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History of Louisisana

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The south side of this river, quite to the rapid part, is entirely
different from the opposite side; it is something higher, {149} and
rises in proportion as it approaches to the height I have mentioned;
the quality is also very different. This land is good and light, and
appears disposed to receive all the culture imaginable, in which we
may assuredly hope to succeed. It naturally produces beautiful fruit
trees and vines in plenty; it was on that side muscadine grapes were
found. The back parts have neater woods, and the meadows intersected
with tall forests. On that side the fruit trees of the country are
common; above all, the hiccory and walnut-trees, which are sure
indications of a good soil.

From the rapid part to the Nachitoches, the lands on both sides of
this river sufficiently resemble those I have just mentioned. To the
left, in going up, there is a petty nation, called the Avoyelles, and
known only for the services they have done the Colony by the horses,
oxen, and cows they have brought from New Mexico for the service of
the French in Louisiana. I am ignorant what view the Indians may have
in that commerce: but I well know, that notwithstanding the fatigues
of the journey, these cattle, one with another, did not come, after
deducting all expenses, and even from the second hand, but to about
two pistoles a head; whence I ought to presume, that they have them
cheap in New Mexico. By means of this nation we have in Louisiana very
beautiful horses, of the species of those of Old Spain, which, if
managed or trained, people of the first rank might ride. As to the
oxen and cows, they are the same as those of France, and both are at
present very common in Louisiana.

The south side conveys into the Red River only little brooks. On the
north side, and pretty near the Nachitoches, there is, as is said, a
spring of water very salt, running only four leagues. This spring, as
it comes out of the earth, forms a little river, which, during the
heats, leaves some salt on its banks. And what may render this more
credible is, that the country whence it takes its rise contains a
great deal of mineral salt, which discovers itself by several springs
of salt water, and by two salt lakes, of which I shall presently
speak. In fine, in going up we come to the French fort of the
Nachitoches, built in an island, formed by the Red River.

{150} This island is nothing but sand, and that so fine, that the wind
drives it like dust; so that the tobacco attempted to be cultivated
there at first was loaded with it. The leaf of the tobacco having a
very fine down, easily retains this sand, which the least breath of
air diffuses every where; which is the reason that no more tobacco is
raised in this island, but provisions only, as maiz, potatoes,
pompions, &c. which cannot be damaged by the sands.

M. de St. Denis commanded at this place, where he insinuated himself
into the good graces of the natives in such a manner, that, altho'
they prefer death to slavery, or even to the government of a
sovereign, however mild, yet twenty or twenty-five nations were so
attached to his person, that, forgetting they were born free, they
willingly surrendered themselves to him; the people and their Chiefs
would all have him for their Grand Chief; so that at the least signal,
he could put himself at the head of thirty thousand men, drawn out of
those nations, which had of their own accord submitted themselves to
his orders; and that only by sending them a paper on which he drew the
usual hieroglyphics that represent war among them, with a large leg,
which denoted himself. This was still the more surprising, as the
greatest part of these people were on the Spanish territories, and
ought rather to have attached themselves to them, than to the French,
if it had not been for the personal merits of this Commander.

At the distance of seven leagues from the French Post, the Spaniards
have settled one, where they have resided ever since M. de la Motte,
Governor of Louisiana, agreed to that settlement. I know not by what
fatal piece of policy the Spaniards were allowed to make this
settlement; but I know, that, if it had not been for the French, the
natives would never have suffered the Spaniards to settle in that
place.

However, several French were allured to this Spanish settlement,
doubtless imagining, that the rains which come from Mexico, rolled and
brought gold along with them, which would cost nothing but the trouble
of picking up. But to what purpose serves this beautiful metal, but to
make the people vain and idle among whom it is so common, and to make
them {151} neglect the culture of the earth, which constitutes true
riches, by the sweets it procures to man, and by the advantages it
furnishes to commerce.

Above the Nachitoches dwell the Cadodaquious, whose scattered villages
assume different names. Pretty near one of these villages was
discovered a silver mine, which was found to be rich, and of a very
pure metal. I have seen the assay of it, and its ore is very fine.
This silver lies concealed in small invisible particles, in a stone of
a chesnut colour, which is spongy, pretty light, and easily
calcinable: however, it yields a great deal more than it promises to
the eye. The assay of this ore was made by a Portuguese, who had
worked at the mines of New Mexico, whence he made his escape. He
appeared to be master of his business, and afterwards visited other
mines farther north, but he ever gave the preference to that of the
Red River.

