed any re- 
 fentment of what had happened, or if he pre- 
 tended to take advantage of the authorit}- with 
 which M. de la Salle had in veiled him. Joutely 
 who was of a very gentle temper, anfwered, 
 that they fliould be content with his conduct, 
 and that he believed that they ought to be plea-, 
 fed with the manner in which he had hitherto 
 behaved j and then he returned to the camp. 
 
 As foon as Buhaut faw Joutel^ he called out 
 to him, that every one Ihould command by 
 turns. He had already taken all the authority 
 into his hands > and the firft ufe he made of it, 
 was to make himfelf mafter of the mag-azine. 
 He divided it afterwards with UAnheve^ue^ fay- 
 ing, that every thing belonged to him. There 
 were about thirty thoufand livres worth of goods, 
 and near twenty- five thoufand livres both in 
 coin and -in plate. 
 
 The aflaffins had force and boldnefs on their 
 fide ; they had fliewn themfeves capable of the 
 greatcft crimes, accordingly they met with no 
 refiilance at firft. They foon divided, and quar- 
 relled amopg themfelves •, thcy^ found difficul- 
 ties
 
 LOUISIANA. 8 
 
 j> 
 
 ties ih dividlng^'tfie treafure ; they cameto blows, 
 and Hiens fired his piftol at Duhaut's, head, who 
 reeled, and fell four yards from the place where 
 he flood. At the fame time Rutel the Tailor, 
 whom Ji'/z/if/ fetched from the Cents, fired a gun 
 at Lietot. That wretch lived yet feveral hours, 
 though he had three balls in his body ; ^o the 
 two afi^afTins, one of M. de la Salle, and the 
 other of his nephew Moranget, were themfelves 
 the vidlims of that fpiritof fury, which they had 
 infpired to this unhappy colony. 
 
 The Indians knew not what to think of thefe 
 murderers -, they were quite fcandalized by them. 
 They were in the right, and could with more 
 realbn treat thofe Frenchmen as barbarians, than 
 we had to confider them as fuch. Re that as it 
 will, fuch was the tragic death of Robert Cave- 
 Jier, Sieiir de la Salle, a man of abilities, of a 
 great extent of genius, and of a courage; and 
 firmnefs of mind which might have carried him 
 to fomething very great, if, with thefe good 
 qualities, he had known how to get the better of 
 his fuUen, morofe mind, to foften his feverity, or 
 rather the roughnefs of his temper, and check 
 the haughtineis with which he treated not only 
 thofe who depended entirely upon himfelf, but 
 even his aflbciates. The moft unhappy thing 
 
 G 3 tor
 
 Z6 TRAVELS through 
 
 for the memory of this famous man is, that he 
 has not been pitied by any body, and that the 
 bad fuccefs that has attended his undertakings 
 has given him the appearance of an adventurer 
 among thofe vi^ho only judge from appearances. 
 Unhappily they are commonly the greateft num- 
 JDcr, and their voice is, in a manner, the voice of 
 the people. He has further been reproached with 
 never taking advice from any body, and with ha- 
 ying ruined his private affairs by his obitinacy *. 
 
 Thus ended this unlucky undertaking \ many 
 
 ?things confpired to make it abortive : it would 
 
 at lead have had part of the wilhed-for fuccefs, 
 
 if a fettlement on the mouth of the Mifiifippi 
 
 had been the only thing in view, as many people 
 
 ■'thought it was. It is certain, that when M. de 
 
 'Beaujeu abandoned M. dela Salle in St. Bernard's 
 
 ^^£ayy the latter foon found out, that he was to 
 
 the 
 
 * In order to diminifh the villainy of the deed of Duhaut, 
 
 it has been fpread, that M. d? la Salle had killed young 
 
 Duhaut with his own hands, and that he had treated federal 
 
 Others in the fame manner ; that it was defpair and revenge 
 
 that animated the confpirators, who feared to perifli themr 
 
 i*elves by his injuftice and feverity. One ought to be fa 
 
 much the more upon one's guard againfl fuch calumniating 
 
 difcourfes, as it is but too common to increafe the faults ©f 
 l^e unhappy, and to attribute to them even thofe wiiich they 
 
 yeally have not.
 
 LOUISIANA. S7 
 
 the weflward of the river he fought for ; if "it 
 had been his intention to find it, he might on 
 his nrft journey to the Cenis have obtained 
 guides from thofe Indians, becaufe they granted 
 fome in the fequel to Joutel* j but he wifhed to 
 Gonrie near the Spaniards, in order to take cog- 
 nizance of the mines of St. Barbara, and to feek 
 likewife a Dorado. By endeavouring to do too 
 much, he not only did nothing at all, but made 
 all his people perifli, and perifhed himfelf, and 
 was pitied by nobody. 
 
 Before I conclude this letter, let me add fomc 
 refleflions on the folly of men. 
 
 The avidity of the Spanifh captains muft have 
 been very great, as it engaged them to feek for 
 an imaginary Dorado or mountain of gold, whilft 
 the whole country they were in abounded in all 
 
 G 4 parts 
 
 - The Sieur Joutel found the Mijfijippi by means of th^ 
 Indians, who brought him to the Akanzas, and from thence 
 into Canada, ; where he arrived, accompanied by one prieil, 
 a RecoUet friar, a foldier, a failor, a colonift, and *an In- 
 dian, who compofed a ftrange fort of caravan. They were 
 all that returned from this expedition. The remains of this 
 unhappy colony perifhed either through the Indians or 
 through the Spaniards, who took them prifoners, and fet 
 jhem at work in their mines,
 
 §a TP^AVELS THROUGH 
 
 parts with that metal. X^'^is is a proof, that aH 
 the treafures in the >vorld are incapable of fatisfy- 
 ing man, as foon as avidity has pnce gained the 
 empire in his heart. 
 
 The Spaniards were not contented with the 
 riches of Peru ; they muft ftill go to difcover z, 
 Porado, that is, a country where the rocks and 
 ftones are all of gold. The Indians, in order 
 ^o flatter the avidity of their enemies, and H 
 the fame time to get them p.ut qf their country, 
 never ceafed amufmg them with accounts of the 
 gold, fUver, diamonds, and pearls with which 
 that country abounded. Their defire of getting 
 rid of their unwelcome guefls, induced them to 
 Ipare nothing towards perfuading them of the 
 cxiftence of this pretended country. The Spa- 
 niards believed thefe accounts, in which they 
 were ipterefled ; and this is faid to be the origin 
 of the famous Dorado, which has made fo mucl^ 
 noife in the world. 
 
 The report was current, that, after paffing a 
 long chain of mountains covered with fnow, one 
 entered upon a vaft plain exceedingly well peo- 
 pled, in which was the Dorado that every one 
 wiihed to difcover. , „ , .
 
 LOUISIANA. 89 
 
 -^iefada^ with two hundred and fifty brave 
 ibldiers, fet out immediately in fearch of it. On 
 St. James's, day they perceived, from the top of 
 a mountain, fome vaft plains which refembled 
 a fea ; and when they were defcended to the 
 foot of the mountain, they built there a town, 
 and called \t San-Tago^ in remembrance of the 
 day on which they diicovered the plain •, they, 
 likewife furnamed it Las Atalayas *, in order to 
 point out the defign of their journey, which was 
 to difcover the Dorado. This town exifts ftill 
 in the place, which is marked in the maps as a 
 nrionutnent which feems to engage pollerity to 
 cro out upon the difcovery of this unknown 
 treafure. ^efada paffed through the woods of 
 Ajrico with exceflive trouble, and arrived at 'Ti- 
 mana in 1543, having loft almoft all his people. 
 
 Orellana undertook the fame voyage in that 
 year ; he fet out from Peru, defcended the ri- 
 ver Mara^non or of the Amazons, came to the 
 
 o 
 
 coaft, and neglefted nothing towards arriving 
 at the mountain of gold ; but all his pains were 
 ufelefs, and he gained no more honour by the 
 
 under- 
 
 * Jtalayar fignifies to difcover, or to fpy, in Spanifli : 
 Jltalaya, a tower or fort from whence one difcovers : Las 
 jttalayas is the plural.
 
 90 TRAVELS t» rough 
 
 undertaking than that of having completed one 
 of the mod horrible voyages that ever were 
 heard of. About the fame time Philip de Urc^ 
 fearing that ^efada would profit alone by this 
 difcovery, fet out from Coro in the province of 
 Venezuela^ together with Aquito^ the Lieutenant 
 Veldcazar^ and one hundred and twenty men ; 
 but a Cacique having told him, that moft of the 
 people of ^efada had perifhed in the undertakt 
 ing, he went to the fouthward along the river 
 Guabari^ and flopped, as Father Simon and Fa- 
 ther Fiedrahata affure us, at the firfl fettlement 
 of Omaguas, in a very bad plight. But what: 
 will not men undertake for the fake of gold ! 
 ^uri facra fames^ quid 7ion morialia pcofora co- 
 gis * .? 
 
 But to what purpofe is all this philofophy. — 
 The flay which I intend to make here, will en- 
 able me to fend you a new letter on the fubjeft 
 of the moft interelling particulars of the politics 
 and form of government of the nations who in-? 
 habit this country. I am, 
 
 S I R, &c. 
 
 At the Akanzas^ 
 
 051. 29. 1751. 
 
 ^ J; Here follows a dull quotation from a Spanifh author up-, 
 pirthis fubjed^, which we thought proper to omit, F.
 
 J^. G U I S I A N A. 9> 
 
 
 3U i: T T E R V. 
 
 5"^ the fame. 
 
 pefcriptjon of the Manners of the Natim of Akan- 
 
 zas, their Religion and Manner of carrying oft 
 
 ^ IFar J thff Goodnefs and Fertility of their Comtfy, 
 
 SIR, 
 
 K^^^ Hope the defcription I Ihall give of 
 ^ I g^ this Indian nation, by drawing your 
 ^^^j^ attention upon their particular charac-- 
 ter, will convey a general idea of all the nations 
 of North America. There is indeed very little 
 difference among them, in regard to their cu-. 
 ftoms and their way of thinking, and efpecially 
 in regard to a Supreme Being, which in their 
 language they call Coyocopc/iill, which fignifies 
 /he great Spirit ^ or the Mafter of life, 
 
 . , The
 
 [fi T R A V E L S through 
 
 rhe Akanzas live on the banks of a river that- 
 bears their name •, it arifes in New Mem-co^ and 
 fails into the MiJJiftppi. Thefe Indians are tall, 
 well made, brave, good fwimmers, very expert 
 in hunting and fifhing, and entirely devoted to 
 the French, of which they have given marks on 
 feveral occafions. 
 
 I fpoke, in my preceding letter, of an old 
 man of this nation, who faid he had feen M. de 
 Li Salle. This good Indian added, that from 
 that time he conceived a very great efteem 
 for the French ; that they were the firft na- 
 tion of white men he had feen, and fince that 
 time he had always recommended it to his na- 
 tion, whofe chief he was, never to receive any 
 other European allies than the French, who 
 were immediately received at his requefb : in 
 reality thefe people never would have any thing 
 to do with the conjuration of the general maf- 
 facre of the French colony at the Natches. I 
 muft do thefe good Indians that juftice; they 
 ^re always a^ war with the 'Tchicachas (Chick- 
 faws) who gave the Natches a retreat. 
 
 The country of the Akanzas is one of the 
 
 fineft in the world •, the foil of it is fo fertile, 
 
 that it produces, without any culture, European 
 
 •^' wheat.
 
 l.rj.Q-U I S I -A N A. 93, 
 
 wheiat, all kinds of food, and good fruit, un- 
 known in France \ game of all kinds is plentt:;-^ 
 ful there.; )«il4^oxep*, ftags, roebucks, bears, ^• 
 ••'' - tygers, 
 
 * The here enufnerated animals, we intend to make bet- ' 
 ter known, by adding the names in Dr. Linnaeus Syil. Nat. 
 and Mr. Pennant's Syn. of Quadr. or his Britilb Zoology. 
 
 1. Wild Oxen. Bos Bifon, Linn. American ox, 
 Penn. Syn. S^uad. 8. 
 
 2. Stags. Cervus Elaphus, Linn. Stag deer, Penn, 
 Syn. ^ad. 49. 
 
 3. Roebucks. As It Is dubious whether this {pedes is 
 in North uimericUy this is probably the Dama VirginiaftS, 
 Ray. Syn. 'i^aad. 86, j Or Virginian deer, Penn. Syn. Sljia- 
 drup. 51. 
 
 4. Bears. . Urfus Arflos, Linn. Black bear, Pam. 
 Syn. ^ad. 190. 
 
 1 
 
 5. Tygers. There are no true tygers in all the new 
 continent, and what is called thus muil be the Cugacurana 
 oi Marcgravc, andiZ/y^. Syn. S^nad. 169. or Brown cat, Penn. 
 Syn. ^ad. 179. 
 
 6. Leopards. Fells Pardus, Linn. Panther, Penn. 
 Syn. ^ady p. 171. note. Mr. Pennant has proved, from 
 very good authorities, that this fpecies is found in America, 
 contrary to what M. de Buffon fays ; who, though a very 
 great naturalill, by far fupeiior to many who make free 
 
 vsith.
 
 94 TRAVELS through 
 
 tygers, leopards, foxes, wild cats, rabbets, tur- 
 kies, grous, pheafants, partridges, quails, 
 turtles, wood-pigeons, fwans, geefe, buftards, 
 
 ducks 
 
 with him, is however a man who never departs from an opi- 
 nion which he once has embraced, and which he will carry 
 by his eloquence in fpite of the moft creditable authorities tdf 
 the contrary. 
 
 7. Fo'xEs. Canis Vnlpes, Linn. Fox, Pentt. Syti. 
 ^ad. 152. with all its varieties, the crofs fox, the black 
 fox, and the bsand fox. 
 
 8. Wild Cats. Fells filveflris tigrlna, Brijhn. ^ad* 
 193, Cayenne Cftt, Pen):, Syn. S>uad. 182. 
 
 9. Rabbets. There were originally no rabbets in Ame- 
 rica, but they were imported by the Spaniards, and are now 
 greatly increafed ; whether thefe, here called rabbets, on 
 the river MiJJiJippiy are the true rabbets, or whether they 
 are that kind of hare which is peculiar to North Ameri- 
 ca, cannot be decided. The North American hare feems to 
 be the Alpine hare, Penn. Syn. ^ad. 249 ; it is lefs in 
 fize than the European common hare, and a medium between 
 hare and rabbet, according to Kalm's North Amer. I. p. 105. 
 
 -. lO. TuRKTEs. Meleagrls Gallopavo, Lltm. Le dindon^ 
 Planches enluminhs, ^-ji 
 
 II. Grous. There are abottt feven difterent kjnds of" 
 gi-Qus i-n Ncrth America* 
 
 {a) Tetrao
 
 LOUISIANA. 95 
 
 ducks of all kinds, teals, divers, fnipes, wa- 
 ter-hens, golden plovers, flares, thrufhes, and 
 other birds which are not known in Europe. 
 
 On 
 
 (a) Tctrao Phafianellus, Lim. The long-tailed grous, EJ- 
 
 nvard, 1 1 7 . 
 
 (^) Canadenfis, Linn. The fpotted grous, Etkv. 7 1 . 
 
 (f) ' Lagopus, Linn. The white grous, £J-u/. 72. 
 
 PL enl. 129. 
 (^) • ■ Cupido, Linn. The pinnated grous, Cat.Wl. i. 
 {e) ——— Umbellus, Linn. The ruffed grous, Ea'zv. 248. 
 (/) Canaee, Linn. The ftriated grous, PI. enl. i^t. 
 
 8c 132. Brijjf.l. 203. t. 20- f. 1.2. 
 {g) • Togatus, Linn. The ftioulder-knot grous, PI, 
 
 enl. 104. BriJf.Y. 207. t. 221. f, 1. 
 
 Which of thefe are found fo far fouth as Louif.ana cannot be 
 determined. 
 
 12. Pheasants. This Is fo vague a denomination, that 
 it is next to impoffible to find out which kind of pheafant 
 the author means ; for there is but one pheafant in America^ 
 in Cayenne, and Guiana, and therefore it is dubious whether 
 this bird is found fo far north as Lcuijiana : I am therefore 
 inclined to believe, the author meant the long-tailed grous, 
 which bears a great fimilarity to a pheafant, and is found as 
 far as Vijginia, which is not above three or four degrees 
 more north than the Akanzas. 
 
 13. Partridges. This feems to be the American par* 
 tridge, Cat.Wl, 12. Tetrao Virginianus, Limi. 
 
 14. QVAJLS,
 
 9^ TRAVELS through 
 
 On my arrival at the Akanzas, the young 
 warriors received me with the dance of the ca- 
 lumet. It is necelTary that I Ihould inform you» 
 
 that 
 
 14. Quails. Tetrao Mexicanus, Linn. Loufiana quail, 
 f/. enJ. 149. 
 
 15. Turtles. Columba Canadenfls, Linn. Canada 
 turtle, PI. enl. 176. 
 
 16. Wood-pigeons. Columba migratoria, i/«». Mi-* 
 gratory pigeon. Kalm, II. p. 82. t. z. Columba Caroli* 
 n?nfis, Linn. Caroline pigeon. Cat. I. 24. 
 
 17. Swans. Anas Cygnus, Linn. Br. ZooL p. ^^o. Ed- 
 luard 150. 
 
 18. Geese. Anas Anfer, Linn. Wildgoofe, Br.Zcol.J^Afji 
 Anas crythropus, Linn. White fronted goofe, Br. Zool. 450* 
 Ed'w. 153. Anas Canadenfls, Linn. Canada goofe, jE'rf'w* 
 151. PI. enl. 346. 
 
 19. Bustards, Otis Tarda, Linn^ This is the firfi 
 time that I find a buftard mentioned among the American 
 birds. As they are not uncommon in France, I am inclined 
 to think the author's account to be true ; and as he has al- 
 ready mentioned the turkies before, it is not likely that he 
 ftiould confound the bullard and turkey* 
 
 20. Ducks of all kinds. There are at leafl twenty kinds 
 of ducks known to be in America. Vid. Forjlcr^s Catalogue 
 of North Amtrican animals, p. 16. 17. 
 
 21. Teals*
 
 L O U i S i A N A. 97 
 
 that dancing enters into all forts of tranfadlions 
 with thefe nations j they have religious, phyfical, 
 merry, ceremonious, warlike, pacific, nuptial, 
 funeral, playful, hunting, and lewd dances : 
 the laft is abolifhed fmce our arrival in America. 
 
 The dance of impudicity was performed pri- 
 vately and in night-time, by the light of a great 
 fire. All that entered into the lafcivious aflem- 
 
 bly. 
 
 21. ^Teals. I fuppofe the author means by teals the- 
 lefTer kinds of ducks, as the harlequin, pied, brown, white- 
 faced, blue-wingi i^c. and common teal. 
 
 22. Divers arc of four kinds in North America. V'id. 
 Forfter'i Cat. N. Amer. i6. 
 
 23. Snipes, 'there are likewife feveral birds of th's 
 kind in North. America ; fo that witliout a more detailed de- 
 nomination, it is impoiTible to determine the Ipecies! 
 
 24.. Water-hens. Of this kind is the Rallus Caroli- 
 nenfis, Linn, the Carolina rail, and the common water- 
 hen, or Fulica chloropus, LiTin. in N. Amer. 
 
 25. Golden plovers. Charadrius apricarias, Liein* 
 EdiM. 140* 
 
 36. Stares. Sturnus Ludoviciftnus, Linn. Pl.t^il. 2j6. 
 Brif.li. 4491. t. 42. f. I. Cat.l. 13. This bird haj^ mif- 
 takenly appeared in the books of the modem ornithologifts 
 
 Vol. L H vnder
 
 98 TRAVELS through 
 
 bly were obliged to ftrike againjl th foft "*, that 
 is, to fWear that they never would reveal what 
 they had {tzx\- or done in this difiblute ball : the 
 dancers of both fexes appeared quite naked 
 there, in attitudes and geftures of proftitution, 
 accompanied with fongs of the fame kind, which 
 you muft excufe my tranfcribing, though, in the 
 language of the Indians, they are purely pieces 
 of genteel wit. .. : 
 
 The Akanzas have expert fellows among 
 them, who would perhaps amaze our jugglers. 
 
 I faw 
 
 under two names : Brijfon calls it, in II. 242. an American 
 ■Ouzel; and XL 449. he reprefents it as' a Louifiana ftare. 
 Linnecns makes likewife two birds of it; he calk' it a lark, 
 p. 289. Akuda magna, and p. 290. a ftare, Stui-nus Lu- 
 dovicianus ; but, upon comparifon, it may be eafily deter- 
 mined, that both are but a Hare, and that it ought to be 
 crafed from among the Larks and Ouzels. 
 
 27. Thrushes. There are at leaft fevenA'&r//i^v;^;vV«« 
 'thr\ifhes, which of them are upon the river i!//^^// cannot 
 be determined for want of in formation, F. 
 
 -*■*■ Whenever the Indians fwear or take oaths, they take 3 
 club with which they flrike againft a poft, calling to mind 
 their fine adions in war, and promifing to keep their word 
 religioufly : an oath of thrs nature is irrevocable among them ; 
 every Cacique fwears to lead his nation well, and ilrikes the 
 poft ; without taking that oath, he cannot be inftalled in th« 
 dignity.
 
 L O U i S t A N A* 99 
 
 I faw one of them, who, in my prefence, per- 
 formed a trick which will appear incredible tO 
 you ; after fome wry mouths, he fwallowed a 
 rib of a flag feventeen inches long, held it with 
 his fingers, and drew it out of his ftom.ach again. 
 He went to New Orleans to fhew his ag'ilirv to 
 the governor and the officers of the g-arrifon v 
 this the Indians cill adting the phyfician. 
 
 The Akan7.as declare war with the following 
 ceremonies. They make a feaft in the hut of 
 the chief, where dog's flelh is ferved up, which 
 is the principal food of warriors \ becaufe they 
 fay, that a creature which is fo brave as to be 
 killed in the defence of his mafterj muft give them 
 valour. He that kills one of the enemv's dogs 
 is likewife received as a warrior \ but he mufb 
 bring the fcalp of the dog, that is, the fl<in from 
 the head, as if it were the fcalp of a man, v/ith- 
 out which the others would not believe him. 
 The Indians have dogs in great numbers, both 
 for hunting, and to fecure them from being fur- 
 prifed by the enemies. 
 
 After the feaft of which I have fpoken, the 
 great chief calls together an aflembly of war- 
 tiors. 
 
 H a The
 
 loo TRAVELS through 
 
 The aflembly is held in the middle of the vil- 
 lage, in a great hut made on purpofe, which 
 they call the hut of the council. The chief 
 and moft confiderable men place themfelves, ac- 
 cording to their refpedlive ranks, on mats or on 
 tyger-fkins. When they are all feated, the 
 chief or orator puts himfelf into the midft of the 
 aflembly, and holds his fpeech with a loud 
 voice : he reprefents to his nation, that it would 
 be a lliame for them not to revenge the affront 
 they received from fuch or fuch a nation •, that 
 ^£l if they did_take them to account for it, they 
 would for the future be looked upon as wo- 
 men *. At that inflant all the aflembly ap- 
 plauds, by faying, Heu ! hen ! The chief then 
 takes a bundle of rods, and prefents it to the 
 afl!embly •, all that are defirous of going to war 
 take one of the rods, and by this means they are 
 enlifl:ed. 
 
 The next morning the women run through 
 the village, crying, " Young men and warriors, 
 " who received the rods, fet out, go to war, re- 
 " renge the deaths of our relations, allies, and 
 
 *' friends ; 
 
 * When an Indian is called a ivcman or an olJ ivoman, it 
 is an affront, which figrjifie? a man without courage, a 
 coward.
 
 LOUISIANA. 
 
 101 
 
 " friends ; and do not return till you are ftained 
 " with the blood of our enemies, and bring with 
 " you their fcalps "*." 
 
 Then a young Indian takes the trouble to 
 paint red a club, which 'they call a hcad-hreaker \ 
 this club is brought upon the limits of the ene- 
 mies country j there they cut a piece out of a 
 tree, and with vermilion they draw on it two ar- 
 rows acrofs each other, which is their fymbol of 
 war: the red colour fignifies, that the nation 
 defires revenge, and will not be fatisfied till it 
 has Ihed the blood of their enemies. 
 
 Before they fet out, the chief of the nation 
 calls another afiembly, wiiich is generally fol- 
 lowed by a feaft, to which he invites his allies. 
 The chief prefents the confederates with rods, 
 to engage them to march with them as auxiliary 
 troops. At the end of the repaft ihcy fmg and 
 
 H 3 dance 
 
 * The Indians are ufed to pluck the (kins from their ene- 
 mies heads whom they kill in battle ; they count the num- 
 ber of tiie Hain by thefe fcalps, whicli uiey bring home like 
 trophies on poles. We generally give them, in goods, for 
 the Kind's account, the value of ten crowns (ecus) for each 
 fcajp of our enemies.
 
 lOZ TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 dance the dance of war*. All the young men 
 are painted red •, it is really curious to fee them 
 dance. He that expreffes by dance the difco- 
 very or the furprife, watches his enemy, keep- 
 ing in a ftooping pollute ; all at once he falls 
 upon him, his club in hand, making horrible^ 
 cries, as is done in a real action. His comrade 
 drops as if he were thunderilruck, fbiffening all 
 Jiis mufcles as an epileptic i after which the 
 other reprefents, dancing, the method of fcalping 
 the dead enemy -, this is done with a knife which 
 he has in his hand, he makes an incifion on the 
 forehead, and round the neck of his enemy; he 
 places his long nails therein, he puts both his 
 knees againft the fnoulders of the captive, and 
 with a fudden puih with his knees and pull vv'ith 
 his hands, he takes up the fkin v/ith tlie hair on 
 ir, from the head. All this is reprefented in 
 finging and dancing to the tune of a drum and 
 
 • a dii- 
 
 * The fong of war is conceived in the following terms : 
 " I go to war to avenge the death of my brothers ; I ihall 
 " kill, I fliall exterminate, I (hall plunder, I fiiall burn my 
 " enemies : I fhall bring away flaves, I Ihail devour their 
 :^' heart, dry their fleih, drink their blood; I Ihall bring 
 ,'f their fcalps, and make cups of their fculls ;" and more 
 fuch e.vprefiions, which rre full of cruelty, and fhew a thirl^ 
 ^ter rei/e.npe and llauehtcr.
 
 LOUISIANA. 103 
 
 a chichikois *, which marks the time and the ca- 
 dence. 
 
 The Indians never go to war without confult- 
 ing their Manitou ^f, to whom tliey attribute all 
 their good or bad luck. \i the Minitou has not 
 been favourable to them, they quit him without 
 any ceremony, and take another. The chief, 
 before he goes to war, undergoes a very rigid 
 fafling, and paints his body black during that 
 time. After the fafl, he wafhes himfelf, and 
 paints his body and his face red. He harangues 
 his warriors before the falfe deity, after which 
 every one prepares his baggage. Sometimes 
 they go to war four or five hundred leagues from 
 ^heir own country. 
 
 Their baggage, in time of war, confifts of a 
 bear's fkin, which ferves as a bed ; a wild ox's 
 fkin, with which they cover themfelves ; a ty- 
 ger-cat's fkin, which ferves as a fack to put the 
 calumet or tobacco-pipe in •, a head-breaker or 
 
 H 4 club ; 
 
 •* This is a gourd in which they put a kind of little beads, 
 they likewife fallen fuch beads to their feet. 
 
 f Falie Indian deity ; fometimes a dried raven or a fnake ; 
 they likewife employ for that purpofe amphibious creatures 
 and quadrupeds.
 
 104 TRAVELS through 
 
 club 5 and a little hatchet, which they make ufe 
 of in order to make huts in the woods. 
 
 Their arms confift of a gun or mufket, the. 
 horn of an ox to put the gun-powder in, whick 
 they hang round the body with a firing, toge- 
 ther with a little bag in which they put their 
 balls, the flint, and a fcrew j befides this, a bow 
 and a quiver full of arrows •, the latter are very 
 ufeful for hunting. They never employ their 
 fire-arms at any animals, when they are upon any 
 expedition acrainft their enemies, left the noiffc. 
 might ferve to difcover them. They agree 
 amongft themfelves upon the method of furpri- 
 fing their enemies •, for the Indians place all 
 their glory in the knowledge of this kind of wai:» 
 which is generally fatal to thofe who are the ob- 
 jed of it. 
 
 They take very little care with regard to vic- 
 tuals ; every one has a little bag of flour of In- 
 dian corn or maize, roafted as we do coffee, 
 and when he is hungry he takes a fpoonful of 
 water in which fome of this flour or meal is 
 diluted, which he keeps till they are very near 
 the enemyy 
 
 Though
 
 LOUISIANA. 105 
 
 Though the Indians are fometimes three or 
 four days without eating, riiey are not ill at all 
 from it, but continue their road as before : they 
 contradt their girdle round their belly, in pro- 
 portion as it grows more empty, and diminifhes 
 in fize J in a word, they are indefatigable. 
 
 When the Indians have made a ftroke at the 
 enemy, as they term it, fome young warriors 
 immediately fet out, to bring the news of the 
 victory to the village. They make their arrival 
 known, by fome cries, which mark the number 
 of prifoners, that of the dead, and that of the 
 fcalps which they bring with them. The wo- 
 ■nien prepare to receive the prifoners, and to 
 give them a hearty drubbing with flicks. They 
 have likewife a right to decide who of the cap- 
 tives fhall xdie, for they are brought before them 
 with their hands tied, and painted black *. 
 Thofe wonien who have loft their hufbands, or 
 fons, are at liberty to take captives to replace 
 them. They can adopt them as hufbands or as 
 Tons, and they are then immediately fet free. 
 
 Thofe who are not adopted muft be burnt at 
 a flow fire : to that purpofe their head is fcalp- 
 ' ed, 
 
 ^ Thofe who are thus painted are to be burnt in the midfl 
 fi{ the village, unlefs the v.'omen adopt them.
 
 iq6 travels through 
 
 ed, and they are faftened to two pofts which 
 are driven into the ground, with a piece of wood 
 lying acrofs them '^ ; then all the young people 
 exerciie cheir fury upon them, and they endure 
 the greateft torments without complaining -, on 
 the contrary, they fmg till they expire, faying 
 that they are true men, and that they fear nei- 
 ther fire nor death; they laugh at their tor- 
 mentors, and tell them that they do not make 
 them fuffer enough ; that if they were in their 
 hands they would plague them much worfe; 
 that the fire muit be applied to fuch and fuch 
 parts, and that they are there the moft fenfible 
 to pain. It is to be remarked, that when they 
 difpofe themlelves to march againft their ene- 
 mies, they take care to paint their bodies red j 
 fo that, when they attack the enemy, with fuch 
 howls as if they were bewitched, they really 
 look like a troop of devils let loofe from hell -j". 
 They are good towards their friends, but very 
 cruel towards their enemies. 
 
 As 
 
 * The captives are obliged to fing and dance round thefe 
 polls, 
 
 f The Indians in general, both men "and women, have 
 no hair on their bodies, befides thofe on the head ; they 
 fay, that in this particular we referable the beafts, and they 
 fay the fame when they fee us eat herbs and failad.
 
 LOUISIANA. 107 
 
 As to religion, they believe the exiftence of a 
 great Spirit, whom they adore under the form 
 of a ferpent or a crocodile -, they give him a 
 kind of divine fervice. They fear the devil, 
 whom they call a bad fpirit. They likewife 
 adore the fun and moon. When it thunders, 
 they imagine that the Lord of life fpeaks to them 
 in an angry tone. 
 
 I mud not clofe my letter without informing 
 you of a fmgular event, which, though of very 
 little importance, may however be very ufeful 
 to me, during my flay in America. The Akan- 
 zas have adopted me •, they have acknowledged 
 me as a warrior and a chief, and have given me 
 the mark of it, which is the figure of a roe- 
 buck imprinted on my thigh. I have willingly 
 undergone this painful operation, which was 
 performed in the following manner : I was feat- 
 ed on a tyger's fkin ; an Indian burnt feme 
 ftraw, the aflies of which he diluted with water: 
 he made ufe of this fimple mixture to draw the 
 roe-buck -, he then followed the drawing with 
 great needles, pricking them deep into the flefh, 
 till the blood com.es out •, this blood mixing 
 y/ith the alhes of the ftraw, forms a figure which 
 can never be effaced. I fmoked the calumet af- 
 icr that J they fpread white il:ins under my feet, 
 
 on
 
 jo8 TRAVELS through 
 
 on which I walked ; they danced before me cry- 
 ing out for joy ♦, they told me afterwards, that I 
 eould go to all the people who were their allies, 
 prefent the calumet, and fhew my mark, and I 
 would be well received ; that I was their bro- 
 ther, and that if any one killed me> they would 
 kill him ; now I am a noble Akanza. Thefe 
 people think they have done me all the honour 
 due to a defender of their country, by thus 
 adopting me : and I regard this honour almoft 
 -like that which the MarfJid de Richelieu received, 
 when his name was infcribed in the golden book 
 at Genoa among the noble Genoefe. It is true, 
 there is fome difference between an infcription 
 and the operation 1 have undergone ; I cannot 
 exprefs it to you how much I have fuffered by 
 it ; I did all I could to prevent fhewing how 
 much 1 was affeded j on the contrary, I joked 
 v/ith the Indian women that were prefent ; and 
 all the fpedators, amazed at my infenfibility, 
 cried out for joy, and danced round about me, 
 laying, I was a true man. The pain has been 
 very violent, and I have had the fever from it 
 for a week together. You cannot believe how 
 fond the Akanzas are of me fince that time. 
 This is all I had to fay upon this fubjecl : fome 
 time this month we intend to continue our jour- 
 ney tq the IllinGis. As the feafon is much ad- 
 . . yanced.
 
 LOUISIANA. 109 
 
 vanced, and we have yet three hundred leagues 
 to go, we run the rifle of being Hopped by the 
 ice, and of wintering on the road. We have 
 been obliged to flop here for preparing the bif- 
 cuit neceflary for fo long a voyage ; for in this 
 feafon we mud combat both the current and the 
 north wind. According to all appearances, I 
 fliall not be able to write before next year. This 
 letter fets out by a boat, which will arrive in time 
 before the departure of a man of war for France, 
 where I hope my letter will find you in good 
 health. I beg you would let me hear from you ♦, 
 for I aflure you, you can do me no greater 
 pleaiure. 
 
 I am, &c, 
 
 ^/ the Akanzas, the 6th 
 of November 1751. 
 
 P. S. I found a Meftizo Indian among the 
 Akanzas j and, upon queftioning him concern- 
 ing his origin, I heard that he was the fon of 
 Rutel, that failor from Bretany who loft himfelf, 
 when M. de la Salle came down the Miffl/ippi in 
 1682, and of whom I have had the honour of 
 fpeaking before. 
 
 This
 
 110 T Pv A V £ L S 'tHROUGrf 
 
 This demi-Indian added, th?.t Raielhis father 
 -was fcund by the Cents, an Indian nation, who 
 adopted him j he received one of their girls as 
 -his wife, in the quality of a v/arrior •, becaufe, 
 having made ufe of his mufket in a battle againft 
 'fome enemies of the Cenis, the explofion of that 
 "weapon, which was as yet unknown to them, 
 frightened them, and put them to flight. 
 
 This Riitel having afterwarc^s taught the In- 
 dians the method of going with oars and fails in 
 their canoes and piraguas, he enabled them to 
 defeat a little "fleet of their enemies ; this man- 
 ner of navigating being till then unknown to 
 the nation, and drew their gratitude and vene- 
 ration upon him ; they re\'ered him as the great- 
 eft man in the world j and the famous Ruiter^ 
 
 who, from a common failor, became Lieutenant 
 
 r 
 
 and Admiral of the United Provinces, was per- 
 haps lefs revered than Rutel was among the Cents. 
 
 L E T-
 
 LOUISIANA. Ill 
 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 To the fame. 
 
 An Account of the Author* s Navigation from the A- 
 kanzas to the Illinois. The King's Boat St. 
 Louis, on ivhich the Author was, is o-verfet ; he 
 falls into the MifTifippi, and an Akanza fav^f 
 his life. -; ■ 
 
 S I R, 
 
 ?^^^^ AM now, thank God, arrived at Fort 
 ^ I ^ Chartres^ after running many rifl<s on 
 ^^^:^ this long and troublefome voyage. 
 We fet out from the Akanzas the yth of Novem- 
 ber, on our voyage hither. We have gone 
 three hundred leagues without meeting with amy 
 village or habitation. As this extent of country 
 is abfolutely uninhabited, there are l>appily great 
 flocks of wild oxen, ilags, and roe-bucks, to be 
 met with, efpecially in this feafon when the wa- 
 ters
 
 112 T.R A V E L S THROt/GH 
 
 ters are low. Thefe animals are obliged to come* 
 in flocks to the river to drink, we often killed 
 them as they crofied it, and likewife fome bears 
 were thus got. The Aka-aza Indians generally 
 come to hire themfelves to the French, in order 
 to make them fubfift by hunting upon the road. 
 Thefe hunters let out in the morning in pira- 
 guas i they kill the oxen which they meet on 
 the banks of the river, and the boats that fol- 
 low after them take on board the meat, which 
 lies ready for them on the fliore. 
 
 The Indians take care to keep the tongue, 
 and the flefh from the back of the animals which 
 they have killed, and to prefent thefe bits to 
 the commander and officers of the convoy -, af- 
 ter which a ferjeant or a corporal diftributes the 
 flefh to the foldiers in each boat : the pleai-iire of 
 hunting amply repays for the fatigues of the 
 voyage. The game is fo con:imon in the neigh- 
 . bourhood of the river St. Franpis *, that, when 
 .we went on fliore in thofe parts, it was impoflible 
 {to fleep, on account of the multitudes of fwansj 
 cranes, geefe, buftards, and ducks, that were 
 continually going up and down in thefe watery 
 places. On approaching the country of the 
 
 JUifWiSj 
 
 This river comes from the country of the Haafaur.
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 113 
 
 Illinois, you fee, in the day-time, whole clouds of 
 turtle-doves or wood-pigeons. A circumftance 
 •that will perhaps be incredible, is, that they 
 often eclipfe the fun ; thefe birds, living mere- 
 ly upon acorns and the feeds of beech-trees, in 
 the woods, are excellent in autumn -, fon.etimes 
 eighty of them are killed at one fhot. What a 
 pity that fo fine a country is not inhabited, or is 
 only inhabited by brutes ! 
 
 M. de Macarty, an Irifhman, and comman- 
 der of the convoy, having had fome fits of the 
 gout, and fearing to be obliged to winter on the 
 road, refolved to go before the refl, when we 
 were at the jun6ture of the Ohio with the Mijfi- 
 Jipfi, thirty leagues from the Illinois. He took 
 the "beft rowers out of all the boats, and put 
 them on board his boat, and, without troubling 
 himfelf about the others, he left them behind, 
 contrary to M. de Faudreuirs injun6tions ; how- 
 ever, the law of nature dictates to every body the 
 order of afTifling others mutually, in cafe of an 
 attack from an enemy, or fome other accident, 
 fuch as happened to the boat St. Louis, on board 
 of which 1 was. It got upon a fand-bank, and 
 they were obliged to unload it almoft entirely 
 before they could fet it a-float again, which made 
 
 Vol. I. I ^ me
 
 114 TRAVELS through 
 
 me lofe two days, and prevented my joining the 
 convoy again. 
 
 To increafe my misfortunes, when I was but 
 fourteen leagues from the Illinois, my boat, three 
 days after it was ftranded, ran againft a tree, of 
 which the MiJJifippi is full, and efpecially in time 
 of low water •, the fhock burft the boat, and 
 fuch a quantity of v/ater got in, that it funk in 
 lefs than an hour's time. By this accident I loft 
 all I had : I ran the riik of perifhing too •, for I 
 had thrown myfelf into a piragua, but it was fo 
 full of goods faved from the wreck, that it 
 overfet -, feveral foldiers were drowned, and I 
 ihould have ihared the fame fate, had it not been 
 for a generous Akanza, who, not fearing the 
 feverity of the feafon, leapt into the water, and 
 feized me by my riding-coat. 
 
 After thefe adventures I am at laft arrived 
 at Fort Chartres : I had not been long here, 
 when I v/as witnefs to an event which might have 
 had very unhappy confequences. The Pehen- 
 guichias and the Ouyatanons had agreed upon the 
 total ruin of five French villages among the Illi- 
 nois. M. de Macarty had fent me before-hand 
 to prepare quarters for fome troops that came in 
 
 a con-
 
 LOUISIANA. 115 
 
 a convoy. The Indians had meditated their en- 
 terprife, and intended to come before the con- 
 voy. I was then at the Kafkakias^ where M. 
 de Montcharvaux commanded, who could not 
 juftly know the whole extent of the plot of thofe 
 barbarians. Thefe were fpread in the houfes of 
 the inhabitants ; by their carelTes, their affefta- 
 tion, and calling to mind the maffacre of the 
 Natches, we,fufpe6led their defign. 
 
 On fuch occafions as thefe, an officer feels all 
 the weight of the command. M. de Mont char- 
 vaux was not difcouraged ; he was feconded by 
 M. de Gruife, an intelligent, brave officer. He 
 held a council with the oldefl and mofl confider- 
 able people of the place -, and did me the ho- 
 nour to confult me in this circumflance : it was 
 more through his goodnefs than through necef- 
 fity, becaufe I was newly arrived, and confe- 
 quently little acquainted with the ficuation of af- 
 fairs in that neighbourhood. I will however 
 venture to fay, that he was pleafed with the ad- 
 vice I gave, though it was a very fimple one. 
 My opinion was, that, in order to penetrate the 
 defign of thefe Indians, we Ihould keep on the 
 defenfive, without (hewing the leaft fufpicion : 
 that we fliould fend out fome armed inhabitants 
 on horfeback, as if they went a-hunting ; recom- 
 
 I 2. mending
 
 11^ TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 mending it to them, that, after they had gone 
 the rounds, they fhould return into the village 
 full gallop, as if fomething had happened to them : 
 this was to give a falfe alarm. There remain- 
 ed nothing further to be done in that cafe, but 
 to examine the countenances of the Indians, 
 "who would certainly betray themfelves. This 
 advice v/as followed j the Indians believed the 
 French had difcovered their plot;, they intendr 
 ed to execute it on Chriftmas-day, when the 
 people came from the great mafs -, they had ex- 
 adly inquired after that day, afl<ing, in their 
 way, when that day came on which the Son of 
 the great Spirit came into the world. 
 
 As foon as they believed they were difcover^ 
 ed, they thought only of making their efcape ; 
 we fired upon them, and killed twenty-two on 
 the fpot. A ferjeant, called La Jeiinejfe, a 
 Creole, and a good hunter, killed four in my 
 prefence. M. de Gruife, on his fide, attacked 
 thofe who were in the Jefuits houfe, he wounded 
 feveral of them, and took fiv^e alive, among whom 
 tiiere was one Illinois -, they were put in irons. 
 
 M. deMacarty haflened to difpatch rneflengers 
 to New Orleans to the Marquis de Vaudreuil^ to 
 give him an accounf of this expedition •, the go- 
 vernor
 
 LOUISIANA. 
 
 117 
 
 vernor fenc back orders to deliver the prifoners 
 to their countrymen, who came crying, the ca- 
 lumet in hand, and difavowed the plot, faying 
 their people had loft their fenles, and that the 
 Englifh had taken their fenfes from them. They 
 received peace very thankfully, and all is quiec 
 at prefent •, however, for precaution's fake, the 
 inhabitants have received orders to carry their 
 mufkets when they go to mafs ; and the oiEcer 
 of the guard to place two fentinels at the church- 
 door during divine fervice. 
 
 I muft not forget to mention to you. Sir, 
 that all this pafled without our having a fingle 
 man killed or wounded. The Indians threw 
 away their cloaths and their clubs to run the 
 better ; the vigilance of M. de Montcharvaux 
 the commandant, and of M. de Gruife the ma- 
 jor, has prevented the confpiracy-, at the mo- 
 ment when the plot was to be executed. I am 
 now returned to Fort Chartres^ where we lead a 
 pretty peaceable life -, 1 cannot fend any great 
 hews, but I will communicate fome little anec- 
 dotes which may amufe you, and will at leaft 
 give you an idea of our Indians. 
 
 I had hired an Indian for my hunter during 
 winter i he belonged to the village of the Mit- 
 
 I 3 ehigamias j
 
 li8 TRAVELS through; 
 
 chigamias j one day having got a very great quan- 
 tity of game, inftead of bringing it to me, he 
 went to treat * with fome Frenchmen, who 
 gave him brandy in exchange, of which he 
 drank fo much as to lofe the ufe of his 
 reafon. As he entered my lodgings in this 
 condition, I received him very ill -, 1 took 
 away the mufket which I had given him, and 
 turned him off by pufhing him out of doors : 
 he came, however, into my kitchen againft my 
 will, lay down in it, and would not go out of 
 it. As foon as he was in his fenfes again, he 
 well conceived what a great fault he had com- 
 mitted i and, being willing to atone for it, he 
 took a gun, powder, and lliot, and went out* 
 The next day he returns, and comes in, very 
 haughtily, loaded with game : he had round his 
 naked body a girdle, between which all the heads 
 of the wild fowls were put j he loofened it, and 
 threw them into the middle of my room ; he 
 then fat down near my fire, without fpeaking ; 
 he lighted his calumet, and giving it me to 
 fmoke out of it, he faid, " I own I had loft my 
 " fenfes yefterday, but I have found them again: 
 
 " I ac- 
 
 "••■ They call treating., the exchange or barter of European 
 merchandize aguinll the furs which the Indians take in hunt- 
 ing.
 
 LOUISIANA. 119 
 
 " I acknowledge my fault ; and I beg thee to 
 ^' excufe it. I agree that I had deferved the 
 " treatment I received, being turned out of thy 
 ^' hut ; thou haft done well to let me come in 
 " again, becaufe, if the other Indians had heard 
 " of it, they would at the leaft difpute reproach 
 ♦' me with having been turned out of the hut of 
 " the chief Great Nofe *.'* 
 
 Many Europeans make no difference between 
 the Indians and brutes, imagining that they 
 have neither rea'fon nor common fenfe. How- 
 ever, the circumftance which I have now rela- 
 ted, and a great many more, fufficiently ihew, 
 that thefe people are fufceptible of fentiments 
 of honour j they know how to do themfelves ju- 
 ftice when they are wronged, and know very 
 well when they do ill. There are nations among 
 the Europeans, of whom one may remark as 
 ridiculous and barbarous cuftoms as among 
 the American Indians. 
 
 To return to my hunter : you know very 
 well, that drunkennefs debafes men to the rank 
 I4 of 
 
 ■^- An epithet the Indians gave me to diftinguifh me from 
 the other officers, to each of whom they gave fuch denomi- 
 nations, relative to the good or "bad qualities they obferved 
 in them.
 
 120 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 of brutes, and that this vice is correded with 
 difficulty even amongft the French. The In- 
 dians imitate them eafily in it, and fay the white 
 people have taught them to drink the/^;j wa- 
 ter *. 
 
 One day my Indian found the door of thd 
 King's magazine open ; he fneaked in like a fer- 
 pent, got to a barrel of brandy, and ihed half 
 of it, by endeavouring to fill a bottle with it. 
 This accident obliged me to difmifs him •, how- 
 ever, as he was a good hunter, and had only one 
 fault, his wife begged me to give him phyfic, 
 to prevent his drinking : I willingly undertook 
 the cure, with the afiiftance of his wife and rela- 
 tions. Once this hunter was drunk, but defired 
 ftill more brandy •, I got the people to tell him 
 I had fome, but that 1 was very tenacious of it. 
 He came immediately, and afked me for fome : 
 I faid, I had brandy, but I would not give it 
 for nothing. He faid he. was poor-, however, 
 if I would take his wife, he would hire her to 
 me for a month. I anfwered, that the chiefs of 
 the white warriors did not come to the red men 
 to enjoy their wives ; that if he would fell me 
 his fon, I would willingly take him as a flave, 
 
 and 
 
 * Thus they call brandy.
 
 LOUISIANA. 
 
 121 
 
 and give him in return a barrel of brandy ; we 
 made the bargain in prefence of feveral witnefles, 
 and he delivered his fon to me. 
 
 I was ready to laugh at this farce, from the 
 very beginning of it. I made him drink upon 
 the bargain fome brandy, into which I had put 
 long pepper. When he had drunk it, he was 
 bound, and brought to Heep. When he was 
 recovered of his drunkennefs, the Cacique of 
 the village and his relations, who were in the 
 fecrer, came to him into his hut, where he lay 
 upon a mat ; they difplayed to him all the hor- 
 ror of the unnatural adion he had committed by 
 felling his own offspring. The poor Indian 
 came crying to me, and faid, Jndage wai panis, 
 i. e. I am unworthy of living -, I do no longer 
 deferve to bear the tender name of father. He 
 was very angry at the brandy I had given him 
 to drink, and which had fired all his ftomach •, 
 he called it urine of the chief of hcU^ that is, of 
 the evil fpirit that caufed it. 
 
 His wife, who is naturally humorous, and 
 who was diverting herfelf at his expence, alked 
 him very coolly where his fbn was ? He ftill ex- 
 cufed himfelf, faying, that, knowing me to be 
 very kind, he expecftcd I would return him his 
 
 fon •,
 
 122 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 fon J that he knew the grand chief of the 
 P>ench *, and the father of the red men, had no 
 flaves in his empire. I told him he was in the 
 right, but that I had adopted his fon, and 
 would take him in that quality with me to 
 France, in order to make him a Chriftian, and 
 that all the furs of his nation would not be fuf- 
 ficient to redeem him. 
 
 As the relations feemed to be grieved, they 
 advifed the drunkard Indian to go to the chief 
 of the -prayer^ or the man that fpeaks with the 
 great Spirit •, for thus they call the priells : I 
 told him, that if the chief of the prayer \ re- 
 quired it, I fliould not be contrary to him ; I 
 would return him his fen, on condition that he 
 fhould be baptifed, and that I fhould be his 
 godfather ; that as to himfelf, I required from 
 him an abjuration of drunkennefs, v/hich had 
 proved fo fatal to him. He faid my words were 
 ftrong, and he Ihould remember them while he 
 lived ; he begged I would adopt him as a bro- 
 ther, and faid he was going to itrike at the poll J. 
 
 Since 
 
 * The French King. 
 
 f The Abbe Gagnon, of the order of St. Sulpitius, ami 
 chaplain of Fort Chartres. 
 
 X The Indian method of taking an oath. See Letter V.
 
 LOUISIANA. 123 
 
 Since that time he has never drank wine, or any 
 fpirituous liquors j I have fent people to offer 
 them to him, but he always refufed them, fay- 
 ing, that he had ifruck at the poll, and that 
 the Lord of life would be angry with him ; that 
 I had told him that this Spirit could not be de- 
 ceived : he rocolle6led that once I had named 
 the number of glalfes of brandy which he had 
 drunk, without my having feen him ; to which 
 he had anfwered, that it was very true, and tliat 
 he believed that the great Spirit that fees every 
 thing mufl have told me of it. 1 took the follow- 
 ing method when I wanted to know how many 
 drams my Indian had taken. I left a clean 
 glafs near a barrel of brandy •, the Indian, being 
 alone, was tempted to drink a glafs ; after 
 which I ordered the glafs to be wafhed in hot 
 "water, and put in its place again ; and every 
 time he drank, my people always did the fame 
 thing. Accordingly it was very eafy for me to 
 tell him, thou haft taken fo many drams ; he 
 was always amazed at it, and thought I was a 
 forcerer. 
 
