Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 4 (of 8): French Explorations and Settlements in North America and Those of the Portuguese, Dutch, and Swedes 1500-1700
History
Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 4 (of 8): French Explorations and Settlements in North America and Those of the Portuguese, Dutch, and Swedes 1500-1700
America -- Discovery and exploration; America -- History; United States -- History
70. Fort des S. RR^{nds} PP. Jesuites. Sauteurs.
71. Anipich.
72. R. de Tessalon. Mississague.
There are in the Kohl Collection, in the Department of State, two maps
of Lake Ontario, of 1666, the original of one of which is credited to
the Dépôt de la Marine.]
He was determined to track it; and gaining some money by selling
his grant at Lachine, and procuring the encouragement of Talon and
Courcelles, he formed an alliance for the journey with two priests of
the Seminary at Montreal, Dollier de Casson and Galinée, who were about
going westward on a missionary undertaking. La Salle started with them
on the 6th of July, 1669, with some followers, and a party of Senecas
as guides. The savages led them across Lake Ontario to a point on the
southern shore nearest to their villages, which the party visited in
the hope of securing other guides to the great river of which they
were in search. Failing in this, they made their way to the western
extremity of the lake, where they fell in with Joliet, as mentioned in
the preceding chapter. La Salle now learned Joliet’s route; but he was
not convinced that it opened to him the readiest way to the great river
of the Indians, though the Sulpitians were resolved to take Joliet’s
route north of Lake Erie. When these priests returned to Montreal, in
June, 1670, they brought back little of consequence, except the data
to make the earliest map which we have of the Upper Lakes, and of which
a sketch is given herewith.
[Illustration]
This map of Galinée, says Parkman,[548] was the earliest attempt
after Champlain to portray the great lakes. Faillon, who gives a
reproduction of this map,[549] says it is preserved in the Archives
of the Marine at Paris; but Harrisse[550] could not find it there.
There is a copy of it, made in 1856 from the original at Paris, in
the Library of Parliament at Ottawa.[551] Faillon[552] gives much
detail of the journey, for the Sulpitians were his heroes; and
Talon made a report;[553] but the main source of our information is
Galinée’s Journal, which is printed, with other papers appertaining, by
Margry,[554] and by the Abbé Verreau.[555]
The Michigan peninsula, which Galinée had failed to comprehend, is
fully brought out in the map of Lake Superior which accompanies the
Jesuit _Relation_ of 1670-1671.[556] Mr. Parkman is inclined to
consider a manuscript map without title or date, but called in the
annexed sketch “The Lakes and the Mississippi” (from a copy in the
Parkman Collection), as showing “the earliest representation of the
upper Mississippi, based perhaps on the reports of the Indians.”[557]
He calls it the work of the Jesuits, whose stations are marked on it
by crosses. It seems however to be posterior to the time when Joliet
gave the name Colbert to the Mississippi.
[Illustration: THE LAKES AND THE MISSISSIPPI.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account