This river, according to the Spaniards, takes its rise in 32 degrees
of north latitude; runs about fifty leagues north-east; forms a great
elbow, or winding to the east; then proceeding thence south-east, at
which place we begin to know it, it comes and falls into the
Missisippi, about 31° and odd minutes.

I said above, that the Black River discharges itself into the Red, ten
leagues above the confluence of this last with the Missisippi: we now
proceed to resume that river, and follow its course, after having
observed, that the fish of all those rivers which communicate with the
Missisippi, are the same as to species, but far better in the Red and
Black Rivers, because their water is clearer and better than that of
the Missisippi, which they always quit with pleasure. Their delicate
and finer flavour may also arise from the nourishment they take in
those rivers.

The lands of which we are going to speak are to the north of the Red
River. They may be distinguished into two parts; which are to the
right and left of the Black River, in going up to its source, and even
as far as the river of the Arkansas. It is called the Black River,
because its depth gives it that colour, {152} which is, moreover,
heightened by the woods which line it throughout the Colony. All the
rivers have their banks covered with woods; but this river, which is
very narrow, is almost quite covered by the branches, and rendered of
a dark colour in the first view. It is sometimes called the river of
the Wachitas, because its banks were occupied by a nation of that
name, who are now extinct. I shall continue to call it by its usual
name.

The lands which we directly find on both sides are low, and continue
thus for the space of three or four leagues, till we come to the river
of the Taensas, thus denominated from a nation of that name, which
dwelt on its banks. This river of the Taensas is, properly speaking,
but a channel formed by the overflowings of the Missisippi, has its
course almost parallel thereto, and separates the low lands from the
higher. The lands between the Missisippi and the river of the Taensas
are the same as in the Lower Louisiana.

The lands we find in going up the Black River are nearly the same, as
well for the nature of the soil, as for their good qualities. They are
rising grounds, extending in length, and which in general may be
considered as one very extensive meadow, diversified with little
groves, and cut only by the Black River and little brooks, bordered
with wood up to their sources. Buffaloes and deer are seen in whole
herds there. In approaching to the river of the Arkansas, deer and
pheasants begin to be very common; and the same species of game is
found there, as is to the east of the Missisippi; in like manner
wood-strawberries, simples, flowers, and mushrooms. The only
difference is, that this side of the Missisippi is more level, there
being no lands so high and so very different from the rest of the
country. The woods are like those to the east of the Missisippi,
except that to the west there are more walnut and hiccory trees. These
last are another species of walnut, the nuts of which are more tender,
and invite to these parts a greater number of parrots. What we have
just said, holds in general of this west side; let us now consider
what is peculiar thereto.

{153}




CHAPTER VI.

_A Brook of Salt Water: Salt Lakes. Lands of the River of the_ Arkansas.
_Red veined Marble: Slate: Plaster. Hunting the Buffalo. The dry
Sand-banks in the_ Missisippi.


After we have gone up the Black River about thirty leagues, we find to
the left a brook of salt water, which comes from the west. In going up
this brook about two leagues, we meet with a lake of salt water, which
may be two leagues in length, by one in breadth. A league higher up to
the north, we meet another lake of salt water, almost as long and
broad as the former.

This water, doubtless, passes through some mines of salt; it has the
taste of salt, without that bitterness of the sea-water. The Indians
come a great way off to this place, to hunt in winter, and make salt.
Before the French trucked coppers with them, they made upon the spot
pots of earth for this operation: and they returned home loaded with
salt and dry provisions.

To the east of the Black River we observe nothing that indicates
mines; but to the west one might affirm there should be some, from
certain marks, which might well deceive pretended connoisseurs. As for
my part, I would not warrant that there were two mines in that part of
the country, which seems to promise them. I should rather be led to
believe that they are mines of salt, at no great depth from the
surface of the earth, which, by their volatile and acid spirits,
prevent the growth of plants in those spots.

Ten or twelve leagues above this brook is a creek, near which those
Natchez retreated, who escaped being made slaves with the rest of
their nation, when the Messrs. Perier extirpated them on the east side
of the river, by order of the Court.

The Black River takes its rise to the north-west of its confluence,
and pretty near the river of the Arkansas, into which falls a branch
from this rise or source; by means of which we may have a
communication from the one to the other with a middling carriage. This
communication with the river of the {154} Arkansas is upwards of an
hundred leagues from the Post of that name. In other respects, this
Black River might carry a boat throughout, if cleared of the wood
fallen into its bed, which generally traverses it from one side to the
other. It receives some brooks, and abounds in excellent fish, and in
alligators.