 I have often remarked, that the Indians are 
 highly pleafed when the French carefs their lit- 
 tle children ; likewife, in order to make myfelf 
 beloved and feared by them at the fame time, 
 
 when-
 
 124 TRAVELS through 
 
 whenever I had reafon to be difpleafed with their 
 behaviour, I made ufe of this method : the 
 more I feemed vexed and angry at the fathers, 
 the more I afFciled friendfhip for their children ; 
 I carefTed them, and gave them European toys. 
 The Indians readily guefled, that as I had no rea- 
 fon to complain of their wives and children, I 
 did not love them lefs than before, and was only 
 vexed at thofe who had offended me, without 
 extending my anger upon their families. This 
 moved their heart, and confequently they went 
 out, killed fomiC wild fowls, brought them 
 to me, and, throwing them on the floor, faid, 
 " This is to appeafe thee, be no longer angry 
 *' with us.'* I immediately anfwered, I willing- 
 ly forget the paft, when I fee you come back 
 with your wits, meaning when you do not come 
 empty handed. A father's heart is the fame all 
 over the world ; every father is pleafed with the 
 friendfhip which is fhewn to his children, who 
 make returns by their careffes. 
 
 You can well conceive, that a mere trifle can 
 gain me the friendfliip of thefe people -, and that 
 it depends only upon the method of adting with 
 them, to attach them to one's felf at all events* 
 But let this fuflice for this time ; I think I 
 muft recall to your mind the plan I purpo- 
 
 fed
 
 LOUISIANA. 125 
 
 fed to follow ; I only examine the fituation of 
 the places where I flop, and, during my llay, I 
 fhall apply particularly to know the genius of 
 the people with whom I am to live for a time ; 
 and I think this ftudy not beneath a traveller. 
 You are a foldier and a philofopher ; I am per- 
 fuaded, that what I fhall give you an account of 
 will pleafe you j for I flatter myfelF, that you 
 depend upon the fidelity of your hiftorian : in- 
 deed, I mean to alTert nothing but what I am an 
 eye-witnefs of; for I can neither invent nor ex- 
 aggerate. I am, SIR, &c. 
 
 At Fort Chartres^ among the Illinois^ 
 the zZth of March 1752. 
 
 L E T
 
 126 TRAVELS through 
 
 
 LETTER Vn. 
 
 7o the fame, 
 
 Defcript!on of the War of the Nations of Foxes 
 aga'mji the Illinois^ of which the Author has been 
 en Eye-witnefs. Account how the French fettled 
 among thefe Feople. 
 
 S I R, 
 
 F^^^ HAVE enquired after the manner 
 rS I 5^ in which the French fettlement has been 
 k.^^Jj( made here. The country of the Illi- 
 nois was difcovered by our Canadian hunters ; 
 they found its climate very good, being in forty 
 degrees north latitude, fettled on it, and made 
 an alliance with the natives. Many people among 
 them married Indian girls, of which the greateft 
 part became Chriftians : and after the difcovery 
 of Lciiiftana^ the India Company lent many fami- 
 lies
 
 LOUISIANA. 127 
 
 lies over hither, who lived and multiplied here. 
 There are now five great villages of French in- 
 habitants in thefe parts *. The moft confider- 
 able place is called Kajkakias, a name of the 
 tribe of an Illinois fettlement, which is about half 
 a league from it. The Sieur Saujfier^ an en- 
 gineer, has made a plan for conftrudting a new 
 fort here, according to the intention of the 
 court. It (hall bear the fame name with the old 
 one, which is called Fort de Charires. 
 
 The Illinois country is one of the finefl in the 
 world ', it fupplies all the lower parts of Louijiana 
 with flower. Its commerce confifts in furs, 
 lead and fait. There are many fait fprings -f, 
 that attract the wild oxen, and the roe-bucks, 
 which like the paftures around them very much. 
 Their flefh and tongues are faked, and furnifii 
 another branch of commerce to New Orleans ; 
 and they cure hams, which equal thofe of 
 Bayonne. The fruits are as fine as in France, 
 
 * The India Company were pofleffed of Louifiana ; but they 
 gave it back to the King in 1 7 3 i . The five villages of the 
 French are that of the Kajkakias, the Fort Chartres, St. 
 Philip, the Kackias, and the Prairie du Rochcr (meadow on 
 the rock) ; there is now a fixth, called St. Genevieve, 
 
 •}• Called Salt-licks, by the Englilh Planters. F. 
 
 The
 
 128 TRAVELS through 
 
 The Illinois have very near the fame manners 
 and cuftoms as the Nations I have already fpoken 
 of; they only differ in their language. They 
 marry, and often, when they return from hunt- 
 ing, leave each other again, each party going 
 a different way. 
 
 The marriage of the Indians is quite in the 
 {late of nature, and has no other form than the 
 mutual confent of the parties. As they are not 
 tied by any civil contrafb, whenever they are dif- 
 faiisfied with each other, they feparate, without 
 ceremony, faying that marriage is a tie of the 
 heart, and th^t they only marry in order to love 
 each other, and help each other mutually in 
 their wants. I have feen very happy marriages 
 among thefe people ; divorces and polygamy are 
 uncommon amongft them, though the latter is 
 allowed by the laws. An Indian may have two 
 wives if he hunts well ; fometimes one Indian 
 marries two fillers, giving it as a reafon that 
 they will agree better among themfelves, than 
 two that are flrangers to each other. The In- 
 dian v/omen in general are very laborious ; they 
 are commonly told, when they are young, that 
 if they be idle or heavy, they will get a 
 •wretched hufband. Here avarice, ambition, 
 and many othpr pafHons, fo common among the 
 
 Europeans,,
 
 L O U i S I A ISl A. 129 
 
 Europeans, ne^?'er ftifle the feelings of ftatiire, 
 in a father's breaft, or incline him to force his 
 children, and much lefs to coritroiil them iri their 
 inclinations. By an admirable fympathy, deferv- 
 ing of admiration, thofe only are married, who 
 love each other* 
 
 The Illinois Irtdians were formerly the moft: 
 formidable in Loufiana^ but the continual wars, 
 ■which they- h-ave been engaged in, againft the 
 northren nations, have reduced them to a very 
 fmall number. The hatred of the Canada Indi- 
 ans againft- the-m, arifes frofrt the incurfions which 
 the Illinois were ufed to make into their coun- 
 try,- and becaufe they took and killed in thefe 
 inroads, - both the male and female beavers, 
 which among thefe nations is reckoned a crime 
 and cowardice, becaufc-they make a great com- 
 merce with the Ikins of thefe amphibia *, which 
 they exchange for European goods, 
 •-:ii ,i5nncm li-.'tJisfiJS rny;:: .0 
 
 ■ In t^ji,' the Iftdians of the tribe of IQ)akias 
 
 met fix Indians of the nation of Foxes, hunting f ; 
 
 Vol. I. K they 
 
 -T - ' ■' I'll. - . 
 
 * Beavers pre quadrupeds and probably called, by our au- 
 thor, amphibia for no other reafon, but becaufc they may 
 be eaten as fifh On the Jours mar^rcs F. 
 
 t Their true name is Outagainis ; tliey iftliabit the coun 
 try to the weft of the Lake Mirhigau.
 
 1^0 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 they -taok^ them prifoners, though they were not 
 at war, and refolved to burn therra, that they 
 might not give any account of them. One of 
 the Foxes ^ or Outagamis was happy enough to 
 efcape from the ftake he was faftened to, and be- 
 ing purfued by his tormentors, he leaped into a 
 lake, and eluded their refearches, by fwimming 
 under water. He remained hidden in the rulhes, 
 only putting out his head from time to time to 
 take breath. He had the firmnefs to remain in 
 that pollure while his : comrades were broiling. 
 In the night time he efcaped the watchfulnefs of 
 the Binois, who thought he was either drowned 
 or eaten by the armed Ji/h *. As he was naked 
 and without arms, h)^ was obliged, in order to 
 fubfift upon the ro^d,- to eat grafs like a beaft. 
 Being returned to his nation, he told them what 
 had happened to him with the Illinois^ and the 
 unhappy fate which they had made; his fellow- 
 travellers undergo. Their relations immediately 
 began to grieve for them after their manner. The 
 chief of the nation called an aflembly together, 
 
 for they undertake nothing without a council ; the 
 
 ■ -. refult 
 
 • The armed fifh in Louiftana Is exceedingly voracIou?» 
 His teeth cut the iron of the fiih hooks in pieces.
 
 L tr I S i A N A. 131 
 
 refult was to fend bundles of rods "^ to the chiefs 
 of the tribes, who were their allies, among 
 whom were the Siouic^ the Sakis and the Kikapous 
 who marched as auxiliary troops under the 
 ftandard of the Foxes. The army confifted of 
 a thoufand warriors ; every thing being in rea-^ 
 dinefs, the general of the Foxes marched towards 
 the Illinois, and chiefly towards the Mitchigamias 
 who had given fhelter to the Koakias. 
 
 The warriors being come together to the num- 
 ber of one thoufand, they embarked in one 
 hundred and eighty canoes made of birch tree 
 bark, on the river Ouifconfing which falls into 
 the MiJJifippi. By the current of the river, and 
 the help of their oars, they were foon brought 
 to their enemies, the Illinois, 
 
 They pafled in good order by the fort of Koa^ 
 kins where the Chevalier d'e Folfei, an officer of 
 my detachment, commanded. The van of this 
 fleet of the Foxes, confifted of the beft runners, 
 who were to go on fhore to reconnoitre. They 
 
 K 2 landed 
 
 * As the Indians have not got the art of writing, the rods 
 mark the number of warriors, and the day of aHembling foi' 
 the departure of the army.
 
 j^2 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 landed about a quarter of a league from the 
 MifchigamiasvWhge, which was furrounded within 
 a mufket (hot by a wood -, their enemies being 
 far from expecting fuch a vifit. 
 
 The Foxes had fixed upon Corpus Chrijli day 
 for fighting the Illinois. They knew that the 
 latter would come to Fort Chartres to fee the ce- 
 remony which is performed by the French on. 
 that folemn day -, the fort was only a league from 
 the Indian village. 
 
 Every thing being in readinefs for the attack, 
 the general of the Foxes ordered ten or twelve of 
 the bell runnners to throw away their bodies -f. 
 Thefe young men immediately fell upon the 
 enemy's village and killed all they met as they. 
 came in, crying the cry of death, and having 
 difcharged their arms, they fled with as much 
 quicknefs as they came. 
 
 The Illinois took up their arms and purfued 
 them -, but the army of the Foxes^ lying on the 
 
 ground. 
 
 * This is a great holiday with the French. 
 
 f To throw aivay their bodies, is among the Indians to 
 
 expofe their bodies to danger, as thofe do that are obliged to 
 mount firft of all the breach to ftorm a place.
 
 LOUISIANA. 133 
 
 00 
 
 ground, in the high grafs, difcharged all their 
 arms and killed twenty-eight Illinois : at the fame 
 time they fell upon the village, and killed men, 
 women and children -, fet fire to the village, and 
 bound and led away the reft as captives. 
 
 The Foxts loft but four men in this glorious 
 expedition, one of them being a chief with a 
 medal *, of the nation of SiouXj who went with 
 them as an ally. 
 
 I was a fpeftator of this Ilaughter, which hap- 
 pened on the fixth of June 1752. I was at that 
 time on a hill which overlooks the plain and ^hc 
 village of the Mitchigamias. I had the opportu- 
 nity of faving the life of a girl of fifteen years 
 of age, who came to bring me fome ftraw-ber- 
 berries. At the time of the attack, fhe ran 
 away, and as the enemies purfued her, flie ran 
 into my arms, where the barbarians did not 
 venture to ihoot at her, for fear of hitting 
 me. 
 
 K 3 This 
 
 * This diftinftion, of which I have already fpoken, is 
 granted by order of the King, through his general, to the 
 moft valiant Indians, and who are moft attached to ,th? 
 French nation.
 
 134 TRAVELS through 
 
 This account will inform you, that nothing 
 can be more dangerous, than being taken una- 
 wares by thefe nations. None but thofe, who 
 were gone out of curiofity to fee the proceffion at 
 the French fort of Chartres, efcaped the revenge 
 of the Foxes, who contented with their vidtory, 
 re>embarked in their boats, and put the prifoners 
 well bound in the van •, and paffing by the 
 French fort of Koakias, they gave a general fa-r 
 lute with their guns. 
 
 The chief, or admiral of the Foxes, had 
 hoifted the French colours on his canoe, and 
 was as proud of his yidlory, as if he had fub- 
 dued a great empire. 
 
 M. de Macarty, our governor, has written to 
 thofe in the polls of Canada, to treat with the 
 Foxes concerning the ranfom of the Illinois^ whom 
 they have taken prifoners. 
 
 Thefe cunning Indians had conducted their 
 undertaking fo well, that we knew nothing of 
 it till it was executed -, they hid the knowledge of 
 jtfrom usjjuftly fearing that we Ihould interpofe 
 pur mediation between them and the Tilimis, as 
 being the friends and allies of both j but the 
 
 oifended
 
 LOUISIANA. 135 
 
 offended nation was defirous of vengeance 
 only. 
 
 The village of the Mitchigamias has loft about 
 eighty perfons, both killed and prifoners, in this 
 fatal affair. 
 
 On the fixteenth of June, I was ordered by 
 the commandant of Fort Chartres, to affemble 
 the remains of the conquered tribes of Koakias 
 and Mitchigamias, and I held this fhort fpeech, 
 to them, by means of the King's interpreter. 
 
 I fpeak to you, my children *, on the part of 
 your father, M. de Macarty, who takes a great 
 fhare in your misfortune, at the fame time he 
 exhorts you to take care in fowing your maize, 
 that you may efcape the want in which you are 
 at prefent. Here is fome maize, which he gives 
 you, becaufe his heart fuffers to fee you weak- 
 ened by hunger. He has likewife told me to 
 give this little quantity of powder, fhot and 
 flints •, we cannot do better at prefent, becaufe 
 we have our enemies as well as you, and we do 
 not know when the boats will come from the 
 great village (i. e. Ne-w Orleans) Your father 
 
 K 4 recom- 
 
 * The Indians are ufed to call every officer, my father.
 
 136 T R A V E L S THROUGH 
 
 recommends it to you to go a hunting, and to take 
 your families with you, that they may have 
 fomewhat to live upon, leaving only a certain 
 r^umber of men, to take care of the fields, and 
 to prevent the wild beads from ruining them j 
 you mud likewife take care to fend one of your 
 people fropA time to time, to inquire hovy 
 matters Hand here. 
 
 The Anfwer of the Chiefs of the 1'ribes. 
 
 *' It is very well, my Father, that the great chief* 
 *' pities us. Itwasavery brave aflion to be fur- 
 .*f prized in the manner we ha ve been^ thou haft been 
 '* an eye-witnefs of it, for thou haft faved the life 
 *.' of one of our girls •, our tribe have been killed 
 " by the Foxes, who have burnt our huts with our 
 " victuals, and taken our t?ooty, during our re- 
 *' treat at the Kafiakias. Thou muft think, that 
 " we cannot leave any here, or they muft ftarve,. 
 " and would ever lament the death of our rela- 
 " tions, who periflied in this fad aflion. But to 
 *' convince our father of our fidelity, tell him, 
 " by means of the fpeaking fubftance (paper), 
 " that from. timiC to time we fhall fend fome one 
 
 "of 
 
 * Thus thefe nations call the fuperior officers of a pro* 
 vince or dii1:ifl.
 
 LOUISIANA. 137 
 
 *' of our people to him with game to know what 
 ** happens here. 
 
 " We hope the grand chief of the French 
 ** will protedl and help us to fhelter ourfelves a- 
 " gainll the enemy. We beg thee likewife to make 
 " intereft with him that he may be fo good as to 
 *' fend word to feveral families of our people, 
 " who flayed among the Kajkakias^ to join us, 
 " in order to affift us in the common defence of 
 *' the intended fort, of which we have drawn 
 *^ the plan on the Ihore of the MJJifippi,''* 
 
 Speech of Chikagou^ a Chief with a Medal. 
 
 " I beg, my father, that thou wouldft get our 
 ** arms mended, and we fhall decamp after that 
 *' immediately : and that thou wilt tell the grand 
 '^ chief not to hear the bad words, which our 
 ♦* enemies will not fail to throw out againft our 
 *.* nation, let him remember the promife I made 
 ♦' him, it fliall be a true one -, and I preferve his 
 ** words in my heart." 
 
 Anfwer. 
 
 If what thou fayeft be true, thy father will 
 receive thee well, and all the other chiefs will 
 
 endeavour
 
 138 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 endeavour to pleafe thee, if thy heart agree 
 with thy tongue. It is necelTary thou fhouldft 
 fet out foon : confider the damage which the dogs 
 of thy village have done among the cattle be- 
 longing to the French inhabitants *, and with 
 what tranquility they fuffer it ; that they 
 have hitherto faid nothing about it, is in confi- 
 deration of your misfortunes, which grieve 
 them, and they cannot .fee you reduced to this 
 fad condition without being moved at it : but 
 they begin to be tired, therefore you muft re- 
 medy it. Your father will be fatisfied when he 
 knows that you are gone to the hunting country, 
 becaufe his heart is afflicted to fee you fuffer hun- 
 ger, and he pities his children. 
 
 As to myfelf, I heartily wifh you good fuc- 
 cefs in hunting, and a plentiful crop at your re- 
 turn. I hope the Great Spirit will have pity 
 upon you ; do not flight him : recommend it to 
 your young people not to play the fool, that is, 
 not to deftroy the female beavers in the lakes 
 
 and 
 
 ♦ The Indians have many dogs for hunting ; and they 
 themfelves having loll: their provifions, their dogs were hun- 
 gry, and devoured the cattle of the French. The Indian 
 dogs are of a breed v/hich partakes of the wolf and the 
 
 si 00;.
 
 LOUISIANA. 13.9 
 
 and hunting places of your enemies, who will 
 not fail to be revenged for it, as you have un- 
 happily experienced. 
 
 Your father has written to Mr. Adamville. 
 who commands at the Peorias, to make your 
 peace with the Foxes, and to treat with them 
 about the ranfom of your wives and children, 
 whom they have taken prifoners •, the merchan- 
 dizes fhall be furnilhed for that purpofe for the 
 account of the king, your father, grand chief 
 of the white men and of the red men. 
 
 Among the Indians, thofe who run away or 
 defert in an action, where their honour, and the 
 defence of their country is at flake, are not pu- 
 nijQied ; but they are confidered as the difgrace 
 of human nature. The others are continually 
 reproaching them, that they are not men, but 
 old women •, they are defpifed by the very wo- 
 men, and the uglieft girls will not accept of 
 them for hufbands, and if ^ever it happened that 
 a girl fhould be willing to marry a coward, her 
 relations would not allow of it, for fear of hav- 
 ing men without courage, and ufelefs to their 
 country in their family. Thefe men are obliged 
 to let their hair grow, and to wear an alkonan^ 
 
 Jike
 
 140 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 like the women *. I faw one of them, who 
 being afhamed of his figure, went by himfelf to 
 fight the Tchikachasy who are our enenaies and 
 theirs. He came near them, creeping like a fnake, 
 and hiding himfelf in the great grafs during 
 three or four days, without eating or drinking. 
 As the Englifh bring goods to the Tchikachas 
 (Chickfaws) in caravans, our Illinois killed one 
 of them who had ftrayed from the caravan, cut 
 off his head, mounted his horfe, and got off. 
 He was out three months upon this fine expedi- 
 tion. On his return the nation received him 
 with due honour, and gave him a wife, that he 
 might beget warriors. Before his departure he 
 eat of dog*s flefli, conformably to the opinion 
 ciirrent among his people, and of which I 
 have already had the honour of fpeaking toyou. 
 
 The grand chief of the ////«i9/jisdefcended from 
 the family of the Tamaroas, who were formerly 
 fovereigns of this country. This Cacique or 
 Indian king, is the fon of him that went to 
 France with his attendants in 1720. He was 
 prelented to the King, who gave him a medal 
 with his portrait, which the Ibn now wears on 
 
 his 
 
 ^ A fliort petticoat, which the Indian women make ufe of? 
 to cover their nakednefs.
 
 LOUISIANA. 141 
 
 his breaft. There was likewife a woman of the 
 nation of the MiJJburis, who was called the prin- 
 cefs of the Mijfouris *. The Sieiir Dubois, a fer- 
 jeant, and interpreter of thofe American ambaf-^ 
 fadors, having been created an officer by the 
 King, married this Mijfourian lady at his return.- 
 She became a widow •,. and afterwards married 
 the Sieur Marin, a captain of the militia, by 
 whom flie had a daughter, who is ilill aliv^e. 
 
 The Indian princefs defcribed to her country- 
 men the magnificence ihe had ^^tn. at the court 
 of France, where fhe had been well received, 
 and loaded with prefents ; fhe had, amongft 
 other things, got a fine repeating watch fet with 
 diamonds, which the favages called a ipirit, on, 
 account of its motion, which fcemed fupernatu- 
 ral to them. - - 
 
 I have here fpdken with an old Indian, v/ho 
 was in the retinue of the Prince I'amaroas •, I 
 afked him feveral queftions concerning France, 
 
 and 
 
 . ••=■ She was die daughter of the grasid chief of this nation. 
 It is falJ flie was M. cii Bourmond miftrefs, who, during his 
 command among tht; Mijfouris, never ceafed to praife and ex-'- 
 tol the wonders of Francs, and by that means engaged leve- 
 ral to follow lum : thi'j olrl went over to the Chriftian rcli- 
 gion, and wa3 baptifrd at the church 0^ Notre Dnnie.
 
 142 T R. A V E L S through 
 
 and efpecially what fine fights he had feen at Pa- 
 ris : he anfwered, that it was the Rue de Bouche- 
 ries, (the Ihambles) becaiife there was a great 
 abundance of fiefh ; and after that the Rue St. 
 Honore. When he told his countrymen that he 
 had feen the opera, and that all the people there 
 are jugglers or forcerers ; and that he like wife 
 faw, upon the Pont-l^euf^ fome little men who 
 danced and fung *, they would not believe him. 
 "When he faid, that, in the great village of the 
 French (Paris)^ he had feen as many people as 
 there are leaves on the trees in their forefts, (an 
 hyperbole which the Indians make ufe of to ex- 
 prefs a great number, having no words to ex- 
 j^refs a number above a hundred), they anfwer- 
 ed, that the Europeans probably had fafcinated 
 his eyes, that it was impoffible, and that they 
 had always offered the fame objefts to his eyes. 
 He faid that he had feen the huts of the grand 
 thief of the French, i. e. Verfailles and Louvre^ 
 and that they contained more people than there 
 are in their country : he likewife added, that he 
 had feen the hut of the old warriors, (the royal 
 hofpital of invalids). As this old Indian began 
 already to doat, he agreed with the other Indians, 
 that the French had bewitched him. Another 
 
 Illinois, 
 
 * A puppet'fliow.
 
 LOUISIANA. 143 
 
 IJUnoiSy who "had made the fame voyage, toid 
 his countrymen, that, in the 'Thuilleries^ and 
 other public walks, he had feen men who. 
 were half women, having their hairdreffed like 
 women, wearing the fame ear-rings, and great: 
 nofe-gays on their bread; that he fufpefted they 
 put rouge on their faces, and that he found they 
 fmelled like crocodiles *. 
 
 - This Indian fpoke with the greateft contempt 
 of that race of mortals, whom we know under 
 the name of petit s-maitres^ or beaus, who are 
 born with the weaknefs and the delicacypeculiar 
 to women ; nature feeming to have begun mak- 
 ing them fuch, and afterwards to make a mif- 
 take in the formation of their fex. 
 
 The India-n had likewife rlsmarked thecHor^" 
 mous height of the head-d relies of our women 
 in that time^-, and of the heels of their ihoes. 
 But what would he have faid, if he had {(^tn the 
 extravagant width of their hoops, and their fine 
 
 -;l9mn*, ■ fhapc 
 
 I I „ ll ! f. " V'.''." " " ' .'. " 
 
 "'^ The cro6o3iIe In the Mrji5/^j§; -has -Kllkles with mnllc, 
 which fmells ttronger than the Eail Indian mulk ; its eftllivi* 
 are fo ftrong, thatypu can often Imell the animal before y<M| 
 fee it. . - : •> 
 
 f During the regency.
 
 144 TRAVELS fimouGH 
 
 fliape forced, from their infancy, into that ele-^ 
 gant cuirafs called ftays. Thefe coquets are 
 TiOt lefs ridiculous by their artifices, than their 
 filly adorers. You have made the obfervation^ 
 as I have done, in the courfe of your travels 
 through Europe, that the foreigners and coun- 
 try gentlemen, who come to Faris to copy our 
 beaus and our belles, have rendered themfelves. 
 infupportable to their countrymen by this unna- 
 tural method of a6ling : indeed, faid our Ame- 
 rican, fuch effeminate manners difhonour are- 
 fpedlable nation. 
 
 I have received a letter from the Marquis ds 
 Vaudreuily in which he expreffcs great concern 
 for the unhappy accident which has befallen me, 
 by the wreck of my boat. This governor, from 
 a pure effedt of his generofity, which is natural 
 to him, has been willing to alleviate, as much 
 as is in his power, the fate of an unhappy offi- 
 cer, who loft all he had in the King's fervice. 
 
 He has given me leave to come to AVtx; Or 
 leans, and offered me his purfe and his table -, I 
 am afraid he will be gone for France by the time 
 I arrive at Nezu Orleans. It may be faid with 
 truth, that he has deferved the efteem and friend- 
 (hip of every body. The Indians incclTantly 
 
 com-
 
 LOUISIANA. 14^ 
 
 compare him now to M. de Bienville^ his prede- 
 ceflbr. When thefe people do not fpeak in 
 praife of a governor^ but, on the contrary, agree 
 with all the inhabitants in detefting him, it is the 
 ftronpeft accuiation apfainii: him. 
 
 .^v-xi. «v^...i«.c.v.» ^j_,. 
 
 Before I conclude, I fhall add a word about 
 the Mijfouris. Baron Porneuf^ who has been go- 
 vernor of Fort Orleans eflabiifhed in that nati- 
 on, and who knows their genius perfedlly well, 
 has informed me, that they were formerly very 
 warlike and good, but that the French hunters 
 had corrupted them, by their bad conduft, and 
 by fome difunions among them ; they had 
 made themfelves contemptible by frauds in 
 trade ; they feduced and carried off the Indian 
 women, which, among thefe people, is a very 
 great crime •, for they never pardon fuch forts of 
 robberies. All the irregularities of thefe bad 
 Frenchmen irritated the Mijfouris againft them ; 
 and therefore, during M. de Bienville's govern- 
 ment, they maffacred the Sieur Dubois, and the 
 little garrifon under his command -, and as no 
 foldier efcaped, we have never been able to know 
 who was right and who was wrong. 
 
 The ftory I fliall tell you will convince you, 
 
 that thefe people are only nominally favages, and 
 
 Vol. I. L that
 
 146 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 that the French, who endeavoured to impofe 
 upon them, have deceived themfelves. About 
 forty years ago, when thefe Americans did not 
 yet know the Europeans, a traveller or hunter 
 penetrated into their country, made them ac- 
 quainted with fire-arms, and fold them mufkets 
 and gunpowder,: they went out a-hunting, and 
 got great plenty of game, and of courfe many 
 furs. Another traveller went thither fome time 
 after, with ammunitions -, but the Indians being 
 ftill provided, they did not care to barter with 
 the Frenchman, who invented a very odd trick, 
 in order to fell his powder, without much trou- 
 bling his head with the confequences that might 
 refult from his impofture to his countrymen. He 
 thought he had done a great adion in deceiving 
 thefe poor people. 
 
 As the Indians are naturally curious, they 
 were defirous of knowing how powder, which 
 they called grain^ was made in France. The 
 traveller made them believe, that it was fown in 
 favannahs, and that they had crops of it as of 
 indigo or millet in America. 
 
 .The MiffouHs were pleafed with this difcovery, 
 and fowed all the gun-powder they had left, 
 which obliged them to buy that of the French- 
 man,
 
 L G U i S i A N A: 147 
 
 man, who got a confiderable quantity of bea- 
 ver-{kins, otter-fkins, &c. for it, and after- 
 wards went down the river to the Illinois^ where 
 M. de Tonii commanded. 
 
 The Mijfouy'is went from time to time to the 
 fiivannah^ to fee if the powder was growing: 
 they had placed a guard there, to hinder the 
 wild beads from fpoiling the field *, but they 
 foon found out the Frenchman's trick: It muft 
 be obferved, that the Indians can be deceived 
 but once, and that they always remember it \ 
 accordinglv thefe were relblved to be revenged 
 upon the firft Frenchman that fhould come to 
 them. Soon after, the hopes of profit excited 
 .the traveller to fend his partner to the MiJJoU}is, 
 y^ith goods proper for their commerce -, they 
 foon found out, that this Frenchman vras alTo- 
 ciated with the man who had impofed upon 
 them ; however, they diffembled the trick which 
 his predecefTor had played. They gave hinl the 
 public hut, which was in the middle of the vil- 
 lage, to depofiL his bales in ; and when they 
 were all laid out to view, the Mi(Jlmris came in 
 confufedly, and all thofe who had been foolilh 
 enough to fow gun-powder, took away Ibrrie 
 goods •, fo the poor Frenchman was rid of all 
 bis bales at once, but without any equivalent 
 
 L 2. from
 
 I4S TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 from the Indians. He complained much of 
 thefe proceedings, and laid his grievances be- 
 fore the great chief, who anfwered him very 
 gravely : That he fhould have juftice done him, 
 but that for that purpofe he muft wait for the 
 gun-powder harveft, his fubjedls having fown 
 that commodity by the advice of his country- 
 man •, that he might believe upon the word of a 
 ibvereign, that, after that harvefb was over, he 
 would order a general hunt, and that all the 
 Ikins of the wild beads which fhould be taken, 
 Ihould be given in return for the important fe- 
 cret, which the other Frenchman had taught 
 them. 
 
 Our traveller alledged, that the ground of the 
 Miffouris was not fit for producing gun-powder^^ 
 and that his fubjefts had not taken notice, that 
 France was the only country where it fucceedcd 
 in. All his reafoning was ufelefs ; he returned 
 . much lighter than he came, and afliamed of 
 having been correded by favage men. 
 
 This leiTon did not prevent others from going 
 to the Mijfouris ; one of them intended to play a 
 good trick there ; he got ready a pircigua, which 
 he loaded with trifles j and, being informed of 
 the* preceding adventure, he filled a little cafk 
 
 v/ith
 
 LOUISIANA. 149 
 
 with afhes and pounded charcoal, at the top of 
 which he put fome gun-powder. When he ar- 
 rived, he put all his goods in the great hut, in 
 order to tempt the Mifouris to rob him; it 
 happened as he expefted. The Frenchman 
 made a great noife, gave the Indians abufive 
 language, and, running to the cade of gurt^ 
 powder, he opened it, toolc a burning match, 
 and cried out, I have loft my wits, I will blov^ 
 up the hut, and you fhall come with me to the 
 country of the fpirits. The Indians were fright- 
 ened, and knew not what to do ; the other 
 Frenchmen who came with him were out of 
 doors, and cried out, our brother has loft his 
 fenfes, and he will not recover them again, till 
 he gets his goods back, or till he gets paid for 
 for them. The chiefs went through the village, 
 to exhort the people to pay -, thofe who had any 
 relations in the hut joined them •, the people 
 were moved, and every one brought all the 
 furs he had into the hut -, the Frenchman then 
 faid he had found his fenfes again. The chief 
 prefented him with the calumet, he fmoked, and 
 poured water upon the gun-powder to make it 
 ufelefs, or rather to hide his fraud from the In- 
 dians. He brought home fine furs to the value 
 of a thoufand crowns. The Indians have ever 
 
 L 3 fince
 
 150 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 fince held him in great efteem, giving him the 
 name pf ^ irue man, or man of courage^ 
 
 I fhall finiih my letter with the defcription of 
 ^ very odd and extraordinary ceremony, per- 
 formed by thp MiJUouriSy who came hither as am- 
 bafladors, at the time when the Chevalier de 
 Boijbriant commandpi^ her?. This fragic ftory 
 •^'ill at the fame time ferve to teach officers, 
 who, through a noble ambition, gfpire to mili- 
 tary commands, thap both the theoretical and 
 the pradical part of geography ought abfolutely 
 to be underflood by them •, and that it is necef- 
 fary they fhould carefully ftudy the interior fitUT 
 ^tion of a country where they are at war, in ort 
 der to avoid ail furprifes of thp enemy, and to 
 p refer ve the lives of the men who are under 
 their care. What I Ihall now tell, Vv'ill fuf~ 
 ^cier^tly convince them of thjs npceflity. 
 
 Spain faw, with great difpleafqre, dpring the 
 regency, our fettlements qn the Mijjifippi : The 
 Englifh too, on their fide, foared no intrigues to 
 ruin this growing colony, as they do flill in re7 
 gard to thofe upon the banks of the river Ohio, 
 ^hich they fay belongs to them •, and they have 
 likewifc laid claim to the MiJJiftfpi.
 
 LOUISIANA. 151 
 
 In 1720, the Spaniards formed the defign pf 
 fettling at the Mijfouris, who are near the Illinois, 
 in order to confine us more to the weftward ; the 
 Mijfouris are far diftant from Ne'du Mexico^ which 
 is the molt northerly province the Spaniardj^ 
 have. •-. "^ 
 
 They believed, that in order to put their 
 colony in fafety, it was neceflary they Hiould 
 entirely deflroy the Mijfouris y ^ but concluding 
 that it would be impofiible to fubdue them with 
 their own forces alone, they refolved to make aa 
 alliance with the Ofages, a people who were the 
 neighbours of the Mijfouris, and at the fame time 
 their mortal enemies, hoping . with their afiill- 
 ance, to furprife and deftroy their enemies. 
 With that view they formed a caravan at Santa- 
 Fe, confifting of men, women, and foldiers, 
 having a Jacohine prieft for their chaplain, and 
 an engineer-captain for their chief and conduft- 
 or, with the horfes and cattle neceflary for a per- 
 manent fettlement. 
 
 i 
 The caravan being fet out, miftook its road, 
 
 and arrived at the Mijfouris, takmg therri to be 
 
 the Ofdges. Immediately the conductor of the 
 
 caravan orders his interpreter to fpeak to the 
 
 chief of the MiJJouris, as if he had been that of 
 
 ,L 4 the
 
 152 TRAVELS through 
 
 jthe Ofages^ and tell him that they were come to 
 make an alliance with him, in order to deftroy 
 together the MiJUGuris their enemies. 
 
 The great chief of the Mijfouris concealed his 
 thoughts upon this expedition, fhewed the Spa- 
 niards figns of great joy, and promifed to exe-? 
 cute a defign v/ith them which gave him much, 
 pleafure. To that purpofe he invited them ta^ 
 reft for a few days after their tirefome journey, 
 till he had afiembled his warriors, and held/ 
 council with the old men : but the refult of this 
 council of war was, that they fhould entertain 
 their guefts very well, and affedt the fmcereft 
 friendfhip for them. 
 
 ' They agreed together to i&t out in three days, 
 The. Spanifli captain im^mediately diftributed fif- 
 teen hundred mufkets amongft them., with an equal 
 number of piftols, fabres, and hatchets -, but 
 the very morning after this agreement, the Mij- 
 fouris came, by break of day, into the Spanifh 
 camp, and killed them all except the Jacobine 
 prieft, whofe fingular drefs did not feem to be- 
 long to a warrior : they called him a mag-pie, 
 and diverted themfelves with making him ride 
 on one of the Spanifh horfes, on their days of 
 afiembly. 
 
 The
 
 LOUISIANA. 1^3 
 
 The prieft, though he was careffed and well 
 fed, was not without uneafinefs, fearing that 
 thefe jokes would end in facrificing him to the 
 Manitou^ or deity of the Indians ; therefore, ont 
 day, taking advantage of their confidence in 
 him, he took his meafures to get away before 
 their faces. All thofe tranladions the Mijfonris 
 themfelves have related, when they brought the 
 ornaments of the chapel hither. They were 
 drefled out in thefe ornaments : the chief had 
 on the naked fkin the chafuble, with the paten 
 fufpended from his neck, having driven a nail 
 through it, and making ufe of it as a breafl- 
 plate -, he marched gravely at the head of all 
 the others, being crowned with feathers and a 
 pair of horns. Thofe that followed him had 
 more chafubles on ; after them came thofe who 
 carried the Hole, followed by thofe who had the. 
 fcarfs about their necks ; after them came three 
 or four young Indians, fome with albs, and Others 
 with furplices on. The Acolothifts, contrary to 
 order, were at the end of this procefTion, not 
 being adorned enough, and held in their hands 
 a crofs or chandelier, whilft they danced in ca- 
 dence. Thefe people, not knowing the refpeft 
 due to the facred utenfils, hung the chalice to a 
 Jiorfe's neck, as if it had been a bell. 
 
 Reprefent
 
 154 TRAVELS through 
 
 Reprefent to yourfelf the ridiculous fight 
 which the fingular order of this proceflion mull 
 offer to the eye, as they arrived before the houfe 
 of M. de Boijbriant the King's lieutenant, 
 marching in cadence, and with the great calu- 
 met of peace difplayed according to.cuflom. 
 
 The lirft Frenchman who faw this mafqxierade 
 arrive, ran laughing to give M. de Boijbriant, 
 intelligence of it ; this officer, who is as pious 
 as he is brave, was overcome with grief at the 
 fight of the Indians, and knew not what to 
 think of the event j he feared diey had deftroy- 
 ed fome French fettlemeni i but when he faw 
 them near by, his fadnefs vanifhed, and he had 
 much to do to keep himfelf from laughing with 
 the reil. 
 
 The MiJJouris told him, that the Spaniards 
 intended to have deftroycd them ; that they 
 brought him all thefe things, as being of no 
 ufe to them, and that, if he would, he might 
 give them fuch goods in return as were more to 
 their liking. Accordingly he gave them fome 
 goods, and fent the ornaments to M. de Bienville^ 
 who was then governor-general of the province 
 of Louiftana, 
 
 As
 
 LOUISIANA. 155 
 
 As the Indians had got a great number of 
 Spanifli horfes from this caravan, the chief of 
 the Mijfouris gave the fineft to M. de Boijbriant. 
 
 They had likewife brought with them the 
 map which had conducted the Spaniards fo ill, 
 who came to furrender themfelves, by confefTing 
 their intention to their enemies. 
 
 I Ihall profit of the permiflion v/hich I have 
 obtained to go down to New Orleans. If I find 
 our general, and a letter from you there, it will 
 be a double pleafure to me. 
 
 I am, SIR, &c. 
 
 ^ the Illinois^ the i^th 
 pf May I'jsz. 
 
 LET-
 
 13^ T R A V ELS through 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 To the fame. 
 
 The Author leaves the Country of the Illinois^ and 
 goes to New Orleans. Arrival of Monjieur de 
 Kerlerec, Departure of the Martinis de Vau- 
 dreuil. The Author* s fecond Voyage to the Illinois. 
 Heroic A^ion of a Father, who facrificed himfelf 
 for his Sen. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 ?^^^^ N June I arrived at the Capital of 
 f^ I 3J Lowfima, where I found a letter from 
 \t^^1^ you, which gave me real pleafure, by 
 informing me that you continue to enjoy your 
 health, and it made up for the lofs I had of our 
 dear governor's prefence ; when I came hither I 
 heard he was already gone to France ; and to 
 cocRpleat my misfortunes, Mr. Michel de la 
 Ruevilliero was dead of an apoplexy j he had 
 
 wrote
 
 LOUISIANA. 157 
 
 wrote to me that he had with forrow heard of 
 the lofs of my boat, and that notwithftanding 
 it was not the king's cuftom to re-imburfe fuch 
 cxpences, yet he would repair this lofs with pJea- 
 fure for my relief: that I Ihould make an exa<5t 
 account of all I had loft, and join to it a certifi- 
 cate from M. de Macarty^ the commander of the 
 convoy : this was, he faid, an indifpenfable ne- 
 ceflity, that this article may at leaft have fome 
 appearance, and thus be entered in the accounts ; 
 he promifed that as foon as he Ihould have this 
 paper, he would fettle what I was to receive. 
 TheMarquis de Vaudreuil had recommended me 
 at his departure to his fucceflbr M. de Kerlerec, 
 who has not paid any attention to his recom- 
 mendation ; his qualities are quite the reverfe of 
 thofe of his predeceflbr ; but this new governor 
 alledges, that he is not come fo far, merely for 
 the fake of changing the air. He kept me ar 
 New Orleans^ and only allowed me to rejoin my 
 garrifonin 1754, with the convoy which M. de 
 Faverot commanded. I could not find any 
 room to embark my provifions for the voyage, 
 on account of the number of goods every one 
 was allowed to take as a venture, and which 
 filled the king's boats : I made my juft repre- 
 fentations on this fubjeft to M. de Kerlerec^ who 
 made me fuffer all kinds of difagreeable circum- 
 
 ftances
 
 158 TRAVELS throuch 
 
 (lances on this occafion. After which, having 
 afked me what venture I took with me, I an- 
 fwered, that 1 imderftood nothing of commerce ; 
 that being a foldier, his majefty had fent me to 
 Louifiana to ferve him, and that I placed all my 
 glory in that fervice, at laft M. de Kerkrec gave 
 me leave to join my ganrifon. 
 
 I left New Orleans the feventeenth of Augtrft,- 
 but the boats, as I have already faid, were fo 
 much laden with ventures, that being overtaken 
 by the froil, we could not get to the lUinots^ but 
 were obliged to winter on the road; and the 
 convoy only arrived in January, 1755, which 
 occafioned extortions and immenfe cofrs for the 
 king's account. The fatigue of fo long a 
 voyage ruined my health fo much, that I was 
 reduced to the utmoll extremity. I was con- 
 ducted on foot by Indians, and when I was tired, 
 they carried mc in a dreffed ox hide, made in 
 the form of a hamock, hung upon a great 
 pole, as a litter. They changed fuccelTively, 
 and in this manner I came once more to the 
 old fort Chartres^ where I lay in a hut, till I 
 could o;et a lodging: in the new fort, which 
 is almoil finifhed. It is built of free flone, 
 flanked with four baftions, and capable of con-; 
 taining a garrifon of three hundred men. I 
 
 afl\ed
 
 LOUISIANA. .159 
 
 afked M. de Macarty\ leave to go to change the 
 air at the Kaokias, who are a day*s journey from 
 Fort Charires, and the road to it is either by 
 water or by land. In this poft there is a little 
 fort on the left fide of the MJiJippi, it is the 
 great road of the Illinois to Canada^ and the cen- 
 ter of commerce of Ne'vu France, or Louifiana^ 
 which is confiderable in furs. 
 
 The priefts of the order of St. Sidpicius, to 
 whom the ifle and town of Montreal belong, 
 have eftablilhed a miflion here under the nam.e 
 of the Holy Family of Jefus. There are but 
 three priefts. I have been particularly ac- 
 quainted with the Abbe Mcrcier, a Canadian by 
 birth, and vicar of the whole country of Illinois. 
 He was a man of probity, whofe friendfhip 
 could not fail of being of ufe to me, by the 
 knowledge he had acquired of the manners of the 
 Indians, who were edified by his virtue and dif- 
 intereftednefs. He fpoke the language of the 
 country, and on account of the fluency with 
 which he expreflcd himfelf in it, he was highly 
 efteemed among the Indians, who confult him 
 in all matters. He has fpent forty five years in 
 cultivating the Lord's vineyard in thefe diftant 
 countries, and the Indian nations of thefe parts 
 
 . have
 
 I^Q TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 have always refpefted him. A man of his cha- 
 rafter could never have lived long enough for 
 the happinefs of thefe people. This worthy 
 apoftle of Louijtanay fell into a confumption in 
 Lent, and he died of it one Friday at half an 
 hour after eleven at night, expiring as a Chriftian 
 hero. He had an admirable prefence of mind, 
 and I have regretted him very much. The 
 French and the Indians were inconfolable -, the 
 latter fent their deputies according to their cuf- 
 tom to lament him on his tomb. They came 
 in fwarms, and as foon as they arrived near the 
 houfe of the late Abbe, they cried out aloud and 
 made doleful lamentations. Thefe poor people- 
 were in a great conllernation, and grief was 
 painted on their faces. Thefe people, whom 
 we call favages, know the true virtue in man ; 
 this man had worked almoft during his whole 
 life for their welfare ; they called him their fa- 
 ther and the chief of the prayer. 
 
 What a difference is there between this mif- 
 fionary and another anterior to him, who falfely 
 attributed to himfelf the difcovery of Louifiana ; 
 I mean the father Hennepin^ a RecoUet friar, of 
 whom 1 fliall fpeak to you. In 1683, he pub- 
 lifhed a relation, the title of which is not right : 
 
 for
 
 LOUISIANA. 161 
 
 for the cbuntry which the Recollet, and the Sieur 
 Decan difcovered in going up the Mijfifippi from 
 the river of Illinms to the fall St. Anthony^ does 
 not belong to Louijiana, but to Canada. The re- 
 lation of a fecond voyage of father Hennepiny in 
 the Recueil dis Voyages du Nord, bears a title which 
 is equally falfe : voyage to a country greater 
 than Europe, between the frozen ocean, and 
 new Mexico ; for though they have gone very 
 far up the Mijfifippi^ they have ftill been at a 
 great diftance from the frozen ocean. When 
 the author publifhed this fecftiid relation he had 
 quarrelled with M. de la Salle j it feems that ha 
 was adiially forbid returning to America^ and 
 that the: difpleafure this reftridion gave him^ 
 prompted him to retire to Holland, where he 
 publifhed a third work, intitled a new defcrip- 
 tion of a very great country, fituated in America 
 between rtpw Mexico and the frozen ocean, with 
 refledions oH: M. de la SalWs undertakings and 
 other things concerning the defcription and hif- 
 lory of North America. 
 
 The author there not only vents all his: ill-na- 
 ture on M. de la Salle, but likewife throws ic 
 \ipon France^ pretending to have been ill-treated 
 by the nation. He means to fave his honour by 
 declaring that he was born a fubjed of the Ca- 
 VoL. L M tholic
 
 i6.2 TRAVELS through 
 
 tholk'king * ; but he ought to refled that \t 
 was at .the. expence of France that he travelled 
 in Amirica^ and that it was in the name of his 
 moft Ghrift-ian majefty, that he and the Sieur 
 DecAn took pofleflion of the countries which 
 they ■ had difcovered. He did not fear 
 to advance* that it w^ with the confent of 
 his Catholic majefty, his firft. fovereign, thae^. 
 ha ^/dedicated his relation, > to William the 
 Third, king of Great . Britain, in which he 
 folicits that monarch to conquer thefe vaft regi^ 
 Onsi and to fend MifTionaries thither, to teach 
 the Indians the Chriftian religion -, a proceeding 
 Which excited the ridicule of the Catholics, and 
 fcandalized the Proteftants, who were furprized 
 to fee a prieft who called himfelf a rriiffionafy, 
 exhort a Proteftant fovereign to found a- Roman 
 church in America. All his works are befides 
 written in a pompous ftile, which fhocks the 
 reader, and offends him by the liberties which 
 the author takes, and by his indecent invedtives. 
 JFather Hennepin thought he might make ufe of - 
 the privilege of a traveller j but he has likewife 
 
 been much cried down by his fellow-travellers, 
 who have often declared, that he was very un- , 
 
 ^ faithful 
 
 ! * Fadicr Hcnneppin was a native o£ Doaayi
 
 LOUISIANA. i6j 
 
 faitHful in all his accounts. It appears that 
 
 there was more vanity in his undertaking, 
 
 than true zeal in making profelytes in A- 
 merica. 
 
 Whilft I was at the Konkias, feme Indians of 
 the nation of Ofa^s arrived there ; their Mani- 
 touy or falfe deity, was a dried ferpent, of a 
 monftrous fize. Thefe people faid that this 
 prodigious animal had committed great devaf- 
 tations in their country ; that it fwallowed a 
 tyger-cat all at once ; that confequently they had 
 declared war againft it, and were gone to attack 
 it. They followed it by the track, but neither' 
 balls nor arrows could penetrate its body, which 
 was covered with very hard fcales, like thofe of 
 a cfoa3dile. They fucceeded at laft In putting 
 it tb- death by fliooting balls and arrows at \ty 
 which blinded it. He that had killed it carried 
 the mark or imprefTion of it on his body, in the 
 fame manner as the Akanzas imprinted the 
 roe-buck on my thigh. They make this lad- 
 ing mark in the following manner. They firfl: 
 draw with black, or with gun-powder the 
 figure of the animal or obje6l they mean to re- 
 prefenr, on the flefh •, after which they fling the 
 fkin in the out-line, with one or more needles 
 to the blood j the figure is then (lightly wafhed 
 
 M 2 over
 
 i64 TRAVELS through 
 
 over with a fine fpunge dipt in a folution of rock 
 ialt, which mixes the blood with the black, con- 
 tra(5bing the (kin which has been ftung, and ren- 
 ders the figure indelible. This is not done with* 
 out fome pain ; but as it is a kind of knighthood 
 to which they are only intitled by great adions, 
 they fuff^er with pleafure, in order to pafs for 
 men of courage. Thefe marks of diflindlion 
 multiply in proportion to the fine a(5tions they 
 do in war. 
 
 If one of them iliould get himfelf marked^ 
 without having previoufly diftinguiflied himfelf 
 in battle, he would be degraded, and looked 
 upon as a coward, unworthy of an honour, 
 which only belongs to thofe who generoufly ex- 
 pofe their lives in defence of their country. The 
 Indians only value the fons of Caciques, in, as 
 much as they are brave and virtuous after the 
 example of their fathers and ancellors. * 
 
 w 
 
 ,. t 
 
 I faw an Indian, who, though he had never: 
 lignalized himfelf in defence of the nation, 
 however chofe to get a mark on his bodv, in 
 order to deceive thofe who only judged from ap* 
 pearances. He would pafs for a man of courage 
 with a view to obtain one of the prettiefl girls 
 of the nation in marriage, who, favage as flie was, 
 
 was
 
 L O U IS I ANA. i6j 
 
 was however not without ambition. As he was 
 on the point of concluding the march with her 
 relations, th^ warriors, full of indignation on 
 feeing a coward boaft with a mark due only to 
 military merit, held an affembly of chiefs of 
 war, in order to punifh fuch audacioufnefs. 
 The council agreed, that, to obviate fuch an 
 abufe, which would confound brave men with 
 cowards, he who had wrongfully adorned him- 
 felf with the figure of a club on his fkin, with- 
 out ever having (truck a blow at war, fhould 
 have the mark torn off, that is, the place fhould 
 be flayed, and that the fame fjiould be done to 
 all who would offend in the fame cafe. 
 
