I. THE ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE INDIAN RACE . . . 3 II. SOMETHING ABOUT INDIAN SOCIAL LIFE . . . . . . . . . 15 III. THE IROQUOIS LEAGUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 IV. ACHIEVEMENTS OF FRENCHMEN IN THE NORTH OF AMERICA . . 45 V. JACQUES CARTIER, THE DISCOVERER OF CANADA . . . . . . 53 VI. JEAN RIBAUT: THE FRENCH AT PORT ROYAL, IN SOUTH CAROLINA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 VII. RENE DE LAUDONNIERE: PLANTING A COLONY ON THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 VIII. SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN IN NOVA SCOTIA . . . . . . . . . 101 IX. SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN (_continued_): THE FRENCH ON THE ST. LAWRENCE AND THE GREAT LAKES . . . . . . . 119 X. JESUIT MISSIONARY PIONEERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 XI. JEAN NICOLLET, LOUIS JOLIET, AND FATHER JACQUES MARQUETTE; THE DISCOVERERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI . . . . 169 XII. PIERRE ESPRIT RADISSON AND MEDARD CHOUART EXPLORE LAKE SUPERIOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 XIII. ROBERT CAVELIER, SIEUR DE LA SALLE, THE FIRST EXPLORER OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI . . . . . . . . . . 225 XIV. LA SALLE AND THE FOUNDING OF LOUISIANA . . . . . . . 26l [SUPPLEMENT: THE EXECUTION OF HIS PLAN BY BIENVILLE] 278 XV. FATHER LOUIS HENNEPIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289 XVI. THE VERENDRYES DISCOVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS . . . . . 313 BOOKS FOR REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS JACQUES CARTIER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _Frontispiece_ From the original painting by P. Riis in the Town Hall of St. Malo, France Indian Family Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 FORT CAROLINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 From De Bry's "Le Moyne de Bienville" SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 From the Ducornet portrait FORT OF THE IROQUOIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 From Laverdiere's "Oeuvres de Champlain" THE MURDER OF LA SALLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 From Hennepin's "A New Discovery of a Vast Country in America" LE MOYNE DE BIENVILLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 From the original painting in the possession of J. A. Allen, Esq., Kingston, Ont. FALLS OF ST. ANTHONY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 From Carver's "Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America" {3} French Pathfinders in North America Chapter I THE ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE INDIAN RACE America probably peopled from Asia.--Unity of the American Race.--The Eskimo, possibly, an Exception.--Range of the Several Groups. In an earlier volume, "Pioneer Spaniards in North America," the probable origin of the native races of America has been discussed. Let us restate briefly the general conclusions there set forth.