I make no doubt but these lands are very fit to bear and produce every
thing that can be cultivated with success on the east of the
Missisippi, opposite to this side, except the canton or quarter
between the river of the Taensas and the Missisippi; that land, being
subject to inundations, would be proper only for rice.

I imagine we may now pass on to the north of the river of the
Arkansas, which takes its rise in the mountains adjoining to the east
of Santa Fé. It afterwards goes up a little to the north, from whence
it comes down to the south, a little lower than its source. In this
manner it forms a line parallel almost with the Red River.

That river has a cataract or fall, at about an hundred and fifty
leagues from its confluence. Before we come to this fall, we find a
quarry of red-veined marble, one of slate, and one of plaster. Some
travellers have there observed grains of gold in a little brook: but
as they happened to be going in quest of a rock of emeralds, they
deigned not to amuse themselves with picking up particles of gold.

This river of the Arkansas is stored with fish; has a great deal of
water; having a course of two hundred and fifty leagues, and can carry
large boats quite to the cataract. Its banks are covered with woods,
as are all the other rivers of the country. In its course it receives
several brooks or rivulets, of little consequence, unless we except
that called the White River, and which discharges itself into the
curve or elbow of that we are speaking of, and below its fall.

In the whole tract north of this river, we find plains that extend out
of sight, which are vast meadows, intersected by groves, at no great
distance from one another, which are all tall woods, where we might
easily hunt the stag; great numbers {155} of which, as also of
buffaloes, are found here. Deer also are very common.

From having seen those animals frightened at the least noise,
especially at the report of a gun, I have thought of a method to hunt
them, in the manner the Spaniards of New Mexico do, which would not
scare them at all, and which would turn to the great advantage of the
inhabitants, who have this game in plenty in their country. This
hunting might be set about in winter, from the beginning of October,
when the meadows are burnt, till the month of February.

This hunting is neither expensive nor fatiguing: horses are had very
cheap in that country, and maintained almost for nothing. Each hunter
is mounted on horseback, and armed with a crescent somewhat open,
whose inside should be pretty sharp; the top of the outside to have a
socket, to put in a handle: then a number of people on horseback to go
in quest of a herd of buffaloes, and always attack them with the wind
in their backs. As soon as they smell a man, it is true, they run
away; but at the sight of the horses they will moderate their fears,
and thus not precipitate their flight; whereas the report of a gun
frightens them so as to make them run at full speed. In this chace,
the lightest would run fast enough; but the oldest, and even the young
of two or three years old, are so fat, that their weight would make
them soon be overtaken: then the armed hunter may strike the buffalo
with his crescent above each ham, and cut his tendons; after which he
is easily mastered. Such as never saw a buffalo, will hardly believe
the quantity of fat they yield: but it ought to be considered, that,
continuing day and night in plentiful pastures of the finest and most
delicious grass, they must soon fatten, and that from their youth. Of
this we have an instance in a bull at the Natchez, which was kept till
he was two years old, and grew so fat, that he could not leap on a
cow, from his great weight; so that we were obliged to kill him, and
got nigh an hundred and fifty pounds of tallow from him. His neck was
near as big as his body.

From what I have said, it may be judged what profit such hunters might
make of the skins and tallow of those buffaloes; {156} the hides would
be large, and their wool would be still an additional benefit. I may
add, that this hunting of them would not diminish the species, those
fat buffaloes being ordinarily the prey of wolves, as being too heavy
to be able to defend themselves.

Besides, the wolves would not find their account in attacking them in
herds. It is well known that the buffaloes range themselves in a ring,
the strongest without, and the weakest within. The strong standing
pretty close together, present their horns to the enemy, who dare not
attack them in this disposition. But wolves, like all other animals,
have their particular instinct, in order to procure their necessary
food. They come so near that the buffaloes smell them some way off,
which makes them run for it. The wolves then advance with a pretty
equal pace, till they observe the fattest out of breath. These they
attack before and behind; one of them seizes on the buffalo by the
hind-quarter, and overturns him, the others strangle him.

The wolves being many in a body, kill not what is sufficient for one
alone, but as many as they can, before they begin to eat. For this is
the manner of the wolf, to kill ten or twenty times more than he
needs, especially when he can do it with ease, and without
interruption.

Though the country I describe has very extensive plains, I pretend not
to say that there are no rising grounds or hills; but they are more
rare there than elsewhere, especially on the west side. In approaching
to New Mexico we observe great hills and mountains, some of which are
pretty high.