 As there was no pardon to hope for, his con- 
 demnation being pronounced by an afl of this 
 Indian fenate, who is jealous of maintaining the 
 honour of the nation, I offered, in commifera- 
 tion of the poor wretch, to cure him in the 
 French manner ; I faid I would take off the flcin 
 and the mark without hurting him, and that my 
 remedy would change the blood into water. The 
 Indians, ignorant of my fecret, believed I jell- 
 ed with them : therefore, counterfeiting their 
 jugglers, I gave the pretended bravo a calabafh 
 full of fyrup of the; maple-tree, into which I had 
 put a dofe of opium •, and, whilft he was aflecp, 
 
 M 3 I ap-
 
 i66 TRAVELS through 
 
 I applied Spanifli flies to the figure of the club 
 which he bore on his bread, and over them 
 fome plantain leaves, which caufed tumours j 
 the fkin and the mark went off, and a watery 
 matter came out. Thi^ methad of proceeding 
 furprifed the Indian jugglers, who were ignorant 
 of the Spanifh flies, or Cantharides, which are 
 vvery common in North America. They give a 
 light in night-time ; and even the fmalleft types 
 can be read, by holding the infed near to the 
 letters, and following the lines. 
 
 There is often a fimilarity in the manners of 
 the Indians and of the Europeans, though they 
 may appear ever fo different amongft themfelves. 
 The following example, is a proof of it. An 
 officer belonging to the regiment of the Ijle de 
 France^ having fallen in love with a young lady at 
 Faris in 1 749, the mother of the lady told him, 
 that (he wopld willingly give him her daughter, 
 provided he was adorned with the crofs of St. 
 Louts. In order to accelerate his marriage, love 
 infpired him with the thought of taking- that 
 diftin<^ion from himfelf, which the King alone 
 can give away. The lady already looked upon 
 him as her fon-in-law ; but a few days after, the 
 falfe chevalier is met by an officer of his regi- 
 rhentj who, being before him in the fervice, is 
 
 furpriftrd
 
 l..:0 V tieS^jl' A N A. "i^y 
 
 farprifed to fee him obtain the crofs before him- 
 feJEJJ The new chevalier told him, that, with 
 protedHons, one could get at every thing. The 
 officer, who knew nothing of the other's 
 .views, goes immediately to M. d'Jrgenfon, and 
 feprefents to him the injuftice done to him, by 
 igiving the order of St. Louis to his junior offi- 
 cer. -The minifter denies it, and fends for the 
 lift of promotions, in which the officer is not 
 comprifed : accordingly he is taken up, and 
 brought before the tribunal of the Marllials of 
 France. A court was held at the hofpital of 
 invalids, wherein Marfhal Belk-ijle prefided. 
 The falfe chevalier was fentenced to have the 
 crofs taken from him, to be degraded, and to 
 be confined in a fortrefs during twenty years. 
 
 The Indian women are allowed to make marks 
 all over their body, without any bad confe- 
 quences j I have feen fome of them who had 
 marks even on their breads, though that part 
 be extremely delicate ; but they endure it firmly, 
 like the men, in order to pleafe them, and to 
 appear handfomer to them. 
 
 To return to the Manitou of the Ofages, I 
 wilhed to have this pretended relic in my pof- 
 feflion, in order to adorn your colleftion of na- 
 
 M 4 tural
 
 i68^ T.R h V,E L S THRouGifil 
 
 tural cnriofities with iti I was willing to trejW:. 
 . about it with the Indian pricfl who ferved it,, 
 offering him European goods in return, and re- 
 prcfenring to him that t|ie adoration of this ani- 
 mal was an abufe i that he ought, as we do, 
 to worfliip the Great Spirit, or Author of Na- 
 ture ; but this cunning prieft of the devil, in 
 owning that his fuperftitious countrymen adored 
 every thing uncommon, told me, that he C3?- 
 pe£ted to make a great profit of his Manitou% 
 that, being a phyfician, and a juggler befides, he 
 could eafily make them believe that his deity eat 
 with the evil fpirit at night, and that they muft 
 bring him viftuals into his hut, and fine furs ^o 
 drefs him out. 
 
 Thus this impoflor, by his artful difcourfes, 
 gives weight to the errors and prejudices of theie 
 ignorant people. Thefe fellov,'S make them be-- 
 lieve, that they converfe with the devil at night, 
 whom the Indians are much afraid of, becaufe 
 he can only do harm* whereas they fay thtGrent 
 Spirit^ hdr.g gopd, can do them no hurt. - 
 
 I fliall finifh my letter by an account of the 
 'tragic death of an Indian of the nation of Golla- 
 fJjfaSy who facrificed himfelf for his fon -, I have 
 
 admii^ed
 
 L O U I S I A N %?^ 169 
 
 admired this heroic deed, which raifes human? 
 generofity to the higheft pitch. ^- 
 
 'A Cha^dw, fpeaking very ill of the French, . 
 faid, that the CcUapiJj'as were their dogs, i. e.'- 
 their flaves ; one of thefe, vexed at fuch abufive 
 language, killed the ChaBaw with his gun. The 
 nation of Cha^a-Jos\ which is the greateft and 
 mod numerous on this continent, armed imme- 
 diately, and fcnt deputies to Ne--Jo Orleans to afk 
 from the governor the head of the murderer, 
 who had put himfelf under the protedion of the 
 French. They offered prelcnts to make up the 
 quarrel, but the cruel nation of Cha^aws would 
 not accept any -, they even threatened to deftroy 
 the village of Cellapijas. To prevent the cffu- 
 fion of blood, the poor unhappy Indian was de- 
 livered up to them. The Sieur Ferrand, com- 
 rnander of the German fettlement on the right 
 fliore of the Miffiftppi^ was charged with this 
 commiflion. The rendez-vous for this purpofe 
 was given between the village CoUapiJfa and the 
 fettlement of the Germans ; and the facnfice 
 was performed there as follows : 
 
 The Indian was called Tichou Mingo, i. e. Ca- 
 cique's fervant. He ftood upright, and held a 
 fpeechy according to tl^c cuf^oiri of the people, 
 
 faying,
 
 170 TRAVELS- t^irovgh 
 
 faying, " I aril a true man, that is, I do not 
 *' fear death -, but I pity the fate of a wife and 
 " four children, whom I leave behind me very 
 " young, and 6f my father and mother, who 
 " are old, and for whom I got fubfiftence by 
 *' hunting *. I recommend them to the French, 
 •' becaufe I die for having taken their part." 
 
 ' ij. 
 
 He had hardly fpoken the laft word' of this 
 Ihort and pathetic fpeech, when his good and 
 tender father, penetrated with his fon's filial 
 lovej got up, and fpoke to the following effe(5tii< 
 *' It is through courage -f that my fon dies ; but 
 ** being young, and full of vigour, he is more 
 *' fit than mylelf to provide for his mother, wife> 
 *•' and four little children ; it is thei:efore necef- 
 " fary he fliould ftay on earth to take care of 
 " them. As to myfelf, I am near the end of my 
 *' career, I have lived long enough, and Iwifh my 
 " fon may come to the fame age, in order to 
 " educate my little children. I am no longer fit 
 " for any ,thing, fome years of life more of • 
 '* Jefs are indifferent to me. I have lived as a 
 
 " man. 
 
 i<^^-H€ was the bed hunter in the nation. 
 
 
 Courage is a word which, in tlicir language, fignifies 
 lomething great or extraordinary.
 
 LOUISIANA. iji 
 
 ** man, and will die as fuch ; therefore I go to 
 ♦< take his place *." 
 
 At thefe words, which exprefled paternal af- 
 fedion in a very ftrong and moving manner, 
 his wife, his Ton, \\iz, daughter-in-law, and their 
 little children. Hied tears round the brave old 
 man ; he embraced them for the laft time, and 
 exhorted them to be faithful to the French, and 
 to die rather than to betray them by any mean- 
 nefs unworthy of his blood : at laft he told them, 
 that h-is death was a necefiary facrifice to the na- 
 tion, which he was contented and proud to 
 make. With thefe words he prefented his head 
 to the relations of the dead Chaffaw^ and they 
 accepted it : after that he laid himfejf on the 
 trunk of a tree, and they cut off his head imme- 
 diately with one ftroke of a hatchet. 
 
 I: Every thing was made up by this death ; but 
 the young man was obliged to give them his fa- 
 ther's head -f ; in taking it up, he faid to it, 
 
 " Pardon 
 
 * Thefe nations follow the lex talionis, death is avenged 
 by death ; and it is fafficient to fubftitute any one of the na- 
 tion, if even he were not a relation of the criminal ; flavei 
 ohiy are excepted. 
 
 •\ They put it on a pole, and carried it as a trophy Intd 
 their tribe.
 
 j^ya T R,A J E l^^S through. : 
 
 ^ ' h A J-\ '. I ■ '"' ' ' 
 
 " Pardon me thy death, and remember me iw 
 " the country of Ipirits." All the French who 
 afllrted at this tragic event were moved to tears, 
 and admired the heroic conftancy of this vene- 
 rable old m^n, whofe virtue is equal to that- 
 celebrated Homan orator, who, in the time of 
 of the triumvirate, was hidden by his fon. The 
 latter was cruelly tormented, in order to extort 
 from him the place where his father was con- 
 cealed, who, beir\g no longer able to hear that 
 fo tender and fo virtuous a fon fliould fuffer fo 
 much, came to prefent himfelf to the murderers, 
 and begged the foldiers to kill him, and to fave 
 Kis fon's life; the fon conjured them to kill 
 him, but to fparc his father •, the foldiers, more 
 barbarous than the favage Indians, killed them 
 both together, at the fame time, and in the 
 fame place, '. 
 
 ' l^^Peri'^and, my fellow-traveller in my lalt 
 voyage to the TlUnsis^ fell into the Mijfiftppi m 
 tiie fevereft feafon, whilft his foldiers were exer-" 
 cifing i and, at the very moment that the rapi- 
 dity of this river carried him into an abyfs, an 
 j4kanza hunter, who was happily on board hls^^ 
 boat, faved him from the precipice. The ofH^. 
 cer told him, that he hoped to recompenfe him 
 generoufly for this piece of fcrvice^ but the In- 
 • ' dian
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 17.5 
 
 -:rn 
 
 dian" immediately anfwered, that he had only 
 done the duty of a brother, who ought to fucH 
 cour the unhappy in time of danger j that, as 
 the Great Spirit had taught him to fwim like ■ t- 
 St&j- he could not employ his (kill better than 
 to fave the life of his fellow-creature. 
 
 .^ All the Indiartsy both men and women, learn 
 t6 fwim from their infancy. I have often ken 
 the mothers put their little children into pools of 
 frefh water, and I took great delight in feeing; 
 the little creatures fwim naturally. Would not 
 fuch an education be better than thofe methods 
 which people are fo fond of in Europe ? The 
 quefbion 1 fpeak of here is of the utmoft confe-. 
 quence, efpecially in a country where almofteve-i- 
 ry body goes by water, and on fea-voyages. nlj 
 fhall not enter into thefe details, which might; 
 proye tirefome : I: fhall only fay, that, accord- 
 ing to found reafon,: the firft thing which it il' 
 necefTary to know in nature, is how to prefcrvfr 
 one's exifteilce ♦, and that it is to be wifhed, that 
 the European mothers would imitate the Ame* 
 ricans in that particular, and likewife in fuck- 
 ling their own children. This a£tion, whiclv 
 is didated by nature, would prevent many acci-, 
 dents with regard to children fuppofed 10 bq 
 legitimate ; and^ without quoting many fafts
 
 J74 TRAVELS through 
 
 to this purpofe fromth« Canfes Cekhres,. I have 
 a recent example before my eyes of the conf u- 
 fion often caufed in families by thofe mercenary 
 nurfes. A gentleman, who was an officer of 
 the fame dtitachm.ent which I was in, had long 
 been fuppofed to be loft by his nurfe. As foon 
 as he was born, he was fent down into the midft 
 of Normandy -, and his relations have only found 
 him out, when he was twenty-two years old^ 
 riirough mere chance, after he had gone through 
 a feries of miferics. and dangera during than 
 time. 
 
 ti •!.'•- J 
 
 ••<T-' remember, that, in 1749, upon the road^ 
 /between Paris and Arfajm, I was' witnefs of an- 
 accident which happened to one of the little vicy 
 tims. which parents put from them, in order not 
 »i":ibe importuned by their cries. The nurfe 
 who was trufted with this child, had put it in^ 
 her apron ♦, as fhe was ftepping into one of thofei 
 carriages deft:ined foi: thefe journies, her apron, 
 which was tied behind, got untied, and the' 
 child fell upon the pavement, and expired. 
 
 - -Give me leave to- fay^ that thefe' is an entire 
 difference between the way of thinking of the 
 European and the Indian women. The latter" 
 would think themfelves abufedf if they were to 
 
 leave
 
 L O y I S I A N A. 175 
 
 leave their children to the care of a woman tar 
 frpna their own inrpedion : they are not afraid^; 
 ^. fpme European women, that their hufban.d'* 
 tendcrnefs will diminifh, becaufe they have borne 
 the tokens of their mutual afFeftion-, on the 
 contrary, the flanie increafes op both parts, and 
 t^e pleafure of feeing their race perpetuated, and 
 to fee another felf grow up in a littje creatyre^ 
 which they brought into the world, amply r^ 
 g^yjS .the trouble they have of fupporting them.j£i:i 
 
 Alvi ' - '■ 
 
 The white women, whom we call Creoles^ fpjq 
 low in America the European cuflom, difdaining 
 to.fqckle thpir own children i ; they give them, 
 ;is foon as they arc born, to a ta^Yny or red flave^ 
 \yithQut refieding, that her blood may be cQfr? 
 rupted. Many able phyficians have demonftra-. 
 ted, that the milk has an influence on the incli- 
 nations of the children. I have often ktn many 
 an innocent fall a vidim to the irregular life of 
 their nurfes in America j which is a circumftance 
 fatal to the propagation of the human fpecies. 
 I leave this fubjed to the gentlemen of the fa* 
 culty, who will certainly handle it better than 
 rayfelf. 
 
 I conclude, by afluring you that l2^m,,.i^c» 
 
 P.S. Aa
 
 fj6 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 P. S. An Indian courier has jufl brought' us 
 the agreeable news of the taking of Choaguen^ 
 and the places dependent on itj upon the famous: 
 lake Ontario* 
 
 The garrifon of that place, to the nutnber of 
 fifteen hundred regular troops, have furrendered 
 prifoners of war ; and have accepted the articles 
 of capitulation which M. de Montcalm has grant- 
 ed them i that general immediately fent the fivd 
 pair of regimental colours which he found in the 
 place to ^ehec, 
 
 M. Rigciud *, the governor of ^rois kivierefi 
 commanded the Canadians and Indians ; he had 
 taken poflenion of an advantageous poft^ in or- 
 der to oppofe all fuccours, and cut off the W-* 
 treat of the enemy* 
 
 1' The land troops, thofe of the Golbnies, th<^ 
 Canadians, and the Indians, have all equally 
 diflinguilhed themfelves : we know not yet the 
 number of men which the enemies have loft ; all 
 we have he^rd is, that their general was killed 
 
 at 
 
 * Srother (if the Marquis of VauJreuiU who returned into 
 America with the title of Gai'ernor- General of Canada and 
 JVr«.' Frante.
 
 LOUISIANA. 177 
 
 at the beginning of the attack : we, on ouf 
 fide, have loft but three foldiers. M. de Bour- 
 lamaqtte, a colonel of foot, has been flightly 
 wounded, together with feven or eight Cana- 
 dians ; but unhappily M. Decomble, the engineer, 
 was fliot by one of our own Indians, who took 
 him for an Englifhman, on account of his uni- 
 form, which was different from that of the other 
 French officers. 
 
 The Marquis de Montcalm is now employed in 
 deftroying the forts of Choaguen, and in fending 
 the proyifions and ammunition, and a hundred 
 pieces of cannon which have been found there, 
 to Fronte?iac. 
 
 4t the lUhioiSy the 2 ift 
 
 Vol. I. N L i:. T -
 
 178 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 
 
 " LETTER IX. 
 
 To the fame, 
 
 ^he Author fets outs from the Koakiasfor Fort Char- 
 tres. His Obfervations on the Population. Ac- 
 count of a Caravan of Elephants arrived in the 
 Neighbourhood of the Ohio. 
 
 S I R, 
 
 K^^'^Ccording to all appearances, this is the 
 ^ A ^ laft letter I fliall write to you from the 
 )lL^^ji ^^^^^^^^ > ^ prepare to fet out by order 
 of the phyficians, who have judged it neceffary 
 that I Ihould return to France, to ufe the baths 
 of Bourbon, in order to prevent the bad confe- 
 quences of a fhot 1 received, many years ago, at 
 the aflault of Chateau Dauphin *. 
 
 Yefter. 
 
 * This is a fort in Piedmont, at the top of a mountain of 
 
 the
 
 LOUISIANA. 179 
 
 Yefterday an exprefs arrived here from Fort 
 du^ene to our commander, who informs us, 
 that the Englifh make great preparations to come 
 to attack that poft again. M. de Macarty has 
 fent provifions to vidual the fort. The Cheva- 
 lier de Fillierr commands it in my ftead, my bad 
 ftate of heakh not allowing me to undertake 
 that voyage ; it would have enabled me to exa- 
 mine the place on the road, where an Indian 
 found fome elephant's teeth, of which he gave 
 me a grinder, weighing about fix pounds and a 
 half. 
 
 In 1735, the Canadians who came to make 
 war upon the I'chicachas (Chickfaws) found, 
 near the fiite river or Ohio^ the (keletons of fe- 
 ven elephants ; which makes me believe, that 
 Louijiana * joins to Afia, and that thefe ele- 
 phants came from the latter continent by the 
 weftern part, which we are not acquainted 
 
 N 2 wkh : 
 
 the Alps. It was taken the 19th of July 1744, under the 
 command of the Prince of Conti. 
 
 " The brigade of Poitou, commanded by the brave M. iie 
 Chevertt dillinguiflied itfelf in this aftion by an uncommon 
 
 -Talour, which has been admired by all Europe. 
 
 < , 
 
 \:.t* The French fet no bounds to the weftward to Louifi- 
 ana. F«
 
 J So TRAVELS throuoh 
 
 with. : a herd of thefe animals having loft their 
 way, probably entered the new continent, and 
 having always gone on main land and in forefts, 
 the Indians of that time not having the ufc of 
 fire arms, have not been able to -deftroy them 
 entirely -, it is poffible that (even arrived at the 
 place near the Ohio, which, in our maps of Loui'- 
 Jiam, is marked with a crofs. The elephants, 
 according to all appearance, were in a fwampy 
 ground, where they funk in by the enormous 
 weight of their bodies, and could not get out 
 again, but were forced to ftay there *. 
 
 In 1752, the Raron Porneuf, who command- 
 ed Fort Franfois in the country of the Mijfouris, 
 received the fkin of an animal from the Indians, 
 which was hitherto unknown in America. That 
 officer fent it to the Marchionefs de Vaudreuil, 
 who made a muff of it : this creature was about 
 twice as big as an European fox, and its hair as 
 
 fine 
 
 • It appears from modern geographical obfervations, that 
 our author's Aippofition of a migration of elephants is im- 
 probable and it is further confirmed by the examination of 
 the teeth of thefe animals, which are very different from thofe 
 of the common elephant, and coafequently they cannot be oT 
 the fame fpecies. See Kalm's Travels, vol. I. p. 135. 
 Philofoph. Tranf. vol. LVIII. and Pennant's Synopfis oC 
 Quadrupeds, p. 91. F.
 
 LOUISIANA. i8r 
 
 nne and foft as velvet, mottled with black and 
 pearly white. 
 
 Many authors pretend, that it is po/Hble that 
 people went through Nova Zemhla^ ( fituated 
 northward of'the ancient continent) over the ice 
 to Greenland i they think, that this is the track 
 on which thofe went who firft peopled America^ 
 and that the ftreights which leparate it from the 
 continent, has high mountains of ice on its 
 eaftern fliore : but all thofe who have tried to 
 go to India through this northern part, have 
 been eaten by white bears, or have perifhed 
 amidft the ice. 
 
 This is my obfervation on the fubjeft : if men 
 did go ' hrough thofe parts to inhabit 'North Ame- 
 rica^ they probably would iiave preferred Cana- 
 da^ New England, and Louifiana, the northern 
 parts of which are analogous to their country ; 
 whereas it is known, that when the French and 
 Englilli difcovered North America, there were 
 but i^^ inhabitants in it \ but, on the contrary, 
 the Spaniards who conquered Peru and Mexico, 
 found kings and emperors, whofeton foot great 
 armies, and who annually facrificed twenty thou»^ 
 fand captives to their falfe deities. Therefore 
 there is reafon to believe, that men went from 
 
 N 3 the
 
 iti TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 the weft to Mexico and Loufiana *. The ele- 
 phants who came thither are a proof which con- 
 firms my obfervations-f-. Further, when I afk- 
 ed the Indians called Sioux des prairies^ who arc 
 a nomadic nation, they told mc, that they had 
 heard other Indians fay, that, to the weftward 
 of their country, there lived a nation of clothed 
 people, who navigated on great falt-water lakes 
 with great piraguas J -, that they inhabited great 
 villages built with white ftones •, that the inha- 
 bitants obeyed one defpotic grand chief, who 
 fent great armies into the field. 
 
 The Mexicans adore idols as the Indians do ; 
 the Hatches Indians had a temple, and a kind of 
 fervice \ in their language intelligent people 
 have found Chinefe words. Some Indians cut 
 off their hair, leaving only a tuft as the crown 
 
 of 
 
 * Louijiana formerly touched Canada on the north-cafl, Flo- 
 rida and the EngUJh colonies on the eaft, and Neiv Mexico on 
 the weft fide. Its north-well boundaries were not determined.^ 
 See more on this fubjeft in a note to Kalm's Travels, vol. III. 
 p. 125. F. 
 
 t But this proof does not hold good. See the note on 
 p. 180. 
 
 X The Indians call the fea a great lake, and the fhips 
 great piraguas.
 
 L O U I S I A, N A, 183 
 
 of a friar, to which they fallen feathers of va- 
 rioys colours. They never cut their nails •, and 
 among the Chinefe it is a mark of nobility to let 
 tjie mils grow very long. 
 
 hid 
 
 -^ If we fuppofe that men went over from our 
 
 continent to America, they would have kept their 
 white colour, fince we fee, that, during two cen- 
 turies and a half after Columbus difcovered this 
 new world, the Europeans who fettled in it pre- 
 ferve their white complexion from generation to 
 seneration. The animals which have been 
 found there are entirely different from ours, and 
 neither Pliny nor any other old naturalift fpeak of 
 them. We muft be contented with admiring 
 _ the works of the Creator, widiout defiring to 
 dive into his myfteries *. 
 
 N 4 I ihall 
 
 '■^ This way of arguing Is very ftrange, and greatly pro- 
 motes barbarifm. Man has gotreafon for the purpofe, that 
 truth fhouid be the objeft of his enquiries ; and if he fhould 
 carry them no further, out of fear to dive too deep into the 
 myfteries of the Creator, this would patronize ignorance 
 and barbarifm. Many a thing, which feemed too abllrufe, 
 has been difcovered by an indefatigable application. The 
 way in which America was peopled, and the manner ia 
 which the (keletons of great bulky animals approaching to 
 the kind of elephants came to the river 0/iio, are now a my- 
 liery, but may one day or other be difcovered by a lucky ac- 
 cident, or a great and original genius. F.
 
 184 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 I fhall add here, by the way, that when the 
 Spaniards difcovered the ifles of Si. Domingo and 
 Cul>a, they found them well peopled with In- 
 dians, whom they murdered under pretence of a 
 religious principle, but really in order to get 
 their gold. Therefore a Cacique or petty king 
 of the ifland, efcaping from the Spaniards, gave 
 his people to underftand, that gold was the 
 deity of their enemies, fince they came fo far, 
 and expofed themfelves to fo many dangers, in 
 order to get poffcflion of it ; and that it was ncr 
 ceffary they fhould abandon every thing, in or- 
 der to be left in quiet. Another Cacique being 
 condemned to be burnt by the inquifition, was 
 folicited by a Jefuit to become a Chriftian, in 
 order to go to Paradife -, but he openly declared 
 he would not go there, if there were any Spar 
 niards in it. Thefe unhappy Indians abhorred 
 the Spaniards fo much, that they did not evci> 
 converfe with their wives for fear of begetting 
 flaves to fuch mafters : and whenever they eat 
 of their flefh, it was more through revenge than 
 any appetite ; for they plainly faid, that the flefh 
 of a Spaniard was good for nothing. 
 
 I forgot to tell you iji my lad, that I have 
 JDeen invited to the feaft of war, given by the 
 grand chief of the Illinois^ in order to raife war- 
 riors;
 
 LOUISIANA. iBs 
 
 riors, and march with the Chevalier Villiers, 
 This gentleman obtained leave from tlie goveri 
 nor to raife a party of French and Indians, and 
 to go with them to avenge the death of his bro- 
 ther, M. dejumonvilk, who was killed by tht 
 Englifh before the war broke out. 
 
 The grand chief of the Illinois is called Pap(h 
 Pe-changouhias *, he is related to feveral French- 
 men of diflindlion, fettled among thefe people. 
 This Cacique fucceeded Prince ^amaroas fur- 
 named CkikagoUj who died in 1754. He wears 
 the medal of the late Cacique : this Illinois 
 prince has convinced the French, that he is 
 worthy of wearing it, by his friendlhip for our 
 nation. The detachment of the Chevalier de 
 Villiers * being ready to fet out, Papape-changou- 
 
 hias 
 
 ••» The Chevalier de Villiers, who commanded this detach- 
 ment, mull not be confounded with M. ^e FilUers, called 
 the Great Villiers, who went to avenge the death of yumon- 
 'ville immediately after his murder in 1753. See the poem 
 which the famous M. Thomas wrote on this fubje,dl. 
 
 Of the feven brothers who compofed this family of Villiers^ 
 fix were killed in Canada in defence of their country. The 
 Chevalier de Villiers is the laft ; he was taken prifoner in the 
 aftion at Ntagara in 1759, being in the party of M. j^nbry .- 
 this officer had defeated a body of Englifh troops at Fort du
 
 i86 TRAVELS through 
 
 hias defired to ferve him as a guide with his war- 
 riors. They left Fort Chartres on the firft of 
 April 1756, and arrived, towards the end of 
 May, on the boundaries of Virginia^ where the 
 Englilh had a little fort furrounded with great 
 pales. The Indians came near it in the night- 
 time, each having a fafcine of refinous combuf- 
 tible wood, which they itt on fire clofe to the 
 pales of the fort. The Englifh commanding 
 officer, appearing to give orders for putting out 
 the fire, was aimed at by an Indian, who killed 
 him on the fpot. The fame Indian called 
 out in their language : " Surrender, you Eng- 
 «* lifh dogs, or elfe you Ihall be burnt or eaten." 
 The foldiers, intimated by his threats, and be- 
 ing without a commander, furrendered at dif- 
 cretion the next morning ; the Indians then 
 bound them two by two, like captives, except 
 the ferjeant, whom one of the Indians found out 
 to be the perfon who had beaten him with a 
 flick in time of peace. The poor ferjeant be- 
 came the victim of the refentment of thefe bar- 
 barians, who burnt him without any mercy. I 
 have already faid, that the Indians never forgive, 
 and that they think themfelves free and inde- 
 pendent : therefore one muft take care not to 
 ftrike them, for they revenge themfelves fooner 
 
 . or later. 
 
 The
 
 LOUISIANA. 187 
 
 The Englifh prifoners, to the number of for- 
 'ty^ taken in the fort, were divided among the 
 French and Indians, who flrjpped them accor- 
 ding to their cuftom, plucked out their beards 
 and hair, and, at the requeft of the French, 
 they only made them flaves. Rut the French 
 officers, and the humaneft among the French in- 
 habitants of the Illinois, joined together, and re- 
 leafed them, by making a prefent to that nation 
 who treated their prifoners like dogs, only be- 
 caufe they were our enemies, and becaufe they 
 thought of making themfelves great with us *. 
 
 From the villas-e of the Koakias we arrived 
 at the Peorias, allies of the Illinois, through a 
 fine large meadow, which is twenty-five leagues 
 long. The favages who were with me, killed 
 fome little birds with flicks, and called them 
 ftrawberry-bills. Thefe birds, whofe plumage 
 i$ varied with many colours, are as good to eat 
 as the heccafigos in Provence. The Indians told 
 me, that they are birds of flight or of pafTage, 
 and that they aflemble in flocks every year like 
 
 fparrows. 
 
 * From a natural kind of antipathy between the two na- 
 don«, the French take every opportunity to deprefs the Eng- 
 lifli, and to raife themfelves above them, fometimes at th« 
 isxpence of t^ilth, F.
 
 i88 TRAVELS through 
 
 jparrows, to feed on the ftrawb^rries in this 
 meadow, which is red all over with them in the 
 feafbn. The village of the Peortas is fituated 
 on the banks of a little river, and fortified after 
 the American manner, that is furrounded with 
 great pales and polls. 
 
 . ^When we were arrrived there, 1 enquired for 
 the hut of the grand chief j they brought me to 
 a great hut, where the whole nation was aflem- 
 bled, on account of a party of their warriors, 
 who had been beaten by the Foxes, their mortal 
 enemies. 
 
 I was well received by the Cacique and his 
 firft warriors, who came one after another to 
 fqueeze me by the hand in fign of friendfhip, 
 faying, hau^ hau ! which fignifies, you are wel- 
 come^ or I am glad to fee you. A young Indian 
 or a (lave, lighted the calumet of peace, and the 
 chief gave it to me to fmoke out of, according 
 to the common cuftom. 
 
 After the firft ceremonies were over, they 
 brought me a calebalh full of the vegetable juice 
 of the maple tree. The Indians extrafb it in 
 January, making a hole at the bottom of it, and 
 apply a little fube to that. At the firft thaw, 
 
 they
 
 LOUISIANA. 18^ 
 
 they get a little barrel full of this juice, which 
 they boil to a fyrup : and being boiled over again;^' 
 it changes into a reddilh fugar, looking like Ca- 
 labrian manna -, the apothecaries juftly prefer it 
 to the fugar which is made of fugar canes. The 
 French who are fettled at the Illinois have learnt 
 from the Indians to make this fyrup, which is an 
 exceeding good remedy for colds, and rheuma- 
 tifms. 
 
 At the end of the feffion of this affembly, 
 they brought a kind of bread which the\' call 
 Pliakmine, bears paws, and beavers tails -, I 
 likewife eat of the dog's flefh through complai- 
 fance, for I have m.ade it a rule to conform oc- 
 cafionailyto the genius of the people, with whom 
 I am obliged to live, and to affed their man- 
 ners, in order to gain their friendfhip : they 
 likewife brought in a difh of boiled gruel, oi 
 maize flour, called Sagamite, fweetened with fy- 
 rup of the maple tree -, it is an Indian difh which 
 is tolerably good and refrefhing. At the end of 
 the repaft, they ferved a defert of a kind of 
 dry fruits which our Frenchmen call i^Iuets, and 
 which are as good as Corinth raifms ; they arc 
 very common in the Illinois country. 
 
 The
 
 l^O TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 The next day I faw a great croud in the plains 
 this aflembly was for making a dance in favour 
 of their new Manitou j the priefts were drefled 
 in a remarkable manner : their bodies were co- 
 vered with a clay in which they had made 
 burlefque drawings, and their faces were painted 
 red, blue, white, yellow, green and black. The 
 high prieft had a bonnet of feathers, like a 
 crown on his head, and a pair of horns of a 
 wild goat, * to {tt the feathers off. I own the 
 appearance of this prelate tempted me to laugh -, 
 but as thefe ceremonies are ferious, one muft 
 take care, not to burft out, becaufe it would be 
 reckoned a want of religion, and an indecent 
 a6tion amongft them : nor do the Indians ever 
 interrupt the Roman Catholics, in the exercife 
 of religion. But what a fight prefented itfelf 
 to my eyes -, I faw a living moniler confidered 
 as a divinity : I was at the door of the temple 
 of this falfe deity ; the mafter of the ceremo- 
 nies begged me to go in -, I was not yet fuffici- 
 ently acquainted with their cuftoms, and fhewed 
 fbme relu6lance, but one of the Indians who ac- 
 companied me, perceiving it, told me, that if I 
 did not go in, the people would take it as an of- 
 fence. 
 
 *> Thefe animals are found at the Mifouris, their horns are 
 ©f a fine black, and bent backwards.
 
 LOUISIANA. igi 
 
 fence, or at leaft as a contempt. This difcourfe 
 determined me and I went in * : this is the pic- 
 ture of their Manitoit -, his head hung upon his 
 ftomach, and looked like a goat's, his ears were 
 like a lynx's ears, with the fame kind of hair, 
 his feet, hands, thighs and legs were in form 
 like thofe of a man : this falfe divinity feemed 
 to be about fix months old, the Indians found 
 
 it in the woods at the foot of a ridge of moun- 
 tains, called the mountains of Sainte Barbe^ 
 
 which communicate to the rich mines of Santa 
 
 Fe in Mexico. The general affembly was called 
 
 together on purpofe to invoke the protection of 
 
 this monfter againft their enemies. 
 
 I let thefe poor people know, that their Ma- 
 nitou was an evil genius, as a proof of it, I 
 added, that he had permitted the nation of 
 ,FoxeSy who were their mod cruel enemies, to 
 gain a viftory over feme of their countrymea; 
 that they ought to quit him as foon as poffiblc, 
 
 and 
 
 * The mafter of the ceremonies, or prieft, that is ap- 
 • pointed to guard the temple, before he made his offerings, 
 anointed his body with roiin ; he then ftrewed the foft fea- 
 thers of a fwan, or the hair of a beaver all over this melted 
 gum, and in that ridiculous plight he danced in honour^oF 
 the falfe deity. 
 
 v/
 
 
 192 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 and be revenged on him. They anfwercd, tika- 
 hbe, hone nigue, i. e. we believe thee, thou art in 
 the right. They then voted that he fhould be 
 burnt, and the great prieft pronounced his fen- 
 tence, which, according to the interpreter's ex- 
 planation, was conceived in thefe terms ; *' Mon- 
 *' fter, ariien from the excrements of the evil 
 fpirit, to be fatal to our nation, who has 
 wrongfully taken thee for her Manitou ; thou 
 haft paid no regard to the offerings which we 
 have made thee, and haft allowed our enemies, 
 ** whom thou doft plainly protedt,- to overcome 
 " a party of our countrymen, and to make 
 *' them flaves : therefore our old men afTembled 
 " in council have unanimoufly decreed and with 
 ** the advice of the chief of the white warriors, 
 " that to expiate thy ingratitude towards us, 
 *' thou fhalt be burnt alive." At the end of 
 this fentence all the alTembly faid, hoUy hou, 
 hou, hoH. 
 
 As I wiflied to get this monfter, becaufe I 
 could not get that fnake I fpoke to you of be- 
 fore, I took the following method : I went to 
 the prieft, made him a fmall prefent, and bid 
 my interpreter tell him, that he ftiould perfuade. 
 his countrymen, that if they burnt this evil ge- 
 ^us, there might ^rife one from his aflies which 
 
 would
 
 LOUISIANA. 193 
 
 could prove fatal to them •, and that I would go 
 on purpofe a-crofs the great lake in order to de- 
 liver them of it. He found my realbns good» 
 and by means of the little prefent I gave him, 
 he got the fentence changed, and he was ordered 
 to be killed with clubs : As I defired to have 
 the monfter, without being mutilated, I inform- 
 ed them that they mull deliver it to my people, 
 who would ftrangle it ; for if any of their na- 
 tion killed it, fome misfortune or other might 
 happen to him from it. They ftill approved 
 my reafons, and delivered the animal to me, on 
 condition that I Hiould carry it far from their 
 country. It was accordingly ftrangled ; but 
 having neither fpirits of wine nor brandy to pre- 
 ferve it in, I was obliged to get it diffefted, in 
 order to be able to bring it to France, to fatisfy 
 your curiofity in regard to fubjeds of natural 
 hiftory ** 
 
 I fhall finifh this letter by another account 
 of the fuperftition of thele people, and of the 
 divine fervice they give to horrid animals. In 
 
 Vol. I. O 1756 
 
 * The ficeleton of this monfter, or falfe divinity> is now 
 in the natural hiftory cabinet of M. de FayoUes, clerk of 
 the ofEce cf the American colonies belonging to the 
 French.
 
 94 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 ^1756 there arrived a deputation cf Indians at 
 ■Fort Chartres, of the nation cf MijU'curis* \ 
 tliere was an old woman among them, who 
 paflcd for a m?gician •, fne wore round "her naked 
 body, a living rattle fnake, whofe bite is mor- 
 tal, if the remedy is not applied the moment 
 
 *af;er. 
 
 This prieftefs of the devil, fpoke to the fer- 
 pent, which feemed to underltand what fhe faid : 
 I fee, faid Ihe, thou art weary of flaying here ; 
 go, then, return homie, I fhall find ihee at my 
 ■return: the reptile immediately ran into the 
 woods, and took the road of the Mijfouris. If 
 I had been inclined to be fuperftitious, I Ihould 
 have told you that I had fcen the devil appear 
 to thefe nations under the figure of a fnake. 
 Many MifTionaries have been willing to perfuade 
 us in their relations and edifying letters, that the 
 devil appears to thefe people, in order to be 
 adored by them, but it is eafy to fee, that there 
 is nothing preternatural in it, and that it is a 
 mere juggle. 
 
 You 
 
 * A nation living to the weftward of Louijlana, on a ri- 
 ver which bears their name, and falls into the MiJ/i/tppi.
 
 LOUISIANA. i95 
 
 You know befides, that all animals, even the 
 inoft ferocious, are tamed by man, I do not pre^ 
 tend to fay that the fnake of the pretended 
 witch went into her country. All I can tell you 
 is, that I always had a very great antipathy 
 asainft thele animals, and that when I meet 
 with them, I take a pleafure in crufliing theif 
 heads. 
 
 I remember, that in the village of the Tmi- 
 guichias^ a. nation allied to the Iliincis, one of 
 our foldiers was very near getting into a very 
 bad fcrape. He went into an Indian hut and 
 found a live fnake, which he killed with a 
 hatchetj not knowing that the raafter of the 
 hilt had made his Manitou of it. The Indian 
 arrived at the fame time in a terrible pafTicn to 
 find his deity dead ; he alTerted that it was the 
 foul of his father, who died about a year be- 
 fore i he having fhot two ferpents which were 
 pairing upon the point of a rock, fell ikk and 
 died loon after. 
 
 The imagination of the old man being trou- 
 bled by the height of the fever, l;e thought he 
 faw the twofnakes coming to reproach him xvirh 
 their death ; he therefore recommended it to his 
 fon in dying, never to kill any of thefe ani- 
 
 O 2 mals,-
 
 196 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 mals, fearing that they would like wife be 
 the caufe of his death*. Knowing the 
 genius of thefe people, I advifed the fol- 
 dier, whom the Indian looked upon as one 
 who had (lain a deity, to pretend to be 
 drunk, and to do as if he would kill me 
 and his comrades. The Indians, not know- 
 ing that it was only a farce, were the 
 firft to cry out, that the white warrior -j* had 
 loft his wits. I aflced for cords to tie him ; 
 and as I fecmcd very angry with him, the 
 chiefs and the warriors came to intercede for 
 him, faying that it was a man who had loft 
 his fenfes by drinking ; that the fame often 
 happened .to the red men : in order to give 
 more colour to the impofture, I waited yet for 
 the Cacique's wife to beg me, and appeared 
 pacified in deference to her fex, which I re- 
 fpefled very much. 
 
 I prefented the mafter of the fnake with 
 a bottle of brandy, to drown his grief. The 
 
 Indians 
 
 * I have fcen a peafant in France, who had killed an owl 
 on his neighbour's roof; and his father dying feme time af- 
 ter, he believed that his death was caufed by that bird of ill 
 prefagc. 
 
 f So they call our foldler*.
 
 LOUISIANA. 197 
 
 Indians are excefTively fond of this liquor, and 
 grow furious when they have drank too much 
 of it. After their drunkennefs is over, they fay 
 that they have neither fpoken nor done any 
 thing, and attribute all their follies to the brandy 
 believing to juftify their condufl by acknow- 
 ledging that they had loft their wits. When a 
 drunken Indian kills another, the death is not 
 revenged. But thefe people take care feldom or 
 never to drink all at once, thofe who are fober 
 keep in bounds the reft, and the women hide 
 both offenfive and defenfive weapons. Brandy 
 may be reckoned among the pernicious things 
 which have contributed towards the depopula- 
 tion of North America : this liquor makes men 
 brutes, and often kills them. I have fomctimes 
 feen drunken Indians kill each other with 
 hatchets and clubs. 
 
 I am now ready to leave the Illinois^ and ex- 
 pe6l to be in New Orleans in January 1757. 
 This letter fets out in a piragua, v/hich M, de 
 Macarty fends with difpatches to the governor. 
 
 I am, &c. 
 
 At the Illinois^ the loth 
 Nccember 1756. 
 
 O 3 LET-
 
 ipS TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 To the fame, 
 
 'f he Author leai'es the Illinois: His Navi^atian doxvH 
 the MJJi/ippi : he encamps in an Ifiand fcnned by 
 that Riven His Soldi ers make him Governor 
 
 S I R, 
 
 ^^yLl^OV inquire, whether the Indians have 
 ^ Y g;' captains amongft them, and whcther- 
 ^^^-^^ they are governed by a king? The 
 time I have fpent among them procures me the 
 plcafure of fatisfying your curiofity on that head. 
 You muit know, then, that they are divided in- 
 to tribes or nations, each of which is governed 
 
 ^'by a petty king or Caciqi^e, who only depends 
 on the Gre.nt Spirit^ or Supreme Being ; thefe 
 Caciques reign defpotically, without making their 
 authority odious, and know how to make them-
 
 LOUISIANA. 199 
 
 It-lves rerpe6l:ed and beloved. They Hkewlfe 
 have the fatisfadion of being regarded by their 
 fubjeils almoit as demi-gods, born for the hap^ 
 pinefs of this world ; for they have the tendcr- 
 neis of fathers for the people of their tribe -, and 
 that name flatters them much more than all the 
 pompous titles of the Grand Sigmor or the Great 
 Mogul. Thofe Afiatic empefors are often expo- 
 fed in their extenfive dominions to revolutions, 
 by which their life is endangered ; for often tri- 
 butary kings rebel againft them, and kill them 
 with their whole family. 
 
 The crime of hisjh trcafon is unknown amono; 
 the Americans ; the chiefs and Caciques go every 
 where without fear. It any one fliould be bold 
 enough to attempt any thing againft their lives, 
 he would be punifhcd as a horrible monfter^ and 
 the whole family of the murderer would be ex- 
 terminated without mercy. 
 
 As to the captains or chiefs of war, who com- 
 mand their armies againft their enemies, this 
 poft is occupied only by fuch as have given fig- 
 pal proofs of courage in defence of their coun- 
 try in leveral combats ; and as the generals go 
 naked, as well as the other. Indians, the marks 
 of wounds they bear upon their body are fuffi- 
 
 O 4 ci?nt
 
 too TRAVELS through 
 
 cient to diftinguifh them from the reft, and ferve 
 inftead of teftimonials to them. 
 
 The old men, who cannot go to war any 
 more, are not ufelefs to the nation. They hold 
 fpeeches, and the people hear them as oracles. 
 Every thing is done as they advife it ; and the 
 young men fay, that they having lived longer 
 than themfelves, muft of courfe have more ex-. 
 perience and knowledge. When I admired the 
 countenance which thefe old men enjoyed, they 
 told me, that fince they could no longer fight 
 for their country, they taught others to defend 
 it. The warriors, when they return from an 
 expedition, never fail to throw part of the booty 
 into the huts of thofe old men, who have ex- 
 horted them, and excited their courage. The 
 prifoners of war are always given to the oldell 
 people in the nation, who make them their 
 (laves. The old warriors who cannot go to war 
 any more, harangue the foldiers. The orator 
 begins with ftriking againft the poft with a club, 
 and rnention? all the fine actions he has done in 
 .war, that is, how rnany fcalps he has taken from 
 different nations. The hearers anfwer, hau^ hau, 
 i. e. that is true. The Indians abhor lying, 
 and fay that a liar is not a triie man. 
 
 The .:
 
 L O U I S I A N' A. 261 
 
 The old fpeaker begins his difcourfe, and 
 fays : " If I were younger and more vigorous, 
 *' to condud: you againft our enemies, as I have 
 " formerly done, you fhould fee me go on the 
 *' tips of my toes. Go my comrades, as men 
 " of courage, and with the heart of a lion * 5 
 " never fhut your ears, fleep like hares, go 
 " like the roe-buck, do not fear the cold, nor 
 •■' hefitate to go into the water like ducks ; 
 " when you are purfued, hide well your retreat. 
 " Above all, do not fear the arrows of your ene- 
 " mies, Ihew them that you are true warriors 
 " and men. Lallly, when you find an oppor- 
 " tunity, ufe all your arrows on the enemy, and 
 " after that break in upon them with your clubs 
 ** in hand ; ftrike, flay, and extirpate ; it is 
 " better to die fighting than to be taken and 
 >' burnt.'* 
 
 At the end of this harangue, the old warrior 
 prefents the calumet to the Tacka-Mingo, that is, 
 the general or chief of war, and to all his offi- 
 cers, who fmoke ir, each after their rank ; and 
 ajl thofe who have not yet been to war come to 
 
 fmoke 
 
 * An hyperbole no Indian in America would make ufe of, 
 not knowing that creature, which is not to be met with ia 
 ,$hat country. F.
 
 za-z TRAVELS through 
 
 {moke it, by way of enlifting themfelves ; they 
 dance the dance of war, and, after that ceremo- 
 ny, they diftribute dog's flefh, which, as I have 
 already obiervcd, is a difh principally appropri- 
 ated to warriors*. 
 
 M. du TiJJenef told me of an accident that hap- 
 pened to his father, who was one cf the firfl offi- 
 cers that came to Jj^uif.a-na with M. de Bienville. 
 M. du Tijfenci being at an Indian nation, toge- 
 ther with Icme Frenchmen who came to barter 
 goods •, the Indians wanted to fcalp them ; M. 
 du fiJJ'enet had learnt their language, and heard 
 their difcourfe, and as he wore a wig, he took 
 it from his head, and threw it on the ground, 
 faying fcom tiqie to time. You will have my 
 fcalp, take it up, if you dare to do it. The 
 aflonifhment cf thefe people v/as inexprcffible, 
 for M. du fij[c7t€t had got his head lliaved a little 
 before this happened •, he told them afterwards, 
 that they were very much in the v;rong to at- 
 tempt to hurt him, for he only came to make 
 
 an 
 
 * It is very remarkable, that, when the ancient kings of 
 Macidcnia performed the luftration of their armies, a dog 
 was killed, and divided into two parts, and the whok army, 
 with the king at their head, went through the two halves of 
 the dog. F..
 
 LOUISIANA. 203 
 
 an alliance with them •, that, if they compelled 
 him, he would burn the water in their lakes and 
 rivers, to hinder them from failing, and fet fire 
 to their forefts -, he got a little pot, and put 
 fome brandy in it, and fet it on fire with a 
 match •, the Indians, who were not yet acquaint- 
 ed with brandy, were amazed ; at the fame 
 jtime he took out of his pocket a convex glafs, 
 and let fire to a rotten tree by means of the fun. 
 Thefe people really believed, that the officer 
 had the power of burning their rivers and their 
 woods; they care fTed him, loaded him with pre- 
 sents, and fent him home v/ell efcorted, that no 
 one might do him any harm. Since that time 
 M. de Bienville has made ufe of M. du Tijfenet in 
 feveral negociations tov/ards making alliances 
 with the Indians. 
 
 M. du Ti/pnei^s adventure puts me in mind of 
 that of an Italian, who was in the fuite of M. 
 ^onty, the then governor of Fort Louis among 
 the Illinois, This Italian (ct out from thence by 
 land, to join M. de la Salle ^ to whom he could 
 have been very ufeful, by teaching him the road 
 which he was to take in order to come to the 
 MiJJifippi^ if he could have been with him in 
 time ; he like wife faved his life by a fingular 
 ftratag;em. Some Indians being willing to kill 
 
 him.
 
 204 TRAVELS through 
 
 himl he told them they were much in the wrong 
 in attempting to deftroy a man that bore them 
 all in his heart. This difcourfe amazed the Bar- 
 barians -, he afiured them, that, if they would 
 give him time till the next morning, he would 
 convince them of the truth of what he had af- 
 ferted •, adding, that if he deceived them, they 
 fhould do what they pleafed with him. Then, 
 fixing a little mirror on his breaft, the Indians, 
 who were much fuprifed to fee themfelves, as 
 they imagined, in the heart of this man, grant- 
 ed him his life. 
 
 I have commanded the convoy in defcending 
 the river, which M. Aiihri brought up : M. de 
 Macarty trulted the Englifh prifoners to my care 
 to bring them to New Orleans ; they are the 
 fame which the Chevalier de Villiers and the In- 
 dian chief Papkhangouhia took. I have made 
 hafte to come to the capital before the thawing 
 of the ice, which breaks loofe in the northern 
 rivers, and followj the current •, I ran the rifl^ 
 of being ftopt by it, if I had not given orders 
 for rowing as hard as pofiible ; I even made ufe 
 of die Englifh prifoners to relieve my foldiers : 
 as every one has an equal right to his life on fuch 
 occafions, the officers likewife lent a helping 
 •hand, to encourage the crew. 
 
 After
 
 LOUISIANA. 205 
 
 After pafling the rocks at Prudhomme *, there 
 are no others in ih.t Mi£yippi -., and when there 
 are feveral boats, they are faftened together, 
 and go down with the current day and night. 
 There is only one man at the helm, and one at 
 the head of every boat, to take care of the 
 floating trees. It is a pleafure to go down this 
 fine river : the fame diftance which, in going 
 up, takes three months and a half, in defcending 
 is performed in ten or twelve days, when the 
 water is high in the river. 
 
 I muft not forget to mention, that on the 
 firft of January the foldiers come in the morning 
 to wifh their officers a happy new year , who ge- 
 nerally return the civility by a prefent of bran- 
 dy. I was juft encamped on a little ifland about 
 two leagues in circuit, fituated on one of the 
 branches of the MiJJifippi, which I was defcend- 
 ing. This iHe was furrounded with very tall 
 trees. A facetious gafcoon foldier, as thofe of 
 this nation generally are, gave his comrades to 
 
 under- 
 
 • Thefe rocks form the ftiores of the MififtppU which are 
 on both fides like walls of five hundred feet high. Formerly 
 there was the Fort Prudhomme in this place, fo named from 
 a fellow-traveller of M. de la Salle, who died there, and 
 occafioned the fort to be called after him.
 
 206 T Pc A V E L S THROUGH 
 
 iinderftand that they might get an extraordinary- 
 new year's gift if they would perform the cere- 
 mony af receiving me governor of the ifland. 
 The ferjeant approved this droll thought, and 
 immediately gave his orders for it. He began 
 with graving my name on the bark of a tree, -or- 
 dered the fwivels to be charged v/ith powder^ 
 and made the troops appear in anp-s. The 
 ^drummer beat a whirl, and the ferjeant as maf- 
 ter of the ceremonies, taking 'Ofr his iiat, faid 
 " in the king's jiame *, ye tygers, wolves, bears, 
 " oxen, flags, roe-bucks, and other animals of 
 ■'^this ifland, fhall acknowledge our comm.ander 
 *^ "as your governor, and obey him in ail that he 
 '•*lie fhall command you for his fervice ;" one; 
 of the foldiei-s then fired the fwivels of the 
 boats, which were accompanied wish a general 
 falute from 'die feall arms. The fudden cx- 
 plofion of thefe 'lire arms, fr.ighteaed the wild 
 oxen, who v/erit 'infto the river in order to fwim 
 through it and to irain the continent ; the fol- 
 diers went after thcra m a piragraa and killed 
 four of them, together with two roe-bucks that 
 juft reached the -ftiore, and .prelkiited thefti to 
 «Te as my property,, which obliged me to flay 
 ^ere -in order to <k:y the £efh for .confLimption, 
 
 during 
 :,. • -- ---^ 
 
 * Dt far U Rsi.
 
 LOUISIANA. 20) 
 
 during the remaining partof our voyage. In order 
 to take advantage of thefunof myfoldiers, which 
 I took good care to reward immediately, I had 
 a mind to vifit the interior parts of my govern* 
 merrt : but I was hardly gone half a league, 
 when I faw a bear, who was quietly eating 
 acorns under a great oak : I fired my piece at 
 him, but the ball only went into the lard of t!ie 
 animal, which was monftroufly fat •, as foon as 
 he felt the Vv'ound, he wanted to come up to 
 me, but he was too heavy to run ; then feigning 
 lo run from him, I drew him towards my fol- 
 diers, who foon furrounded and killed him as 
 guiky of felony and rebellion. They held a 
 court martial, where the ferjeant prcfided. The 
 corporal, who afled as the king's attorney-ge- 
 neral, gave it as his opinion, that in order not 
 to ruin the fine coat of the bear, who had re- 
 volted againft his mailer, he (hould only be 
 ihot in the head, which was pundually ex- 
 ecuted. 
 
 He was then flayed, and I have taken his 
 Ikin, which is a very black one, and v/hich I 
 (hall not relinquifli, any more than Hercules did 
 that of the Nemean lion v/hich he conquered. 
 
 The
 
 2o8 TRAVELS through 
 
 The foldiers melted the fat, and got above 
 one hundred and twenty pots of oil from it * , 
 you mufl. know that the bears come out of their 
 holes as foon as the fruits begin to ripen, and 
 they do not go in again till they are all eaten up. 
 They then ftay in their retreats till the next fea- 
 fon, and neither eat nor drink during that in- 
 terval ; their greafe is the only thing they feed 
 upon, by fucking their paws. It is dangerous 
 to meet a lean one without company. The In* 
 dians make a great trade with bears' fkins, and 
 treat their friends with their paws and tongues j 
 they have often regaled me with them on my 
 jvoyages, and I found them extremely good. 
 
 I diredt this letter to Campeach, to M. de Arra- 
 gory^ the agent of the French marine, who will 
 fend it to Cadiz, from whence it will come fafer 
 to you than by our veffels, as Spain is not at 
 war with England : 1 do not write duplicates of 
 this letter, befides, I hope to let out for Europe 
 next April. 
 
 I am, SIR, &c. &c. 
 
 At New Orleans, the z^tk 
 of February 1757. 
 
 L E T-» 
 
 *■ Bears oil is ver)- good to eat, in Lonijiana they make ufe 
 of it for fallad, for frying, and for fauces, and prefer it to 
 hog's lard. The pot holds about two quarts Englilh.
 
 LOUISIANA. 2 
 
 09 
 
 
 LETTER XI. 
 
 fo the Same, 
 
 The Author fets out for Europe. He fights an 
 EngliJJi Privateer. He embarks at Cape Fran- 
 fois on a Vejfel belonging to a Fleet of twenty-fix 
 Merchantmen^ which were almoji all taken in 
 his Sight by Privateers. Taking of a little 
 Vejfel from the Enemy. Arrival at Breji. 
 
 S I R, 
 
 F^^^^C^AVING found no veflel here to re- 
 g H S turn to France^ I was obliged to go on 
 mX^jI board the brigantine Union fitted out 
 as a floop of war, and conlmanded by captain 
 Gau-Jean who is well know for having taken 
 five Englilh fhips during the war, on his voyage 
 from France to Louifiana. 
 
 Vol. I. P Wc
 
 2IO TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 We fet fail from the Balife on the firft of April 
 1757, for Cape Francois. On the 20th of April 
 being in fight of Turk's ifland *, we per- 
 ceived a fhip, which we fuppofed to belong to 
 the enemy j fhe chafed us at night, and be- 
 ing a prime failer, came up with us in three 
 hours' time : the Englifli privateer faluted us 
 with a bullet from his cannon, and called out to 
 us to furrender to the king of England •, to 
 which we returned a broadfide, and a volley of 
 the fmall arms ; after which I haled him to 
 flrike his colours for the king of France, or 
 elfe he ihould be funk ; the privateer finding 
 that he had to meddle with a dealer in bullets, 
 made off, and got among the rocks near 
 Turk's ifland, hoping to draw us nearer to the 
 fhore, where we might have been loft. But our 
 captain, who was very prudent, and a good ma- 
 riner at the fame time, faw the fnare which was 
 laid for him ; therefore, inftead of following the 
 privateer, he continued his voyage, and we hap- 
 pily arrived in the harbour of Cape Francois on 
 the firft of May. There we found the fquadron 
 of M. de Beaufremo7it^ deftined for the fuccours of 
 Canada, having on board M. de Bart, whom the 
 king had appointed governor and lieutenant-ge- 
 neral 
 
 *■ L'ifle Tur^ue.
 
 L O U I S 1 A N A. 211 
 
 neral on the ifle of St. Domingo. My firft care 
 on going on fhore was to pay my refpe<5ts to 
 him. That general, who is always ready to 
 ferve unfortunate officers, prevented my cares, 
 by difpatching me four days after my arrival, 
 and fparing me the expence I fhould have been 
 at if I had ftayed on this ifland, he procured me 
 a free paflage at the king's expence, as a fleet of 
 twenty-fix merchantmen were ready to fail for 
 France, under the convoy of M. de Beaufremont, 
 who brought them as far as the Cayques i Hands, 
 where he left them, in order to proceed on 
 his deftination according to the orders of the 
 court. 
 
 I muft tell you that I preferably chofe a Bcr- 
 deaux veflel, called the Sim, captain Odouoir\ 
 (imitating the Indians, who indeed make a divi- 
 nity of the fun). But the event has fhewn that 
 I was very happy in my choice -, for almoft all 
 the vefTels which compofed the fleet have been 
 taken in my fight. Only four arrived in France, 
 the Sun was the firft : Ihe came to Breji in forty- 
 five days, after taking an Englifh fhip in the la- 
 titude of the Newfoundland bank. I landed at 
 Brejl the fifteenth of June 1757, and immedi- 
 ately waited on the Count du Guai^ commander 
 of the marines in this port \ I then paid a vifit to 
 
 P 2 M.
 
 212 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 M. Hocquart, the counfellor of (late and in- 
 tendant of the marine in this department, whom 
 I informed of the death of M. Auhervilk, who 
 had fucceeded for a time . to M. Michael de la 
 Rouvilliere, as commilTary general of the marine, 
 and regulator of the provifions of* Louifiana. 
 M. Hocquart was known for his probity when he 
 was intendant of New France •, it is certain that 
 he came back from thence indebted forty-thou- 
 fand livrcs, which the king, contented with his fer- 
 vices, has made him a prefent of-, a fine example 
 for M. Bigots his fuccefTor •, but if he has not 
 brono-ht back treafures from his adminiftration, 
 he has at lead the fatisfaftion of pafTing for one 
 of thegallanteft men of his rank : he has been re- 
 gretted by all the Canadians, and even by the 
 Indians, who, as I have already faid, know how 
 to diftinguiili merit. 
 
 On owning to this gentleman, that I had no 
 money to go to court with, he was fo kind as to 
 ordep xM. Gaucher, clerk of the treafurer of the co- 
 lonies to p^ive me fome. He likewife offered nie 
 
 O 
 
 his table during m.y ftay in this town, which 
 I intend to leave the twenty-fecondof this month. 
 
 You 
 
 — M * M,m,a^ ■■■■■■ ■ — I ■■ ■■ ■ ■ I ■!! .!■ u ■ ■■ ■ 1 ■ Pw ■ ii IP I ■■■ 
 
 ^ Of\;c7i?tateu)\
 
 LOUISIANA. 213 
 
 You will, perhaps, be amazed to hear, that 
 in the fpace of eight months, I have feen two 
 winters, two fummers, and two fprings j 1 (hall 
 now explain it to you. I wrote to you, that I 
 left the Illinois at the end of December, 1736, 
 when the MiJJifppi began to freeze, and defcend- 
 ing that great river, I came to New Orleans in 
 January 1757, the climate of which is comparable 
 to that of the Hierian iflands, where our regi- 
 ment was in 1 744. That is, it was the feafon 
 of gardening or fpring. I left Louijiana the 
 firil of April 1757, and came to Cape Franfcis 
 the firft of May, and found fummer there : I 
 embarked for Europe on the fourth, and after 
 coming out of the Bahama Channel wt met with 
 fpring y continuing our voyage to the great 
 fands of Nezufoundland^ we faw on the twenty- 
 fecond, at fun-rifing, a floating mountain of 
 ice, which at firft we took to be a fail ; but 
 the keen air coming from it convinced us at 
 laft that it was a piece of ice from the frozen 
 ocean. On the fifteenth of June 1757, we 
 came to Brejl^ where we found fummer. This 
 therefore is a pretty extraordinary cafe. 
 
 I am, S I R, &c. 
 
 At Breji, the iSth 
 of June 1757. 
 
 P ^ LEI-
 
 214 TRAVELS through 
 
 5«"^ MM F^ MM F^ MM F'^ MM F^ 
 kji MM k^ MM kjM( MM kj«( MM k,ji 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 'To the Same, 
 
 ^e Author arrives at Court, receives a Gra^ 
 tification from the King, and an Order 
 
 to go to Rochefort. He embarks there for 
 
 Louifiana. 
 
 S I R, 
 
 FMMj^-'^^ "'^^ ^"^^ ^""^^^ ^^ Rochefort 
 O I S from whence I failed for Louiftana^ 
 k.MMj«( eight years ago. I come from the 
 court, where I prcfented to the comptroller 
 general and miniiler of the marine, M. de 
 Moras, the governor's letter, which explains 
 the motives of my voyage. He was fo 
 kind as to fpeak with me in his cabinet, 
 jn prefence of M. de la Porter chief of 
 
 the
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 215 
 
 the board of plantations. He queftioned 
 me on the prefent ftate of Louijiana. I 
 afTured the mhiifter that I had left in our 
 interefl all the nations of that vaft con- 
 tinent, which I had vifited, and that the 
 Cherokees were come to treat of peace with 
 the French. He likewife afked me, whether 
 I thought the colony could be attacked. I an- 
 fwered that there was little probability of the Eng- 
 lifli attempting to attack it, on account of the 
 difficulty of coming in through the mouth of 
 the MiJJifippi at the fort of Balife •, and that 
 the colony wanted no other fortifications, than 
 thofe which nature had provided it with. 
 
 M. de Moras obtained for me from the 
 king a gratification of a thoufand livres in order 
 to enable me to go to the waters which my 
 health required I fhould take ; after which I re- 
 ceived an order from his majefty to go back to 
 Louifiana^ and continue my fervices there j 
 therefore I came hither without lofs of time 
 in order to embark •, we intend to let fail as 
 foon as the convoy will be fitted out for Cape 
 Breton. 
 
 M. Druis Imbiito fucceeds M. Normant de 
 M^ij as IntendcuiS of the marine. The king 
 
 P ^ could
 
 2i6 TRAVELS through 
 
 could not choofe a better perfon both on ac» 
 counst of his abilities, and of his integrity, 
 and likewife on account of his zeal for the 
 king's interest in this important place. This 
 intendant made me the fame offer as his pre* 
 dcceffor. 
 
 I am, S I R, &c. 
 
 At Rocheforty the i zth 
 of ^tp ember 1757. 
 
 \ 
 
 LET-
 
 LOU rs' f A N A. 21 
 
 
 LETTER XIU. 
 
 The Author leaves Rochefort -, he meets with thref 
 EngliJJi Merchant-Ships, taken hy M. de Place, 
 of which one was burnt and another funk. He 
 flops at the T/Ie of Grendida. Navigation along 
 Jamaica. 
 
 S I R, 
 
 K^^"^ Wrote to you from Rochefort, that wc 
 fg I 5j intended to fet out in December 1757; 
 k,^^J^ but the convoy deftined to fuccour 
 Cape Breton having in part been taken by the 
 Engliih fleet, we were obliged to fit out ano- 
 ther. During that time a fquadron often great 
 Englifh men of war having alarmed the coaft of 
 Aunis, that has retarded us till the month of 
 May. This fquadron difappearing, we fet fail 
 on the tenth of the fapie month. 
 
 I was
 
 2i8 TRAVELS through 
 
 I was on board the King's frigate La Fortune, 
 together with M. de Rochemore^ commifTary-ge- 
 neral of the marine, and ordonnateur of the pro- 
 vince of Louiftana. M. de Place, a captain of a 
 man of war, commanded the Eopalme frigate of 
 thirty guns, deftined for our convoy : we met 
 with three Engllfh vefiels on our voyage, which 
 only coft us three cannon-uiot. M. de Place 
 funk one of them, and burnt the other, after 
 taking the crew and the goods out of them. As 
 to the third, it came from the coaft of Guinea, 
 was richly laden, and had on board four hun- 
 dred and forty negroes, v/ho were in part fold 
 to the ille of Grenada. The Baron. ^^ Bonvoujly 
 who has juft been appointed governor of this 
 ifland, entertained us very generoufly and po- 
 litely during our ftay there. We remained 
 there till the twenty-fecond of July, when we 
 failed for Louiftana, keeping alongfide of Jamai- 
 cay to avoid the great fhips of the enemy, which 
 never come to thofe fhores : we took that courfe 
 in order to deceive the fpy, and we arrived hap- 
 pily at the mouth of the MtJJifippi on the twelfth 
 of Auguft. 
 
 M. de Rochemore *, an iioneft ordonnateur, who 
 is very zealous for die intereft of the King, will 
 
 have 
 
 * The brother of a M. Rodunore who is now commodore.
 
 LOUISIANA. 219 
 
 have a great deal of trouble in reforming the 
 abufes that have crept into the management of 
 the colony's affairs, fmce the war •, and during 
 our voyage, I foretold him, that he would be 
 much difturbed in his adminiftration : what I 
 forefaw really happened •, and by the fame Ihips 
 which brought us hither, the court has been 
 prejudiced againft him, with a view to deprive 
 him of his place. I was but juft arrived at New 
 Orleans, when the governor gave me orders to 
 prepare to go with a detachment to the Allibamom, 
 an Indian nation two hundred and fifty leagues 
 from the capital. I take advantage of the op- 
 portunity of the King's fhips, which will fail for 
 France at the end of the year-, and I write 
 to you by duplicates, that if one fhip be taken, 
 you may get the letter by the other. When 1 
 fliall be informed of the manners of the nations 
 which I Ihall pafs through, and which are fitua- 
 ted to the eaft of New Orleans, I Ihall defcribe 
 that country to you, which is reckoned very fine 
 and very good. 
 
 jit New Orleans, the loth 
 of November i^s^- 
 
 LET
 
 220 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 To the fame. 
 
 The Author departs from New Orleans for the 
 AUibamons. His Navigation on the Lake Pont- 
 chartrain. Short Defcription of Mobile. 
 
 S I R, 
 
 F^^^^ Left Ne-dj Orleans on the fourteenth of • 
 ^ I ^ December, according to M. de Kerle- 
 \t^z^^ r^c's orders, and fet out for the Jlli- 
 hamons. I failed from the little creek of St. Jean^ 
 which is fituated in the lake Pontchartrain. 
 There is a portage of about a quarter of a mile 
 from New Orleans to this creek *, which is about 
 two leagues long i the winds were favourable to 
 us, and on the twentieth of December 1 arrived 
 
 at 
 
 * Bay one ^ a fmall inlet where the tide goes up,
 
 LOUISIANA. 221 
 
 at the bay and fort of Mobile^ which is fifty 
 leagues dillant from the capital. 
 
 The Mobile was formerly the chief fettlement 
 in Loujiana., and the rcfidence of the governor, 
 ordonnateur^ and of the chief officers. The fu- 
 perior council held its fittings there likewife. 
 
 There is a pretty regular fort, capable of re- 
 filling a whole army of Indians \ but European 
 troops could foon take it. It is fituated on a 
 bay where the tide comes up ; and between two 
 rivers, one of which is fmall, and is called the 
 river of the Cha^laws, the other is more confi- 
 derable than the Seine before Rouen, is called 
 Mobile river, and rifes in the Apalachian moun- 
 tains ; it is the rendez-vous of all the Indians 
 who live to the eaftward. They come there to 
 receive the prefents which the King annually dif- 
 tributes to them by his governor. The foil 
 about Mobile is gravelly ; however, the cattle 
 fucceeds exceedingly well there, and multiplies 
 very much. The inhabitants are very laborious, 
 and trade with the Spaniards •, they go to the 
 fort of Fenfacola, which is near Mobile, and get 
 fait beef, wild fowl, maize, rice, and other eat- 
 ables from thence. The inhabitants of Mobile 
 Ukewife earry on a trade with tar. As to the 
 
 fur-
 
 222 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 fur-trade with the Indians, the officers carry it 
 on exclufively of all others, contrary to the 
 King's intention. 
 
 About this place, there are white and red 
 bays * and wild cherry-trees -f. There are like- 
 wife white and red cedars ;J; i the latter is very- 
 fine, and very good for inlaid work i its fmell 
 expels infecfls, and the wood indeed is incorrup- 
 tible. There are feveral forts of trees in the fo- 
 refts hereabouts, which are unknown in Europe, 
 and fome which abound with a gum like tur- 
 pentine. There are likewife cyprelTes § of fuch 
 a fize, that the Indians make piraguas out of 
 one piece, which can contain fixty men. 
 
 Before the French came into Louijiana, the 
 Indians conftrufted their boats in the following 
 
 manner. 
 
 '•* The bays are probably the Laurus ajli^joiis Linn, which 
 have white flowers ; and the Laurus Borhcriia Linn, which 
 has red flower-cups, and black or purple berries. F. 
 
 f The wild cherries of this country grow in clullers, and 
 there are cliiefly three kinds of them growing in America, 
 viz. Pi-urius Virginiana, Canadenjts, and Lujitanica, Linn. 
 
 X The red cedar is the Jimiperus Virginiana Linn, and th? 
 white cedar is the CupreJJus Thjoides Linn. 
 
 § Or cedars.
 
 LOUISIANA. 223 
 
 manner. They went to the banks of fome ri- 
 vers, which are very numerous in this vaft re- 
 gion, and which by their rapidity tear up by 
 the roots the trees which fland on their banks. 
 They took their dimenfions for length and 
 breadth, and accordingly chofe fuch a tree as 
 they wanted -, after which they fet fire to it, and 
 as the tree burnt on they fcraped away the live 
 coals with a flint or an arrow; and having fuffi- 
 ciently hollowed it our, they fet it afloat. They 
 are very well fkilled in conducing thefe little 
 veflTels upon their lakes and rivers. They em- 
 ploy them in time of war, and likewife load 
 them with the furs and dried flelh which they 
 brino- back from their hunts. 
 
 •& 
 
 Their inftruments and their weapons were 
 made in the following manner : they chofe a 
 young tree for that purpole, in which they 
 made an incifion with a flint, or pebble as 
 iharp as a razor, and they put a Hone cut in 
 form of a hatchet into the incifion ; therefore^ 
 as the tree grew up, it enchafed the flone, which 
 by that means became infeparable from it, and 
 they afterwards cut it ofl^ in order to make ufe 
 of it ; their lances and their darts were made in 
 the fame manner. They had clubs of a very 
 hard wood. 
 
 * As
 
 2Z4 TRAVELS through 
 
 As to their inftruments of agriculture, they 
 only made ufe of the bones of animals, or of 
 fpades of a very hard wood. The ground 
 throughout j^erica is very fruitful j the grafs 
 there grows high and clofe ; and after the froft 
 has dried it up, the Indians fet fire to it; then 
 they dig the ground with their fpades, fow it, 
 and reap three months after their crops. 
 
 They plant maize, m.illet, beans, and other 
 leguminous plants, potatoes, piftachios, and 
 water-melons ; gourds are likewife very common 
 there, and the French inhabitants call them gi- 
 romonds. 
 
 •Their kitchen-utenfils were difnes and pots of 
 earthen ware, and deep wooden dirties. They 
 made cups of calebarties, and fpoons * of the 
 horns of wild oxen, which they cut through the 
 middle, and form into the proper rtiape by 
 means of fire. 
 
 As foon as we fhall have got ready the provi- 
 fions for our voyage, and for the garrifon of the 
 fort, we ihall fet out, M. Auhert and myfelf in 
 a boat armed with foldiers and Mobile Indians, 
 
 whom 
 
 * Which they call Mkonens.
 
 LOUISIANA. 
 
 2 2. 
 
 whom we have hired to row during the voy- 
 
 age. 
 
 M. Auhert^ though he is adjutant of the fort 
 at Mobile, has* been appointed, by M. de Kerlc- 
 rec, to command Fort Toulcufe at the AllibamonSy 
 ^ which is contrary to the King's order, forbid- 
 ding all majors and adjutants to do other func- 
 tions than thofe of the place they belong to. 
 
 ' If any lliips arrive from Europe, I fhall per- 
 haps receive letters from you. M. de Velle^ who 
 commands here, will be fo kind as to fend them 
 to me with the firft convoy. 
 
 I am, SIR, &Cc 
 
 At Mobile, the dth of 
 January 1759. 
 
 Vol. I. O LET-
 
 226 TRAVELS through 
 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 To the fame. 
 
 The Author fets out from Mobile for the AHiba- 
 mons. Befcription of the Manners of this Na- 
 tion, Their Way of puni/fiing^ Adultery. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 K^<y^7^ AM at lafl arrived at Fort Touloufe 
 Ml ^ among the Allihamons. I have been^ 
 ??)J(^i«J fifty days a-coniing ; becaufe, taking 
 boat in the rainy leafon, the water in the river 
 was often fwelled to twelve or fifteen feet > this 
 fudden increafe was caufed by the heavy rains, 
 which are frequent hereabouts, and by the high 
 hills that run along this river. 
 
 We have been obliged to work hard againll 
 the rapidity of the current, and there were 
 days during which we fcarcely advanced a 
 
 leagwe.
 
 LOUISIANA. 227 
 
 league. It is impoflible to fail, on account of 
 the woods, the hills, and turnings of the river ; 
 and therefore we could do no otherwife than go 
 along the fliores. One day I had the misfortune 
 to fee my boat hemmed in by the branches of a 
 tree * that was fet under water i we were be- 
 nighted in this difagreeable fituation, and obli- 
 ged to wait for the break of day. But as this 
 river rifes and falls by the floods, I found my- 
 felf now quite in the air in my boat. We were 
 twenty-five leagues from the mouth of the river^ 
 and the Mobilian favages that accompanied me, 
 comforted me by the hope that the next tide 
 ^ould fet me a-float again ; and really the tide 
 mounting up the river from Mobile bay delivered 
 ns from our uncomfortable fituation. You fee 
 by this, dear Sir, what a difi-erence it xr.akes in 
 navigating an Ewopean and an American river. 
 
 M. Auhert fell fick on the way, and I prevail* 
 ed on him to ftay at Mobile for the recovery of 
 his health •, and {q he came from thence hither 
 on horfeback, by croffing the fir-woods, which 
 
 Q^ 2 are 
 
 * There are hereabouts cedar-trees of fo prodigious a fize, 
 that ten men can fcarcely dafp them ; which eafily accounts 
 for the goodnefs and fertility of the country, and befides ttie 
 its climate is one of the moft healthy.
 
 228 TRAVELS through 
 
 are very thin. M. de Montberaut is to give him. 
 up the command of this poll by order of the 
 governor, after having inftrucled him' during 
 three months, of its fituation, environs, and 
 many other articles. This latter gentleman* 
 has a high reputation among the Indians of this 
 country, who call him the man of valour^ \. e. 
 the hero. He was remarkable for tlie Ipirited 
 Ipeeches which he delivered, in a manner ana- 
 logous to the way of thinking of thefe nations. 
 This officer had a quarrel with the Jefuits, and 
 therefore alked to be recalled ; and was fucceed- 
 ed by M. Auherty the brother of Father Auherty 
 a Jefuit miffionary in houiftana. M. Montberaut 
 is a declared enerriy to thefe mifTionaries. Whilfl 
 Father Lc Roi was at Allibamons, he wrote to the 
 governor to difcredit this officer, to whom the 
 foldier who was to carry the letter delivered it. 
 The commander faw after this the Jefuit, who 
 {hewed him many civilities, according to the 
 political principles of thefe good fathers : The 
 officer af!<ed him, whether he had written fome- 
 thing againfl him. The Jefuit, not fufpeding 
 his letter to be in the officer's hand, affiured him 
 by ail that was facred he had not. Then M. 
 
 Montberaut 
 
 * He Is the brother of the Count tie Montant, who be- 
 longed to the houfehold of the Dauphin.
 
 LOUISIANA. 229 
 
 Montheraut called Fatlier he Roi an impoftor and 
 a chear, produced the letter, and fixed it at the 
 gate of the fort, giving it in charge to the fen- 
 tinel to take care of it •, and fince that time 
 there were no Jefuits among the Allibamons. 
 
 Whilft I am here going to fpeak of the Allu 
 hamons^ I fliall have an opportunity to treat iike- 
 vvife of the Tajkikis^ i]\t0^aj]iepas, the Tonkas, the 
 Kawuytas, the. Abekas, thtTalapoafJias, i\\t Con/Iia' 
 kis, and the Pakanas, whofe manners are all near- 
 ly related to one another. All thefe nations put 
 together can raife about four thoufand warriors. 
 They are all well-fliaped men, live commonly 
 along the river fides, and no fooner are you arri- 
 ved amxOng thefe well-behaved men, whofe wo- 
 men are of the fame charader, and for the greater 
 part beautiful, but they come to receive you at 
 the landing-place, fhaking hands with you, and 
 prefenting you with the calumet. After hav- 
 ing fmoaked, they aflc from you the caufe of 
 your coming, and the time you fpent on the 
 road i what flay you intend to make among 
 them, whether you have a wife and children **. 
 
 They 
 
 * The politeners of the Indians goes even fo far as to offer 
 to the Europeans their girls, and for that purpofe the chiefs 
 
 Q_3 fi-cak
 
 230 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 They likewife inquire the particulars of the war 
 in Canada^ and afk how the King their father 
 does. They then bring you a difh made of 
 maize or Indian corn, which they coarfely pound, 
 and boil in water, generally together with fome 
 venifon *. They likewife ferve up bread made 
 of the flour of the fame corn, baked in hot alhes, 
 roafted young turkies, broiled venifon, panr 
 cakes baked with nut-oil, chefnuts when in fea- 
 Ton, boiled with bears greafe or oil, roebucks 
 tongues, together with hen and turtle -f eggs. 
 
 The foil of Louifwna refembles, in the lower 
 parrs of the colony, that of Eg)ft after the Nile 
 has overflown the country •, it is excellent^ and 
 chiefly fo in the country of the nations I now 
 fpeak of. 
 
 The melons are here prodigi()ufly large, full 
 of juice, and in great plenty : the water-melons 
 
 are 
 
 fpeak the next morning in the following manner in the vil- 
 lage : young men and warrior?, do not be foolifh, love the 
 mailer of life ; hunt for the fupport of tlie French, who 
 bring us our wants : and you young girls, do not be hard- 
 hearted, nor ungrateful with your body in refpeft to the 
 white warriors, for to get their blood ; by this alliance we 
 fiiall get wit like them, and be refpefted by our enemies. 
 
 -^ This is called Sagfmite. f Seg-tortoife,
 
 LOUISIANA. 231 
 
 are (6 delicious, that they are given to the fick 
 to quench their thirft during the burning fits of 
 the fever. Potatoes are plentiful here -, and the 
 Europeans are very fond of this kind of root, 
 which taftes like chefnuts roaflred in hot afhes. 
 
 The Indians are generally contented with one 
 wife, of whom they are jealous to excefs. When 
 an Indian lies at a village where he has no wife, 
 he hires a girl for a night or two, as he pleafes, 
 and her parents never have any objedtion to it > 
 they concern themfelves very little about their 
 girls, faying their bodies are free : the Indian girls 
 do not abufe this liberty •, and they find it their 
 intereft to keep up an appearance of modefty, in 
 order to engage their lovers to alk them in mar- 
 riage : but in regard to wives the Indians main- 
 tain, that they have fold their liberty by marry- 
 ing, and that they muft not be ferved by other 
 men than their hufbands. The men keep the 
 privilege of having feveral wives, and they can 
 leave them whenever they pleafe ; but this 
 feldom happens. When a woman is caught in 
 adultery, the lead punilhment is being repudia- 
 ted. The hufband then leaves the hut -, and if 
 they have any children, he takes the boys, and 
 -the wife the girls \ ihe muft remain a widow for 
 one year j but he can marry again irj^.mediately. 
 
 0^4 He
 
 232 T R A Y E L, S THROUGH- 
 
 He can likewife take his wife again, therefojre, 
 fht muft riot enter on a fccond marriage till a, 
 whole jrear' be pad. 
 
 The marriage of the Indians is quite fimple^, 
 as I have already obfcrved •, the mutual confent 
 of the parties is the only tie which joins them. 
 The future hufband makes fome prefents of furs- 
 and vicluals in the hut of his bride's father -, if 
 they be received, a feftival is made, to which the 
 v/hole village is invited j after the meal, the ex- 
 ploits of the new hufband's anceftors are fung, 
 and a dance enfues. The next day one of the 
 pldeft men in the village prefents the bride tq. 
 tfie relations of her hufpaiid ; and thus the whole 
 ceremony of marriage is concluded. All the Inr 
 dians deduce their lineage from the women, al-:- 
 ledging that they may ^be fure of their origin on 
 that fide, and accordingly of their having their 
 mother's blood in their veins •, but that claiming 
 their defcent from the men was uncertain. The 
 great warriors and the beft huntfmen chufc the 
 pret'tieil girls -, the others have only their refgfe, 
 and all the ugly ones left. The girls, know- 
 ing that they cannot be niiftrefies of their hearts 
 after they are married, know how to difpole of 
 them to the greateft advantage : for when once , 
 • liey have a hud^and, all co(|uetry muft ceafe , 
 
 they
 
 LOUISIANA. 233 
 
 they miift apply themfelves to their duties in, 
 their houfes, fuch as preparing their hulbands 
 meals, drefling the flcins, making fhoes, fpin- 
 ring the wool of the wild oxen, and making' 
 little baflcets in which they are very well flvilled 
 and'induftrious. 
 
 ' The manner of pnnifliing the infidelity of their 
 wives' IS as follows : the hufband muft firft be 
 perfe£tly convinced of his wife's mifbchaviour 
 by his own eyes, and then fhe is watched by his 
 relations and her own. The hufband is then no 
 longer allowed to keep his wife, though he 
 iliould wifh it •, becaufe the Indians fay, that ic 
 is unworthy and beneath a true man to live with 
 a wife who has failed fo effentially in her duty to 
 him. In this cafe, the hufband goes to the Ca^ 
 cique, and tells him his ftory. The chief im- 
 mediately orders fome people to go and cut little 
 fvvitches, and all keep a profound fecret. The 
 chief then gives orders for a grand dance, which 
 every man, woman, boy, and girl in the village 
 is obliged to attend, unlefs they will expofe 
 themfeves to be fined j but there are hardly ever 
 any abfent : in the midft of the dance. the guilty 
 woman is extended on the floor, and beaten on 
 the back and ftomach without mercy, and her 
 leducer undergoes the fame ceremony. 
 
 When
 
 234 TRAVELS through 
 
 When thefe wretches have been well floesed, 
 a relation on each fide comes and lays a flick 
 a erofs the criminals and the executioners. That 
 moment they ceafe to beat ; but then the huf- 
 band comes and cuts off all his wife's hair clofe 
 to her head *, and reproaches her in prefence 
 of all the people, that is, he reprefents to her 
 how much (he has done wrong to adl as /he had 
 done with him, that he had let her want for no- 
 thing, but that fince flie had however tranfgref- 
 fed, fhe might now go with her feducer ; whofe 
 hair they likewife cut on his forehead, and tell 
 him, pointing to his paramour. There, that is 
 thy wife. He is at liberty to marry her that in- 
 ftant, but he muft go to fettle in another vil- 
 lage. 
 
 When a married woman debauches a married 
 man, the women meet together among them- 
 felves each with a flick of an arm's length, and 
 go to the criminal woman, whom they beat 
 withotu mercy, which creates great mirrh and 
 laughter amongft the young people i the women 
 would kill the guilty wretch, if the men did not 
 fnatch away the flicks, 
 
 Phyfic, 
 
 * The Indian women have long hair in trcfies.
 
 LOUISIANA. 235 
 
 Phyfic, war, hunting and fifliing are the only- 
 arts which the Indians are ambitious of knowing* 
 They educate their children very hardy, and 
 make them bathe and fwim in winter time at 
 dav-bre^k ; which done the young men come of 
 tlieir own accord before their chief warrior, who 
 holds a fpeech to them, telling them never to 
 fear the water ; that they may be purfued by 
 their enemies ; and that if they are taken they 
 are burnt alive •, that they muft on this occafion 
 prove that they are true men, by uttering no 
 com.plaints *. 
 
 When the harangue is finiihed, the chief fca^ 
 rifies their thighs, breaft and back, in order to 
 ufe them to pain, and he then gives them great 
 blows with leather ftraps •f . The young men 
 are then allowed to take place among the war- 
 riors ; and when they have done Ibme great ac- 
 tion in the wars, they are marked with needles, 
 
 in 
 
 * The Indians are obliged to fupport bad luck with heroic 
 £onftancy, in order that their valour may defccnd to their 
 pofterity, 
 
 f Thefe leather ftraps are of the breadth of three fingers. 
 The Indians ufc them for carrying their bundles when they 
 fct out on a joijrney.
 
 236 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 in the manner I have explained to you when I 
 (poke of the Illinois. 
 
 */' 
 
 Their children whilft they fuck their mother's 
 milk, are daily bathed in cold water during win- 
 ter 5 and when they grow up, the earth is their 
 bed. As the Indians love their children very 
 much, they accuftom them very early to fa- 
 tigue; and indeed as their whole body is naked, 
 it is no more fenfible to the cold than the face 
 and hands. 
 
 The old men, that cannot follow them, 
 whenever they make a retreat, defire to be killed 
 with clubs, both to fpare them the wretchednefs 
 of a decrepit condition, and to avoid falling 
 into the hands of their enemies, who would cer- 
 tainly burn or eat them ; for the Indians-in their 
 wars kill men, women and infants at the breaft, 
 which together with the ravages of the fmall 
 pox, is a caufe of the depopulation of America. 
 
 It will not be amifs Sir, to obferve that 
 it is merely an ad of humanity on cer- 
 tain occafions when a fon puts an end to his fa- 
 ther's life. The Indians have a great veneration 
 for their old men ; they regulate their condud: 
 by their advice, for they undertake nothing 
 
 with-
 
 LOUISIANA. 237 
 
 without their confent. They likewife take great 
 care of the old men, and I have ieen their chiefs 
 on their return from a hunting party, before they 
 lliared the game, lay afide the fliare of the old 
 people, which is likewife appropriated to the ufe 
 of widows and orphans, whofe hufbanJs and fa- 
 thers have been killed in defence of their country. 
 The Indians are very hofpitable towards ftrangers 
 with whom they are in peace, and kind to their 
 allies and friends, but cruel and unmerciful to 
 their enemies. They are furprifed and even 
 fcandalized to fee a number of Englifhmen at 
 New Orleans^ drawn thither in time of war, 
 for the fake of trading under the fpecious pre- 
 tence of coming to exchange prifoners *. A 
 cacique lately returned from New Orleans freely 
 owned to me, that he had a great mind to 
 break their heads for killing the French in 
 the north, that is, during the fiege of Quebec, 
 and that he was tempted to take his revenge 
 upon thofe that were at New Orleans. He 
 
 added, 
 
 * Here our author inferts a long invedive againft the Eng- 
 lifh who come in vefTels to Neiu Orleans with prifoners of 
 war on board, which they offer to exchange, and that under 
 this cloak, they get information of the ftrengtli and fitu- 
 ation of the colony, and buy up all the furs they can get. 
 Some allowance muft be made for national prejudice and 
 French pertnefs. F.
 
 2^58 TRAVELS THROirGjr 
 
 added, that in his country they fpoke to their 
 enemies with the ckib in their hands, as foon as 
 the hatchet is dug up •, a phrafe which denotes, 
 that nobody ought to have any commerce or cor- 
 refpondence with' the enemy, diredly or in- 
 directly, under any pretence whatfoever, after 
 War is declared, unlefs he will prove a traitor 
 to his country, and be punilhed accordingly. 
 
 When peace is concluded they bury the 
 hatchet or the club under ground, Signifying 
 thereby that all their hatred towards their ene- 
 mies is buried in oblivion, that the horrors of 
 war are at an end, and that friendftiip and 
 good underftanding are growing again between 
 them and their friends, like the white flowers of 
 their tree of peace, (which is the white laurel), 
 that ought to fpread its branches over the white 
 ground •, v/hich is a metaphorical exprefllon 
 which means the ground of peace. 
 
 The cacique 1 mentioned before, is called 
 'Tamil thlemingo^ and he is very warm in the 
 French intereft. I know that he has fcornfully 
 rejedled the prefents which fom'e EnglifhnVen 
 would h^ve loaded jiim with, and he had a great 
 mind to break their heads for making him fucK 
 a propofitioji. . He wears a fllver medal faftened 
 
 round
 
 LOUISIANA. 239 
 
 round his neck by a leather thong. He often 
 told me, he would be buried together with the 
 image of his father (that is, the king's portrait) 
 which he wears on his bread ; and having al- 
 ways been faithful to him he hoped to fliake 
 hands with him in the land of the fouls, where 
 he expeded to fee him one day. After this wor- 
 thy chief had fliewn me thefe fine fentiments 
 which parted from his heart, I gave him a bot- 
 tle of brandy to drink the health of his father 
 and mine. Such little douceurs when given on 
 proper occafions, have a great effeft upon thefe 
 people ; thus they were greatly moved when I 
 pulled off my (hirt and gave it them in the name 
 of their father, telling them that he pitied them, 
 becaufe he knew by means of tht /peaking fub* 
 ftmce '-^ that his children were naked. 
 
 Thefe nations have no idea of the political 
 fyftems which are known among the European 
 powers. In their opinion, the allies of a nation 
 muft aflift them, when they are in war, and have 
 no correfpondence with their enemies. I have 
 had a long and ferious conference with one Allepd 
 Mingo, who is a juggler and like wife the chief 
 of a diftrid among them, and pretends to have 
 
 been 
 
 ♦ Paper, or letters .
 
 240 T R A VEL S THROUGH 
 
 been abufed by Tome Spani/li foldiers of the gar- 
 rifon of Penfacola : this Indian owned that he had 
 formed a defign in order to be revenged of them, 
 to make a general incurfion with his warriors 
 into Florida, to the very gates of Penfacoia, 
 This Indian would pay me a compliment, and 
 make me approve of his defign, by telling me, 
 that he was partly drawn into it, becaufe the 
 Spaniards lay ftill upon their mats ; I. e. they 
 were at peace with the EngHfh, whom they re- 
 ceived into their ports, though at that time, they 
 were our enemies. 
 
 I anfvvered this difcourfe of the Cacique in 
 exprefs term.s and fuch as were mod capable of 
 making him defift from his enterprize, as I was 
 willing to prevent a maflacre of the Spaniards 
 who were our allies and neighbours : accord- 
 ingly I fpoke to him in a manner analogous to 
 the genius and charadler of the nation. 
 
 Alexi Mingo, faid I, prepare thy heart, open 
 thy ears to hear the force of my words, for it 
 will bring back to thee thy wits, which thou 
 haft loft to-day. • 
 
 I tell thee, th^n that the grand chief fove- 
 reign of the Spaniards, who lives on the other 
 
 fide
 
 LOUISIANA. 24t 
 
 fide of the great falt-water lake, in the old 
 
 World that fwarms with inhabitants is the bro* 
 
 ther * of the father of the red men, i. e. of 
 
 the king of Franct, and accordingly, I muft 
 
 fay, I difapprove very much of thy bold 
 
 defign. I fairly declare to thee, that if thou 
 perfifteft in it, thou canft do no better than 
 
 to begin ivith breaking my head. The Ca- 
 cique anfweredj *' Thy blood is as dear to me 
 
 *' as my own •, befides, the French have never done 
 " me any harm, and 1 am ready to give my 
 
 " life for them j thou canft aflure our father of 
 
 " that. Oh that I had the fpeaking fubftance 
 
 " which thou haft, to let him know my words* 
 
 •' but no, 1 rather wifti I had a hundred mouths 
 
 " which he might hear f . " 
 
 After this proteftation of friendfhip he gave 
 me his Calumet, and when I had fmoked a little 
 I returned it to him, as having made peace for 
 th^ Spaniards ^hy whom he pretended to have been 
 ill-ufed i and as a ratification I gave him a bot- 
 Vol. I. R tie 
 
 * The Indians call their allies brothers. 
 
 f Some time after the author's departure, the Indians of 
 
 thefe parts maflacred feveral Engliflxmen, that were come 
 
 within two leagues of fort ToulouJ'e, where M. de Grand-Mai- 
 
 fon then commanded, who is now Major of the troops at 
 
 AVtv Orleans^
 
 242 T Pv A V E L S THROUGH 
 
 tie of the fiery water, that is of brandy, faying, 
 this I give thee to clean thy mouth, that it 
 may not utter any more bad words againfl; the 
 Spaniards our allies : and to ftrengthen my dif- 
 courfe I gave a great roll of tobacco, for his 
 warriors to fmoke out of the great Calumet of 
 peace. After my harangue was at an end, the 
 young people came one after another to fqueeze 
 me by the hand, as a mark of friendfhip, which 
 is cuftomaiy among them. 
 
 I wifhed, however, to perfuade this Cacique, 
 who was piqued at the Spaniards, who receive 
 Englifli veflels at Penfacola, becauie they are at 
 peace : for he faid they came to inform them- 
 felves of the fituation and firength of thefe 
 coalts. 
 
 By way of appeafing the Indian, I told him, 
 that the governor daily waited for the arrival of 
 a great piragua*, which lliould bring him forrte 
 of the fpeaking fubftance, wherein the great 
 chiefoftlie Spaniards fliould order him to dig up 
 the hatchet of war, and to lift up his, club 
 againil the Engliili. 
 
 This 
 
 * An European fiiip.
 
 LOUISIANA. 243 
 
 This difcoLirfe fatisfied my Cacique •, and as 
 he had drank a good portion of brandy, he was 
 very talkative, and I took the opportunity of 
 quedioning hinr\ concerning the grudge he bore 
 the Spaniards in Florida. He told me, that he had 
 heard by tradition, that the firft warriors of fire "* 
 who came into this country had committed hof- 
 tihties in it, and violated the law of nations \ 
 and, that ever fince that period, the anceftors of 
 his nation had always recommended it^to their 
 pofterity to revenge the blood which had been 
 unjuftly fhed. I told the juggling Cacique, that 
 the Lord of life had revenged them fufficiently, 
 by the death of Ferdinand Soto, and almoft all 
 his warriors. 
 
 I added, that they had no further reafon to 
 hate the Spaniards •, that Philip II. grand chief of 
 the Spaniards, had difavovved all the mifchief 
 v/hich his aenerals had done in thefe climates, as 
 being: contrary to his intentions. 
 
 R 2 I told 
 
 -» Hiftory inform us, that in 1544, Ferdinand Soto made 
 incurfiOQs into this country ; the Indians there, who had 
 never feen any Europeans, called the Spaniards warriors of 
 fire, becaule they were armed with guns and piftols : they 
 faid, that the cannon was thunder, and that it caufed the 
 earth to tremble, by l;illing people at a great diftance.
 
 244 TRAVELS THROtiori 
 
 - I told this American prince part of the ftory 
 <5f Don Francis de Toledo^ vicero}' of Peru^ who 
 publicly hanged the prefumptive heir to the 
 crown, and ordered all the princes of the royal 
 family of the y^ncas to be killed j not even ex- 
 cepting the Spaniards^ who from their mother's 
 fide were defcended from Atahuali-pa. Don 
 Francis^ after fiich an execution, expected 
 to be raifed to the greateft dignities of 
 the (late on his return to Spain ; but he was 
 very ill received by the grand chief of the na- 
 tion, who ordered him with a harfli voice to get 
 out of his prefence, laying, I have not ap- 
 pointed thee to be the executioner of princes* 
 but to ferve me and afllft the unhappy. Thefe 
 words flruck the viceroy dumb, and caufed 
 him fuch an illnefs that hi died a few days 
 after. The fame king caufed ^ the death of 
 one of his minifters that had impofed upon 
 him, merely by faying the word Hoclabe, 
 which in the Indian language, fignifies, 
 JVhat^ dojl thou lye? The Cacique very 
 gravely replied, " Sut if the grand chief 
 " of the men of fire, appeared, as thou 
 '* fay eft, fo angry at the viceroy, on account 
 ** of the cruelties which he had com- 
 *' mitted againft his will, why did he not put 
 
 " him
 
 LOUISIANA. 245 
 
 ... '■ r » 
 
 " him in the frame * ? or why did he not cut off 
 
 " his head, and fend it back to Peru ? This 
 
 " example of feveriry and juftice would in part 
 
 " have fatisfied the people whom this general 
 
 " had ill-treated, by hanging on a gibbet, like- 
 
 '* a thief, the heir of a great empire, who de» 
 
 " pended only from the Lord of life^ or the Su- 
 
 " preme Being. Thus we red men, whom the 
 
 *' Europeans call favages and barbarians would 
 
 " ad' towards the wicked and the murderers, 
 
 " who ought to be treated like the fierceft beafts 
 
 »' of the foreft." 
 
 I again replied to this Indian chief in the fol- 
 
 lowins; terms, " Thou muft know that the 
 
 ^' grand chiefs of the white men that live in the 
 
 *' old country, are defpotic and abfolute, and 
 
 '>ithat when they drive from their prefence their 
 
 i.^ generals or warriors, who have abufed their fub- 
 
 ,1tje(5ts without caufe, this affront is much more 
 
 A^fenfibly felt by thofe proud chiefs, who are 
 
 " hated by the Great Spirit, or by God, on ac- 
 
 *' count of iheir mifdeeds, than the punifhment 
 
 R 3 " of 
 
 ■*'•••* A punifhrncnt which the Indians adjudge to thofe that 
 have committed cruelties, and are taken at war : they are put 
 
 into a kind of frame, compofed of two polls, and a pole 
 laid acrofs them, and burnt alive.
 
 246 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 *' of the frame, or a hundred blows with the 
 ' club upon the head, would be by a red 
 
 " man." 
 
 At laft I fucceeded in fofrening the ha- 
 ired which thefe people had conceived againft 
 the Spaniards, and I imagine every hofbile inten- 
 tion is fupprelTcu now ; for my explication was 
 very fatisfa(5lory to my juggler. 
 
 i believe I have already obferved to you, that 
 the Indians are very fenfible of injuries, and that 
 they generally remember thofe that have out- 
 raged them when they are in liquor, I have of7 
 ten been the mediator in order to terminate the 
 quarrels between two Indians ; I told them 
 that they ought to live together as good bro- 
 thers, forget the pafl, and employ their courage 
 in the common defence of their country only. I 
 further afilircd them that if they did not give 
 ear to my words, the Great Spirit would be dif- 
 pleafed with them, and make their crops of 
 maize fail. The Indian women ran quickly to 
 me, whenever any two were ready to fight, 
 that I tpight judge between them, and I always 
 did all I could to reconcile the parties ; which 
 plcafed the women very much, who have nothing 
 wild about them, but the name which people 
 
 give
 
 LOUISIANA. 247 
 
 give them, and whofe features are very regular. 
 In a word, in this new world, as well as in the 
 old, that lovely fex is born to populate and 
 jnot to deflroy. 
 
 What I have ftill to fay of this nation is fo 
 ample, that I am obliged to divide it ; I fhall, 
 therefore referve their mourning and their fune- 
 ral ciilloms for another letter. 
 
 I am, SIR, &:c. &:c. 
 
 Amofig iJu Jllibamons the 
 i%th of April 1759. 
 
 R 4 LET-
 
 248 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 L E T T E R XVI. 
 
 ir"c //j(? fnmc. 
 
 Mourning and Manner of burying the Dead among the. 
 Allibamons ; Juftice done to the Chevalier d'Er- 
 neville, for a Soldier killed by a young Indian, .• 
 their Religion j their Means cf catching the Roe- 
 buck and the loild 'Turkies. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 l^^-II^^HE day before yefterday I received 
 X) T ^. one of your letters, which informs me. 
 <;^^^;^ that you are in good health, and that 
 you continue to give me marks of your remem- 
 brance of me. In my preceding letter, I fpoke 
 to you of the marriage of the Indians ; I Ihall 
 now proceed to defcribe their mourning. When 
 a grand chief of the nation dies, this mourning 
 confifts in not wafhing nor combing themfelves ; 
 the men daub their whole body with foot, mjxed . 
 
 up'
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 249 
 
 np with bear's oil ; and in a word, they re- 
 nounce all forts of diverfions. When a woman 
 fofesher hufband, (he is obliged to be in mourn- 
 ing for a whole year, and to lay afide all her 
 ornaments. 
 
 All the AUibamon^ drink the Caffine* -, this is 
 the leaf of a little tree, which is very (lady ; 
 the leaf is about the fize of a farthing, but den- 
 tated on its margins. They toaft thefe leaves 
 as we do coffee, and drink the infufion of them, 
 with great ceremony. When this direutic po- 
 tion is prepared, the young people go to prefent 
 it in calebaflies formed into cups, to the chiefs 
 and warriors, that is the honourables, and af- 
 terwards to the other warriors, according to 
 their rank and degree. The fame order is ol> 
 ferved when they prefent the Calumet to fmokc 
 out of: whilft you drink they howl as loud as 
 they can, and diminifli the found gradually;- 
 when you have ceafed drinking, they take their 
 breath, and when you drink again, they fet up 
 their howls again. Thefe forts of orgies fome- 
 times laft from fix in the morning to two o'clock 
 
 in 
 
 * This is the Pr/««j ^/«/^?r of Linnaeus. Sp.pl. p. 471. 
 and Cajfena 'vera Fkridanorum, Catelby's Carol. 2. t. 57.
 
 250 T R A V E LS "THROUGH) 
 
 in the afternoon. The Indians find no incon?, 
 venienciesfrom this potion, to which they at- 
 tribute many virtues, and return it without any 
 efibrt. 
 
 The women never drink of this beverage, 
 which is only made for the warriors. In fuch 
 aflemblies, where they are never admitted, the 
 Indians tell their news and deliberate on politi- 
 cal affairs, concerning peace or war. However, 
 the Chevalier d'Erneville, fays that he faw a wo- 
 man, who was the grand chief's wife, go in, 
 becaufe fhe was a female warrior, and had a 
 quick, penetrating mind. Her opinion fomcr 
 times prevailed in the conclufion of treaties. 
 
 The JUihamons love the French very much •, 
 there is an agreement on both fides, that if.. ^* 
 Frenchman kills one of the Indians^ he muft die, 
 and the fame if an Indian kills a Frenchman \ the 
 lail accident happened whilft the Chevalier d'^r- 
 mville commanded the fort at the Allihamom \ a 
 young Indian Ihot a foldier of the garrifon, and 
 difappeared immediately. As the officer did not 
 know where the criminal was, he applied to the 
 chiefs of the nation, faying, they muft do him^ 
 juftice. They anfwered, that the young man 
 had, taken refuge with another nation -, the Qhi- 
 
 'valier
 
 LOUISIANA. 251 
 
 valier d'Ernvilk did not put up with this excufe ; 
 he told them that the dead man called for ven- 
 geance, and that blood ought to be avenged by 
 blood, as is their expreffion •, that the murderer 
 had a mother, and that llie ought to fuffer in his 
 ilead. Thev anfvvered, that flie had not killed 
 the man ; but the officer replied, that he fpoke 
 like the red man, wlio when fomebody* killed a 
 perfon of their nation, and they had not juftice 
 done them for it, were revenged upon fome 
 perfon of the nation of the murderer. He 
 JaRly reprefented it to them, that in order to 
 keep the good undcrftanding between the white 
 and the red men, they ought not to oppofe the 
 pvmilliment of the criminal. They offered him 
 a great quantity of furs, and even horfes. loaded 
 with booty. This officer who is known for his 
 zeal in preferring the king's interell to his own, 
 and the honour of the nation to his fortune, re- 
 fufed all thefe prcfents. He added, that he had 
 not been able to fleep fince the death of his 
 warrior, who called every night to him, avenge 
 my blood. The poor Indian.s, feeing they could 
 not move him, held a council and fent out eight 
 men, conduced by a young chief of the war- 
 riors. He went immediately with his men to 
 the murderer's mother, and told her that fince 
 her Ton was not to be found, flie mud die in his 
 
 ftead.
 
 
 252 T R A V ELS THROUGH 
 
 ftead,,j.,,The poor woman fuffered herfelf to be 
 ied away, and was all in tears ; her relations 
 followed her with very fad countenances •, one of 
 them feeing there was no pardon to be hoped 
 
 for, faid to the chief of the troop, " M}< mo- 
 .' ther-in-la'uj dies through courage, as Jhe has not 
 firiick the hhw.'* He propofed they fhould 
 wait whilft he went to fetch the murderer -, he 
 actually brought him into the affembly, where 
 the Chevalier d'Erne'villc was, and faid. See, 
 there rs the guilty man, do what yoii pleafc with 
 him. The officer anfwered, that they ought to 
 do him juftice; and they immediately killed 
 himf. 
 
 Juftice 
 
 ^■*'Thas tlie Indians execute juftice; there is no need of 
 drawing up cafes ; all thefe forms are unknown ; the law is, 
 that he who has killed muft be killed again, unlefs it be 
 by accident, as in a drunkennefs, in a fit of madnefs, or m 
 their exercifes. ,j 
 
 i.f'The relation of this ftory, is by no means favourable 
 tt> the French. They aded upon a barbarous and cruel 
 principle, by bringing the mother of the guilty man 
 to a punifhment which ihe did not deferve ; and had not her 
 fbn oa this occafion preferred filial duty to felf-prefervation, 
 tfee.- French Chevalier would have committed an inhuman 
 ^icn,. by infiicling death on an innocent perfon. The /A'- 
 
 diatis
 
 LOUISIANA* 2Si 
 
 Juflice being thus done, the chief harangued 
 the young people, and recommended it very 
 ftrongly to them, to keep their hands from the' 
 
 French, 
 
 ■•*■"■''■' - ' - 
 
 ^ians afl upon principle, by avenging the death of theif 
 countrymen upon any other perfon of the nation to which' 
 the murderer belongs ; for, on account of their confined ideas, 
 and ignorance, they think the fame confutation and manners 
 take place among the Europeans, as are ilfual amortg them- 
 ffelves ; and as th^y look upon their whole nation as a body of 
 brethren, and a fingle family* they are, therefore, of opi- 
 nion that all the Europeans muft be anfwerab'e for the death 
 of one of their brethren. But as the Europeans boaft to be 
 civilized, inltruded and Chrillians, they ought to aft ac- 
 cording to the principles of their religion, the knowledge 
 and inftruifclon they enjoy, and their bwn conftitution ; 
 all thefe oblige them to fhew the Indians, by their example, 
 the fuperiority cf their religion, knowledge and conftitution ; 
 make them fenfible, that if they acted like Indians they would 
 commit an open injuftice ; and to enforce the return of 
 fuch adlions in fimilar cafes. The Europeans inftead of in- 
 clining principles of humanity into the minds of the pool- 
 Indians, very frequently fcandalize them by their uncharita-. 
 ble and barbarous manners ; and thus the high refinements of 
 our manners, our boafled civilization, our pride, founded 
 upon the fuperiority of our knowledge, and that rzal great 
 advantage of being inftrucled in a religion founded upori 
 reafon and charity, inilead of bringing our immortal mind» 
 to that pitch of excellence they arc capable of, according 
 to the true intention of thefe advantages, prove only our 
 deep corruption, and the wilful depravity of our hearts, and 
 1 may fav, the barbarity of oiir manners. F.
 
 1^4 ^^ ^ A "V" E L S TKROUGH 
 
 French \ and added, that as often as they (lioiild 
 lofe their fenfes and kill our pcopk-, they would 
 do us the lame juRice again. 
 
 •'"'■The Chevalier aErnevilk held a fpeech to the 
 afierably in his turn, and made the nation apre- 
 fent which the governor had Tent him. The In- 
 dians gave him the great calumet of peace to 
 fmoke, all the foldiers and French inhabitants 
 likewife fmoked it, in fign of a general amneftyi 
 afterwards they drank the Cajfim, which is the 
 potion of the "Ji'hits ivcrdy i. e. the potion of ob- 
 livion and peace. 
 
 Since that time this Nation has never offended 
 us. T\\Q Allibamons olfeicd, in 1714, to build 
 upon their ground, and at their expence, a fort, 
 which was afterwards called Fort 'Totdoufe^ and 
 they introduced the French into it. M. de Bic7t- 
 "jille, who was then governor, went to take pof- 
 fedion of it in the King's name *. 
 
 They 
 
 * This governor is in fuch great efteem with tl-em, that 
 they always mention him in their harangues. His name is 
 fo deeply graved in the hearts of thefe good Indians, that his 
 memory will always be dear to them.. As focn as they {iiw 
 jiie they inquired after liiin ; I anfwered, that he was at tht 
 great Tillage, or P^a-is, in good health, with which they 
 were highly pleafed.
 
 LOUISIANA. 255 
 
 They never would permit the Englijli to do the 
 like ; they pay no regard to the menaces of the 
 King of England \ every Cacique or chief of a 
 village thinks himfelf a fovereign, who only de- 
 pends open the Mafier of life^ or the Great Spi- 
 rit. 
 
 The Mibamons have called their country the 
 white country^ cr land of peace ; and repofe on 
 their mats, that is, they attack no body ; which is 
 a kind of allegory by which they feem to tell all 
 the nations on earth, that the murdering hatchet 
 is buried, and that they may come to trade with 
 them in fafety. 
 
 The following is an harangue which I heard 
 one of the chiefs of this nation hold : " Young 
 ^-men and warriors, do not difregard the Ma^ 
 ^^ jler of lifs.', the (ky is blue, the lun is with- 
 " out fpots, the weather is fair, the ground is 
 "white, every thing is quiet on the face of tl^ 
 " earth, and the blood of men ought not to be 
 " fpilt on it. We muft beg the fpirit of peace 
 " to preferve it pure and fpctlefs among the na- 
 '* tions that lurround us. We ought only to 
 " fpend' our time in making war with tygers, 
 " bears, wolves, Itags, and roe-bucks, in order 
 " to have their (kins, with which we may..tr^de
 
 256 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 *' with the Europeans, who will bring us what 
 *' we want, in order to maintain our women and 
 " children." 
 
 The Americans in general have no knowledge 
 of letters. The art of writing is unknown to 
 them. They are furprifed to fee that one can 
 converfe with another at a great diftance by a 
 paper; and they look upon the miflive letters 
 with admiration; When they are trufted with 
 letters, they bring them very exadly to the per- 
 fons they are direded to ; and though it fhould 
 rain ever fo hard, and they had a great many 
 rivers to pafs, thofe letters are never wetted* 
 The Allihamons trade with the French, Englijli, and 
 Spaniards, but they do not love the latter much ; 
 they make war upon them fooner than upon 
 any other nation, on account of their cruelties 
 towards the Mexicans -, their memory is admira- 
 ble, they always remember the wrong which is 
 done to them. 
 
 Thofe whom 1 fpeak of here acknowledge a 
 .Supreme Being, whom they call Soulbieckc. 1 
 afked them what they thought of the other 
 world i and they anfwered, that if they have 
 not taken another man'-s wife, or if they have 
 not robbed nor killed any one during their life^ 
 
 they
 
 L O U I S. I A N A. £^7 
 
 they Ihall go after their death into a very fertile 
 country, where they fhall want neither wives 
 nor proper places for hunting, arid that every 
 thing will be eafy co them there ; but that on the 
 contrary, if they have behaved themfelves fool- 
 ifhly, and difregarded the great Spirit, they Will 
 come into a barren land full of thorns and 
 briars, where there will be no hunting, and nd 
 wives. This is all I have been able to learn 
 concerning the belief of thefe people of anothei: 
 life. 
 
 The Mihamoni bury their dead id a fitting pd-" 
 fture ; in order to jull^ify this cuftom they fa/^ 
 that man is upright, and has his head turned to- 
 wards heaven, which is to be his habitation. 
 They give to them a calumet, and fome tobacco 
 to fmoke, that they may make pea'ce with the 
 inhabitants of the other world. If the corpfe be 
 of a warrior, he is buried with his arms, which 
 are a mufket, fome powder and bullets, a qui- 
 ver full of arrows, a bow, and an hatchet or club ; 
 andjbefides thefe a mirror *=, and fome vermilioa 
 with which they may drefs themfelves in the 
 other world. 
 
 Vol. I. S When 
 
 * The young Indians are never without a little hatchet or 
 si mirror hung^ on tKcir wrifl.
 
 2^$ TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 'jl When a man kills himfelf, either in defpaii* 
 or in a ficknefs, he is deprived of burial, and 
 thrown into the river, becaufe he is looked up^ 
 on as a. coward. 
 
 T 1 have already faid, that the Indians mufl fup- 
 port misfortunes with heroic; conftancy. Their 
 enthufiafm prompts them to make fongs of death 
 when they are taken prifoners, and deflined to 
 be burnt ; on fuch an occafion an Indian fays : 
 " I fear neither death nor fire, make me fuffer 
 ever fo much, becaufe my nation will revenge 
 my death." This occafions his enemies either 
 to accelerate his fate, or fometimes adopt him, 
 faying he is a man of courage. ' 
 
 , When there is a difturber of public peace 
 -amongft them, the old men fpeak to him thus : 
 " Thou art at liberty to go awayi but remem- 
 " ber, that if thou art killed, the nation fhall 
 ■".difown thee -, we Hiall not weep for thee, nor 
 " avenge thy death.'* So irregular a life is pu- 
 njflied with the greateft contempt among thefe 
 people, as among all others *. 
 
 The 
 
 it 
 
 ■- -The young Indians fometimes ramble into the neigh- 
 bouring village?, and carry off the women ; thefe kinds of 
 
 rapes
 
 IL. O U I S I A N A. i59 
 
 The Indians generally fet out a hunting to- 
 wards the end of October. The Allibamons go 
 fixty, eighty, and fometimes an hundred leagues 
 from their villages, and they take their whole fa- 
 milies with them into their piraguas : they do 
 not return till March, which is the time of fow- 
 ing their corn-grounds. They bring back many 
 furs, and a great quantity of dried flefii. When 
 they are returned into their villages, they regale 
 their friends, and make prefents to the old men, 
 who have not been able to go with them, and 
 have kept in the huts during the time of the 
 great hunt. 
 
 Thefe nations have fingular methods of catch- 
 ingr the roe-deer ; an Indian takes the head of a 
 roe-buck, and dries it •, he then carries it with 
 him into the woods, where he covers his back 
 with the fkin of this animal, he puts his hand 
 into the neck of the dried head, taking care to 
 put little hoops under the fkin to keep it firm on 
 xht hand •, he then kneels down, and in that at- 
 ...-* '" S i titude. 
 
 rapes occafion the wars among the difFerent tribes ; for tiiey 
 fight not for land, having more of that than they can culti- 
 vate. It is a capital crime among the Indians to carry off 
 another man's wife ; if it is the Cacique's wife, the whole 
 nation is obliged to avenge the affront ciFercd to their chief.
 
 26o TRAVELS THROucri 
 
 titude, mimicking the voice of thefe creatures, 
 he ihews the head •, the roe-deer are deceived by- 
 it, and come very near the hunters, who are 
 fure to kill them. 
 
 There are Indians who, by means of this ftra- 
 tagem, have deftroyed four Jiundred roe-deer in 
 one winter's hunting. They employ very nigh 
 the fame trick to get the wild turkies in the 
 woods-, fome of them put the fkins of thefe 
 birds on their IhoulderSi and on the heads a bit 
 of fcarlet or other red cloth, which is agitated 
 by the wind, and whilft the birds look at them, 
 their comrades kill them with arrows •, they do 
 not ufe fire-arms, for fear of frightening them, 
 and whilft there are any turkies on a tree, they 
 continue to fhoot them with great dexterity; 
 thefe birds are commonly foolifh enough to ex- 
 pedt the return of their fellows who fell down ; 
 the Indians have often treated me with thefe 
 birds, and I found them excellent during au- 
 tumn. 
 
 The Indians are likewife very dextrous fifher- 
 men -, they neither employ hooks nor nets ; they 
 take reeds, which are very common along the 
 fides of rivers, dry them near the fire, or in the 
 fun-Ihine, fharpen one end like a dart, and fall- 
 en
 
 LOUISIANA. 261 
 
 en a cord made of the bark of a tree, to the 
 other end ; when they are upon the lakes in 
 their canoes, they throw this dart or harpoon 
 into the water at the fiih, and draw it up again 
 by means of the cord -, others fhoot the filh with 
 a bow and arrows, and when they have wounded 
 a filh, it comes to the furface of the water. 
 
 Before I have done with the Jllihamons, I 
 ihould not forget to tell you, that in July, when 
 their harvefl begins, they have a great feaflr. 
 That folemn day they pafs without eating; they 
 light a new fire for phyfic, as they call it, or jug- 
 gling, after which they take a purge, and offer 
 to their Mfinitou the firftlings of their fruit : 
 they finifh the day in religious dances. 
 
 This nation has likewife jugglers or quacks; 
 I fhall r;elate to you a very droll adventure which 
 happened to me with one of them. As I was 
 going up the river of AUihamons^ a quack and 
 juggler came to fee me with feveral Indians, 
 men and women. He alked for fome brandy, 
 I gave him a bottle full of it, which he drank 
 with his companions. He aflced me for fome 
 more, but I told him I had no more ; he would 
 not believe me, and feeing that he could not 
 get any thing, he thought he would intimidate 
 
 S 3 me,
 
 i6i T E. A V E L S through 
 
 me, by telling me he was a mngician, and would 
 pya5iife p/3'!?6-* againil me, if I gave him no 
 brandy •, i. e. he would enchant my boat, fo 
 that it could not proceed. I told him I feared 
 him not j that I was a phyfician myfelf. This 
 word aftonilhed my adverfary. 
 
 This pretended magician told me to fnev/ him 
 the efiecfts of my art •, I anfwered, that he ought 
 to begin, but he replied that I Iliouid do it be- 
 ing a flranger -, at lail, after many debates, I 
 began to make ridiculous geflures, and looked 
 into a book which the juggler underllood no- 
 thing of; I bid him retire, and leave me alone, 
 it being the cuftom of the jugp;lers, by which 
 means they conceal their impoftures from the 
 other Indians, I had the fkin of a tyger-cat, 
 the flefh and bones of which had been extracted 
 through an incifion in the neck ; 1 gr.ve this 
 flvin to the Indian quack, telling \\im to reflore 
 its fight, and make the creature go about. He 
 anfwered, that he could not do it ; I fee, faid I, 
 fhou art a mere novice in this art, I fhall per- 
 
 ^rm it. 
 
 I muft 
 
 * This is s,n cxprefiion which the Indians make ufeof, de- 
 moting the applicaticii of their fiight-of-hand tricks, and 
 srimaces intended for to make their countrvmen believe that 
 thev ii-^ magicians or conjurors.
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 263 
 
 1 muft previoufly inform you, that, in my lad 
 voyage, I brought with me from France enamelled 
 eyes, which perfeftly imitated the natural eyes ; 
 a thing which the Indians here had never feen ; 
 I faftened them with the refm of firs, in the 
 place of thole which were wanting in the f!s:in, 
 into which I afterwards put and confined a li- 
 ving fquirrel, with its head towards the neck of 
 the t\ger-cat ; a foldier whom I had inftrufted 
 was quite ready with a club ; every thing being 
 thus prepared, I opened the door of the cabin, 
 and the Indians advanced, with the juggler or 
 quack dodor at their head. I held the cat in 
 my arms, and the fquirrel jumped about in. it, 
 which immediately furprifed my pretended ma- 
 gician ; he cried out that I was a true -phyftdan 
 or forcerer, becaufe I had brought to life, reflo- 
 red to fight, and made dead cats walk. When 
 the other Indians had well confidercd it in my 
 arms, I let it go on the ground, pricking the 
 fquirrel with a pin, which made it run with the 
 cat's Ikin towards the fpeflators, who thought 
 it would devour them ; they went backwards, 
 and the women, through a natural fear, ran 
 from my boat, declaring that I was a forcerer. 
 I then ran to my tyger-cat, feeming to be ve- 
 ry angry with it, I quickly took out the fquirrel 
 and the glafs-eyes, then prefTing the teeth in the 
 
 S 4 cat's
 
 264 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 cat's head againft my ftomach, I cried out as if 
 the creature had bit me, flinging it on the ground 
 immediately, the foldier whom I had armed 
 with a club, ftrikes at the revived tyger-cat, in 
 order to kill it for having revoked againft its 
 mafter, and for having been willing to attack 
 red men, who were 6ur friends and allies. 
 
 After this comic fcene, I gave the Ikin to the 
 Indian juggler, and defired him to make it re- 
 vive as I had done. He owned, that my art 
 was above the reach of his. I then bid him en- 
 chant my boat to prevent its going on ; but he 
 anfvvered, that one phyfician againft another 
 could do nothing; that I was his mafter in the 
 art, and he an ignorant fellow *. All the fa- 
 
 vages 
 
 ''* The Indians repofe a great confidence in their doftors ; 
 the juo-p-ler's hut is covered with furs, with which he covers 
 and drefles himfelf. He goes in quite naked, apd begins 
 with pronouncing fome words which no body underflands ; 
 they are, as he fays, to invoke the Spirit j after that he 
 rifes, cries, agitates himfelf, appears quite frantic, and 
 gets into a profound fweat f . 
 
 The hut fliakes, and the fpectators believe it is done 
 through the prefence of the Spirit ; the language which he 
 fpeaks on this occafion, has nothing in common with the- or- 
 dinary Indian language j it is nothing but the ravings of a 
 
 hot
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 265 
 
 vages who were out upon the winter hunt along 
 the river, brought me provifions of roe-deer 
 and turkies, that I might begin again to play 
 off my trick •, but for fear of being difcovered, 
 and to preferve my reputation, I laid I could 
 
 not 
 
 hot imagination, which thefe quacks have impofed upon 
 their countrymen as a divine language ; thus the mofl: cun- 
 ning people have always deceived the reft, 
 
 f The heathen nations in the Ruffian empire have exadly 
 fuch jugglers or conjurors as are here defcribcd. In the go- 
 vernment of Cazan are the Tcheremijfrs, the Tchuiva/hes, and 
 the Wotiaks, three nations ; the firft of which call their con- 
 Jurors Mi'Ihaiiy the fccond Yommas or Yymtnas, and the third 
 ^ona or Tung ; they are of both fexes, and make the fanae 
 grimaces as thefe American jugglers. In Siberia the Tun- 
 ^iifi, the Yakut i, and the Bjrati, call their conjurors Sha- 
 mans, and they perform the fame tricks, and make many 
 antic geftures at their pretended conjurations. Their drefs 
 is on thefe occafions likewife very remarkable, fometimes 
 ornamented with the fangs and talons of beafts and birds of 
 prey, fometimes hung with fuch a terrible quantity of feve- 
 ral pieces of iron, as wiU both make the robe very heavy, 
 and caufe a great rattling noife at the lead motion of the 
 conjuror's body. The more wegoeaft in Siberia, the more 
 cojpmon is this kind of conjurors, and the more ftriking i>j 
 the likenefs bcDA^een the favage inhabitants of North America, 
 and the favage Nomadic nations of the north-eaft parts of 
 ^jia. Some more hints of this fimilarity are pointed out in 
 a note to Kahns Travels into North America, vol. IH. 
 p. 126. F.
 
 a66 TRAVELS through 
 
 not do it over again, left fome one of them 
 fhould be devoured by the revived creature, and 
 the better to convince them, I fhewed them the; 
 marks of the animal's teeth on my ftomach. 
 They then approved very much of what I had 
 faid, and thanked me for interefting myfelf fo 
 much for them, as to expole myfelf generoufly 
 to prevent the furious revived tyger-cat from 
 killing their women and children ; they added, 
 that I had done well to reduce it to its lifelefs 
 ftatc, in order to make it an example to others, 
 becaufe it was an evil fpirit ; thefe poor people 
 regard the French as fupernatural men. 
 
 It is fometimes dangerous to be a do6lor j fof 
 if fome one dies among the Indians, they attri- 
 bute his death to the phyfic, and not to the in^ 
 curable difpofition of the patient -, therefore I 
 would never advife any body to abufe the cre- 
 dulity of thefe people. I likewife told them, that 
 fmce I had been bitten I had abjurated the office 
 of a magician, and that I knew no other phyfi- 
 cian than the Majler of life, whofe aid they ought 
 to implore •, that he was as much the father of 
 the red men as of the white men, who are their 
 dder brothers. 
 
 The
 
 LOUISIANA. 267 
 
 The pretended refurreflion of my tyger-cat, 
 however, gave me great reputation among the 
 quacks or jugglers of this country, and even 
 among thofe of Spanifh Florida, whofe natural 
 curiofity led them to pay me a vifit •, they join- 
 ed the AlUbamons doctors, and begged me to 
 perform the fame piece of legerdemain v/hich I 
 had done on my voyage : I told them, I was 
 forry that I could not fatisfy their curiolity, be- 
 caufe I had llruck the pofl * ; however, that I 
 might not fend them away difcontented,' I told 
 them, that their prefence was very agreeable to 
 me, that the Grand Chief oi the French and the 
 father of the Indians was contented with their 
 nation, and with them in particular ; that the 
 do6lors having more knowledge than the others, 
 both in the art of curing the fick, and in their 
 zeal towards infpiring their countrymen with fi- 
 delity and friendfhip for the Frr^nch, it was on 
 that confideration I come on purpofe to bring 
 them a prefent, which was the v/ord of their 
 father, and that M. Aubert had orders from the 
 governor to divide it amone them. 
 
 & 
 
 I further told them, that as I was glad to get 
 acquainted with them, and to converfe with 
 
 them, 
 
 -' The Indian manner of fvvearing is to flrikc agalnR a. poll 
 witji a club,
 
 zSS TRAVELS through 
 
 them, I wifhed they would tell me their proper 
 names. As thefe people are neither baptifed 
 nor circumcifed, they commonly take t hen ame 
 of fome animal, fuch as bear, wolf, fox, &c. 
 The gravity which I affefted, in order to com- 
 mand the refped of thefe Indian dodors, made 
 them afk me, whether I v/rote their names in or- 
 der to give an account of them to their father, 
 by means of the fpeaking paper ? to which I 
 anfwered, that it was for that very purpofe. 
 
 When I had written down their names, I 
 fometimes made ufe of them in order to pafs for 
 a fortune-teller. 
 
 I fhut myfelf up in the hut of one of the doc- 
 tors, and a foldier, to whom I had told the 
 number of letters which compofed each name, 
 put his hand on the Ihoulder of the juggler, 
 and with a little rod ftruck him as many times as 
 there were letters in his name -, I being within 
 eafiiy gueffed what man my foldier laid his hands 
 upon ; and fo on with all the reii They could 
 not comprehend how I could guefs {o well with- 
 out feeing them, and they owned that it went 
 beyond their imagination. 
 
 The
 
 LOUISIANA. 269 
 
 The Sieur Godeau, chief furgeon and keeper 
 of the magazine at the fort of AUibamons, had al- 
 ready before me praftifed phyfic in the prefence 
 of the Indians, who were looking at a little 
 phial full of mercury •, after looking at it with 
 attention, they told him they wifxied to have it. 
 He faid he would give it them, but that he 
 wanted the phial ; he poured out the quickfilver 
 immediately on the ground^ and bid them take 
 it up •, they could never do it, for it rolled 
 away on all fides •, the aftonilhed favages called 
 it a fpirit which divided itfelf into feveral parts, 
 which being coUefted together formed only one 
 body i but their aftonifhment was much greater 
 when the Sieur Godeau took up all the mercury 
 with a card, and put in the phial again, in their 
 prefence, which none of them had been able to 
 do. This furgeon did more, he poured aqucu* 
 fortis upon it, which diffolved it, and made it 
 difappear entirely •, fnicc that time the Indians 
 have revered him as a great dodor. 
 
 a* 
 
 M. de Montheraut has put the command of the 
 fort of tht Allihamons into the hands of M. Aii- 
 hert, who is adjutant of the fort Mobile. I take 
 the liberty to write to the governor, in order to 
 reprefent it to him with all refpeft, that being 
 the fenior officer of that gentleman, I could not 
 
 (land
 
 270 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 ftand here under his orders ; that he might not 
 be further obliged to do any fervices foreign to 
 his fun(5tion *, the King's order concerning that 
 particular being very explicit j that as our infti- 
 tution is founded upon honour, I fhould think 
 I would derogate from that which I had acqui- 
 red in the Kingr's fervice, if I did not make the 
 obfervations of a foldier, whofe zeal for the fer- 
 vice he knows •, that it was very natural for me 
 •to think, that by this confideration he would 
 think himfelf obliged to let me enjoy the emolu- 
 ments annexed to my place, otherwife I fhould 
 beg him to recall me to New Orleans, that I 
 might feize the firfl opportunity of fetting out 
 for Europe, where I fhould have the pleafure of 
 alTuring you that I am, SIR, &c. 
 
 ^t^theAUihamonSy the %d 
 cfMay 1759. 
 
 F.S. I 
 
 * i muft, however, do M. Auhert juftlce ; he has had 
 "the command of the fort at the AUilamons to my prejudice, 
 but I muft praife the regard he has had for me, in offering 
 to divide the authority, and to live upon the footing of a 
 
 friend with me.
 
 LOUISIANA- 271 
 
 P. S. I have forgot to mention to you avifit 
 which the emperor of the Kawytas has paid us 
 fome time after M. de Montberaufs departure. 
 As we had advice of it by a courier, I went to 
 meet his Indian majefly in order to receive him 
 at fome diftance from the fort. I had polled 
 fome foldiers, who fired their muflcets by way- 
 of fignal to the gunners to fire the cannon ac 
 the moment, when the prince ihould put his hand 
 in mine * : he was mounted on a Spanifh horfe, 
 with an Englifh faddle, and with a houfing of a 
 tyger*s fkin-f-. 
 
 This emperor marched gravely at the head of 
 his attendants ; I could hardly keep from latigh- 
 ing, on feeing tall well made naked men^ 
 painted with all kinds of colours, follow each 
 other in a file, according to their rank, like fo 
 many Capuchin friars. 
 
 The Indian prince appeared enraptured with 
 the honours that were fhewn him j he had 
 
 never 
 
 * The Indians are without compliments and ceremonies, 
 they laugh at our bows, or method of faluting with the 
 body bent, and the foot advanced forwards or retreated 
 backwards. 
 
 f American leopard.
 
 272- TRAVELS throuch ^ 
 
 never feen cannons, and called them great 
 mulkets. 
 
 He wore on his head a creft of black plumes i 
 his coat was fcarlet, with Englijh cuffs on it, 
 and befet with tinfel lace ; he had neither waift- 
 coat nor breeches, but only an apron made of a 
 bit . of fcarlet cloth, which was taken up be- 
 tween the thighs and faftened to his girdle. Un- 
 der his coat he had a white linen fliirt; his feet 
 were covered with a kind of bufkins, of tanhed 
 roe-deer fkins, which were died yellow, . As he 
 was a young man, of eighteen or nineteen years 
 old, his nation had appointed a noble and wife 
 old man as a regent -, he held a fpeech in his fo- 
 vereign's name, and he prefented the calumet of 
 peace to M. Aubert^ who told him after the firft 
 compliments were over, tliat he fhould go to reft, 
 it being the cuftom among the Indians, not to 
 fpeak of political affairs till the next day, in or- 
 der to have time to make retleftions. 
 
 The Sieur Lauher.e, the king's interpreter, 
 traaflated the difcourfe of the regent, who like- 
 wife afted as the emperor's chancellor, ;- he did 
 not fail to call to mind the great fervices which 
 his late father had done to the French, and that 
 
 the 

 
 L O tJ 1 S' t A N-A in- 
 
 the fon had always been willing to come to fee 
 them, in order to renew the friendihip, which 
 had never ceafed to exifl between his nation and 
 otirs, and to fmoke the fame calumet with 
 them. 
 
 • It is true, his predeceflbr always was inviola- 
 bly attached to M. de Bienville, and the latter 
 granted that Cacique the title of emperor on 
 that account. 
 
 The governor likewife defired to bring all the 
 tribes oi Allihamons to acknowledge the emperor 
 as their grand chief-, but they refufed it faying, 
 that it was quite fufficient that every village was 
 fubjefted to a chief: in a word, they would 
 change nothino- in their form of govern- 
 ment. 
 
 The emperor, his regent, his chief of war 
 or general, his do6tor or juggler, and his hired 
 fervant appeared at ten o'clock in the morning 
 before our commander, whci-e we all were 
 dreffed in our uniforms in order to compofe a 
 kind of court for him. As to the emperor, his 
 imperial habit was no better this day than 
 that of his attendants, for they all were 
 
 Vol. I. T - drelit^d
 
 2J4- T R A V E L S through: 
 
 dreflcd as Adam was in the terreflrial para-j 
 dife *. -^p^ 
 
 This young prince had a noble fhape, and a 
 handfome appearance; he was fpiighdy and 
 graceful; during his ftay here he has been 
 treated at the king's expence. As he was of 
 my fize, the governor of the fort begged me to ^ 
 give him a blue coat, and a gold laced waift- 
 coat, a hat with plumes, and a Ihirt with laced 
 ruffles. 
 
 . M. Auhert likewife made fome trifling prefcnts . 
 to this American prince, and to the officers of 
 his court, at the king's expence, and fent them 
 home very well latisfied. 
 
 Their country is fituated between Carolina and 
 Eaji Florida^ eaflward of Mohlle ; thefe people 
 have never been conquered by the Spaniards, who 
 are become their declared enemies. The empe- 
 ror always dined at M. Auhert' s, table, with his 
 regent. The others had not the fame honour 
 
 done 
 
 "* The coat U'hich the emperor had on when he arrived at 
 the Allibamons, had been given him by a captain in the 
 king of Great-Britain's army. Kc laid it by on this public 
 diy, tlwOugh political views, iand in order to get one ftcm 
 the Jrcnch.
 
 L O U I S I A N '.M 275 
 
 done them, in order to infpire them with a 
 greater regard for the French officers. I muft 
 tell you, that the fon of that noble Kawytas 
 whom the French had honoured with the pom- 
 pous title of emperor, was very much at a lofs 
 the firfl time he dined with us ; for he had ne- 
 ver made ufe of a fork before ; therefore he 
 looked at us very attentively, in order to imi-. 
 tate our way of eating. His regent had not the 
 fame patience, he took the breall and back bone 
 of a turkey and broke it with his fingers, fay- 
 ing, that the Majter of life had made them be- 
 fore the knives and forks were made. 
 
 Towards the end of the repaft we had a 
 little farce with the hired fervant of the Empe- 
 ror, who flood behind his Indian majefty dur- 
 ing dinner ; this fellow obferving that we eat 
 muflard with our boiled meat, afked M. de Boti- 
 din what it was that we feemed to relifh fo 
 much ; as this ofHcer fpeaks the language of the 
 nation, having lived forty years among them, 
 he anfwered, that the French were by no means 
 covetous of what they pofTefled •, the Indian 
 immediately took a fpoonful of muflard, which 
 being very flrong, forced him to make many 
 ridiculous contortions, which made his mailer 
 burd out laughing ; his fervant was fir from 
 
 T 2 laughing
 
 276 TRAVELS THROUGH ' 
 
 laughing -, for he thought he was poifoned •, M. 
 Auhert ordered a bottle of brandy to be brought 
 and bid him take a good draught, alTuring him 
 that he would be cured immediately. 
 
 The Kawytas are very refer ved towards 
 Grangers in matters of religion ; they never 
 fpeak in public till they have refledted fufRci- 
 ently on what they are going to fay. 
 
 Thefe people annually hold a general alTembly 
 in the principal village of their nation ; there is 
 a great hut for that purpofe, in which every one 
 takes place according to his rank, and has a right 
 to fpeak in his turn *, according to his age, abi- 
 Ikiesj wifdom, and the fervices he has done his 
 country. 
 
 The grand chief of the tribe opens the feflion 
 by a fpeech, which concerns the hiftory or tra- 
 dition of their country •, he tcjls the military ex- 
 ploits of his ancellors, who have diftinguifhed 
 themfelves in defence of their country, exhort- 
 ing his fubjeds to imitate their virtues, in fup- 
 porting the wants and miferies of human life 
 
 v/ith 
 
 * The Indians difapprove of the European habit of fpeak- 
 \n^ all together in an aJlembly.
 
 LOUISIANA. 277 
 
 » . 
 
 with patience, and above all, without complain- 
 ino- ao-ainft the Great Spirit, luho is the Lord of 
 
 DO ■* ' 
 
 * the life of every being here on earth •, and in en- 
 during adverfity with courage, and laftly in fa- 
 crificing every thing to the love of their country 
 and of liberty ; it being a thoufand times more 
 glorious to die as a man, than to live es a vile 
 flave. 
 
 The chief having ceafed fpeaking, the oldeft 
 among the nobles rifes, falutes his fovereign, 
 and harangues with his body naked to his gir- 
 dle ; he is all over in a fweat, on account of 
 the heat which his aflion and declamation throws 
 him into ; his geftures are natural, and his me- 
 taphors explain his mind : he perfuadcs his au- 
 dience into a belief of all that he fays, by his 
 eloquence, and the excellence of his difcourfe. 
 Nothing is more edifying than thefe allemblies ; 
 you hear no prattling, no indecency, no ill- 
 timed applaufe and no immoderate laughter 
 there. The young m.en are very referved and 
 attentive to hear the words of the old men, be- 
 ing perfuaded that it is for their good. 
 
 T c; LET- 
 
 o
 
 278 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 
 LETTER XVll. 
 
 21? the frjne, 
 
 The Author leaves the AUibamons. His Naviga- 
 tion in the River of Tombekbe. How he ef- 
 capes the voracicufnefs of an Alligator. He meets 
 with a Party of revolted Chadtaws, and brings 
 them to their Duty again. He returns to 
 Mobile. 
 
 ■'' -^-\- R, 
 
 Kl^y^l^ N S T E A D of an anfwer to the letter 
 'W ^ H whicli I had wrote to the governor, I 
 ' iit^^is^ received an order at the AUibamons to 
 
 CO to Mobile, and ferve there under the orders 
 
 , ,.. fif M. de Velky the king's lieutenant in that 
 
 vln(^l^ce 5 thus in flead of going to France as I had 
 
 .,iy ,i|old -you, I have got orders to command a con- 
 
 yov qf-provifions apd ammunition to the fort 
 
 Tont" 
 
 -m 
 
 Hi
 
 I^ O U I S I A N A. 279 
 
 T'omkkbi', which is fituated on a river of the fame 
 name, this ftation is about ten legues from the 
 nation of Cha^aivs, I have followed my inftruc- 
 tions with the greateft exaftnefs, and to the en- 
 tire fatisfadion of my fuperiors •, the letters 
 and certificate which 1 can (hew up, are proofs 
 of it. 
 
 I left Mobile on the 20th of Augufl: 1759, 
 with three boats, in which were Ibldiers and 
 Mobile Indians : the latter offer themfelves to 
 help the French in rowing, for fome trifle or 
 other which is given them. 
 
 You embark in the river Mobile, and after go- 
 ing up about fifteen leagues, you come to a place 
 called la Fourche (i. e. the fork) that is the junc- 
 ture of two rivers which fall into the Mobile, 
 viz. the river of Allibamons and the river Tom- 
 bekbe; I entered into the laft on the 27th of Au- 
 guft, in order to go up to the fort •, we were in 
 the fine feafon, and I had chofen a very proper 
 place for a camp on the banks of a river •, ths 
 Indians having had good fuccefs in fifhing there- 
 abouts, made me a prc-fent of a barbel, a fifli 
 of about four feet long, which they commonly 
 dry. The weather being fair, I did not chufe 
 to pitch my tent, but only fat down by myfelf 
 
 T 4 upon
 
 iSo TRAVELS THROUGtfc.1 
 
 upon a kind of plat-focm -covered with green 
 fods, wixich. overlooked the river, thinking that 
 pl^ce^ the ^mofl: convenien| fpr refting :,I fpread 
 the bear's fkin taken in my pretended govern- 
 ment, and wrapped m) felf up in my tent, cover- 
 ing my face with it, becaufe the vapours. at night 
 are dangerous in this feafon j this little nicety 
 was near coiling very dear to me as you 
 Hiall, fee. ' . 
 
 , . J had put my fifhatmy feet, led it.fliould 
 ■ be ftolen i but it happened worfe. I had al- 
 ready flept for a whole hpur very qujetly, for 
 the inhabitants of thefe parts are our allies and 
 JuGtuk^^ when .alir,o^>a;fudden, I found ifp>*felf 
 -^amed^away by .an extraordinary fQrj;ej.:I':a,wotke 
 .immediately, believing fome one was. playing me 
 .a.\t5fi^k^ I affure you I never was more frjght- 
 e{i?d,_.and I believe that a thing of lefs confe- 
 . .<i[ge|\^^ , ; will ..often have the fame tffed; I 
 f.|lif>i]ght the devil \v'^s^ carrying me off. I called 
 -fp^i.heip, and the_>people believed that I was 
 dreaming, or a vifionaryj but how .great was 
 . iivy- ffiF.prife wh^n^J awoke. I taw .-an, alligator 
 r:(^rpcodile) of a^0r^;|,W(fnty'i>etJ9jDg*^ he was 
 . r„ .,!.,-.• -.i^^jgijot' i(r: -come 
 
 . .... . J ■ .. ■ ..11 ! ...i M .ii . t ln mi v k f a j ; f t '':\\__ . < . » ' ' 
 
 ^ I|is fiz,^ frightened jnc, and I was likewife infefted with 
 ;r,£ b; d firiril of muflc \v'hicli chat animal carries Ayifh it,
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 281 
 
 .come out of the river in the calm of night, and 
 voracious as thefe creatures are, being attradled 
 by the barbel which lay at my feet, he greedily 
 ffell upon it, and carrying it to the river he took 
 me along by the corner of the tent in which 'I 
 had wrapt myfelf up. I had time enough left 
 to get out of it, at the border of the precipice, 
 •and fo efcaped with the fright. I only faved the 
 bear's fkin, which I never leave now. This 
 ftory, plain as it is^ may pafs for a prodigy 
 among thofe who love the marvellous. * 
 
 The CGllapiJfas and WancJuis^ two little In- 
 dian natronsi, which live above New Orkaifs, 
 fight with the Grocodiles,"or alligators,' in the wa- 
 ter in :th^;folloiving manner. 
 
 One :takes a piece of jiard wood, or of iron, 
 and Iharpens it at both ends.; he takes hold of it 
 in the middle, and fwims with that one arm ex- 
 tended. The alligator advances with his mouth 
 open, in order to devour the. arm of the Indian, 
 who thrufts in his hand in which he holds the 
 piece of woo.d, and the alligator pierces both 
 his jaws through with .it, can neither open nor 
 ihut his mouth again, and is brought on fhore, 
 .bjr the Indian ; they often take this diverfion ; 
 
 and
 
 282 T K AT E L S THROUGH 
 
 (and the negroes of Guinea or of Senegal do the 
 fame. 
 
 After going up about fixty leagues between 
 forefts and mountains which confine the river, 
 r-we met with fuch low water, that we were 
 obliged to unload all the goods, and hide them 
 in the woods •, I only left the provifions and am- 
 munition in the boat, and gave them all my at- 
 tention. I never was in a more difagreeable fi- 
 tuation ; . we were obliged to draw the boats for 
 upwards of fifteen leagues ; I put myfelf at the 
 . head of the foldiers and Indians, and drew at 
 the cord, in order to fet them an example. 
 -You may judge of my uneafinefs, if you will 
 confider that during this piece of work, it would 
 have been eafy to defeat and to plunder us. I 
 met a party of revolted Cha^aws, going to the 
 . Englilh ; I exhorted tl.em to return •, they 
 -xroiTed the river in a place, called in their lan- 
 rguage Tajkaloujfas^ which fignifies the white 
 mountain * ; their chief, whofe name is Mingo 
 Hc'ivniaSj had the infolence to pretend he could 
 oblige me to give him brandy •, he-eveh was au- 
 dacious enough to lift his hatchet over my head. 
 
 On 
 ' -" ■-'* -•-■■■- « 
 
 * It is a kind of mark or chalk which would be of gre;.t 
 ■\telue ia Europe.
 
 LOUISIANA. 283 
 
 On this occafion, I told him I was a true uja?:, 
 that I feared not death, that I had given up my 
 body *, and was willing to die, being perfuaded 
 that if he killed me and my warriors, who 
 were but tew, the grand chief of the French, 
 beyond the great lake, would revenge mv blood 
 on tlieir nation, by fending as many warriors 
 there, as there are leaves on the trees. 
 
 Thefe men were furprifed at my refolution ; 
 they faid, " That I was a man of valour ; that I 
 " .rnade them recover their wits which they had 
 " loft in forming the detellable defign of leaving 
 *' their father's hand, but that they hoped I 
 *' would forget what was paft, becaufe I was 
 " very good." At the end of this harangue, 
 th^y prefented the calumet of peace to me, 
 which I accepted on condition that I IhouHi 
 fmoke with a new fire out of it, to fignify an 
 eternal oblivion of what had paft, and a reno- 
 vation of the alliance with the Cha^aws^ chil- 
 dren of the grand chief of the French. To 
 convince them that I would forget the paft, I 
 told them that the fire would be produced of 
 itfelf. 
 
 In 
 
 *f That is, devoted myfclf to die for my country.
 
 284 T R A V E L S THROUGH 
 
 in., my kft voyage from France I took with 
 me a little phial of phofphorus ; I put fome-of 
 this pcv/der into the calumet of peace, and 
 clooked up to the iky in pronouncing fome words 
 .addrefled to the Great Spirit ; in the mean time 
 ►the phofphorus being expofcd to the air, fet fire to 
 the tobacco, which furprifed, not only -the In- 
 dians, but even the Frenchmen who werewith 
 me, becaufe they had never feen the experiment 
 tried with this powder. ■ -" 
 
 After this myflerious ceremony, I made thefe 
 r^oplc prefents of fome European trifles, and 
 Igave their chief a bottle of brandy, for it is 
 ecuftomary among the Indians, that when you 
 , treat with them, you muft ^ive fomething to 
 
 confirm your words. Then they all Ihook hands 
 ovoiltt ilie4*--..and went back to their village. 
 rThey told me, they were afhamed ^of <• their 
 •{foolifli conduft, and we feparated, fatisfied with 
 
 each other. 
 
 Some time after this adventure, the rains were 
 10 frequent, that they fwelled the water in the 
 river very much, 
 
 ,,^s I had difpatched an Indian to M. deCha- 
 Jtcrfi governor .of Fort Tomhikhe^ he fent me a 
 
 detachment
 
 LOUISIANA. 2$^ 
 
 detachment commanded by M. de Cabaret, a ve- 
 ry fkilfal officer, who was of great fervice to me 
 ort this occafion, by bringing me refreshments 
 for my foldiers, who had hardly any provifions 
 left. 
 
 Our European coxcombs, who carry mirrors^ i 
 toilets, night-gowns, &c. with them, would be 
 looked upon as women by the Indians, and not 
 as chiefs of the warriors : they would not diftin- 
 guifli themfelves in thofe campaigns, where they 
 muft endure the exceffive heats of the fummer, 
 and the rigours of winter, lie on the bare ground, 
 and expofe themfelves to all the changes of wea- 
 ther, in order not to be furprifed by the Indians. • 
 Mr. Braddock, general of New England in 1755,- 
 made the fatal experfment, when he came to- 
 take Fort du ^ene •, he was maffacred with his 
 whole army at fome diftance from that place, 
 by a fmall number of French, and fome faithful 
 Indians, led by brave Canadian and European 
 officers, who did wonders of bravery in this 
 aflion. 
 
 At lad I happily arrived at Fort Tomhekhe on 
 the 25th of September, after going a hundred 
 leagues by water, without feeing a fingle habita- 
 tion. Every night we are obliged to camp in the 
 
 woods
 
 286 TRAVELS through. 
 
 woods upon the banks of the river •, but the 
 greateft inconvenience are the Mujkitoes or Ma- 
 ringoins, a kind of gnats which are infupportable 
 in Louifiana. In order to be free from them, we 
 put great reeds into the ground, and bent them 
 over like arches ; we then covered them with a 
 linen cloth, and laid down a bear's (kin as a 
 matrafs. AJl the voyages made by people of 
 the colony are done in the fame manner by wa- 
 ter. 
 
 After going on fliore to camp, the commandr^, 
 ing officer fhould always take care to appoint a 
 guard, and to place fentincls in the woods to 
 prevent furprifes. The officer ought always to 
 be very careful in chufing an advantageous fitu- 
 ation for his camp, fuch as an ifle or a cape. 
 
 If the Sieur £) * * * had taken thefe precau-r 
 tions, when he was fent to the Illinois by M. de 
 Bienville^ in 1735, with a boat laden with gun- 
 powder, in order to carry on the war with the 
 Chickja-v^s^ he would not have been furprifed, as 
 he was, by a party of warriors of that nation. 
 It may be alTerted, that the negled of that offi- 
 cer has been no lefs fatal to us, than the mean- 
 nefs, ignorance, and avidity of the governor of 
 the fort of the Nctchcs j this boat laden with 
 
 powder,
 
 LOUISIANA. 2S7 
 
 powder, being taken by the Chickfaws^ ferved 
 them to carry on the war againft us for above 
 thirty years, and caufed the death of many 
 brave men, and the lofs of many millions of 
 money to the king. 
 
 The following is, in a few words, the man- 
 ner in which M. D * * * was fiirprifed and ta- 
 ken prifoner. One day when it blew a north 
 wind, he was obliged to bring his boat to the 
 fhore, and fo encamped thereon, in order to 
 wait for better winds. He went out hunting, 
 and his foldiers did the fame in imitation of 
 their chief •, but the Chickfaws, who had follow- 
 ed and watched them for a long while, took the 
 boat with the gun-powder, and made all the 
 foldiers in it prifoners. When M. D •■ * '■- re- 
 turned from hunting, he was inverted and taken 
 as his foldiers had been •, but the Indians, con- 
 tented with their capture, and having lod none 
 of their people, granted them their lives ; M. 
 T> * * * had the good luck to efcape, and re- 
 turned to New Orleans. 
 
 When one is on a journey, he Ihould always' 
 hftve an Indian fcout to go before him, both for 
 the fake of reconnoitring the enemy or prevent- 
 ing furprifes, and likwife for finding out game. 
 
 It
 
 288 TRAVELS titrough 
 
 It happened to me as I was going up the river 
 of I'ombekbe, that I was in want of provifions, 
 bat Providence fupplied it vifibly. The \h^' 
 dians, who are like ferrets in the woods, came^' 
 to give me advice that they had made a good ' 
 difcovery ; they found the neft of a great eagle, 
 called the royal eagle * ; as the tree on which this 
 
 neft 
 
 * The eagle here called the royal, is called in Englilh t\ip ■ 
 Golden Eagle, Penn. Br. ZooL p. 6l. tab. A. and inSvo voLi. 
 p. izr. Faico chryfaetos, Linn, and Le grand aigle royal. 
 Planches enlnminses, tab. 410. Mt. Pennant relates, from 
 Smith's hiftory of Kerry, ** That a poor man in that county 
 •' got a comfortable fubfiftence for his family, during a fum- 
 *' mer cf famine, out of an eagle's neft, by robbing the ea- 
 *' o\eis of the food the old ones brought." This in fame 
 meafure confirms our author's account. M. Sufin, in his ' 
 Hi/}, naturelle des cifeaux, i2mo. edit. vol. i. p. 117. at-* 
 tacks M. Salerne, for having related the account he go: frona.'. 
 a friend, tvho found three firong eaglets of this kind in a irefi, ; 
 f.xed bel't'jcetf tnvo rocks. M. de Buffon, though a great nata- 
 ral hiftorian, is frequently fubjefl to have his peculiar opi=^ 
 nions, v/hich he defends againft all fafts proving the con- 
 trary : and, by his eloquence, he explains away the ftrong- 
 eft arguments ; and invalidates even fa£ls, in fo much, that 
 their ilrengtli in proving againft hira dwindles quite away. 
 OUr author had no peculiar opinion to favour ; he muft have 
 kriown the bird, which is not uncommon in France, and 
 may be feen in the menageries of the King and the nobility, 
 and ih various cabinets; and therefore I think our author's 
 
 • 1 account
 
 LOUISIANA. 289 
 
 neft was placed, was a very tall one, they came 
 for hatchets to cut it down ; they were indeed 
 well paid for their trouble^ for they found a 
 g;reat quantity of game of all kinds in the neilj 
 fuch as fawns, rabbets, wild turkies, grous, 
 partridges, and wood-pigeons, there were four 
 eaglets in it, already pretty ftrong ; thefe the In- 
 dians took for themfelves, to the great forrow 
 of their parents, who would have picked out 
 their eyes, if the Indians had not been ahned 
 with mulkets -, the poor birds wefe quite furious; 
 and the eagle is very juftly called the king of 
 the birds on account of his intrepidity -, but the 
 balls did not Ipare their feathered majefties, who 
 Vol, I. U fell 
 
 accourtt a ftrong proof agaiilft M. Sujhn^s opinion, that the 
 golden eagle has no more than two eaglets, feldom three, 
 never four. This will be a warning to all naturaliris, not 
 too much to rely upon the afiertions of tliat French natural 
 hiftorian, who, with all his abilities, indulges too much 
 his opinions, in fpite of fads that are againft him. I 
 know and acknowledge the merit of this able zoologiit, but 
 as his fine language, the f.ne prints, the vanity of the 
 French nation, atid the prefent fafhionable taile, lu.ve- pro- 
 cured him a high reputation, it is no more than natural that 
 his authority fhould be decifive with many, who like rather 
 light fummer-reading, than the heav^nefs of a criticiil difcuf- 
 fion in natural hiilory. I therefore thought, that fuch a 
 hint might be ferviceable to thofe whom M. de BuJ'ck woiid 
 carry a-ftray by his florid fryle. F.
 
 290 TRAVELS THROuGif' 
 
 -fell the viftims of parental love. The Indians 
 told me, that the great Spirit fent us thefe pro- 
 vifions ; indeed it was to be looked upon as 3 
 manna fent by Providence, which favoured us 
 in thefe defarts. 
 
 I have received news here from New OrUcais, 
 ■from whence my friends write, that every thing 
 is in great confufion there, on account of an 
 Englifii lliip which is arrived from Jamaica as a 
 fmuggling veffel, commonly called there an iuy 
 ierkper. 
 
 This Ihip is called the Texel, commanded by 
 Captain Dias-Jrias, a Jew, born an Englifh 
 . fubjed. The Ordonnaieur having found, that it 
 ought to be confifcated according to the orders 
 of the marine, has feized it for the King's ac- 
 count •, M. de BeUe?Jle, who is fort major^ and 
 the governor's locum tene?is^ has been requefted to 
 aflift with the military for that purpofe ; but M. 
 de Kerlerec returning from Mobile^ has lufpended 
 M. de Belleijle in the performance of his func- 
 tions •, that governor afterwards has had M. de 
 Rochcmore^s fecrecary taken up at three o'clock 
 in the morning, by a detachment of foldiers, 
 who, after breaking the doors and windows, 
 dragged him out of bed, and put him on board 
 
 a vef-
 
 J^. O U I S i A N A. 291 
 
 a veflel, the deftination of which remains un- 
 known : upon this M. de Rochemore has fcnt to 
 the minifter, Monfieur de Fohtemlle, counfellQj* 
 in the fuperior council. 
 
 When I fhall be better informed of all that 
 has happened there, I fhall impart it to you j I 
 write to the governor to grant me rny recall to 
 New Orleans, 
 
 I am, S I R, &c. 
 
 At Tomhekbe^ the i^th bf 
 September i"]^^. 
 
 U 2 LET-
 
 £9^ TRAVELS through 
 
 r"^ MM f^ MM F^ MM f^ MM 
 k.M MM k.j»l MM h.ji MM kj«( MM 
 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 
 'To the Same, 
 
 Defcripticn of the Country of the Chaftaws. Their 
 IVars \ their Way of heating their Sick ; their 
 Superjlitton ; their Commerce -, their Plays of 
 Exercife. Country of the Tchicachas or Chick- 
 faws, our Enemies. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 FMM"^ Thought of fetting out from hence in 
 M I M two days, but the defire of knowing 
 k-MMjN^ the moft warlike and moil numerous 
 nation of Louiftana made me change my mind -, I 
 employ my leifure hours to defcribe what I have 
 feen and heard of them. The ChaBaws are en- 
 tirely the friends of the French ; they have given 
 proofs of it under the government of M. Perriery 
 when they were made ufe of to punifh the Nat- 
 
 ches
 
 LOUISIANA. 293 
 
 ches who mafTacred the French that were fettled 
 among them. The court likewile annually 
 makes them prefents to keep them in our intereft. 
 This nation can brine four thoufand warriors in- 
 to the field, who would march with pleafur^. It 
 would be very eafy, if it was managed as care- 
 fully as it ought to be, to make them fing their 
 fongs of war, and ftir them up to revenge us 
 againft the Engli/h, who are committing hoftili- 
 ties in our poireffions in Canada ; thefe people 
 might on occafion lerve us to great advantage, 
 if they made incurfions into the Britifh colonies, 
 cfpecially the provinces of Georgia and Carolina^ 
 which are quite empty, all their troops and the 
 national militia having been fent to the fiege of 
 ^ehec. Many brave officers of this colony, 
 who fpeak the language of the Indians, fuch as 
 M. de Rouville, du 1'ijfenet, and others, are eager 
 to head fome parties of this nation, who could 
 deftroy the crops of our enemies, would pillage 
 and burn their habitations, and give the alarm 
 even to the walls of Charles-town^ which might 
 make a diverfion in favour of Canada. 
 
 The ChaBaws love war, and are acquainted 
 with flratagems. They never fight in order, or 
 {land their ground, they only harrafs and teaze 
 their enemies much, without being cowards -, 
 
 U 3 for
 
 r94 TRAVELS xHkotjGH 
 
 for when they come to clofe engagement, they 
 fight very coolly. 5ome of their women are lb 
 fond of their hufbands as to go into the warS 
 with them. They ftand by their fides in the 
 battle, with a quiver full of arrows, and encou- 
 rage them, continually by telling them, th€y 
 ought not to feat their enemies, but die as true 
 
 i3 
 
 pien. 
 
 The ChoSia'-Jos are very fuperflitious ; when 
 they go to war they confqlt their Manitou^ who 
 is carried by the chief. They always expofe him 
 to that fide where they are to go towards the ene- 
 my, and place fome warriors as fentinels round 
 him. They have fuch a veneration for him, that 
 they do not elt till the chief has given him nrft 
 his Ihare. 
 
 Durinr-^ the c"on:inuance of the v/ar, they obey 
 their chief very exaclly i but as loon as they re- 
 turn, they only confider him according to the 
 liberality with which he difpofes of his pro^ 
 perty. 
 
 It is a cuftom among them, that when the, 
 chief of a party of warriors has got booty from 
 the enemy, he muft diilribute it to the warriors^ 
 apd to the relations of thofe who have h^tn kill- 
 ed
 
 LOUISIANA. 295 
 
 cd in battle, in order, as they fay, to dry up their 
 tears. The chief keeps nothing for himfelf, ex- 
 cept the honour of being the fupport of the na- 
 tion. 
 
 Interefl, which is the canfc of fo many crimes 
 in the old world, is unknown in the new world \ 
 it is not without reafon that* the Cuba Indians 
 faid. Gold is the true God of the Spaniards, and 
 we mull give it them in order to have peace. In 
 America we do not fee any of thofe men, whom 
 \stc?i\\favages^ kill their brothers in cool blood, 
 or make ufe of falfe witneffes to undo them, in 
 order to get their ellates. Thofe intrigues are 
 unknown there, which are made ufe of to ac- 
 quire riches, by means unworthy of a human 
 being. No wife poifons her hufband there, as 
 is done in Europe, in order to marry again. 
 There are no women lafcivious or audacious 
 enough publicly to declare the impotence of 
 their hufbands, as the European v/omen do; 
 nor does any Cacique's wife get her hufband 
 ftrangled, as that Neapolitan princefs did with 
 her's, becaufe he would not fatisfy her brutal 
 pafiion •, no girls there deftroy their own ofF- 
 fpring, in order to appear chafte in the eyes of 
 men. The Indian women abhor the Chriitian 
 girls who fall into that cafe; they oppofe the 
 
 y 4 fierce fc
 
 2g6 TRAVELS through J 
 
 fierceil wild beafts to t-hem, becaufe they take 
 great care of their young. , ycr. 
 
 -3 Jf the chief of a party of Cha^azvs. does not 
 fucceed in the war which he has undertaken, he 
 lofes all his credit •, nobody has any truft in his 
 command, and he is obliged to come down to 
 the rank of a mere warrior. However, admire 
 the variety of opinions among the different na- 
 tions. It is no Ihame, if, among thefe warlike 
 people, a man turns his back upon the enemy. 
 This defertion is attributed to a bad dream ; if 
 the chief of a great party, having dreamt that 
 he will lofe fome men, tells his warriors that he 
 has had a bad dream, they return immediately 
 to their village ; as foon as they arrive there, 
 they have recourfe to phyfic, i. e. to juggler's 
 tricks, which they employ on all occafions ; 
 then they march towards the enemy ^ and if they 
 meet him, they kill five or fix of his men, and 
 come home as content as if they had fubdued a 
 f r^at emipi.'-e. 
 
 -A general who fliould gain a vi(flory with the 
 lofs of many of his men, would be ill received 
 by them ;, becaufe they dp not value a yi6l-ory 
 when it is bought with the blood cf their friends 
 and relations: their chiefs are always careful ip 
 
 prefer '.'t
 
 L ' O U- £ S I A N A. 297 
 
 preferve their warriors, and never attack the ene- 
 my unlefs they are iure of an eafy .-victory, either 
 on account of their numbers, or their advantage- 
 ous fituation ; but as'their adverfaries" are like- 
 wife cunning, and evade all the fnares that are 
 laid for them, it depends then upon fuperior 
 finefle •, therefore they hide themfelves in the 
 woods in day-time, and only walk at night ; if 
 they are not difcovered, they attack by break 
 of day. As they are generally in a woody coun- 
 try, he that goes firft fometimes carries a very 
 thick bufli before him, and as they all follow 
 each other in a file, the lafb hides the marks of 
 their feet, by putting the leaves on the ground 
 on which they went in order again, fo as to 
 leave no veftiges that might betray them. 
 
 The chief things by which they difcover their 
 enemies are the fmoke of their fiies, which 
 they can fmcU to a very great diilancc, and their 
 tracks or footilcps, which they can diftinguifh 
 in an incredible manner. One day an Indian 
 (hewed me, in a place where I had feen nothing, 
 the footfteps of fome Fj-enchmen^ Indians^ and 
 Negroes y and the time when they had gone that 
 way J 1 own that this knowledge is amazing : it 
 jnay well be faid, that when the Indians apply 
 to any fingle thing, they excel in it. ' 
 
 Their
 
 2^5 TRAVELS through 
 
 Tlieir art of war confifts, as you fee, in vigi- 
 lance, attention to prevent furprife, and to at- 
 tack the enemy unprepared, in patience and 
 ftrength to fupport hunger, thirft, (he rigours 
 of the weather, and the labours and fatigues in- 
 feparable from war. 
 
 He that has done a fine a(5lion carries the 
 fcaip of liis dead enemy as a trophy, and gets 
 the mark of it miade on his body, then he 
 mourns for him, and during that time, which 
 iafts a month, he m.ufi: not comb himfelf i and 
 when his head itches, he is only allowed to fcratcb 
 k- with a little rod, which he ties to his wrifi; for 
 that purpofc. 
 
 The Chattaivs and their wives are very unr 
 cleanly, living chiefly in places at a dillance from 
 rivers. They have no kind of religious fervice, 
 they live without troubling their heads with fu- 
 turity, and however believe that they have aq 
 immortal foul. They have a great veneration 
 for their dead, whom they do not bury. When a 
 Cha^ai: dies, his corpfe is expofed upon a bier, 
 fnade on purpofe, of cyprefs bark, and placed 
 pn four polls fifteen feet high. When the 
 worms have confumed all the tlefh, the whole 
 family alTembles ; fome one difmembers the flce- 
 
 leton.
 
 LOUISIANA. 299 
 
 Icton, and plucks off all the mufcles, nerves 
 and tendons that ftill remain •, they bury them 
 and depofit the bones in a chcft, after colouring 
 the head with vermillion. Tiie relations weep 
 during this ceremony, which is followed by a 
 feaft, with which thofe friends are treated who 
 come to pay their compliments of condolence ; 
 after that, the remains of their late relation are 
 brought to the common burying ground, and 
 put in the place where his anceftor's bones were 
 depofited. During the performance of thefe 
 fad ceremonies, a deep Hlence is obferved, they 
 neither fmg nor dance, and every one goes 
 home weepmg. 
 
 In the jBrft days of November they celebrate 
 a great feaft, which they call the feaft of the 
 dead, or of the fouls ; all the families then go 
 to the burying-ground, and with tears in their 
 eyes vifit the cheils which contain the relics of 
 relations, and when they return, they give a 
 sreat treat, which finillies the feaft. 
 
 ■ It may be faid in praife of thefe Americans, 
 that the friend fliip fubfifting among the relations, 
 a thing uncommon in Europe^ is worthy of imi- 
 tation. I have mentioned fome inftances of it 
 which exceed thofe of antiquity. The mutual 
 
 love
 
 300 TRAVELS through 
 
 love of the Indians towards each other, inclines 
 them to aflift each other when they are infirm. 
 This fincere love particularly fhews itfelf in the 
 laft duties which they pay to their friends and re- 
 lations by their tears and grief, even then, when 
 ihey exift no more. 
 
 The Indians in general have a great vene- 
 ration for their doftors or jugglers, who are 
 real quacks, that impofe upon the people, and 
 live handfomely at their expence. They have a 
 great authority among the Indians^ and the latter 
 go to them upon every occafion for their ad- 
 vice i they confult them as oracles. When a 
 Cha£faw is Tick, he sives all he has in order to 
 be cured by them •, but if the patient dies, his 
 relations attribute his death to the phyfic, and 
 not to his indifpofition •, and can confequently kill 
 the doclor if they have a mind to do it * ; how- 
 ever, this cafe fcarce ever happens, as they ge- 
 jierally have an excufe at hand. Thefe doftors 
 are, however, acquainted with feveral excellent 
 plants for curing the difeafes common in their 
 
 country ; 
 
 h>TU, 
 
 * There arc, likewife, people in France, who lay the 
 death of their relations to the charge of the phyfician, and 
 refcmble .the Indians very much in fiicir thoughts on tins
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 3<^J 
 
 country •, they know a certain remedy for the 
 bite of rattle fnakes, and other poifljnoi2s 
 animals. T 
 
 When the Indians are wounded with a bullet 
 or an arrow, the doctors or jugglers begin with 
 fucking the wound of the patient, and fpitting 
 •out the blood : they never employ lint, or tents, 
 in their chirugical operations -, but they have 
 the powder of a root, which they blow into the 
 wound, to accelerate its fuppuration, and they 
 make ufe of another which dries and heals it^ 
 they preferve wounds from mortilication, by 
 bathing them with a decoflion of fome roots, 
 which they know *. 
 
 When they are tired and exceflively fatigued, 
 after returning from a war, or from a hunt, 
 they ufe fweating in ftoves -f, as a rellorative. 
 
 In 
 
 * M. dt Bojfu would have very much obliged all the 
 world, by making ufe of his influence over the Indians, 
 which he repeatedly mentions, in order to get from them the 
 knowledge of fuch plants as they employ in their feveral dif- 
 eafes and aliments : this would have been really ufeful, ajid 
 
 a proof of his humanity and curious inquiries. F. 
 
 »&' 
 
 f Thefe ftoves are round huts, built like ovens in the 
 
 middle
 
 302 TRAVELS through 
 
 In thefe baths they boil all fores of medicinal 
 and odoriferous herbs, whofe effences and falts 
 rifing with the fteam of the water, enter into 
 the body of the affiic5led perf in, and reftores his 
 loft forces. This remedy is equally good for 
 abating and deftroying all kinds of pains ; of 
 courfe you fee no Indian affected with the gout, 
 the gravel, and other diftempers which we are 
 fubjedl: to in Europe •, but this may likewife be 
 attributed to their frequent bodily exercifes. 
 You fee no great Dutch bellies there, nor any 
 great tumours under die chin, fuch as the Pied- 
 montefe wens. , 
 
 The Chaftaws put a firm belief in enchanters 
 and magicians, and when they meet with one 
 fuch pretended fojcercr, they cut off his head 
 * without any ceremony. 
 
 I faw an Indian of the nation of ChaHaws^ 
 ■who had lately been baptized : as he had no 
 
 luck 
 
 middle of the villages j they are kept ia order by an Alexi, 
 or public doctor. 
 
 * In 1752, when I waiat Mobile, I faw an Indian whon* 
 the others killed with a hatchet, becaufe he pretended to be 
 8 forccrer. The other Indians attributed to him ell the 
 misfortunes that happen to their nation.
 
 LOUISIANA. 303 
 
 luck in hunting like his companions, he ima- 
 gined he was bewitched ; he went immediately 
 £0 Father Lefevre the Jefuit * who had converted 
 him, and told him that his medk'me or trick v/as 
 good for nothing, becaufe fmce he had pradlifed 
 it upon him, he could kill no llags or roe-deer; 
 he therefore defired he would take off his en- 
 chantment again. The Jefuit, in order to avoid 
 the refentment of this Indian, did as if he anni- 
 hilated the baptifmal ceremony. Some time af- 
 ter, this Indian killed a roe-deer, either by ac- 
 cident, or by his own fkill, and thus thought 
 himfelf freed from the enchantment, and was 
 content. 
 
 The mind of this nation in general, is very 
 rough and unpoHlhed. Though one tells them 
 ever fo much of the myfteries of our religion, 
 they always anfvver, that what we fay is above 
 their underftanding. They have, befides, very bad 
 morals, moll of them being addicted to fodomy. 
 Thofe defiled men, wear long hair, and a little 
 petticoat like the women, who defpife them very 
 much. 
 
 The 
 
 * The Indians call the Jefuits the men with the black 
 robe ; they fay that they are not like other men, and cali 
 them women, in derifion, *"
 
 304 T R A V ELS THROUGH 
 
 The Chaciaivs are very adlive and merry i 
 they have a piay at ball, at which they are very 
 expert ; they invke the inhabitants of the neigh- 
 bouring villages to it, exciting them by many 
 fmart fayings. The men and women aflemble 
 in their belt ornaments, they pafs the whole day 
 in finging and dancing ; they even dance 
 all the night to the found of the drum and 
 chichikois. 
 
 The inhabitants of each village are diftin- 
 guifned by a feparate fire, which they light in 
 the middle of a great meadow. The next day 
 is that appointed for the match -, they agree upon 
 a mark or aim about fixty yards oif, and diftin- 
 o-uifhed by two great poles, between which, the 
 ball is to pafs. They generally count fixteen 
 till the game is up. They are forty on each 
 fide, and every one has a battledoor in his hand, 
 about two feet and a half long, made very 
 nearly in the form of ours, of walnut or chef- 
 nut wood, and covered with roe-flcins. 
 
 An old man fiands in the middle of the place 
 appropriated to the play, and throv/s up into the 
 air a ball of roe-fkins, rolled about each other. 
 The players then run, and endeavour to (Irike 
 the ball with their battledoors j it is a plcaiure to 
 
 fee
 
 LOUISIANA. 305 
 
 fee them run naked, painted with various co- 
 lours, having a tyger's tail faftened behind, and 
 feathers on their heads and arms, which move 
 ias they run, and have a very odd efFedl : they 
 puOi and throw each other down ; he that has 
 been expert enough to get the ball, fends it to 
 his party ; thole of the oppofite party run at 
 him who has feized the ball, and fend it back to 
 their fide ; and thus they dilpute it to each 
 other reciprocally, with fuch an ardour, that 
 they fometimcs didocate their llioulders by it. 
 The players are never difpleafed ; fome old men, 
 who afiift at the play, become mediators, and 
 determine, that the play is only intended as a 
 recreation, and not as an opportunity of quar- 
 relling. The wagers are confiderable j the wo- 
 men bet among themfelves. 
 
 When the players have given over, the wo- 
 men affcmble among themfelves to revenge their 
 hufbands who have loft the game. The battle- 
 door they make ufe of, differs from that of the 
 men, in being bent ; they all are very aftive, 
 and run againft each other with extreme f'A'ift- 
 nefs, pufhing each other like the men, they iiav- 
 ing the fame drcfs, except on thofe parts which 
 modefty teaches them to cover. They only put 
 
 Vol. I. X rouge
 
 3o6 TRAVELS through 
 
 rouge on their cheeks, and Vermillion, inflead 
 of powder, in their hair. 
 
 After playing well on both fides all the day 
 long, every one retires with his glory or fhame, 
 but without rancour, promifing to play again 
 another time as well as they can : thus the In- 
 dians both men and women, exercife themfelves 
 in running ; they are likewife very fwift, for I 
 have feen fome run as fall as (lags. 
 
 The children exercife themfelves in fhooting 
 with a bow and arrows for prizes ; he thatflioots 
 beft, gets the prize of praife from an old man, 
 who calls him an apprentice warrior ; thus they 
 are formed by emulation, without corporal pu- 
 nifhment ; they are very expert in fhooting with 
 an inftrument made of reeds about {even feet 
 long, into which they put a little arrow, fea- 
 thered with the wool of a thiftle, and in aim- 
 ing at an objeft, they blow into the tube, and 
 often hit the aim, and frequently kill little birds 
 with it. 
 
 Almoft all the affemblies of the Chaola'xs are 
 held in night-time. Though they are barbarous 
 and ferocious, it is necelTary, in order to gain 
 their confidence, to take great care to keep your 
 
 promlles
 
 Louisiana. 307 
 
 promiftiS to them, without which, they treat you 
 with the grcateft contempt, proudly telling you- 
 that you are a liar, an epithet which the Imiians 
 have given to the prelent governor, whom 
 they call Oulabe Mingo, i. c. the lying 
 ehief^ 
 
 When the women are with child, their huf- 
 bands abftain from fait, and from pork, for fear 
 thofe aliments mio;ht do harm to their children. 
 The women never lie-in in their huts -, they go 
 into the woods to be delivered, without receiv- 
 ing any affiftance. 
 
 As foon as they are delivered, they wafh their 
 infants. The mothers apply a mafs of earth 
 to the foreheads of their children, to make 
 them have flat heads, and as they get more 
 ftrength they increafe the bulk, it being a beauty 
 among thefe people to have a flat head. They 
 never fwaddle their children. 
 
 They never wean their children till they are 
 difgulted with their mother's milk. 1 have feen 
 fome children grown up fo as to be able to tell 
 the mother, fet dozvn, that I may fuckle, and the 
 mother immediately fat down. Tiieir cradle is 
 made of reeds, they put their children into it fo 
 
 X 2 that
 
 ^o8 TRAVELS through 
 
 that their head lies three or four inches lower 
 than the reft of the body, therefore you never 
 fee any contra6ted or hump-backed people 
 amongft them. The women leave the huts in 
 their catamenia, which the Indians call marks 
 of valour. During that time, they are obliged 
 to prepare their own meat and drink, and they 
 do not return among men, till they are tho- 
 roughly purified. The Indians believe, that if 
 they come near a woman in that ftate, they 
 would fall fick, and that if they went to war af- 
 ter it, they would have bad luck. 
 
 Though the Indians only value themfelves 
 upon their origin from the fide of the women, 
 yet the latter are not allowed to corre<5t the 
 boys •, they have only an authority over their 
 daughters. If a mother fhould ftrike her fon, 
 flie would be reprimanded and ftruck again v but 
 if the boy difobeys her, Ihe muft bring him 
 to an old man, who inflids a punifhmenc 
 on him, and then throws fome frefli water over 
 his body. 
 
 If a woman commits an infidelity, (lie niult 
 pafs through the meadow^ i. e. all the young men, 
 and fometinaes even the old ones, fatisfy their 
 brutality on her, by turns. Such is the punifh- 
 menc
 
 LOUISIANA. 309 
 
 ment of adultery among the ChoMaws. Some- 
 times the guilty woman, has the good luck, 
 after this infamy, to find a mean fellow, who , 
 takes her as his wife, under the pretence that 
 fhe muft be difguitcd with a criminal conduct, 
 that has drawn I'uch a punifhment on her, and 
 that (he will conlequently behave better for the 
 future. Be this as it will, fhc is always 
 looked upon as a depravtid and immoral wo- 
 man. 
 
 Before I finiih my letter I muft fay a word of 
 the Tchicachas^ or Ckickfaws. This nation is not 
 fo numerous as the Cha£iaws^ but more terrible, 
 on account of their intrepidity. All the 
 northern and fouthern India)! nations, and even 
 the French^ have attacked them, without ever 
 being able to drive them out of their country, 
 which is the fineft and moft fruitful on the con- 
 tinent. The Chickfaws are tall, well made, and 
 of an unparalleled courage. In 1752 and 
 1753, they attacked MelT. Benoiji and de Reggio, 
 who commanded the convoys from the Illinois 
 ftation, defcending the river Mijfifippi \ thefe 
 Indians always choofe fome advantageous fitua- 
 tion, to make an attack in, their moft common 
 poft is at the rocks of Prudhomme^ the river be- 
 
 X 3 ing
 
 310 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 fing narrow there, they can annoy the boats, 
 wJiich have no decks. 
 
 It. is believed that the Chickfaivs killed MefT. 
 Boujfelct and de la Morliere j thefe two officers, 
 though they were very brave, feil into an am- 
 bufcade for want of experience, not knowing 
 the topography of the country they were in any 
 more than general Braddock. An officer ought, 
 therefore, always to apply to that, in order to 
 avoid furprif-3, or elfe he fiiould always be on 
 the defenfive and prepared. 
 
 The Englijli have always been in alliance with 
 thefe valiant warriors ; they have always traded 
 v/ith them, and fupplied all their wants. 
 
 The Indians of this nation ride well on horfe- 
 bask : they leave the care of cultivating and.fow 
 jng their grounds to their women, who are hand- 
 
 fome and cleanly. When a Chickfaiv has killed a 
 roe-deer, he tells his wife whereabouts it lies j 
 ^at goes to fetch it, dreffes it, and ferves it up 
 to her huiband : the women never eat with the 
 men, who feem very indifferent about them, but 
 really love them better than any other nation. 
 
 The
 
 LOUISIANA. 311 
 
 The tchicacJias, or Chickfaws^ only punilh 
 adultery with whipping the two offenders who 
 have been caught in the fa6l, making them run 
 naked through the village ; after which the huf- 
 band repudiates his wife. 
 
 As thefe Indians gave fhelter to the Natches^ 
 after the maflacre of the French^ the latter armed 
 in 1736 againlt, and attacked them, with 
 the united forces of the whole colony, but with- 
 out fuccefs. 
 
 M. d' Artaguette major and governor for the 
 king, in the country of the J//m^/j, came to join 
 M. de Bienville the governor of Loiilfiana ; he 
 brought him the troops of the Illinois^ and from 
 the frontiers of Canada^ but the army which 
 that officer commanded, was furprifed and de- 
 feated, becaufe he had been abandoned by the 
 Indians^ who were our allies. M. d' Artaguette 
 was taken, with feven officers, and about twenty- 
 fix foldiers and inhabitants, by the Chickfaws, 
 who burnt them alive-, among them was the 
 Father Senat a Jefuit, who went with M. d'Ar- 
 taguette in the quality of chaplain. The detail 
 of this tragic feene has been related by a ferjeant, 
 called Louis Gamot, who was a fpeflator of the 
 fad fate which his companions undersvent -, he 
 
 X 4 -was
 
 312-^ TRAVELS through^I 
 
 referved to be burnt lall, but he efcaped by an 
 odd {tratagem. As he was acquainted with the 
 language of the Indians^ he employed it on this 
 occafion to utter invetlives againll them ; and 
 getting loofe, he threw all he found near him 
 at their heads, faying, you are dogs, becaufe you 
 have burnt my chiefs •, I will be burnt too, I fear 
 neither fire nor death, for 1 am a true man, - 
 make me fuffer much, becaufe I defire it. The 
 Chickfazvs^ feeing his refolution, looked upon 
 him as an extraordinary fellow, and granted 
 him his life j he was afcerwards ranfomed by an 
 Engiijhnan from Carolina^ and is now at Charles- 
 town the capital of that colony. 
 
 In another expedition againft the Tchicachas^ 
 which vvas undertaken on the 26 th of May in the 
 fame year, and commanded by M. de Bienville, 
 we had not any more fuccefs ; many brave offi- 
 cers loll their lives in it, and the major-general 
 of the army, and the adjutant received fuch 
 dangerous wounds, that the laft died of them. 
 I have heard from the Chevalier de Lucer, who 
 is of a Swifs offspring, that his father, who fer- 
 ved as captain in our troops, had been in this-rr 
 unlucky expedition j this officer has likewife 
 told me the flory of the Chevalier de Grondely 
 who now belongs to the garrifon of Mobile^ and 
 
 commands
 
 LhO U I S I A N A. 313 
 
 eommands the Swifs troop of the regiment of ^ 
 Hdivill, belonging to the fervice of the marines; 
 hehad then the command of a detachment of 
 grenadiers of the regiment of Karrer, in M. de 
 Bienville's army againft the Chickfaws. 
 
 - .r 
 
 In order to abridge the account of this affair, ' 
 I fhall only fay, that this officer, joining fidelity 
 and bravery natural to his nation, to the impe- 
 tuofity of youth, received five fliot in his body . 
 during the attack. As he remained on the field 
 of battle after the retreat, he was juft going to 
 become the objeft of the enemy's vengeance and 
 fury, if feveral foldiers of his troop had not ge- 
 neroufly expofed their lives to fave his, not- 
 withflanding the balls and arrows which were 
 fent at them from the fort of the Chickfaws^ 
 killed five of them one after another. 
 
 However, one, without fearing the danger, 
 returned to the field, and happily arrived in his 
 troop carrying his officer on his fhoulders. The 
 chief llirgeon of the army tried all he knew to 
 cure him, and the general, who values military 
 merit, did not fail to give in an account of the 
 officer's behaviour at court ; and M. de Maurc- 
 pas, in confideration of the wounds M. de Gron- 
 delhsid received, granted him an extraordmary 
 
 grati-
 
 $14 TRAVELS through 
 
 gratification, till he could get the crofs of Sl 
 Louis. 
 
 The foldier * who faved him «^ the peril of his 
 life, was immediately made ferjeant at the head 
 of his troop. You fee, Sir, by this, fhort ac- 
 count, hov/ worthy of admiration that well-efta- 
 bliflied fubordination is, among the troops of 
 the Helvetic body, that are fo inviolably attach- 
 ed to the fervice of our King, and how much 
 thofe that keep it in force feel the happy effects 
 of it. 
 
 The aftion of thefe foldiers, v/hich was really 
 an heroic one, well deferves that their names 
 lliould be tranfmitted to pofterity. 
 
 In 1754, the Baron de Psrmuf imparted to 
 rne his intention of going upon a diicovery into 
 the weft of Louif;anay up the Mijpftppi and 
 the river ATifouris^ the fources of v/hich are un- 
 kncv/n to us. This officer, who is a Can^Jian, 
 has the proper qualities for undertaking fuch an 
 expedition j but the war which arofe between 
 France and Ev.glandy on account of the bounda- 
 ries 
 
 ^ His name vvss Regnijfz.
 
 LOUISIANA. 315 
 
 ries of thefe countries, has been an obftacle to 
 the execution of this project. 
 
 I can aflure you, that I fhould have been very- 
 happy to accompany him, both for the honour 
 of my King and for my own fati^fadlion ; for, 
 notwithftanding the fatigues and dangers 1 have 
 undergone in my voyages, I have never been 
 difgufted or tired out of patience. Misfortunes 
 pafs like dreams, and I fee nothing fo happy as 
 the life of a traveller •, he conftantly lees new 
 objedls, v/hich inftruct and amufe him at the 
 fame time. His mind is cultivated in an agree- 
 able manner, he learns to read the great book of 
 the univerfe, which cannot be read in a library, 
 where there are as many fyftems, opinions, and 
 contradi6tions, as authors. If you were in my 
 place, you would have room to make philofo- 
 phical reflections. I am, SIR, ccc. 
 
 At the fort of Tomhekhi, the 
 2fOth of Sepianbsr 1759. 
 
 P. S. As I may perhaps not meet with an op- 
 portunity of writing to you this good while, on 
 account of the v/ar, I fhall add here an abilrad 
 concerning the diitcrences which have arifen be- 
 tween
 
 3i6 TRAVELS through 
 
 I ween us and the ChaElaws. Some time after, 
 the war with the Tchikackas or Chickj'a'-j;Sy the 
 French had fome quarrels with a party of Chaf^ 
 jf^^'j-, who followed the intereft of a prince, of 
 their nation called the Red Shoe, who was infor 
 lent, and committed feveral hoftilities againft the 
 French. M. de VaudrcidU then governor of Lcu- 
 if.ana, having heard of this aclion, and v/hat 
 cave occafion to it, immediately forbid all the 
 Frmch to go to that nation, and commanded 
 them not to fell them any arms or ammunition, 
 in order to flop thefe commotions foon, an.d 
 without bloodflied. 
 
 The IVTarquis de VatidremU after thefe precau- 
 tions, fent to the fovereign of the nation, to in- 
 quire whether he v/as angry with the French, as 
 ^the Red Shoe i the fovereign anfwered, by means 
 'of the interpreter, that he was the friend of the 
 'Trench ; that his general, meaning Prince R€d 
 Shoe] had loft his fenks. 
 
 After this anfwer, he got a prefent, But was 
 
 ^^•ir.uch furprifed to find neither arms nor powder 
 
 ""and fhot in it, at a time when he v.-as our friend 
 
 as before. This proceeding, together with the 
 
 prohibition of felling them arms, which they 
 
 knew had been iffucd cut, redoubled their afto- 
 
 niflimenr. 
 
 o
 
 LOUISIANA. 3^ 
 
 nifliment, and brought them to an explication 
 with the governor, who told them, that our 
 people would not treat with them concerning 
 arms and ammunition, as long as the Red Shc^ 
 had not found his wits again ; becaufe, if they 
 got powder, they could not help, being all bro- 
 thers, to give a fhare of it to the warriors of 
 captain or chief Red Shoe. This anlwer deter- 
 mined them to fpeak to the tribes that infulted 
 us -, they told them, if they did not foon go with 
 the calumet to the French^ they thcmlelves 
 would go to war againft them as rebels. This 
 threat made them afk peace, and offer a repa- 
 ration to the French^ who were not in a condition 
 to fuflain a war ao-ainft fo numerous a nation. 
 
 o 
 
 Thus M. de Vaudreiiil, as a wife politician, 
 plit a Hop to this war, without expenccs to the 
 flate, and without expofing a fingle man -, it was 
 M. de Grand-pre^ a captain of our troops, who 
 was charged with this important negociation-, the 
 Marquis could not pitch upon a fitter perfon. 
 M. de Grand-pre is a Canadian, and ferves the 
 King with zeal, bravery, and difinterefledncfs. 
 "'1 was upon the point of going to fervc under 
 him at Fort Tombekbi among the ChaHaws, 
 when 1 firft arrived here in 1 75 1 . 
 
 L E T- 
 
 v^,
 
 3i8 TRAVELS through 
 
 1' 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 To the fame. 
 
 'pie Author returns to Mobile. Remarkable Events 
 which happened in the Cat's I He. Tragic Death 
 of the Sieur Duwux governor of that ijle, 
 
 S I R, 
 
 ?^!^^^AM now returned from my voyage 
 ^ I ^ up the river of Tomhekbe. I have ful- 
 ^^^)«/^ filled this important and troublefome 
 million, to the fatisfaftion of my fuperiors. In 
 waiting for my rscal to Nruu Orleans^ my curio- 
 frty led me to vifit the little ifles on the coaft of 
 Louiftana. 
 
 The iHe of Maffacre was the firft where the 
 French made any fettlements. It got its name 
 becaufe the French, when they landed there, 
 found a great quantity of human fl-:ektons 
 
 but
 
 LOUISIANA. 3T9 
 
 but could not diftinguifh whether they were of 
 Spaniards or Indians. 
 
 It has fince been called the Dauphin ifle *. It 
 was peopled by degrees -, they built magazines, 
 a fort, and barracks there. 
 
 In 
 
 • * It muft not be confounded with that which is mentioned 
 in the relation of the firll voyage of the Eaft India company 
 to the ille of Madagafcar, which they called too precipitate- 
 ly the Dauphin s iiland. 
 
 The author of this relation, who wrote in 1665, and had 
 done that fame voyage, agrees that the Engli/h and Dittth., 
 who were already eftaolifhed in Indian w.ere the models 
 which M, de Colbert propofed to imitate, and afterwards to 
 furpafs ; but all the projects of that worthy minifter proved 
 abortive, both by the imprudence and vanity peculiar to the 
 nation, and by the mifmanagement of thofe who were at the 
 head of aifairs. 
 
 The fame author adds, that he only found there *' violent 
 ** and unCcilful men, ill chofen ofEccrs, incapable 5f theoc- 
 ** cupation they were intended for; whereas they ought to 
 *' have been men above the coarfer paflions, with no other 
 •' inclinations than for the good of their country, which 
 •* ought to be the rule by which everyone fhould be guided 
 *' who wifhes to acquit himfelf with honour." 
 
 It feems to me, that this ufeful leflbn fhould be graved in- 
 to the hearts of all thofe v^/ho go to .our colonies with fome 
 
 authority. 
 
 I have
 
 320 TRAVELS through 
 
 In 1717J the entrance of the harbour was 
 flopped up by a prodigious quantity of fand, 
 colleclcd together by a hurricane -, the whole ifle 
 was almofl overflowedj and great numbers of 
 cattle were drowned ; it was necefiary to feek 
 another port, and they chofe the ifle Surgere, 
 v^hich has fince been called Ship IJland •, it has a 
 pretty good harbour. In 1722 M. de Bienville 
 tranfported every one from thence to New Or- 
 leans, and that place became the capital of Z.^^/-* 
 Jtana. 
 
 Six leagues from the Ship Iflmid is the Cats 
 Ifle, fo called on account of the number of wild 
 cats which have been found there. This ifle is 
 only remarkable on account of the murders and 
 robberies which have been committed there du- 
 ring the command of two officers, who were fent 
 thither by M. de Kerlerec, governor of Louijiana. 
 
 In 1757, he appointed the Sieur Durouxc\i\ti 
 commander of this ifle, and gave him a detach- 
 ment 
 
 I have chofen this piece of hiftory as an example, which 
 has a particular fimilarity with what is fcen every day in our 
 colonies. There are, however, governors and intendants, 
 that muft not be confounded with thofe who have got for- 
 tunes with rapidity, and in an odious manner, from the pu- 
 blic roiferies, and from the blood of many unhappy people.
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 321 
 
 ment pf troops frora the marines, and from the 
 Swifs regiment of HalwyUn, 
 
 The Sieur Duro'ux was no fooner come thither, 
 than he looked upon himfelf as abfolute-, he 
 immediately allumed the right of having a gar- 
 den made by the Ibldiers of the garrifon i he 
 likewife employed them to make for him lime 
 from Hiells, and charcoal, but he never paid 
 them ; and thofe who refufed to fubmit to thefe 
 vexations, were faftened quite naked to a tree, 
 and expofed to the infupportable attacks of the 
 piaringoins or gnats. This was the punifliment 
 which the officer made the foldiers of his garri- 
 fon undergo •, an unworthy treatment, unexam- 
 pled even among barbarians. 
 
 The Sieur Duroux obliged them to make their 
 bread of the flour faved from the wreck of a 
 Spanilh fhip, v/hich was loft on the coaft i and 
 fold for his own account the King's flour, in-; 
 tended for the ufe of the garrifon. This repeat- 
 ed bad ufage from this commander, determined 
 fome foldiers to go to New Orka^is, in order to 
 complain to the governor, ro whom they fhew- 
 ed fome of the bad bread they were forced to 
 eat ; but Tvl. de Kerlerec paid no regard to their 
 jult remonftrances, and fent them back at the 
 
 Vol. I. Y difcretion
 
 ^22 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 difcretion of their commander. Then thefc 
 wretches, fearing his.- refentment, refolved to 
 make an example of him, which they executed 
 in ceremony. 
 
 One day, when that officer was gone out a 
 hunting in a neighbouring little ifle, the revolt- 
 ed troop took their meafures for executing 
 their plot, which was to murder the Sieur 
 Durcux. So ftrange a refolution could only be 
 occafioned by their not having obtained the de- 
 fired juftice from the governor. If an officer 
 fuperior to M.Duroux had been fent in his place, 
 and the latter left to command as thefecond of- 
 ficer, this misfortune would have been avoid- 
 ed. 
 
 <r.As he returned from hunting, • the fentinel,. 
 perceiving the boat at fea, hoided the French flag, 
 unon which the earrifon took to arms, and went 
 out into the field. The rebellious foldiers ad- 
 vancing to the Ihore with their corporal at their 
 head, called to the boat by means of a fpeak- 
 ing trumpet, according to cuftom; the Sieur 
 Duroux anfwered, " Commander •," he lands, and 
 as he fets his foot on Ihore, the corporal gives 
 the fignal, and at the fame inftant the foldiers 
 fire, and their commander falls, pierced with 
 > wounds;
 
 L O U I S I A N A. 3.23 
 
 ■\younds ; the foldiers then ftripped him, and 
 threw his corpfe into the Tea. Such was the bu- 
 rial and the punifhment of this petty tyran*:, 
 who was regretted by nobod\% for he had no 
 other recommendation than that of the Sieur 
 'Thitcn, the governor's firfl: fecretary. The fol- 
 diers, become mafrers of the ide, fet at liberty 
 an inhabitant whofe name was Bsaudrot^ who had 
 been unjullly imprifoned by the late command- 
 er. The Sieur Duroux had alTumed the privi- 
 leges of an admiral of France, and pretended ro 
 fiiare with the foldiers and inJiabitants all thac 
 they fhould fave of any veffel wrecked upon th« 
 Cais Iflaj'J ; and all that refufed to pay him his 
 fliare were feverely punilhed, as if they had 
 committed fome great crime. This was the 
 crime of Beaudrot j he was put in irons becaufe 
 he would not Ihare fome goods with the com- 
 mander, which he had faved from the wreck of 
 a Spanijli (hip called the Siiuart, which was 
 wrecked on the iile in 1758. 
 
 ,,,The foldiers who had killed M. Durouxj ha- 
 ving afterv/ards pillaged the eS'tCts belongino- to 
 the King in the Cats IJIe, took the inhabitant 
 whom they had fet free, and obHged him to 
 bring them into the road to tlic bngiilh colony 
 ot Carolina. Wlien they arrived in the country 
 
 Y 2 of
 
 3i4 TRAVELS through 
 
 of a great Indian chief, whom the Europeans 
 have ililed Emperor of the Kawytc.s^ they fent 
 back Beaudrot with a certificate, which proved 
 that he had been obliged to ferve them as a 
 guide. Part of this troop went towards the 
 EngUJh J but thofe who remained among the In- 
 dians, were foon feized by order of M. de Mont- 
 leraiit, then governor of the fort at the Miba^ 
 mons ; among this laft party was a corporal of 
 the regiment of Halwyl, who, in order to avoid 
 being fawed afunder, as is ufual among the 
 Swifs, killed himfelf with a knife, which he 
 wore hung from his neck, as the Indians do. 
 
 M. de Beaudin, an officer of the garrifon, was 
 fent with a detachment, in order to condud the 
 criminals to Mobile. During this interval, the 
 two fons of Beaudrot arrived at Mobile from Ne-w 
 Orleans, and brought, v/ithout knowing it, an 
 order from the governor to M. de Velle^ who 
 commanded at Mobile, for arrefling their father j 
 who was in his habitation with great fecurity; he 
 returned to prifon without reluftance, not know- 
 ing that the deferters whom he had guided were 
 taken. M. de Velle tranfmitted the criminals to 
 New Orleans, where a court-martial was held to 
 judge them, 
 
 Beaudrot
 
 LOUISIANA. 325 
 
 Beaudrot the inhabitant, for guiding the mur- 
 derers of the governor of Cats IJle^ was fenten- 
 ced to be broke upon the wheel, and his corpfe 
 to be thrown into the river ; which was accord- 
 ingly executed •, a foldier fuffered the fame pu- 
 niihment, and a Swifs was fav/ed alive through 
 the middle of his body. 
 
 When one refiecfls upon the fate of the unhap- 
 py Beaudrot^ it is eafily perceived that he was 
 judged contrary to form, and by military men, 
 who were ignorant of civil and criminal laws, as 
 he could not have deferved the cruel punifhment 
 which he underwent. If politics require that 
 for preferving public fafety, no crime fliould be 
 left unpunilhed, juftice demands in favour of 
 humanity, that the judge fhould always be more 
 afraid of punifliing too much than too little, 
 according to the axiom. It is better to let an hun- 
 dred guilty men efcape^ than to ptnijli one ftngle in- 
 nocent man. 
 
 If the man ought to be puniHied in order to 
 ferve as an example, according to this law, the 
 punifhment might have been mitigated in fa- 
 vour of his wife and four children, whom his 
 death threw into the greateft defolation ; among 
 the four children was a girl of an admirable 
 
 Y 3 figure,
 
 326 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 figure, who was admired in the whole colony 
 for her beauty, and ftill more for her virtue j 
 this charming Creole, and the reft of the family, 
 are retired into an habitation far from the com- 
 merce of men, to lament the death of their un- 
 happy father. 
 
 This unhappy man had been fuccefsfuUy em- 
 ployed in fome important negociations with the 
 Indians^ with whom he was in high efteem. He 
 fpoke their language, and, from experience, he 
 knew the fituation of the country as well as 
 themfelves. He had like wife an extraordinary 
 bodily ftrength. All thefe qualities had fo far 
 gained him the efteem and friendfhip of the 
 ChaciawSy who had adopted him into their na- 
 tion, that they would certainly have revolted on 
 his account, had not M. de Velle "^ wifely taken 
 care to keep his imprifonment and execution 
 from coming to their knowledge. 
 
 After the tragic death of the Sieur Bur dux ^ 
 
 M. de Kerlerec fixed upon the Sieur de Cha 
 
 to fucceed to the command of the Cats Jfiand. 
 
 That 
 
 * This officer knows that nstion perfeJlily well, having 
 ^ecn governor of Tombekbe for fevcral years ; the Indiam 
 eileenied him much on account of his bravery and difmtereft- 
 ed tchaviour.
 
 L O U I Sl I A N A. 327 
 
 Tl 3 V /\ >J 1 nrr 
 
 That oHicer fet out from New Orleans in 1758, 
 with a garrifon compofed of foldiers and inhabi- 
 tants of the capital j but the inhabitants were 
 all vagrants, whom the magiftrates fent in their 
 own {lead, with the governor's confent, for the 
 fervice of the place. 
 
 Thefe vagabonds ftayed in the Cats TJle as 
 long as thofe citizens paid them, whofe bufinefs 
 
 ^it was to guard the place. You may well ima- 
 gine, that a body of fuch troops, who are not 
 alternately relieved in their pofts, according to 
 
 ,.jthe rule of fervice, take opportunities to lay 
 fchemes for deferting, as it has happened in 
 many ftations of Louifiana. 
 
 In March 1759 there appeared, in fight of 
 this ifland, a three-mafted j[hip, belonging to 
 
 ,,,M. St. Criq, a merchant, who had bought her 
 at the Havamiah ; her cargo confifted in fugar, 
 coffee, taffias, cables, and fome warlike ftores. 
 The crew were merely Spanifh failors, who 
 abandoned Captain St. Criq upon the coaft of 
 Louifiana near Balife •, this obliged him to em- 
 bark in his long-boat, with a few men who re- 
 mained v«/ith him. He arrived at New Orleans^ 
 
 ..-iand addreffed himfelf to M. ds Belle- IJle, fort- 
 miijor and commander during the governor's 
 
 Y 4 abfence *,
 
 328 TRAVELS through .. 
 
 abfence; he begged this ofiicer to give him peo,^ 
 pie, in order to go out in feaich of his fhip^ 
 v/hich could only be loft on the coaft of the Cats 
 
 M. de Belle-IJle gave the Sieur Si. Criq an in- 
 telligent ferjeant and ten foldiers, to navigate 
 his fliip ; at the fame time he wrote to the Sieur 
 
 € : " That if this fiiip were loft near his 
 
 " ftation, he Ihould immediately place a guard 
 " on her, and forbid, under pain of death, that 
 " nothing fhould be unloaded out of her, with- 
 " out the confent of the Sieur Si, Criq., the pror 
 " prietor •, and laftiy, that he ftiould not fail 
 *' to conform to the orders of the King's marine, 
 " fpeciBed under the title Shipwreck^^ &c. Un- 
 happily for the Sieur St. Cr;^' the advice of M. de 
 
 Belle-IJlc came too late ^ the Sieur de C had 
 
 already taken care to have the cargo of the ftiip 
 unloaded by the foldiers and inhabitants, who* 
 hid it in the neighbouring fands i they took afH 
 the ncceffary precautions to cover this trick. 
 The Sieur St. Cn'q arrived at the Cats IJIe^ put 
 the major's letter into the commander's hands, 
 and then went into his fnip v/ith his people in or- 
 der to fearch her -, but perceiving that he had 
 forgotten his pocket-book, in which he had the 
 |}ill of lading, he left her immediately, and.. 
 
 went
 
 LOUISIANA. 329 
 
 went on fhore to fetch it: a happy accident of 
 Providence ! he was but ju(t come on fhore, 
 when his fhip fuddenly took fire, and burnt with 
 fuch fiercenefs, that three men who were in the 
 hold were burnt to death : the others only efca- 
 ped by throwing themfelves into the fea, and 
 fwimming on fhore *. 
 
 The Sieiir Si. Criq complained to M. de Kerle- 
 rec ; but after a long delay, the governor obliged 
 the captain to terminate his quarrel with the 
 Sieur de C — , the latter giving the former the 
 fum of 1500 livres. This commander being fe- 
 called to New Orleans^ gave himfelf up to fuch 
 debaucheries, that he fcandalized the whole colo- 
 ny. 
 
 • At the time when the Sieur St. Criq reclaimed his fhip 
 with M. de Bell-IJle, and received his orders addrefled to M. 
 
 de C , to take care of the prefervation of the cargo, the 
 
 governor of the Cats Ijle wrote to M. de Bdle-IJle himfelf: 
 " That, on fuch a day, a fhip with three mafts was loll in 
 *' fight of his ftation, and he having made figns without re- 
 " ceiving any anfwer, he took it to belong to the enemy, 
 *' who kept his men in clofe quarters ; that he having arm- 
 *' cd the boat belonging to his rtation, and going into it 
 " with all his people, afcer getting no anf.ver upon a re- 
 " peated fignal, came on board the fhip, but found no li^ang 
 " foul in her, and the cargo taken out of her; he only 
 '• found a cut cable upon the deck, and faw that the fhip 
 >' was bored for tv/enty-fix guus.
 
 33© TRAVELS throughji 
 
 ny. When he had confumed all that he had 
 gained by his iniquitous prafticcs, he went on 
 board a Dutch fhip from Curapao^ a colony be- 
 longing to that republic. The opinions are di- 
 vided upon the clandeiline evafion of this offi- 
 cer ; fome believe, that he efcaped in order to 
 avoid the punifhments which his crimes defer- 
 red ; others think he was charged with papers 
 to court from the governor : the event will de- 
 termine this. 
 
 It is fufficiently proved by this reftitution of 
 
 1500 livres on the part of the Sieur de C , 
 
 that this commander had pillaged the fhip of 
 Captain St. Criq, getting 60,000 livres by it, 
 according to his own confefTion to the Sieur la 
 Perliere, who fucceeded him in the government 
 of Cats IJland. He has however efcaped tlie. ca- 
 pital puniOiment which this piracy deferved *. 
 For the quoted order fays, " That all who fhall 
 " endanger the life of fhipwrecked perfons, and 
 " lay hands upon their goods, Ihall be punifhed 
 " with death." This crime is fo enormous, 
 that, though one were not a Chriflian, natural 
 
 religion 
 
 * The Sieur de C , hoping to enjoy the fruits of his 
 
 iniquity in France, died there as he had lived, that is, iu 
 a debauch, by a decree of Providence,
 
 L O U I S r A N A. 331 
 
 religion engages us to afTift the unhappy in time 
 .of danger. Such were the officers in whom 
 the governor of Lpuifiana put confidence. 
 
 We have jud received advice, that a party of 
 warriors of the nation of Cherokees, commanded 
 by their chief of war called JVolf^ have taken 
 the fort London belonging to Great Britain, and 
 that the Englifli governor of it, M. Damery^ has 
 been killed by the Indians, who have put earth 
 in his mouth, faying, You dog, fmce you are 
 fo very greedy of earth, be fatisfied and gorged 
 with- it ; they have done the fame to others. 
 
 If I do not fet out for France^ I Ihall write to 
 you from New Orleans, concerning the difcord 
 between the two chiefs of the colony, M. de 
 Kerlerec the governor, and M. de Rochemore the 
 ordonnateur, I am, SIR, &c. 
 
 At Fort Mobile, the loth 
 of January 1760. 
 
 L E T-
 
 ■> ■ 
 
 ^3^2 TRAVELS through- 
 
 
 \oA^. LETTER XX. 
 
 ^0 the fame, 
 
 T!he Author goes to New Orleans. Caufe of the 
 'Trouhks which agitate that Place. Moving 
 Relation of M. de Belle-IfleV Captivity among 
 the Attakapas. Curious Animals and falutary 
 Simples to he met with in Louifiana. 
 
 S I R, 
 
 Pv^^^ HAVE fo much news to commnni' 
 ^ I ^ nicate to you, that I know not where 
 ^3^1^ to begin : I wrote to you from Tom- 
 bekbe, that every thing was in confufion in the 
 capital ; indeed every body talks of quarrels and 
 divifions -, avidity and intereft are every where 
 lighting the torch of difcord. As I neither have, 
 nor will have, any part in all thefe quarrels, and 
 as I cannot fatisfy my zeal for the king's ferv'ce 
 in this colony, where every thing is in diforder, 
 
 I have
 
 L O U 1 S I A N^A. 333 
 
 ^ T 
 
 <* / 
 
 I have not ceafed to demand leave to return to 
 France. The moft faithful fubjefts, who will 
 do their duty, are contradicted ind dilgraced, 
 atid their zeal is rewarded with the moft cMel 
 periecutions. But without enquiring minutely 
 into the fufFerings of a number of brave officers, 
 moft of them ftill alive, I fhall only fpeak of 
 thofe which M. de Belle-IJle has undergone. This 
 worthy officer, whofe probity and unqueftionable 
 condu(5t have gained him the good will and ef- 
 tcem of all worthy men, and efpecially of the 
 general officers, fuch as M. de Perier, M. de Bien- 
 fjiUe, and the Marquis de Vaudreuil^ &c. well de- 
 ferves that I Ihould tell his ftory to you, having 
 heard it from himfelf with all its circum- 
 ftances. 
 
 I Ihall give you an account of what has hap- 
 pened during the forty-five years which he ferved 
 the king in this colony *. I Ihall fay nothing but 
 
 truth, 
 
 * The hlftory of M. de BelU-Ifle, Chevalier of the rdVal 
 military order of St. Louis, Major of AVw Orleans, and who 
 has formerly ferved as Major General of the troop« of the 
 marine in Louijiana, has been inferted in a Relation of Lcui- 
 fiana printed at Paris in 1758. The author of^it Ifeft the co- 
 lony in 1733, has forgotten the moftinterefiingtifcuiliflances, 
 and the fafts he has mentioned, have l«en difowned by M. 
 
 de
 
 334 TRAVELS THRoitCw 
 
 truth, though fome circumftances may appeal^ 
 very wondrous. -iUS 
 
 As r know the goodnefs of your heart, I am 
 fure you will pity the unhappy fate of this poof 
 officer •, great fouls are not afhamed to fliew that 
 they are touched by the misfortunes of others : 
 even the Indians fay, that he who is not fenfible 
 to the fufferings of his brothers, is unworthy of 
 bearing the name of a man, and that he ought 
 to be avoided as the pcll of fociety. ^r 
 
 In 1 7 19, yi.de Q'Gzat put Louifiana into the 
 hands of the Wed India company, who fent 
 a thoiifand men to people it. M. de Belle- J/Ie em- 
 barked in one of their fliips at port VOrient^ 
 with fome other officers and volunteers, for the 
 new colony. The winds and currents carried 
 the Ihip to the bay of St. Bernard in the Mexr} 
 ican gulph The captain fent his boat onb 
 (hore in order to fetch water. M. de Belle-TJle 
 and four of his companions went into the boat- 
 with the captains confent. Whilft the boat re- 
 turned to the fhip, the officers went a hunting :" 
 the boat came on fhore again, and having taken 
 
 in 
 
 i^e Belk-IJIe hiwAcli : my relation is an abitrad of a manU'it 
 icript memoir, written by that officer's ov.'n hand,r
 
 D O U I S I A N A. 33$ 
 
 in the neceffary provifion of frefli water, re- 
 turned on board v/ithout the young officers, who 
 were not yet returned. 
 
 The captain is impatient, weighs anchor and 
 fets fail, leaving the five paflengers on fhorei' 
 Their agitation and anxiety, when they re- 
 turned to the fliore and found the boat and fhip 
 gone, may well be imagined. Thus being aban- 
 doned in an unknown country, they erred for a 
 long time upon the defart coail, having the fea 
 on one fide, and a country inhabited by a nation 
 of cannibals on the other. They did not ven- 
 ture to quit the marfhy fhores of the Tea •, they 
 were in fuch defpair of finding a remedy for 
 their misfortunes that they knew not what to 
 do : this alone was capable to make them lofe 
 their fenfes j and then the thought of falling 
 into the hands of cannibals, troubled the ima- 
 gination of thefe young Europeans. They went 
 along the fhore in the miflaken opinion, that the 
 (hip was gone to the weft, im.ploring divine 
 mercy, and complaining of their unhappy fate. 
 They lived upon infers and herbs, not knowing 
 whether they were good or bad ; what was moft 
 troublefome to them was the abundance of gnats 
 in that place, as they had nothing to-- defend 
 themielves againft them. They continued fe- 
 
 veral
 
 33^ TRAVELS through 
 
 veral days in this fituation. M. de Belle-IJle had 
 taken a young dog from the fhip, which was 
 very fond of him. His companions were often 
 tempted to kill him -, their hunger was ex- 
 treme : M. de Belle-Ifle gave the dog up to them, 
 but would not kill it himfelf ; one of his com- 
 panions fdzed the dog •, but he was fo weak, 
 that as he was going to ftrike with the knife, 
 the dog efcaped, ran into the woods, and was 
 not leen again. The four unhappy officers died 
 with hunger one after another, in fight of M. 
 de Belle-IJle^ who did all he could to dig them 
 graves in the earth, or rather in the fand, with 
 his own hands, to preferve their fad remains 
 from the voracioufnels of wild beafts : he paid 
 this tribute to human nature in fighing over its 
 miferies, nothing but the ftrength of his confti- 
 lution could make him lurvive them. He was 
 refolute enough, in order to fubfill, to eat the 
 worms which he found in rotten wood. Some 
 days after the death of his comrades, he.faw at 
 a diilance his dog holding fomething in bis 
 mouth ; he called him, the creature came to 
 him fawning, and w'wh great demonftrations of 
 joy, threw at his feet an opojfum ; the dog 
 howled, as if he would fay, I bring thee fome- 
 thing to fupport life. The opoiTums are good 
 eating, and of the lize of a fucking pig. M. 
 
 de
 
 t O U I S i A N A. 337 
 
 de Bdk'IJl-e^ having no other company than his 
 dog, looked about for food every where. At 
 night he alvvavs made a little intrenchment at 
 the foot of a tree, in order to fhelter himfelf 
 againft the wild bcafts. One day a tyger * 
 came near the plaqe, where he Ilept ; his dog 
 watched by his fide, he faw the tyger, and ran 
 at it with a prodigious howl. M. de Belle-IJle- 
 awoke, and haftened to his afliftance j the tyger 
 let the dog loofe, but had wounded him : his 
 mafter was obliged to kill him, left he fhould 
 turn mad, and afterwards he eat him. Then 
 being left alone in this defart plsce, he fell on. 
 his knees, lifted up his hands to heaven, and 
 thanked the Almighty fbr preferving him till 
 now i and refigning himfelf to Providence h^ 
 went into the country in order to feek for men* 
 He foon found foot-ileps, and followed them 
 to the banks of a nvcr, where finding a pifffgutt, 
 he crofles the river in it. On the oppofite Aor§ 
 v^ere fome Indians^ drying human flefh and fifn ; 
 they were of the nation of the Attakapas \ ; 
 Vol. I. Z they ^ 
 
 — -"■ — ■ — ' ^ - - — I I • 111.1 _ ^_XL__J 
 
 * By this mvifl: always be Underftood the Amerkav tyger^ 
 i. c. the hreiujt cat of /'. Synobfu of ^ud. p^ 179, and ths 
 Cngacuara of Pijo and Margrwue in their Inat. Hiji. BraJiL 
 
 t This name fignlfies men-eaters aniong the Amtrican na- 
 
 tioni*
 
 3, 
 
 iS TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 they went towards M. de Belle- IJle, whom they 
 took for a ghoft, becaufe he was lean ; he 
 pointed to his mouth, and made figns of being 
 hungry. The Indians would not kill him be- 
 caufe he was excefllvely lean -, they offered him 
 fome human flefh, but he preferred fifli, of 
 which he eat greedily. The Indians looked at 
 this cloathed man, ftripped him naked and di- 
 vided his cloaths among themfelves j they then 
 carried him to their village in order to fatten 
 him. There he had the good fortune to become 
 the '€log * of an old widow. He recovered his 
 ilrength gradually •, but was extremely fad, 
 conftantly apprehending, that his hofts would 
 facrifice him to their falfe deities, and afterwards 
 make a feaft of his flcfli \ his imagination was 
 always ftruck with the terrible fight of the feafts 
 which thofe barbarians made of the flefh of their 
 fatteft prifoners of war, which I cannot help 
 Huiddering at, whilft I relate it. He always cx- 
 pefted to receive a blow with the club, as foon 
 as he Ihould be fat. The Indians held a coun- 
 cil, 
 
 dons. When they take an enemy in the wars, they make a 
 great feaft and eat his fiefli. They commonly live upon fifh 
 and drink the CaJJine. They can fpcak by figns, and hold 
 long pantomime convcrfations. 
 
 '•.>[fv»' '^ An expreffion which fignifiea/izir.
 
 LOUISIANA. 339 
 
 cil; in" which they refolved that it would be 
 fhameful and cowardly to kill a man, that did 
 not come to them to do any harm, but to de- 
 martd their holpitality *, in conlequence of this 
 refolution, he remained a flave of the widow. 
 The firit days of his flavery, though it was not 
 a heavy one, were very difagreeable to him, be- 
 caufe he was obliged to take care of the little 
 children of thele men-caters, and to carry them 
 on his flioulders, which was very troublefome to 
 him •, for he was naked like them, having no 
 more cloaths than were fufficient to make his 
 nakednefs lefs indecent ; but the widow above- 
 mentioned, having taken him under her protec- 
 tion, he was better treated in the fequel. 
 
 ^~ -As-M. ^f 5^//-i/7f was young and ftrong, he 
 acquitted himfelf very well of his fundions as 
 a (lave, and even gained the good graces of his 
 
 •miftrefs fo much, that (he adopted him, and he 
 was then fet at liberty, and looked upon as one 
 belonginer to the nation. He foon learnt the 
 manner of converfing in pantomimes, and the 
 
 -art of Aifing the bow and arrows as well as they 
 could do it. They took him into the wars, 
 where he Ihewcd them his dexterity, by killing 
 one of their enemies v«'ith an arrow in their pre- 
 fence, he was then acknowledged a true v/arrior, 
 
 Z 2 An-
 
 340 TRAVELS through 
 
 Another Indian having killed a roebuck, they dri- 
 ed the flefti of the man and the roe, to make ufc 
 of it as provifions on their expeditions. One day 
 as they were walking, M. de Belle-IJle being hun- 
 gry, afked for fomething to eat. An Indian 
 gave him fome human flefh, faying it was of the 
 roe-buck. M. de Belle-IJle cat of it without 
 knowing the cheat ; and the Indian afterwards 
 faid to him : Formerly thou didjl make difficulty ,^ 
 but now tfiou canfi eat man's jlejh as well as ouf^ 
 felves : at thefe words M. de Belle-IJle threw up 
 all he had eaten. 
 
 About two years after his captivity, fome de- 
 puties arrived at the Attakapas, from a nation 
 who fent them the calumet of peace. A kind 
 providential care ! This nation lived in Nezu 
 Mexico, and were the neighbours of the Natchi- 
 toches, where M. de Hucheros de Saint Denis conv 
 manded, who was beloved and refpefted by .the 
 deputies of this nation, though they lived '-on 
 Spanifh ground. After attentively confidering 
 M. de Belle-IJle, they told die Attakapas, that in 
 the country from whence they came, there were 
 white men like him : the Attakapas faid he was 
 2k dog, whom they had found towards the great 
 lake, where his comrades were llarved to death i 
 that they had brought him to their habitations, 
 
 wilt- re
 
 LOUISIANA. 341 
 
 where a woman had made him her Have ; that 
 they had taken him to war againft a nation 
 which they conquered in a battle, and that he 
 had diftinguifhed himfelf on that occafion, and 
 fhewed them his fkill in fending an arrow, which 
 killed one of their adverfaries ; that they had 
 for that reafon adopted him, and received him 
 as a warrior. 
 
 This officer, who heard their converfation, 
 did as if he took no notice of it •, and immedi- 
 ately conceived the idea of returning to his 
 country : he took one of the Indian deputies a- 
 part i and queftioned him much about the white 
 men he had feen. M. de Belle-IJle had luckily 
 preferved his commiffion in a box; he made 
 fome ink with foot, and wrote with a crow-quill 
 the following words : " to the firfi chief of the 
 " white men. I am fuch and fuch a perfon, aban- 
 " doned at the bay of St. Bernard ; my comrades 
 ** died of hunger and wretchednefs before my 
 " face, and I am captive at the Attakapas.^* 
 This unhappy officer gave his commiffion to the 
 Indian, telling him it was fome fpeaking paper ; 
 that, by prefenting it to the chief of the French in 
 his country, he would be v,ell received. The 
 Indian believed, that this letter had fomething 
 divine in it, becaufe it was to fpeak for him to 
 
 Z 3 th?
 
 34Z TRAVELS through 
 
 the French. His countrymen wanted to take it 
 from -him j '^but he efcaped by fwimming acrofs 
 a river ; and left he fliould wet the letter, he 
 
 held it up in the air. This Indian, after a jour- 
 -'ney of one hundred and fifty leagues, arrived 
 %c the Natchitoches'-'^, an Indian nation. The 
 French commander there at that time being M. 
 liucheros de St. Denis, an officer of diftin6lion, 
 known for having made the firft journey over 
 land from Louifia-na to Mexico, where he married 
 the Spani/h governor's niece. The Indian gave 
 him M. de BcUe^IJle's letter, and M. de St. Denis 
 received him very well, and made him many 
 prefents -, after which, this officer began to cry 
 after the manner of the Indians^'who afked what 
 ailed him ? He anfwered, he wept for his bro- 
 ther who was a captive among the Attakapas. 
 As M. de SciintDems was in great efteem with 
 the nations about him, the hdtan who brought 
 the letter prom i fed to fetch M. de Belle- IJle, and 
 jfome other Indians joined him. 
 
 M. de Saint Denis o-ave them fome fnirts and a 
 hat for M. de Belle-IJle, and they fet out imme- 
 diately, ten in number, on horieback, and arm- 
 ed 
 
 * A ilation near Mexico. There is a fettlement of Indiapi 
 pn the Ri'viere Rouge, or Red-ri'ver.
 
 LOUISIANA. 343 
 
 ed with guns -, promifing to M. de Saint Denis to 
 return in two moons tinie with his brother upon a 
 horfe, which they led with them.' f^np •t^v- ,. 
 
 .. On arriving at the Attakapas, they dilcharged 
 ^t^ir fire-arms feveral times, the explofion of 
 |which the other Indians took to be thunder : 
 they gave M. de Belle IJle the letter of M. de Saint 
 Denis, which mentioned, that he had nothing to 
 fear with thofe Indians, and that he rejoiced be- 
 forehand that he fhould fee him. The joy which 
 this letter gave to the officer is incxpreffible ; 
 however he feared that the Attakapas would op- 
 pofe his departure. But the chief of the depu- 
 tation made him get quickly on horfeback, and 
 went off with his whole troop. The Attakapas 
 being frightened with the report of the muikets, 
 ijdid not venture to fay any thing, and the woman 
 -who -had adopted M. de Belk-TJle flied tears. 
 Thus this officer efcaped from a captivity, which 
 might otherwife have laftedas long as his life. .. 
 
 The Indian who carried oflF M. de Belle-Ifle was 
 as proud as Hernando Cortez when he conquered 
 Montezuma, the laft emperor of Mexiro. They 
 arrived at the Natchitoches, but did not find M. 
 de Saint Denis there -, for he was gone to Biloxis, 
 
 Z 4 which
 
 344 TRAVELS througk. 
 
 which was thep the chief place of l^ouijlan^ 
 New Orleans being not yet built. ^,3 
 
 M. d'Orvilliers^ who commanded at the i\^/^ 
 chitoches in M- Saint l)enis's> abfence, fent M. de 
 Belle-IJle and his efcort to M. de Bienville, then 
 governor of Louiftana. That general embraced 
 him, being happy to fee him, and liberally re- 
 warded his deliverers. Every one compliment? 
 ed him on his efcape from this captivity j M. di 
 Bienville gave him 4 ^^^^ 9^" cloaths. 
 
 This oificer has lince been very ufeful to the 
 governor, by his knowledge of th<? cuftoms of 
 the Attakapas, whom the Spaniards of New Mer^ 
 iiico could never fubdue, as they have done with 
 phe other nations of their empire. 
 
 M. de Bienvilk fent a prefent to the Attakapas^ 
 jind another to the widow who had adopted and 
 proteded M. de Belk-Jjle. 
 
 T'h^fe people, who did not cxpe<51: this genero- 
 fity frorh the governor, lent ambafladors * to him 
 Xo thank him, and to make an alliance with the 
 
 French. 
 
 • Th? .chjef of the embalTy addrefied the following fpeech 
 Jo M. de Bienville, which M..de'J«7f-^/^ interpreted; "My 
 
 ,Jli3:'J, ■.. " father.
 
 L- O U I ^ :i^' A N a: 345. 
 
 French, M. de Belk-TJle's miftrefs attended in' 
 perfon ; fince this period the French have always 
 been humanely treated by the Attakapas, who 
 KaVc at their defire left off the barbarous cuftom 
 of eating human flefh. 
 
 When the Attakapas came to Nezv Orleans^ 
 they were well received by all the French^ m 
 gratitude of the reception M. de Belle-IJle had met 
 with among them ; for without them, he would 
 have undergone the unhappy fate of his compa- 
 nions. 
 
 y[.de Bienville fometimes procured himfelf the 
 diverfion of a pantomime with thefe cannibals, 
 by means of M. de Belle-TJle, who, as their pu- 
 pil, converfed with them by geftures. The At- 
 takapas are armed with bows and very great ar- 
 rows i they cultivate maize, as the other North 
 
 American 
 
 **' father, the white man, tvhom thou feeil here, is thy flefh 
 " and blood, he was united to us by adoption. His brothers 
 " were ftarved to death, if my nation had found them fooner, 
 *' they would live Itill and enjoy the fame prerogative." 
 
 The hofpitality fliewn to M. de BeUe-IJIehy the AttaKapaJT 
 convinced us, that we muft regard their cruelty cnly as a 
 fault of education, and that nature has planted fentiments of 
 humanity in their brcaft.
 
 346 .TRAVELS THROUGH X 
 
 American nations do. This part of the world -is 
 pf fuch an extent, that it has not yet been pof- 
 -,fible to become acquainted with all the nations 
 jp^it, nor with its limits. 
 
 In 1759, yi. de Marigni de Mandeznlle*^ an 
 .officer of diftindtion, formed the defign, with 
 the confent of the governor of Louifiana, of ma- 
 king new dil'coveries tov/ards the ifle of Barata- 
 ria, of which we know the coafts but very im- 
 perfeftly : with this intent he made 2 general 
 map of the colony. This officer has difcovered 
 this unknown country at his own expence, with 
 indefatigable zeal, which charaderizes a worthy 
 citizen, who is always occupied for the glory of 
 his prince, and the enlargement of his pofTef- 
 fions. 
 
 I have endeavoured, in my preceding letters, 
 .to give you an abridgment of the hiflory of the 
 country, from the time of its difcovery till now, 
 and an idea of the fituation of its commerce, and 
 likewife of every thing that feemed inflrudive 
 and amufing to me. I do not believe I have 
 omitted any thing material, I fliall now finifli 
 
 our 
 
 V 
 
 - See the Memoirs of this officer, printed at f^ih^hy 
 ^^^Guilluume Defprh, in the rue S. Jac^ms 1705.
 
 LOUISIANA. 347 
 
 our correfpondence by fome obfervations on the 
 natural hiftory of this colony, of which you 
 could karn nothing from the fpecial relations 
 that are publifhed. You muft know then. Sir, 
 that all the fruit-trees which have been tranf- 
 ported thither from Europe fucceed very well 
 there. M. Fazende^ one of the fuperior council 
 of Lcidjiana, has brought a fig-tree from Pro- 
 vence, the figs of which are excellent; as this 
 tree is propagated by layers, it richly fupplies 
 all the habitations with them. Among the fruit 
 peculiar to this country, there is one called a 
 battledoe, it has the figure and tafte of a pickled 
 cucumber. This fruit is very common about 
 Mobile^ and it is very refrelhing. 
 
 The piakmine is a kind of medlar, called on- 
 goufle by the Indians ; this fruit, which is no 
 bigger than the European medlar, is yellow and 
 red like an apricot ; it is a very good aftringent, 
 and an excellent remedy to flop the dyfentery 
 and bloody flux. The Indians make bread of 
 it, in the form of ginger-bread, and dry it for 
 their long voyages *. 
 
 The 
 
 -^ The piakmine has yet another virtue: take a quantity of 
 its feeds, pound them, then infuie frefh water upon them, 
 
 which
 
 548 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 The Jafrdne fruit has the form and colour of 
 a lemon j it is odoriferous, and taftes like Banian 
 figs ; it feeds referable beans -, they are a poifon 
 to hogs J. 
 
 Here are a number of orange and peach trees; 
 and both the oranges and peaches are fo com- 
 mon in this colony, that they are left under the 
 trees to rot. 
 
 There are apple-trees and plum-trees ; and 
 whole forefts of walnut-trees ; of which there is 
 a white kind or the hiccory^ and another black -, 
 both kinds bear nuts ; they are as in Europe of 
 different goodnefs for eating ; there are likewife 
 fome walnuts as big as the fift, but they are, bit- 
 ter, having very thick and hard fhells. There 
 is a tree which bears a fruit called pacannes -, they 
 
 are oblong like almonds, and more delicious : 
 
 the 
 
 which muft fland upon them twenty-four hours : ftrain the 
 water through a cloth and keep it in a bottle. When you arc 
 attacked with the gravel, drink a glafs full of the infufion 
 falling, and continue to do it till you are cured f. 
 
 f This is perhaps the perfimon, ^io/pyros Virghtiana 
 
 Linn. F. - , n . ■ h., 
 
 ,, X This plant feems to be one of the various kinds of anona, 
 which grow over all tlie warmer parts oi North-America. F,
 
 LOUISIANA. 349 
 
 the Indians make an oil of it, to Teafon their y^- 
 gamitty with. "^ 
 
 It is a circumftance worthy of admiration, to 
 fee the providence of the Creator, who has 
 planted fuch a number of fruit-trees of various 
 kinds in this part of the new world. There are 
 thoufands of curious animals, known before nei- 
 ther by their Ihape nor by their name, and of 
 which men of the preceding ages have not even 
 had an idea. 
 
 There are red and iikcwife white bays ; the lat- 
 ter bears a white flower like a tulip ; it is an ex-^ 
 ceeding bulhy tree, and would be an ornament 
 to the gardens of European monarchs : the In- 
 dians call it the tree of peace 
 
 * 
 
 Near the banks of rivers there are vines, 
 which climb fo high along the trees, that when 
 the grapes are taken off, they can often make a 
 whole barrel full of wine from a fingle flock.' 
 'Thefe vines grow v/ithout cultivation, and 
 the wine that is made of them is very 
 
 harfh 
 
 * This is probably either the tuUptree, lithdeniron talipi' 
 fcra, Linn, or the laurus o'Jii'valis. Linn. F. "
 
 350 TRAVELS through 
 
 harfli *. There are many mulberry-trees -|- iri 
 the woods, and their berries are very fweet i there 
 are likewife fome that always keep the figure 
 of fhrubs, and their berries are made ufe of for 
 jellies. 
 
 There is a tree in the woods full of fpines of 
 fix inches in length ; its wood is fo hard, that 
 it makes the edge of the hatchets blunt, and 
 fometimes breaks them. Tlie Indians, by 
 means of fire, make mortars of it to crufh their 
 maize in. This tree bears pods about a foot 
 long like cajfia •, the fruit they contain is gum- 
 my and (licking, having feveral feeds like beans. 
 It is an excellent laxative, and the Indians take 
 it as a purge. 
 
 There are refinous trees (fuch as pines, &c.) 
 in the woods, which produce refin and tar ; 
 there are likewife many trees, from v/hich a kind 
 of gum like turpentine runs down. 
 
 There 
 
 " *■ The American forefts have three kinds of vines; the 
 '^Miitis labru/ca, 'vulpina, and arbor ea^ Linn. And this, here 
 mentioned, feems to be the laft. F. 
 
 f The morm rubra Linn, is the mulberry-tree, known to 
 grovj in North Amcrka. F.
 
 L O U I SI A N A. 35t: 
 
 There is a fhrub v.'hich we call drier, or the 
 wax-tree, and it refembles an olive-tree. It 
 bears little berries like juniper, they are melted 
 in water *, and give a kind of wax for candles ; 
 this wax is of a fine green, and has an aromatic 
 fmell. The Sieur Alexandre, a furgcon and che- 
 mift, is the firll that difcovered it here. The 
 academy of fciences gave him a penfion for this 
 dilcovery. He has likewife found the method 
 of bleaching it, as we do bees wax in Europe. 
 
 Whilil I was in houifianay the inhabitants goc 
 from St. DorMTigQ plants of fugar-canes, in order 
 to make. plantations of them. M. Dubreuil, who 
 commands the militia of citizens, was the firlt 
 planter that built a fugar-mill at New Orleans.uj 
 
 ^ ^t is known, that fugar is made of the juice 
 of a reed or cane, which is propagated by layn 
 ers ; it grows tall and thick, in proportion to the 
 goodnefs of the foil. The canes have joints- at 
 certain diilances , when thefe are ripe, which iS 
 eafily known by the yellow hue which they get, 
 they are cut above the firft joint, which has no 
 juice 'y the leaves on both fides are plucked off; 
 
 the 
 
 * Boiling water. The tree is the candleberry myrtle, 
 myrica cerifera. Linn. F.
 
 ^^2 T RAVELS THROUGH 
 
 the canes are made up into bundles, and brou'g^t 
 to the mill, where they are crulhed between twa^ 
 wooden cylinders, covered with fteel. A negro* 
 puts the canes between the cylinders, which 
 prefs all the juice out, which is received in a 
 great hollow, from whence it goes through a 
 leaden pipe into a refdrvoir, which leads it into 
 tiie place where the ovens are, which are defti- 
 ned to boil it in great boilers. When the juices- 
 is refined, it is poured into another boiler ; it 
 mull be continually ftirred, and boiled till it has 
 a.proper confiftency j and when the fugar is got 
 to the firfl: ftate of perfedlion, it is put into 
 forms of earthen ware, in order to be refined; 
 it acquires the fecond degree of pcrfedion by thc 
 opening being covered with clay to prevent the 
 air from ading upon the fugar, and that it may 
 not harden too much before it is refined by the 
 reparation of fyrups and melaffcs. 
 
 It is with the fbum of fugar that they make 
 taffia or kill-devil. This liquor is prepared as 
 brandy is in France ; and goes through the ftili. 
 The Europeans in America prefer it to brandy for 
 curing of wounds. They likewife make rum 
 with ir^ 
 
 in
 
 L O U i S i A N A. 353 
 
 ; In the country of the Illinois there is a little 
 Ihrub, about three feet high, which bears a 
 fruit of the ftze of a fmall apple, and of the 
 tafte of citrons. The woods there likewife con- 
 tain chehiutSi and hazel-nuts of the famt kind 
 as in France. 
 
 Louijiana abounds with good fimples ; arhong 
 them is the ginfeng^ the root cf which is an 
 excellent reftorative, jcilap^ rhubarb^ jncke- 
 root^ farfapa-iilh., and St. Joht's woH^'-, of 
 which they make an excellent oil for healing 
 of wounds. The following is the Indian doc- 
 tor's method of making the oil. They take ati 
 earthen pot, and put the flowers of St. John's 
 Wort in it, and Ibme bear's oil above it -, the 
 pot or vafe is well flopped up, and expofed to 
 
 Vol. I. A a the 
 
 * Ginfeng is the plant fo mi'.ch in reqUeft in China ; it Is 
 
 Panax qui»quefoli!imy Linn. See Olljeck's Voy. to China, 
 
 vol. i. p. 222. andKaiia's Travels into North America, vol. 
 
 iii. p. 1 14. and Cateiby's Nat. Hilh of Carolina, app. t. 16. 
 
 Jalap is the Mirabilts o( Linhaeufl, ther» are fevcrd ipe- 
 
 cies of it. Rhubarb is the Rheum Linn, but probably not 
 
 the true one. Snake-root-^ perhaps the Rtlygala Senega^ 
 
 Linn, or elfe an Arifijilcchia. -Sarfaparilla, Smilax farfa- 
 
 parilla, Linn. St. John's wort, Hypericupi, Linn, there 
 
 are many plants of this genus in Horth America j and it is 
 among the defideruia of the botaniil to know what fpecies ar« 
 employed for medicinal ufss. ,f ,
 
 3J4 T R A V E L S THROUGH^ 
 
 the morning fun ; the heat concentrated in the 
 vafe turns the oil of a red colour, and gives it 
 an agreeable fmell, which cures and purifies ajl 
 kinds of wounds. There are even plants which 
 have the virtue of ferving as counter-poifons ; 
 but it is a rare and precious gift to man to know 
 xhem, and to know how to make a proper ufe 
 of them ; the Creator has not granted this know- 
 ledge to all men. There are numerous iimples 
 proper for cleanfing the mals of blood, and of 
 which the Indians have a peculiar knowledge. 
 
 There are forefts o^ fajfafras trees *, the wood 
 of which is ufcd in phyfic, and for dying ; there 
 is likewife the copal tree -f-, whofe gum is an ex- 
 cellent balfam, equal in goodnefs to the balfam 
 of Peru J the animals which are wounded by 
 ;,hunters, cure themfelves by rubbing againfl the 
 tree froni which this balfam exfudes, which 
 has an aromatic fmell. The Indians have in 
 their huts bitter gourds and calabalhes, of which 
 latter they make a perioral fyrup j maiden-hair, 
 which is a good pedloral medicine, and the caf- 
 
 fmey 
 
 " SafTafras-tree grows all over North America, it is Lau- 
 ruijajjiifrasy Linn. 
 
 m hf^^ipal tree grows only in the fouthern part of North 
 America, R/ius copaUinum^. Linn,
 
 LOUISIANA. 355 
 
 fne^ which is a good diuretic *. When the 
 dofe is ftrong, it excites a kind of convulfions ; 
 which, however, ceafe immediately. The Alii" 
 hamon Indians call it the litiuor of valour. The 
 natives of America value their fimples more than 
 all the gold of Mexico and Peru. 
 
 You find feveral forts of curious animals in 
 houifiana^ which are unknown in Europe, 
 
 The wild ox is very large and ftrong -, the 
 French and the Indians make various ufes of it ; 
 they eat its flefh, which they fait of dry j they 
 make coverings of its hide. The wild bull is 
 covered with a very fine wool, with which they 
 make good matraffes -, of its tallow they make 
 candles, and its pizzles afford cords to the In- 
 dian bows. The Indians work its horns, and 
 make them into micouens or fpoons, and intol 
 powder-horns. 
 
 A a 2 The 
 
 * Bitter gourds, Cokquintes, Cucumis colocynthis, Linn.'-^ 
 Calabafhes, Cucurhita lagcnaria, Linn. — Maiden-hair, Adl^ 
 antum pedatum, Linn, grows all over North America, front 
 Canada down to Virginia, and is much efteemeJ as a medi- 
 cinal herb. See Kahi's Trav. to North Amer. vol. iii. p. 
 113. — Caffine is the Prinos glater, Linn, mentioned 'm 
 Letter XVL p. 249. F^
 
 356 TRAVELS through 
 
 The wild 'ox has a bunch or hump on its 
 back * like a camel. It has long hair on the 
 head like a goat, and wool on its body like 
 Iheep, which the Indian women fpin into 
 threads. ^^ *^^ 
 
 On going towards the head of the river Mif- 
 fouris^ you find all forts of wild beafts. The 
 wild goats and their young ones are very com- 
 mon at certain feafons ■]-. Thefe animals are 
 very lively and pretty ; the females have double 
 furrows or ringlets to their horns, and are not fo 
 big as ours : the French that eat of them have 
 afTured me, that the young venifon was as good 
 
 as 
 
 * The hump is fituated on the Ihoulders. The animal has 
 been defcribed by Linnaus under the name of Bos bijm, and 
 diawn by Cafcjby in his Nat. Hijl. of Carolina, app. t. 20. 
 
 and in Mr. Pennant's Synopjis of ^adrupeds, p. 8. t. II. f.2. F. 
 
 i 
 
 f This animal feems to be of the antelope kind, perhaps 
 the Tema-mafama of Hernandez, an animal which hitherto has 
 not been noticed by our zoologifts. It feems not to be an 
 animal belonging to the goat kind, on account of the double 
 ringlets or comichom mentioned by the author. This would 
 be perhaps a new animal ; and however it be, it will defervc 
 the attention of our natural hiftorians. And as the Englifti 
 dominions now extend to the river Miffifippi, it woyld cer- 
 tainly be worth while to defcribe the animals upon that river, 
 and thole that fail into it. F.
 
 LOUISIANA. ^S7 
 
 as the beft mutton. As the Indians of thefe parts 
 do not ufe our mufkets, they kill them with ar- 
 rows ; for thefe animals feed in the mountains, 
 and when they are wounded they cannot climb 
 fo eafily, and by that means the Indians catch 
 them. 
 
 The hunters have likewife told me, that they 
 had found a large kind of eagle in the woods, 
 of the fpecies called the royal eagle *. 
 
 I think it my duty to mention to you the An- 
 gular manner in which the Indians hunt and take 
 thefe birds, which the northern nations efteem 
 very much, becaufe they adorn their calumets 
 of peace with eagle's feathers, which they call 
 feathers of valour. 
 
 This kind of hunting is referved for the di- 
 verfion ot old warriors, as it requires no exercife. 
 The old man who intends to take eagles, firft of 
 all examines the places which are moft frequent- 
 ed by them ; after that, he brings flefh, the en- 
 trails of animals or dead fnakes to thof.^ fpots, 
 and fallens thefe baits to fome fixed wood. The 
 
 A a 3 firft 
 
 * The royal eagle is \}\QFalco Chij/ai'tos, Linn, or g'jUen ea- 
 gUy Penn. Br. Zool. fol. 6 1 . tab. A. & in 8vo vol. i. p. 1 2 1 . F,
 
 358 TRAVELS through 
 
 firft eagle that comes there eats of it, grows fat 
 
 miliar with the place, and attrad:s others of his 
 
 fpecies thither, that greedily difpute the prey 
 
 with each other. Then the old man digs a kind 
 
 of niche or hollow at the top of the hill -, he 
 
 makes a chimney or vent to it which he Hops 
 
 ■ wp with a bundle of fagots, on which he places 
 
 the baits : he fuffers the bird to eat its fill ; then 
 
 he puts his hands, which he has wrapt in a little 
 
 fack of leather through fome draw under the 
 
 faggots; takes hold of the eagle's legs, pylls it 
 
 down, wr?ps it in his ox-hide, and fo kills it. 
 
 If he is lucky enough to take five or fix of them, 
 
 y he is content, becaufe the feathers are an article 
 
 [.of trade throughout North- America^ Tliis way 
 
 ,,of hunting is not very troublefome : the baits 
 
 -i^are taken together by the old man's children^ 
 
 ' and the women fend him vidluals. 
 
 ,7e-; 
 
 You likewife fee hares* and white bears whofe 
 itcin is very fine and foft.-f- The tygers of Louifi- 
 ana differ from thofe of Africa and South Ame- 
 rica, 
 
 * Tlie American hares are already declared by Prof. Kalm^ 
 vol. p. 105. to differ from the European ones ; fo that is im- 
 ^ proper to think the American ones to be the fame F. 
 
 •|- The white bear here metttioned, cannot be the great Pp- 
 
 lar
 
 t. O U I S I A N A. 359 
 
 rica, becaufe they have no fpots.J They take 
 the roe-deer as cats do mice. As to the tyger- 
 cats.% they kill the wild oxen in the following 
 manner. They get upon a tree, in a little path 
 where the oxen are ufed to go to the river -, and 
 as they come by, the tyger-cats fall upon the 
 necks of the oxen, bite through their throats and 
 
 Aa 4 kill 
 
 lar bear, Penn. SjTin. Quad. p. 192. to zo. f. i. as this lat- 
 ter is only to be met with in the moft frigid parts of our 
 ■globe ; and the foft hair here mentioned will not admit to 
 think of the polar bear, whofe hair is like brifiles. The com- 
 mon black bear is fometimes found quite white in Siberia, 
 and therefore it is not improbable that fome of thefe white 
 bears are found in the interior parts of North America. Befides 
 this, I find it neceflary, here to obferve, that the black Fir' 
 pinia bear feems to me to be a fpecies different from our Eu- 
 ropean bears, my reafons for this opinion are thefe : frjf, 
 the European bear has never fo black a coat as the Virginian, 
 fecondlyy the fnout of the Virginian is longer, and the head 
 fmaller than in our European ones ; thirdly, the European 
 bear is more clurafy than the Virginian. F. 
 
 \ The North American tyger is the Cuguacara of Marg- 
 grave, or the bronjjn Cat. Penn. Syn. quad. p. 179. In 
 South America it is immenfely fierce on account of the heat 
 
 ,of the climate, and miftakenly called a lion. F. 
 
 ■ r. . . . 
 
 § The American tyger-cat is the pichou du/ud mentioned in 
 Kalm's Travels, 'vd. 3. p. 275, and Penn Syn. quad. Cayen- 
 ^'^'pe Cat. p. 182.
 
 S^^j^ TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 kill them ; their ftrcngth and their horns are 
 rendered ufelefs by this treachery. 
 
 The zvood rat or Indian-rat is of the fize of an 
 European cat •, its head is like the head of a fox, 
 it has iitt like a monkey, and the tail of a rat.* 
 This animal is very curious ; I once killed a fe- 
 male that had feven young ones ; what is moft 
 furprifing is to fee them all ftick fad to the teats, 
 where they grow, and continue till they are able 
 to run about \ then they drop into a membrane 
 that forms a pouch : thofe young ones which I 
 faw were as bio; as new-born mice : nature has 
 furnifhed the female with this pouch under the 
 belly, which is covered with hair, as a retreat for 
 her young ones, when they are purfued, by 
 means of which the mother can fave them and 
 carry them off. Their flefli taftes like that of a 
 fucking pig; their hair is whitifli, and they have 
 likewife a down or wool like the beaver. This 
 pretended rat, lives in the woods upon the k^^s 
 of beech-trees, upon chefnuts, walnuts, and 
 acorns. I have often eaten of them on my 
 voyages : their fat is very white and fine ; a fine 
 pomatum or unguent is made of it for the He- 
 morrhoids. 
 
 Here 
 
 f This is the Virginian Opojfum. Penn. Syn. ^ua<^. p» 
 ip^. and Didclph.is mar/upialis. Linn. : : -til
 
 L O U r S I -V'^N A. 361 
 
 Here is likewlfe an animal, which they call the 
 wood-cat ; it is of the fize of a fox, and nothing 
 but its tail is like that of a cat. This creature 
 is very fond of oyfters ; it refembles a marmot 
 in its figure ; and may be tamed like a dog, - 
 licking and fawning upon its mafter, whom it 
 follows every where -, it takes its food with its 
 paws, like a monkey. I believe thefe were the 
 dumb dogs which the Spaniards found, when they 
 difcovered the Antilles or Caribee iflands.* 
 
 There are four forts of fquirrels in Louifiana; 
 large, black, red, grey, and little ones of the 
 fize of little rats ; the latter are called flying 
 fquirrels, on account of a membrane which joins 
 their four legs, and which they extend in jump- 
 ing from one tree to another. -f 
 
 The French and the Indians have often told mel 
 that the fnakes have the power of fafcinating 
 
 fquir-Q 
 
 * This animal here called 'wood-cat is common all over the 
 Britilh colonies in America, and known by the name -i Rac- 
 coon-, fee Penn Syn. quad, p. 199. JJrJ'us lnj'cus. Linn. and.. 
 Kalm's Travels into North America, vol. i. t. 2. p. 96, 
 208. F. 
 
 f Black fquirrel, fciurus niger. Linn. — red fquirrely^zwrK/ 
 Jlriatus. Linn. — grey fquirrel, fciurus cinereus. Linn. — flying 
 fquirrel, fciurut niolans. Linn. F.
 
 362 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 fquirrels; this I wiflied to fee with my own eyes. 
 I cannot avoid communicating my obfervations 
 on this fubjecb to you. I was once hunting at 
 the Illinois^ in a wood which abounded with 
 hazelnuts, which is a very nice food for fquirrels; 
 they v(ere likewife very plentiful there j I heard 
 upon a tree, under which I flood, the fad cry of 
 a fquiriel which feemed frightened ; I did not 
 know what ailed it ; at laft 1 perceived a fnake 
 hung over a branch of the tree, looking upwards, 
 waiting for its prey ; and the unhappy fquirrel, 
 after leaping from branch to branch, fell into the 
 mouth of the fnake, which fwallowed it. 
 
 Without entering into a phyfical detail, I ima- 
 gine the fquirrel was fafcinated by the fnake in 
 the following manner. The antipathy of the 
 fquirrel, makes it look upon the fnake as faftened 
 to the tree, when it fees it thus immoveable, and 
 hung upon a branch ; therefore inftead of re- 
 marking that it is only a fnare, laid by its adver- 
 fary, it jumps from branch to branch, as it were 
 to infult the fnake j when by jumping round the 
 reptile, the latter fees it hear enough to dart up- 
 
 on, feize and fw allow it.f Many authors 
 
 pretend 
 
 f This is a very ingenious explication, but it Tuppofes, 
 that we mwfl attribute totUe fquirrel nicer feelings, U' an ani- 
 mals
 
 LOUISIANA. 363 
 
 pretend that the fnakes have an attraftivc 
 power. 
 
 The cunnnig of fnakes is admirable -, I have 
 feen fome, which perceiving that I looked at 
 them, did not ftir at all, in order to make me 
 believe they were not there, and always conti- 
 nued in the fame attitude ; but as foon as I went 
 afide to get a ftick or ftone to crulh their heads, 
 the fnakes made off and 1 did not find them 
 again when I returned. This is an experiment 
 J have often made in the defarts which I have 
 gone through, and where thefe animals are 
 common. 
 
 There are many forts of them, of which the 
 moil remarkable is the rattk-fnake^ having four or 
 five round bones, at the end of the tail, which 
 make a kind of noife by rubbing againft one ano- 
 ther, fimilar to the noife of a child's rattle. The 
 Indian women pound this rattle and fwallow it 
 when they are going to lye-in, becaufe they pre- 
 tend that they can by its affiflance bring forth 
 \vithout pain. The fat of the rattle-fnake makes 
 
 ah 
 
 mals in general and fquirrels in particular have ; another me- 
 thod to account for this pretended fafcia.ition, fee in KaJni'i 
 Travels I. p. 3 1 9. note. F
 
 364 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 an excellent unguent for the rheumatic pains; 
 this unguent penetrates into the body, to the very- 
 bones. .;, 
 
 • r 
 
 It is generally believed that the number of 
 •vertebra: in the rattle encreafes with the age of the 
 fnake ; I have feen fome rattle-fnakes fo big, as 
 to be able to eat a whole roe-deer, by fucking it 
 little by little. 
 
 There is another kind of ferpent, which they 
 call the vi\n^-^tv, fouetteur ; it is red on the belly 
 and black on the back ; it is fometimes about 
 tv/enty feet long, and when it finds any body in 
 the water, it twines round him fo violently as to 
 take away his breath, and drown him.* 
 
 That fnake which is called the whljlkr is 
 about two feet long, but is fo much more dan- 
 gerous, becaufe it is not fo eafily feen, being very- 
 little ; fo that the Indians and negroes often tread 
 upon and are bitten by it: it has a prodigious wide 
 mouth and when angry, it whiftles ^t a terrible 
 
 rate, 
 
 * This fnake is leprefented by Catejhy nat. hiji. of Carol, 
 II. 46 It might be called coluber erythrogafter, for Catefby 
 calls it the copper-belUed-fnake. The circumilance here men- 
 lioned, relative to its twifting round ppople in the water, 
 and its enormous fize are both neyv. F.
 
 li' O U 1 S I A N A. 365 
 
 rate, and therefore the Indians call him ho-huy^ 
 that is, whiftler. During my voyage to Tombek- 
 be^ a whiftler hidden under the leaves, bit a fol- 
 dier of my detachment, who trod upon its tail ; 
 the foldier was barefoot, and the fnake was fo 
 angry that it got hold of his big toe and would 
 not let go its hold. I was very uneafy and forry 
 to fee this foldier expofed to periili he being my 
 interpreter ; I applied to an Indian doctor who 
 accidentally went by the place, where we were. 
 He took a powder out of a little fack, and blew 
 it through a tube upon the fnake's head, which 
 died inftantly ; he put another powder upon the 
 wound, which prevented the poifon from taking 
 its effed ; he likewife gave fome of it in water 
 to the patient, who was quite well after. I re- 
 compenfed this juggler very handfomely •, I wifh- 
 ed, likewife to know his fecret, but he would not 
 teach it me, and afbed like a quack telling me 
 haughtily that the mafter of life had communi-? 
 cated it to him alone.* u 
 
 The 
 
 * It is highly probable that this powder, was of the root 
 or whole plant of the ariJioLchia angulcida a Mexican plant, 
 which probably grows likewiie in Louijsana, and according 
 to Dr. Jacquin is an infallible remedy againft the fnakes, for 
 theie animals ar« actually fafcinated and even killed by it. In 
 
 Car-"
 
 356 T "R A V E L S through 
 
 ,, ; There are very large and long crocodiles or alliga^ 
 tors in feme parts of the river MiJJiJippi •, they are 
 fo carnivorous, that if they find a man afleep on 
 the land, they carry him into the water and de- 
 vour him, though they are elfe very cowardly, 
 and run off as foon as one walks towards them ; 
 it feldom happens that they eat a man, becaufe 
 it is fo eafy to efcape from them ; they purfue 
 thofe that fly from them, and are very formi- 
 dable in the water. The alligator is the moft 
 horrid animal in nature and I cannot without 
 horror remember that which had almofl carried 
 me into the river of ^omhekhe\ I thought I faw 
 the devil juft come out of hell, and I believe he 
 could not be better reprefented than under that 
 hideous form ; its back is covered with impenetra- 
 ble 
 
 Carthagena the Indians chew the root of this Arijlolochay. 
 and mix its juice with the faliva ; if one drop of this mix- 
 ture is put into the fnake's mouth, it inebriates it, and you 
 may handle the fnake as you pleafe ; if two or three drops 
 are forced in ; and they reach the fnake's ftomach, convul- 
 fions immediatly enfue, and the reptile dies. The Indian 
 who fhewed Dr. Jacquin this method, likewife informed him 
 that he had been thrice bit by fnakes, and had always cured 
 the wound by ufing the Ariftolcchia both internally and ex- 
 ternally. The plant itfelf has fo naufeous a fmell, that it 
 is always avoided by fnakes, and cauf;s, when chewed, 
 vomiting even to men. See Jacquin's Hill. Seled, Stirp. 
 American, p. 232. t. 144. F.
 
 LOUISIANA. 367 
 
 ble fcales, almoft as flrong as oyfter-fhells, refifting 
 the force of a ball from a mufket. It is difficult 
 to hurt an alligator any where except in the eye. 
 They are numerous in the red river : they are 
 torpid during the cold weather, and lie in the 
 mud* with their mouths open, into which the 
 filh enter as into a funnel, and can neither ad- 
 vance nor go back. The Indians then get upon 
 their backs and kill them by ftriking their heads 
 with hatchets, and this is a kind of diverfion for 
 them. 
 
 Here are iikewife frogs of an extraordinary 
 fize, whofe croaking exceeds the roaring of a 
 bull. On my voyage from Mobile to New Or- 
 leans, I touched at the Horn Ifland and found a 
 fhell filh there, which the Indians call Nani7mteUy 
 which means Sea Spider ; it was petrified. Its 
 outward covering confifted of a more Ihining 
 varnifli than the Chinefe ; its eyes were petrified 
 and hard as diamonds. This fliell fifh is of the 
 
 fize 
 
 ^ * This circumftance of the allegator's being torpid dur- 
 ing winter, is quite new, and very remarkable for natural hif- 
 lorians. It feems almoil all the clafs of animals called ampld- 
 hia by Dr. Linnxusy when found in cold climates, grow tor- 
 pid during winter. F.
 
 368 T R A-V ELS THROUGH 
 
 f^ze and figure of a barber's bafon turned upfid^ 
 dowHy and has a very fharp tail about ten inches 
 Jong, , and -they Tay it is dangerous to be (lung 
 by it *.^ 
 
 ^.The higher parts of Louifiana contain beavers 
 and others •, the Indians fay that thefe beavers 
 have been expelled by their brethren from Cana- 
 da, becaule they were too lazy to join vi'ith 
 them in conftrudling the habitations which thofe 
 animals make in common, and the dikes, to al- 
 ter the bed of rivers, all which they contrive and 
 execute with great art and induftry. 
 
 The Karancro^ a bird of prey, is of the fhape 
 and fize of a turkey f, and the moft voracious 
 
 bird 
 
 3!*' This fliell-fifti is now in the Marquis de Marigny's cabi- 
 iftet of Natural Curiofities. 
 
 -This r^»-? animal is nothing elfe than the king's crab, 
 fommon in the feas all round America and the Weji-Indies } 
 monocuhis Polyphemus. Linn. Thefe animals are employed ia 
 New-York to feed pigs with, and the ingenious gentleman, 
 who communicated this remark, adds, fometimes it is eaten 
 «V€n by the two legged pigs. F, 
 
 f Hence it is called Turkey Buzzard by Catefby, Carof. 
 
 I. t. 6. It is the Carrion Vulture, Forilcx's N- Amer. Ann 
 
 mals, p. 8. and Vultur Aura, Lina,
 
 L O U I *fe I A K a; 369 
 
 bird that ever was known • it follows me hunters 
 and like wife the convoys that travel to their dif- 
 ferent ftations. They wait in flights, like ra- 
 Vens, for the decampment-, and then they come 
 and eat greedily all that has been left there, 
 after which they go on, towards the new 
 camp. They eat dead corpfesj their fea- 
 thers 'CxYc black, and the fofc dowfiy feathers un- 
 der the wings have the quality of flopping the 
 blood. 
 
 The Flamingo is of the fame fize, the end of 
 irV'-^vHgs 'is black, the back white, and the 
 belly flame-coloured *. 
 
 There are ftares of two kinds -, the Icafl are 
 of the fize of the European ones : they are fo 
 common that a hundred of them are often killed 
 at one Ihot •, they are very good to eat but the 
 inhabitants are obliged to guard their crops of 
 maize and rice, v,'hich otherwile would be en- 
 tirely eaten up by thefe birds ; they are as black 
 as jet, and have the tip of the iving of a fine bright 
 red 1 their feathers arc very fine, and the ladies 
 ''Vol. I. B b wear 
 
 " Flamin t;o, Phoenicopt^/as^ruber. Linn.
 
 370 TRAVELS through 
 
 Ayear muffs, and linings to their drcfo ,^ 
 
 them *. 
 
 . , Here are parrots and parrokects, and fine 
 jays in great abundance : in the country of the 
 Mifouris there are magpies, only different 
 from the European ones by their plumage, 
 their, black and white colours being fhaded ; 
 rhe Indians make ornaments for their hair of 
 them. 
 
 The eyes are taken with the beauty of nature 
 
 unafTifted by art ; here fhe appears as fhe came 
 
 from the hands of the Creator, before the fall 
 
 of man. The ear of the traveller is enchanted 
 
 by the fongs of the birds, and efpecially thofe 
 
 of the mocking birds, which are fond of being 
 
 ti|i his company, and feem formed on purpofe 
 
 to make him forget .the fatigues and tedioufnefs 
 
 of the journey. Indeed as foon as the mocking 
 
 bird perceives a man, he perches near him, and 
 
 .fmgs very agreeably, flying from place to place ; 
 
 and in a word, this bird is inimitable -, it fettles 
 
 at the top of a tree, and mocks or mimics all 
 
 the 
 
 * Thefe arc the red-iuingedparcs or naize thieves mentioned 
 and drawn in Kalm't Trafelsf Vol. U. p. 74. Oriolus phani- 
 ctut. Linn.
 
 L O U l' S 1 A f^ £ Sfi 
 
 ^e oriiet blitfsr-, he likewife imitates- 'l?he itiew- 
 ing of a cat. The mocking bird fometimes 
 comes to the towns and houfes, and appears en- 
 •ehanted and plealed when one plays on any 
 mftrument and even joins the concert j it is of 
 the fize of a ftare^ and of a bluifli grey colour ; 
 ills eafily tamed, if taken youn^ '-^^ 
 
 The Pope is of a bright blue round the head ; 
 on the throat it is of a fine red, and on the 
 back of a gold green colour, it fings very finely 
 and is of the fize of a canary bird -j-. 
 
 The Cardinal bird Is quite red, having the 
 throat black, and a creft of feathers on its 
 head, its bill is ftrong and red-, it is a kind of 
 fparrow, which is very fond of men, and comes 
 to the fize of a lark, but whiftles during fummer 
 like a black-bird J. 
 
 A\B 
 
 R b 2 The 
 
 -V h * }\ ' l.i.>Ti t 
 
 ^^ Mocking bird, Turdits Or//;^»x Litin. KalmN Travels, 
 Vol. II. p. 90. F. . ^ . 
 
 f Pofe is the male of the Emheriza Ctrh tinrii kno^vn b) 
 the name of painted Finch* F. 
 
 -»ns 
 
 t Cardinal bird i? the Loxia Cardinalis, Linn. Vr '"*'
 
 372 T R A V E L S » through 
 
 The Bijfiop is blue mixed with pufple and of 
 the fizc of a linnet -■ . a i 
 
 *- The gold-finch is quite yellow, with the tips 
 of the wings black -j-. ^ 
 
 There is a bird they call the Harlequin, ht- 
 caufe it is varied with many colours, and an- 
 other called the Swifs^ becaufe it is red and blue ; 
 the lafl: three fpecies only come to the Illinois in 
 fummer. 
 
 The humming bird is no bigger than a large 
 beetle, and painted with many bright and chang- 
 ing colours i it lives upon the fweet juice of 
 flowers as bees do ; its neft is made of a' very 
 fine cotton or woolly fubftance, and fufpended 
 on the branch of a tree J. There are number- 
 lefs unknown birds, which would make the ac- 
 -' count too long. 
 
 i:':''i have feen butterflies of great beauty; I 
 5*.found two on my voyages (that have been eaten 
 
 mlr.^; , ... 
 
 P"'^ Bifhop, Tanagra Epi/copus Linn. 
 :--^^ -fc. Goldfinch, Frin^ilta trifiis^ Linn. 
 
 J Humming bird, Trothilus Colubris, Linn.
 
 ,Xf,P U I S 1 A N A. 373 
 
 up by worms) the like of which I never faw ; 
 I never beheld any thing more magnificent ! it 
 fcemed as if the author of nature had been 
 pleafed to throw upon their wings the fineft and 
 moft vivid colours -, the fineft and pureft gold 
 appeared mixed among the other colours with 
 34n\u:able fymmetry. 
 
 ri '■ 
 
 • -Thefe butterflies were probably carried to the 
 Akanzas by a fudden ftorm, for in the whole 
 fpace of a thoufand leagues which I have gone 
 through, I have never found their equals. I 
 ■ defired fome Indians, of the Ofages nation, who 
 live near the mines of St. Barbe^ to bring me 
 fome of thefe butterflies : they anfwered, that 
 in the country where they were to be found, the 
 inhabitants were very ferocious, and had merely 
 the forms of men. 
 
 Here are various forts of ducks, but the 
 moft curious are thofe which perch on trees, hav- 
 ing pretty ftrong claws at the end of their 
 palmated toes •, they build their nefts upon thofe 
 trees which lean over rivers or lakes, and when 
 their young ones are hatched, they go into the 
 water immediately. As to their feathers, they 
 are (haded with the fineft colours : the male has 
 3 creft upon its head. Thefe ducks are the beft 
 
 B b 3 to
 
 3Hr T'R A V E L S througkJ 
 
 to cat, they fee4 m the woods on acorns tnd 
 beech Tecds *. ^nr aihj 
 
 f;On the banks of rivers thefc are birds eailc^ 
 Egrcis,: they are exceeding white and the ladies- 
 employ their feathers as aigrettes f» 
 
 The Pelican, which the inhabitants of the 
 country call great throat, on account of- a 
 pouch he has under his throat, is .as white 
 and as large as a fwan, its bill is about twelve 
 inches long ; they make muffs of its (kin, and 
 precipitate the p^fte of indigo with its f^t. 
 This pafte js made from a plan(, the grain 
 of ^yhich comes from the Eaft Indies, for. dying 
 blue |, ,.^, , 
 
 The rpoon-bill §, having a bill like a Spatfila^ 
 
 an, apothecary *s inftrument fo called. There is 
 
 likewife a bird called Lancet-bill^ whofe beak is 
 
 L a<^uaUy 
 
 iii ju i .i pii m ■>■ 
 
 ^^"^This i? the Anas arboreay Linn. 
 
 t Eg??ts, Jrdea alh^? Linn, the gxeat whit|: JJSPO^ 5 , 
 
 Fotft. North. Am. Animals, p. 14. . ., .,, 
 
 X Pelican, Peletanus Onotroiakst ^ Linn- 
 .5 Spopn-biil, PJataka Leucora/^, Linn,
 
 L-iaoU I S I A N A. 375: 
 
 a<5tually like a lancet. It is impofTible to finifh. 
 this matter, it would require whole volumes ji, 
 leave this detail to oar learned countrymen, M. 
 ik' Buff on and Daubenton, who have undertaken 
 this vaft work. I wilh you may be content with- 
 this £hort account* 
 
 I am, SIR, 9.C. 
 
 At New Orleans the if, 
 of June, 1762. 
 
 P, S. Before I conclude my letter I Ihail' 
 fpeak to you of two precious plants in 
 Louifianai which are the Indigo and the 
 Cotton, 
 
 Indigo is a plant refembling the Broom or Ge- 
 mjla very much. A kind of it is growing in-' 
 Louifiana fpontaneoufly, and commonly upon 
 hills and near woods. That which is cultivated 
 is brought from the Weft India iOes. -There - 
 are two crops of it every year. It grows to the 
 height of two feet and a half. When it is ripe, 
 it is cut, and brought into the place where it is 
 to rot i this is a building twenty feet high;^ 
 without walls ; but only fupportad, by polU. 
 In it they make three troughs, one above an- 
 .. r B b "4 " ^'■' '•" ' "other
 
 37^ T RAVELS through 
 
 other, the lowcft is made fo, that the v^ter 
 it contains, may run out o£. .it,. and out of th? 
 buil^in^jii The fecond ftaods oo the;.edge of 
 this, ff) that the water it concaihs falls. intOcCht 
 SfiLj^^ind ,^Jie third is difpofed in the..Jam&^nian* 
 ner with regard to the fe.cojid, „:I:heT dRi3%o 
 leaves are p^ into the uppermoft trough ; with 
 a,ceTcain q^^iiiniity'of water,, and rtiuft ptrtrityi in 
 it. ;The man- who is at felie bead of .the raanu- 
 fafture.-,, exam ines the ind igg. ijrpm: time . to 'time, 
 and when he lees it is time-to empty this trough, 
 he turns the cock, and the water :runs into rhe 
 fecond trough •, there is a proper :time .which 
 muft be well obfervcd for doingrthi^ operation, 
 for if the plant remains too long in this putrefy- 
 ing place, the Indigo becomes black. 
 
 As foon as the water is in the fecond trough, 
 it is beaten till the overfeer thinks it fufficien-t ^ 
 it is ufe and habit by which one learns to feize 
 upon the true moment. When the water has 
 been well beaten, it is left to fettle : the indigo 
 forms a kind of fedimeiit at the bottom of the 
 trough i the water above it muft have time to 
 become clear, and is afterwards drawn off 
 by means of feveral cocks placed abov.e"each 
 other. ■■ •• -"•^-•-'■•^ 
 
 
 , »Ai la V;t\Ss. bOiSi'f* *i^
 
 r'^-The-:ind%o- is then taken off likewfle^ "^ri^l 
 put into facks made of- cpinmqn iackcldch"^ 
 where the remaining water may run off; After 
 this it is fpriead upon boards, and when diy it is 
 cut into little fquare pieces, put into barrehf, 
 and fo fcnt to Europe, ■^: 
 
 Jn prder to have feeds, it is neccffary only to 
 let fp many plants grow up as are wanted ; it 
 grows more or lefs tall according to the nature 
 of the foil, which ought to be light ; in the 
 Weft India idands they have four crops a-year, 
 pn account of the great heat, but in Lomfidfia 
 they cannot have above three ; the indi^6 ih tRb 
 latter place is likewife not fo gopd *'. ^ l:-"ioi 
 
 The cotfon-lhrub is no bigger than a rofcr 
 .bulh, but fpre.ids more. It does not fucceed fo 
 well in ftrongor rich grounds as in others ; thcre- 
 ,fore that nRrhich^ grows in Lower Loufjinna is in- 
 .ferior in- goodnefs to that which Is cuitivatecftn 
 ^^hfc higher parts of that province. "„' 
 
 r •-!■ -I . . "^ '"*■ 
 
 ' J I ■! .. . n III I ■ I ; 
 
 e 
 
 *• The indigo plant is, with YTt. Linnausy the Indigofe'^a 
 tin£toriay and the indigo mentioned to grow fpontaneoiilly 
 In Louijiana is the Sophora tincloria, Linn. ; which, with a 
 proper management, is faid to afford as good indigo as the 
 ctlcbrated Anil of th,e Indies and Egypt. F.
 
 39^ TRAVELS THRotrcH^ 
 
 The cotton of this country is of the fpecics 
 called white cotton of Siam. It is neither fo 
 fine nor fo long as the filky cotton, but it is 
 however very white and very fine. Its leaves are 
 of a lively green, and refemble fpinage very 
 much J the flower is of a pale yellow, the feed 
 contained in the capfule is black, and oval like 
 a kidney-bean : it is commonly planted in fuch 
 grounds as are not yet fit for tobacco or 
 for indigo -, for the latter requires the greateft 
 care. 
 
 The flirub is cut down to the ground every 
 two or three years, becaufc they fay it bears 
 more after it. The piftil of the flower changes*; 
 into an acuminated capfule, of the fize of a pi->" 
 geon's egg, green at firft, then brown* and at 
 lall almoft black, dry and brittle. 
 
 When the cotton is ripe, the heat of the fun 
 makes it expand •, the capfule that contained it 
 opens in three or four places with a little noife. 
 Then it muft be gathered quickly, lefl it Ihould 
 be loft. Each capfule contains five, fix, or fe« 
 ven feeds, of the fize of peafe -, the cotton fticks 
 to them, and it is therefore difficult to get the 
 feeds out, except in time and with patience -, fqf^ 
 
 this
 
 Lw O tr I S I A N A. 379 
 
 thw reafon, however, many planters have been 
 dilgufted with the culture of cotton *. *- • ■ ^^'' 
 
 -^I have not mentioned tobacco to you; itisrj 
 likely that it is a native of the country, becaufe ,, 
 the tradition of the Indians, or their ancient word, 
 tells us, that they have always employed it to 
 fmoke in their calumets of peace. I Ihall con- 
 clude with an obfervation that has already been 
 made, and which it is good to repeat, till fome- 
 body tries ;he experiment. The climate of Lou- 
 ifiajta, and the hilly parts of that country, give 
 reafon to believe, that it would not be difficult 
 to plant fafFron there ; the colonifts would reap 
 great advantages from it, and the neighbourhood 
 of Mexico would procure them a quick and cer- 
 tainly an ufefql confumption. 4 
 
 * The peaplje in x)ie Englifh colonies, and in China, em- 
 ploy an inftrtunent which feparates the pods from the cotton- ^ 
 v/itji jgreat cafe. F. 1- ^ 
 
 6 
 
 31 
 
 LET-
 
 2fiq TRAVELS throuoh ^, 
 
 o]; ^l Vft 
 
 tiiw-.^^ E T T E R "XXL 
 
 "IT'S 
 
 jTij? ///tf fame. 
 
 Reflexions on the Population of Amei ica ; //?«/ Con- 
 tinent has not been unknown to the Ancients •, it 
 feems that it is conneBedwith Afia on the Side of 
 Tartary, from whence the People that firji fettled 
 it mujl naturally he fuppofed to haue come. A 
 Digrejfion upon the W.ay of prefer ving one*s Health 
 in America. 
 
 "-"^' I R, 
 
 j^!^^^ Expeft to fet out for France very foon i 
 ^ I ^ and I take advantage of an opportuni- 
 k.^)^j}{ ty that offers to write to you^ Ipefore. I 
 .leave this part of the world. After giving you 
 an idea of the manners, cufloms, and of the hi- 
 ftory of the people with whom I haye been du- 
 ring my voyages, I do not believe I could bet- 
 ter conclude my narrative, than by fome reflec- 
 tion?
 
 L O U I S I A *N A. i^i 
 
 tlons on the -population of this immenfe conti- 
 nent; but this mitter is fo obfcufe, that W€; 
 cannot now flatter ourfelves to clear it up : ms? 
 ny learned writers have already attempted to 
 throw light upon it, but they have not fucceed* 
 cd i modern philofophy has endeavoured, with 
 as little fuccefs, to draw advantages from it, 
 and its reafonings and opinions have not even 
 been able to feduce weak geniufes. rj 
 
 -:> 
 
 By reflecting attentively upon the old writers, 
 every thing feems to convince us, that America 
 was not entirely unknown to them. Diodorus 
 Siculus feems to have fpoken of it with precifion 
 enough : Father Laffiteau quotes a paflTage from 
 that.hillorian, and adds his refledions to clear 
 it up. The PhcenicianSy if we may believe the 
 Greek author, after fending leveral colonies up- 
 on the coaft of the Mediterranean, being enrich- 
 ed by their trade, did not go far beyond the co- 
 lumns of Hercules; that vafl: and unkno\vn 
 ocean, which they difcovered on coming through 
 the ftreights of Gibraltar^ infpired them witfjr.a 
 kind of horror, which they furmounted only by 
 ' degrees : fome bold navigators ventured out up- 
 on the ocean afterwards i but failing alon^ the 
 coafl: of Africa^ 2i violent tempeil:, of iever^l 
 days duration, carried them to an ille of "very 
 
 great
 
 jSz TRAVELS through 
 
 great extent, at a great cfiflalncie to the weftwaf3; 
 At their return they were verf ready to fpeak of 
 their difcovery, they embellifhed their accounts, 
 %vith all the fiftions familiar to travellers of all 
 countries, and at all times. When the 'Tyrrhe- 
 mans became the matters of the Tea, they were 
 jvilHng to make a fettlement there-, but the 
 Carthagenians oppofed it, fearing that their coun- 
 trymen, attrafted by what was faid of this land, 
 lliould leave their country in order to fettle 
 diere ; they likewife tonfKkred tM^ new-di^o- 
 vered country as a 1 aft refource for themfelves, 
 in cafe fome difafter fhould have overturned their 
 empire. 
 
 II- To this paffdge of Diodorus Siculus, Father 
 Lafiteau adds one of Paufanias. This writer was 
 inquiring, whether there were any fatyrs ; one 
 Euphemus, who was born in Carta, told him, 
 that, in a voyage of his, he had been carried by 
 a ftorm to the extremities of the ocean, where 
 he had feen feveral ifles, which the failors called 
 ■Satyrides;. The people that inhabited them were 
 of a red colour, and had tails*, the failors trem- 
 bled, and endeavoured to avoid them > but the 
 contrary winds forced them to come near the 
 ihorc ; the favages in veiled the velTel, and the 
 
 crew.
 
 crew, in order to g^t rid of them, were obliged to 
 
 deliver a woman to them. 
 
 ^rmiA^.y ■ _,,^_ ^ ,>X 
 
 (C 
 
 4»- 
 
 
 Father Laffiteauh ' reflection will appear very 
 
 juftto.you. " The defcription of thefe ifland- 
 
 " ers," fays he, " perfedly fits to the Cardihis^ 
 
 who were maflers of the Antilles, commonly 
 
 ^*5j called the Caribee iflands, out of moft of 
 
 >J^ which they have been expelled by the Euror 
 
 peans in thefe latter times. The complexion 
 
 of thefe people is very red, and it is naturally 
 
 fo; it being lefs the cffed of the climate;, 
 
 ** than of the imagination of the mothers, wh<]{, 
 
 " finding the red colour beautiful, tranfmit it 
 
 " to their children '* ; their fklh is likewife arti- 
 
 ^" ficially red, for they paint themfelvcs ever}- 
 
 '" day ^\i\\ rocou, which ferves inftead of vermi- 
 
 ly^oo to them, and appear as red as blood by 
 
 •*',ic.' As to what concerns the imagination oi 
 
 " the failors, who thought they, beheld fatyr^^ 
 
 " it only wa? the effcd of fear, that made tliern 
 
 *' take 
 
 _ (C 
 
 ' Every one will not agree with the Jefuit upon the ef- 
 fe£l of the mother's imaginaaon on their children : the dif- 
 ferent colours of men from the feveral parts of the world, offer 
 many more difficulties. All that has been written on rhe 
 fiibjeA has not explained this phenomenon ; men who were 
 originally white, muft have become black, red, and brown, 
 (bronzed), by the union of feveral caufes.
 
 ■fcv 
 
 3S4 T R. A V ELS THRoirctt 
 
 " take falfe tails for real ones j almofl. all tht 
 *' barbarous nations of America wore this 6tnz>- 
 " ment, efpecially when they went to war.' 
 
 >» 
 
 The fimilarity which has been obfcrved ft) ex* 
 ift between the manners of leveral Aimrican na- 
 tions, and thofe of fome of the oldeft nations on 
 our continent, feems to demonftrate that this 
 country was not unknown in ancient times, and 
 chiefly proves that the known or old parts fur- 
 nifhed the new one with men; how could that 
 fimilarity be e^fplained, if this had not happen- 
 ed ? How great a refcmblance is there in the 
 religion, manners, and cuftoms of the Indians^ 
 with thofe of fome ancient nations. Thefe de- 
 tails will always deftroy moft of the bold fyftems 
 which have been darted on the population of 
 America* If they were a colony of people efca- 
 ped from the deluge, the univerfallty of which 
 is in vain conceited, they would have brought 
 anti-diluvian cuftoms into America. Thofe na- 
 tions that were born after this dreadful punifli- 
 ment, do they refemble their anceftors that were 
 buried under the floods ^ We have not ■)'et light 
 enough upon this fubjedt to make a ju(l compa- 
 rifon i we can anfwer nothing to thofe who fay, 
 'That the Almighty hand^ which fowed plants and 
 fruit: in all parts of the world, could likcivife place 
 
 men
 
 ^.^q.u I S I A N A. z^s 
 
 fiieu there* -An ingenious phrafe Is not always a 
 ;eafc>p I'Aio .one difputes this power of the Crea- 
 tor: »biit.he has been pieafed to teach us him- 
 felf, that it was riot his will to people the world 
 i^j jlfid tha-f he gave, exilience to two ereatiires, 
 who, were the origin of the whole human race, 
 
 ip»» • * ■ * ..■ Vt ; * . - *> 
 
 u . - - . 1 ^ 
 
 '^lAU thefe opinions reft upon iihe^.eourfe 
 that n?en muft have taken, in ordecto come 
 from- the old world to the new ; and it is upon 
 this difficulty that moft authors found their wri- 
 tings. A more exact and extenfive knowledge 
 of our globe would annihilate all thefe difficul- 
 ties. It is very probable, that there is a paflage 
 vwhich unites y^JIa to Jmerica ; I have already 
 faid fomething of it to you, in fpeaking of the 
 elephants bones found in one of the countries I 
 have gone through : this is not a new opinion ; 
 this conje(5lure has been made long ago. *' ^j^ie- 
 *' rica" fays Father Laffiteati, " can be come at 
 " in different places^ and accordingly it may 
 " have been peopled from all fides •, this is be- 
 ♦''yond a doubt -, it is but at a little diftance 
 " from the fouthern unknown countries •, and 
 "in the north, Greenland, -wh^ich \s perhaps con- 
 *' tiguous to this new continent, is not far from 
 ^^ Lapland. Thofe parts oi Afia which bound it 
 *« towards the land oi Jf^efQ^ prob^^bly make but 
 
 ^VoL. L G c 
 
 t« 
 
 one
 
 386 TRAVELS through 
 
 *' one continent with, or are only at a little di- 
 *-' ftance from^w^/-ic^, if the ftreights that are 
 " fuppofed to be there go to the Tatarian fea : 
 *' the ocean which furrounds America almoft en- 
 *' tirely, is ftrewed with ifles, both in the nor- 
 " thern and Ibuthern feas. Men may have gone 
 " from ifle to ide, either by fhipwreck or by 
 " mere chance.'* 
 
 This author alledges many reafons to prove, 
 that North America joins to Tartary, or to fomc 
 country contiguous to it ; the following is a very 
 fmgular one : You know that ginfeng is original- 
 ly a native of the Mantchcoux Tartary^ the Chinefe 
 or 'Tartarian name of it fignifies, the thighs of a 
 man. The Americans^ who were long acquaint- 
 ed with it, and made ufe of it, called it garel- 
 oguen, which has the fame fignification. If A- 
 merica did not join to ^Tartary^ or if the latter 
 had not peopled the firft, how could their re- 
 fpeftive inhabitants give names of the fame fig- 
 nification to the fame plant ? I do not fpeak 
 here of etymologies of words that have been 
 corrupted, and which are only found- by forcing 
 them i their fignification is here in queftion. 
 
 Captain William Rogers looks upen it as very 
 probable, that fomeTtfr^in^^/5 pafled over into 
 
 ' America :
 
 LOUISIANA. 387 
 
 America: he obfcrves, that the fliips which an- 
 nually go from the Philippines to Mtxico^ are ob- 
 liged to fleer to the northward^ in order to meet 
 with favourable winds, thofe whith rife between 
 the tropics being always Contrary to them. He 
 adds, that after paffirig forty-two degrees of 
 north latitude, failors often meet with fands and 
 Ihallows, which feem to indicate that they are 
 near fome coafts. He imagines, that thefe coafts 
 might well be fome continent unknown to Euro- 
 peans, and uniting California with Ja^an ; but 
 Ihould they not rather be the coafcs of Kamtchai- 
 ka, or of that new country to the eaft difcovered 
 by Captain Bering ? 
 
 To thefe obfervations I fliall add ah :ibftra6t 
 of a relation, publifhed in the Mercure Galant 
 for November 171 1. I (hall quote the fa£t, 
 without making any refledions to confirm or con- 
 tradift it ; the author pretends to have got it ouc 
 of a manufcript found in Canada, 
 
 Ten men refolved to go out upon difcoverics, 
 with a view to get riches ; they embarked iri 
 three canoes, and went up the river Mijjifippi, 
 After a long voyage, they found another river 
 which flowed to the fouth-fouth-weft ; they car- 
 ried their canoes to it, and continued their na- 
 
 G c 2 vigation;
 
 588 TRAVELS throuch 
 
 yigation ; fome time after, they arrived in s 
 country which extended two hundred leagues, 
 
 and was inhabited by a nation who called them- 
 lelves Efcaaniba. 
 
 The Frenchmen (for the ten travellers were 
 of that nation) found much gold with thefe 
 people. Their king pretended to deduce his 
 qrigin from Montezuma; his name was J^ati- 
 zan^ and he kept a Handing army of an hundred 
 thoufand.men in time of peace. The Efcaaniba 
 women were jvhite as the European women -, they 
 and the men of that nation had long ears, to 
 which they faftened gold rings. One of their 
 diflinclions was, to let their nails grow : poly- 
 gamy was permitted among them ; they did not 
 pay any attention to their daughters,, who lived 
 in the greateft liberty, without any one to watch 
 over their condud. Their country produced to- 
 bacco, various fruits, fome common to Europe 
 and India^ and fome that were peculiar to it ; 
 the rivers abounded with fiih •, their forefts were 
 full of game of every kind, and contained above 
 all a great number of parrots. The capital was 
 fituated at fix leagues from the river, which they 
 called MiJfi-> GdcLen river. They valued gold 
 fo little, that they permitted the French to take 
 as much as they pleafed with them : you may 
 
 con-
 
 LOUISIANA. 389 
 
 •conceive, that they made a good life of this per- 
 mifTion -, each of them took for his fliare two 
 hundred and forty pounds weight of gold. Their 
 mines were in the mountains, from whence they 
 brought the gold upon rivulets, which were dry 
 during one feafon of the year. 
 
 Thefe people traded with a nation very diftant 
 from them j and in order to make the French 
 fenfible of it, they told them, that it required 
 fix months to make the vovao-e. The adventu- 
 rers happened to be with the Efiaanibas at the 
 time when their caravan fet out to trade with 
 thofe ftrangers ; it confided of three hundred 
 oxen loaded with gold ; an equal number of 
 men, armed with lances, bows, arrows, and a 
 kind of daggers, conduced and watched them : 
 they brought back, in exchange for tiieir gold, 
 fome iron, Itecl, lances, and other weapons. 
 
 I cannot afcertain in what decree we 
 
 G' 
 
 may 
 
 truft this account ; the adventurers conjedtured, 
 that the diitanc country whither the Ejcaanibas 
 went, was Japan ; in that cafe, there muft be a 
 communication between Jfia and America ; fome 
 Englilli writers, without attempting to difpute 
 the authenticity of this account, believe, that 
 the favages went to trade with the inhabitants of 
 
 C c 3 Kamt'
 
 39© TRAVELS through 
 
 Kamptchatka, or of fome iHe or continent near 
 that peninfula. This communication will never 
 be well afcertained whilft it remains undifcover- 
 ed *. Conje6bures explain nothing -, they give 
 probabilities, but go no further : however, be 
 it as it will, it is very probable that fuch a com- 
 munication exifts : fuppofing there are ftreights 
 that divide thefe two great parts of the world, 
 they cannot have prevented men from penetra- 
 ting out of one into the other, by crofllng thofe 
 ftreights. We mud hope, that the ignorance 
 in which we are at prelent will not laft for ever *, 
 the difcoveries which men fhall endeavour to 
 make in the great fouthern or Pacific ocean, will 
 give us more light on this fubjedl -f. If, after 
 
 making 
 
 * The modern geographical difcoveries, and efpecially 
 . thofe .made by the Ruffians, fuficiently evince, that the fea 
 entirely divides Aj7a from America ; there can be no doubt 
 . neither of J(7pan'i> being an iile, and unconnected with the 
 continent of ^/Tjmivz ; it is true, however, that the (ea which 
 divides JJia from America near Cape Tchukjhi, is Very nar 
 row, and not a fufficient obltacle to the migration of the na- 
 tions that inhabit the north-eaft parts oi, Siberia into Ameri- 
 ca ; for a further hint concerning the population ofthatvaft 
 continent, fee'Kalm's travels to t^orth America, vol. iii. 
 p. 125. &c. F. 
 
 ..f When thefe le'.ters were gone to prefs, I heard that the 
 Englifh had djifcovsred ten i/Iand'? in that ocean. There is 
 
 an
 
 L O U I S 1 A N A. 391 
 
 making voyages that way, fome flreights be 
 really found, it is no reafon why they fliould al- 
 ways have been there : earthquakes may have 
 divided the iilhmus or neck of land which com 
 bined the two continents ; many authors attri- 
 bute the flreights of Gibrali^ir to the fame kind 
 ot event : the Mediterranean, they fay, had 
 formerly no communication with the Atlantic ; 
 many pretend, that Great Britain was joined to 
 France ; now the fea feparates Dover and Calais : 
 why cannot this be the cafe with Jfia :iad Ame- 
 rica likewife ? 
 
 The time in which the population of America 
 was commenced, is as oblcure and indetermi- 
 nate as the manner in which it was peopled ; eve- 
 ry thing which is difficult .to penetrate excites 
 die curiofity of men ; they wifh to fee fomething 
 pew, and to fpeak of it, and frequently they 
 
 C c 4 give 
 
 an account of it in the voy.ige of CciriTnodore Byron, who 
 has been fo much talked of, and has proved the exiftence of 
 giants, which was blindly believed by the ancients, rcjc(^ed 
 as chimerical by the moderns, and now confirmed by new 
 difcoreries. The next voyage which the Englifh will mal;e 
 that way, will fui ni(h us with more minute accounts ; others 
 will be encouraged to imitate them, and a perfect knowledge 
 oi the South Sea will clear up the difficulties concerning the 
 yxn^Cicn o£ Af.a ^n6. Jnerica.
 
 39^ TRAVELS through 
 
 give us their own chimerical imaginations a§ 
 Ibmcching real. Among the fingular opinions 
 which this fubjedl has given rife to, I (hall men- 
 tion that of Marc Lefcarhot, m his Hiftory of 
 Nczv France ; Father Lajjiteau fhali ftill be my 
 guide on this occafion, and from his work on 
 the manners of the favage Aynerkans^ I fhall 
 take what I have to fay on this matter, " Lef- 
 ^' carhot has not fcrupled to advance very pofi- 
 " lively, and in a manner that goes beyond con- 
 " jedure, that Noah was not unacquainted with 
 " the weftern continent, (where Lefcarbot was 
 " bornj i and that at leaft he knew it by fame. 
 " That, having lived three hundred and fifty 
 " years after the deluge, he himfelf had taken 
 " care to people, or rather to re-people that 
 " country : that, being a good workman, and 
 " an excellent pilot, and being charged to re- 
 pair, the defolation of the earth, he may be 
 fuppofed to have conducted his children thi- 
 ther ; and it may have been as eafy to him to 
 have gone through the ftreights of Gibraltar to 
 " New France, Cape Verdy and Brazil, as it was 
 " to his children to go and fettle in Japa?:, or 
 " as it was to himfelf to come from the moun- 
 " tains of /Irmeni^ into Italy, where he founded 
 ?* the jf^niculum upon the banks of the T^b^-r, if 
 ' ' '■ • '^ we 
 
 4i
 
 LOUISIANA. 39J" 
 
 ^* we may credit the accounts given by profane 
 ^* writers," 
 
 T doubt whether it is neceflary to go back to 
 'Ncah^ to find the period of the population of 
 America'., if, as is very probable, the tartan 
 M^ent over into that continent, it muft have hapr 
 pened in the following times : a {^x. of people, 
 who are not numerous, do not eafily leave the 
 vaft country they inhabit ; they do not fo foon 
 endeavour to feparate from each other •, they 
 continue together, till, by having multiplied too 
 much, they fpread more, or till fome other cir- 
 cumftances force them to leave their native 
 country : fuch refearches are of little importance; 
 they are mere matters of curiofityj and the diffi- 
 culty of fatifying that ought to prevent mea 
 from employing tiieir time in them. All that 
 can be aflerted with certainty is, that America 
 feems to have been inhabited only of late. 
 
 Powell, an Englifli writer, mentions, in his 
 Hiftory of IVales., that, in the year 1 1 70, there 
 was a war in that country for the fucceflion to 
 the throne, after the death of Prince Ow^«Gw/«- 
 neth. A ballard took the crown from the legi- 
 timate children j one of the latter, whofe name 
 was Madoc^ embarked in order to make new dif- 
 
 coveries \
 
 394 TRAVELS through 
 
 coveries ; diredling his courfe to the weftward^ 
 he came to a country the fertility and beauty of 
 which were amazing. As this country, was with- 
 out inhabitants, Madoc fettled in it •, Hakluit 
 alTures us, that he made two or three voyages to 
 England to fetch inhabitants, who, upon the 
 account he gave them of that fine country, went 
 to fettle with him. 
 
 The Englifli believe, that this prince difco- 
 vered Virginia. Peter Martyr feems to give a 
 proof of it, when he fays, that the nations of 
 Virginiay and thofe of Guatimalay celebrate the 
 memory of one of their ancient heroes, whom 
 they cd\\ Madoc. Several modern travellers have 
 found ancient Britifli words ufed by the North 
 American nations. The celebrated Englifli Bi- 
 (hop Nicholfon believes, that the Welch language 
 has formed a confiderable part of the languages 
 of the American nations ; there are antiquaries 
 •who pretend, that the Spaniards got their double 
 or guttural / (II) from the Americans^ who, ac- 
 cording to the Englifli, mufl: have got it from 
 the IVelch. I fliould never have done, if I were 
 to mention all their reafonings to prove the voy- 
 age of the IVelch Prince Madoc. The Dutch 
 brought a bird, with a white head, from the 
 freights of Magellm^ which the natives calletj 
 '^" Penguin I
 
 LOUISIANA. 395 
 
 Penguin ; this word is an old Welch one, and 
 fignifies white head ; from hence they conclude, 
 that the. natives originall came from finales *. 
 
 The Engli/Ii are not the only people, who, ac- 
 cording to our hiftorical romances, went to Ame- 
 rica and fettled there : Bayer pretends, that the 
 Normans were the firft Europeans who ventured 
 to fail to that country. 
 
 Dodtor Lochner aflerts that a Bohemia?i of a 
 diflinguifhed family went to Brajil, and difco- 
 vered the ftraights of Magellan, before Columbus 
 went to the New World ; this Bohemian was 
 called Martin f. Many German writers who 
 
 feem 
 
 * This, however, is a wrong fuppofuicn; for it appears, 
 
 that the bird in queftion has a black and not a white head ; 
 
 but its name is Spani(h, and fignifies a fat bird, the PengiuK 
 or rather Pinguin being very fat. F. 
 
 f Our author miftakes the name of this man for that of 
 his country : he was called Martin Beluzim, a native of Nu- 
 renberg in Germany; his father was a noble fenator of that 
 city : after ftudying mathematics, and efpecially aftronomy 
 and geography, under the great mathematician Joannes Re- 
 giomontanusf he v/ent to the Netherlands, then governed by 
 the Princefs I/abeUa, daughter to John I. of Portugal j he 
 there obtained the command of a Jhip, fitted out for the 
 purpofe of making difcoveries : he fet fail in 1460, and, 
 
 failing
 
 396 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 leem to wilh that America fhould bear his name 
 preferably to that of Jmerico Fefpucci, have fol- 
 lowed this opinion. 
 
 Whether thefe traditions are adopted or re- 
 jeded, whether they are fabulous or true, it re« 
 mains inconteftible that the A/nericans have the 
 fame origin with us -, among all their errors, they 
 have prefervcd fome ideas that have a great fmii- 
 larity with thofe*, which have been tranfniicred to 
 us by writing : [ fhall mention to you a piece of 
 an Englifh diircriation on the population of 
 
 Mmericay 
 
 failing to the weftward firft met with, the iile of Fajal one of 
 the Jzorc't all which iilands were afterwards called the Fk- 
 mijh ifles from the firll inhabitants, which Martin Behaiin 
 ■ brought thither. He then returned, and obtained two fhips, 
 with which he cruized in the atlantic for il>me time, and at 
 laft difcovered the fouith part of lYi^ world, and even went 
 as far as the ftraights, now called Straights of Magellan ; he 
 laid down all his diicoveries in a fea chart, which he pre- 
 fented to king Alphcnfus the iifth, of Portugal. This Ucexh 
 afterwards fell into the hands of Chrijhpher Columbus^ a Ge- 
 itoe/e who was at Lisbon, and firll infpired him with a defire 
 of vihting thofe unknown count: ies. When he undertook 
 the voyage, he always followed the fame courfe which Mar- 
 tin Behuim had laid dow n on his chart, and performed the 
 voyage in as fhort a time as is done now. In the noble fa- 
 mily oiBehcim at Ninenb. rg, ihcy ftill preferve among other 
 curiolities a globe drawn v/ith a pen, and coloured by that 
 /ble navigator, in which all his difcoveriea are marked. F.
 
 LOUISIANA. j97 
 
 America, in which many American opinions are 
 colledted, which owe their origin to the truths 
 preferved by Mofes. " The Peruvians believe, 
 " that there formerly was a deluge, by which 
 *' all the inhabitants of their continent perifhed, 
 " a few excepted, who retired into caverns at 
 *' the top of the higheft mountains, and whofe 
 *' defcendants filled the earth with inhabitants 
 " asain. Some ideas, little different from 
 " thefe have been received by the natives of 
 ** Hifpanicla^ according to what Gemelli Carra'i 
 ** relates. The old hiftories of Mexico likewife 
 " mention an univerfal deluge, by which all 
 " men, one man and woman excepted, periflied. 
 " Thefe two people, according to the Mexicans^ 
 *' had numerous defcendants i but all their chil- 
 *' dren were dumb, till a pigeon endowed them 
 with the power of fpeech •, they add, that the 
 primitive language of the immediate de- 
 *' fcendants of the couple who furvived the de- 
 luge, was fplit into fo many dialeds, that it 
 was impolTible for them to underftand each 
 other •, which after obliging them to Separate, 
 contributed to make them people the different 
 *' countries of the earth. Some American na- 
 *' tions have a tradition, that all men derive 
 " their origin from four women, which agrees 
 *' pretty well with the Mofaic hiftory, which 
 
 *' makes 
 
 
 <(
 
 398 TRAVELS THROUGH 
 
 •' makes all the nations defccnd from Noah and 
 *' his three fons. All thefe traditions manifeftly 
 *' Ihew, that the Americans are defcendants of 
 «' Noahy and that various accounts of the Mo- 
 *^ faic hiftory are even come down to them. 
 *' This is fufficient to overthrow the ftrange fyf- 
 " tem which attributes anceftors to the Americans 
 •' anterior to Adam^ 
 
 Does not this quotation anfwer all the argu- 
 ments of thofe fyftematic writers, who will give 
 us the fruits of their abfurd imagination as 
 truths ? Where could the Americans get thele 
 notions, if they were not all pofterior to the de- 
 luge, and defcended from nations that had pre- 
 lerved the tradition ? It is eafy to explain, that 
 by length of time, by the ignorance and the 
 mutability of the Indians, they have immerfed 
 true fads, which were committed to their me- 
 mory, in fables. The want of monuments, 
 charadlers or letters to write down thofe events, 
 certainly impairs the purity of tradition ; as 
 foon as it is tranfmitted by word of mouth from 
 father to fon, it mufl be much changed after 
 pafllng through fo many generations. 
 
 The wars which the Indians ever carried on 
 among themfelves, have contributed greatly to 
 
 hinder
 
 LOUISIANA. 399 
 
 hinder population -, their fmall number has cer- 
 tainly been the caufe of the nomadic life they 
 lead •, they ran through the woods in order to 
 fearch for game, and fettled in all the places 
 where they found food in abundance, leaving 
 them again in order to go further, whenever it 
 began to fail them. 
 
 If they were more numerous their wants 
 would increafe -, it would become more difficult 
 to provide food for them all j this difficulty 
 would open their minds, give them new ideas : 
 they would feel that it was neceflary to provide 
 a fubfiftence more independent from mere 
 chance ; the fruits which the earth produces, 
 would teach them to multiply them by cultiva- 
 tion •, they would fee all the ufes of thefe pro- 
 du(5tions, think of appropriating them to theni- 
 felves, and fucceed in it ; in fome places we fee 
 them already cultivate maize, they would foon 
 cultivate other corn ; one kind of knowledge 
 would lead to another : they would fettle in the 
 country which they had cultivated, and be no 
 longer fuch vagabonds as there are now. 
 
 The fettlement of the Europeans in the nor- 
 thern parts has engaged many of thefe nations 
 to come and fettle in their neighbourhood in 
 
 order
 
 400 TRAVEL S tkrovgU 
 
 order to get that afTiftance from them which 
 they want ; the defire which the Europeans Ihew 
 of poflefllng their furs and the eafe with which 
 they can obtain brandy and fire-arms in exchange 
 for them, often excite them to go through the 
 woods and hunt in the extent of two hundred 
 leagues around, in order to get thofe things, 
 which become real wants to them ; thus they 
 are only apparently fixed ; they prefer ve their 
 love for a rambling life, and the period of their 
 civilization feems as yet very diftant ; perhaps 
 they will deftroy each other before they come 
 to it. 
 
 This is all that can be afTerted with probabi- 
 lity on the population of America; my letter 
 would be too long, if I would only mention a 
 hundredth part of what has been faid on this 
 fubjeft. The fyflems and contrary opinions 
 which have been long publifhed, would make 
 confiderable volumes ; I have endeavoured to 
 confine myfelf to curious obfervations ; thofe 
 who think the 'Tartars have chiefly furnifhed 
 America with inhabitants, feem to have hit the 
 true opinion ; you cannot believe how g^eat 
 the refemblance of the Indian manners is to thofe 
 of the ancient Scythians ; it is found in their 
 religious ceremonies, their cuftoms and in their 
 
 food.
 
 LOUISIANA. 40X 
 
 food. Hornius is full of charaderiftics, that 
 may fatisfy your curiofity in this refped, and I 
 defire you to read him. 
 
 I fhall now quit all thefe difcuffions which 
 ought to finifh the account of my voyages, and 
 Ihall fpeak of another fubjeft, more ufeful to 
 the human race, in regard to which obfer- 
 vation and experience fuffice to inftruft us. 
 
 As it is the natural defire of maii to live long, 
 I hope it will not be foreign to my purpofe, to 
 Ihew in a few words, how one may preferve life 
 and live long in America. 
 
 I fhall therefore finifh my letter by a fmall dif- 
 fertation on the method of managing one's 
 health. 1 remember to have read, in the Hol- 
 land Gazette of the 3d of April 1687, that Fre- 
 derick GualduSy a noble Venetian, has preferved 
 his life to the age of four hundred years ; it is 
 pretended, that he was pofieflcd of the univer- 
 fal medicine. He left Venice the 7 th of March 
 1686 •, having his pidlure with him painted by 
 'Titian, who was then already dead an hundred 
 and thirty years. I am fure you will agree with 
 me in faying, that exercile and fobriety procure 
 a perfed health. The nations of America knew 
 
 Vol. I. D d neither
 
 402 TRAVELS throitgh 
 
 neither wine nor brandy two hundred and fixty 
 3'ears ago, when the Europeans came to them ; 
 they lived, as I have already faid, on the flefh 
 of wild beafts dried, roafted, or boiled with 
 maize pounded in a mortar made of Ibme hard 
 wood. This food is wholefome, and makes a 
 very good chyle, I have lived about two months 
 upon thefe victuals, going up the river Mobile 
 v/ith the Indians^ and can affirm, that I never 
 enjoyed my health better in my life than at that 
 time. Of all Latin proverbs, this is the beft : 
 
 Phires gula occidit^ qtiam gladius, 
 
 Voluptuoufnefs and intemperance in eating and 
 drinking, deftroy more men than the fword. 
 Therefore one ought to prefcribe to himfelf a 
 proper regimen of life, efpecially in the hot 
 countries of America, 
 
 j\^j 
 
 ^'t .Firft of all, great care mud be taken to be 
 accuftomed to the climate by degrees, and to ab ■ 
 ilain from eating all kinds of fruit, and drinking 
 all forts of liquors, till the body is ufed to it. 
 People who are very replete with blood, may be 
 bled from time to time, to prevent an apoplexy. 
 A gentle purge will fometimes do well; the 
 
 burning
 
 .L-'O U I S I A N A. 403 
 
 burning heat of the fun muft be avoided, and 
 the air at night likewife. 
 
 When one has drunk too much wine, it is nc- 
 celTary to take four things; fuch as lemon, 
 which is very common there •, by this means you 
 will neither find yourfelves ill, nor be overcome 
 by the vapours which commonly follow. If the 
 quantity of liquor which has been drank hears 
 the body, feme refrefhing aliments muft be ta- 
 taken, but every thing that increafes heat mull 
 be avoided : fpirituous liquors fhould be drank as 
 little as poflible, for they burn the blood, and 
 cafily caufe a hot fever. 
 
 When you have eaten too much, ftrong li^ 
 quors are good to ftrengthen the llomach, and 
 help digeftion ; but if, on the contrary, it hap- 
 pens that you are heated by drinking too much^s 
 they would prove very dangerous. Thole who 
 are too much addided to debauchery are almo/l 
 always tormented with bad dreams, which fa- 
 tigue them lb much as almofl: to trouble their 
 
 D d 2 mind. 
 
 ■* Itoughr^o be remarked, that, fince the Jmni^ans have 
 drank wine and brandy, they have like us fhortcned their 
 days.
 
 404 TRAVELS through 
 
 mind, becaufe the fumes of the wine, with 
 which their body is filled, fuccefiively excite 
 their imagination. It is known by experience, 
 that fober perfons, and thofe efpecially who 
 driok water, deep quietly, their (leep being nei- 
 ther too (light nor too heavy. It appears, from 
 the fecond chapter of the Life of Apollonius, 
 written by Philoftratus^ that at Athens thofe who 
 were affliiled v/ith bad dreams applied to the 
 priefts of the falfe deities, in order to be rid of 
 them •, they ordered them to abftain from wine 
 for three or four days ; this cleared their imagi- 
 nation, and produced a cure, which they attri- 
 buted to their gods. 
 
 If, after taking too much food, you are hea- 
 vy, and your members fatigued, fo that too 
 great an abundance of nutritive juice occafions 
 a plenitude in the whole body, and makes you 
 tired ; I believe that, in imitation of the Indians, 
 fweating is an infallible remedy, when the natu- 
 ral heat is affifted with an exterior one ; this re- 
 medy is infallible, provided it be applied at tht 
 firft appearance of the dillemper ; the Europeans^ 
 in order to perfpire well, get between two blan- 
 kets, and remain there covered up, the face 
 excepted; they do not get up till they have 
 
 fweated
 
 LOUISIANA. 405. 
 
 fwcated well, and about an hour after the whole 
 perfpiration is performed. If this method of 
 fweating is continued during fome days, you 
 find yourfelffo much eafed, that ybur ftrength 
 and appetite return, and you are furprifed co fee 
 yourfelf fo light and fo nimble i for by the per- 
 fpiration all the vifcera are perfedlly cleared of 
 all their fuperfluities, without pain or any vio* 
 lence done to nature, which the ordinary medi- 
 cines cannot do. In order to be healthy, this 
 ought to be done thrice in the year, viz. in 
 fpring, autumn, and in winter. 
 
 My conclufion is, that diet, perfpiration, and 
 fweating compofe an univerfal medicine. 
 
 Therefore I fay, that nature fhould dired us 
 in all things ; from her we mufl learn the true 
 means of preferving health, which fhe orders us 
 to do upon pain of the greateft evils, and even 
 of death. 1 have already told you, that the 
 frequent exercifes of the Indians of North Ameri- 
 ca, fuch as dancing, playing at ball, hunting, 
 fifliing, and fighting, incrcafe their natural heat 
 fo much, that it drives all the fuperfluities out of 
 their bodies by perfpiration. Why do the pea- 
 
 fants
 
 4^6 TRAVELS through 
 
 fants live long, and are healthy, without the 
 afliftance of phyficians ! The perpetual labour 
 they are employed in keeps them fo •, exercife 
 prevents their knowing the gout, gravel, and 
 other infirmities, to which the richer people in 
 Europe are fubjeft, on account of the refined 
 tafte of their tables, and becaufe they make no 
 more ufe of their legs than old infirm men. I 
 have known fome, who, like Moliere's Malade 
 imaginaire, filled their ftomach with as many 
 drugs as an apothecary's fliop. 
 
 It has been obferved, in the hot countries of 
 America^ that the young Europeans die fooner 
 there than the old ones -, becaufe the former 
 imprudently eat all forts of fruit, which caufe 
 them a dyfentery i therefore it is necefifary to 
 eat very little of them, till the body is accuftom- 
 ed to the climate, after which, at the expira- 
 tion of a year, this will caufe no further incon- 
 veniencies. 
 
 By obferving thefe precautions, I will war- 
 rant, that people will live longer in this part of 
 the world than in the old one. There arc 
 now many people alive in Louifiana^ who have 
 been there ever fince its firft fettlement. I faw 
 
 a planter
 
 LOUISIANA. 407 
 
 a planter called Craveline^ aged one hundred 
 and eighteen years, who came hither with M. 
 d'lbervilley in 1698; he- ferved in Canada as a 
 foldier for about thirty years,' in the reign of 
 Lewis the Fourteenth, 
 
 Of: 
 
 I am, SI R, See. 
 
 End of th( First Volume,'