I ought not to omit mentioning here, that from the low lands of
Louisiana, the Missisippi has several shoal banks of sand in it, which
appear very dry upon the falling of the waters, after the inundations.
These banks extend more or less in length; some of them half a league,
and not without a considerable breadth. I have seen the Natchez, and
other Indians, sow a sort of grain, which they called Choupichoul, on
these dry sand-banks. This sand received no manner of culture; and the
women and children covered the grain any how with their feet, without
taking any great pains about it. After this sowing, {157} and manner
of culture, they waited till autumn, when they gathered a great
quantity of the grain. It was prepared like millet, and very good to
eat. This plant is what is called Belle Dame Sauvage, [Footnote: He
seems to mean Buck-wheat.] which thrives in all countries, but
requires a good soil: and whatever good quality the soil in Europe may
have, it shoots but a foot and a half high; and yet, on this sand of
the Missisippi, it rises, without any culture, three feet and a half,
and four feet high. Such is the virtue of this sand all up the
Missisippi; or, to speak more properly, for the whole length of its
course; if we except the accumulated earth of the Lower Louisiana,
across which it passes, and where it cannot leave any dry sand-banks;
because it is straitened within its banks, which the river itself
raises, and continually augments.

In all the groves and little forests I have mentioned, and which lie
to the north of the Arkansas, pheasants, partridges, snipes, and
woodcocks, are in such great numbers, that those who are most fond of
this game, might easily satisfy their longing, as also every other
species of game. Small birds are still vastly more numerous.




CHAPTER VII.

_The Lands of the River_ St. Francis. _Mine of_ Marameg, _and other
Mines. A Lead Mine. A soft Stone resembling Porphyry. Lands of the_
Missouri. _The Lands north of the _ Wabache. _The Lands of the
Illinois_. De la Mothe's _Mine, and other Mines._


Thirty leagues above the river of the Arkansas, to the north, and on
the same side of the Missisippi, we find the river St. Francis.

The lands adjoining to it are always covered with herds of buffaloes,
nothwithstanding they are hunted every winter in those parts: for it
is to this river, that is, in its neighbourhood, that the French and
Canadians go and make their salt provisions for the inhabitants of the
capital, and of the neighbouring {158} plantations, in which they are
assisted by the native Arkansas, whom they hire for that purpose. When
they are upon the spot, they chuse a tree fit to make a pettyaugre,
which serves for a salting or powdering-tub in the middle, and is
closed at the two ends, where only is left room for a man at each
extremity.

The trees they choose are ordinarily the poplar, which grow on the
banks of the water. It is a white wood, soft and binding. The
pettyaugres might be made of other wood, be cause such are to be had
pretty large; but either too heavy for pettyaugres, or too apt to
split.

The species of wood in this part of Louisiana is tall oak; the fields
abound with four sorts of walnut, especially the black kind; so
called, because it is of a dark brown colour, bordering on black; this
sort grows very large.

There are besides fruit trees in this country, and it is there we
begin to find commonly Papaws. We have also here other trees of every
species, more or less, according as the soil is favourable. These
lands in general are fit to produce every thing the low lands can
yield, except rice and indigo. But in return, wheat thrives there
extremely well: the vine is found every where; the mulberry-tree is in
plenty; tobacco grows fine, and of a good quality; as do cotton and
garden plants: so that by leading an easy and agreeable life in that
country, we may at the same time be sure of a good return to France.

The land which lies between the Missisippi and the river St. Francis,
is full of rising grounds, and mountains of a middling height, which,
according to the ordinary indications, contain several mines: some of
them have been assayed; among the rest, the mine of Marameg, on the
little river of that name; the other mines appear not to be so rich,
nor so easy to be worked. There are some lead mines, and others of
copper, as is pretended.

The mine of Marameg, which is silver, is pretty near the confluence of
the river which gives it name; which is a great advantage to those who
would work it, because they might {159} easily by that means have
their goods from Europe. It is situate about five hundred leagues from
the sea.

I shall continue on the west side of the Missisippi, and to the north
of the famous river of Missouri, which we are now to cross. This river
takes its rise at eight hundred leagues distance, as is alledged, from
the place where it discharges itself into the Missisippi. Its waters
are muddy, thick, and charged with nitre; and these are the waters
that make the Missisippi muddy down to the sea, its waters being
extremely clear above the confluence of the Missouri: the reason is,
that the former rolls its waters over a sand and pretty firm soil; the
latter, on the contrary, flows across rich and clayey lands, where
little stone is to be seen; for though the Missouri comes out of a
mountain, which lies to the north-west of New Mexico, we are told,
that all the lands it passes through are generally rich; that is, low
meadows, and lands without stone.

This great river, which seems ready to dispute the pre-eminence with
the Missisippi, receives in its long course many rivers and brooks,
which considerably augment its waters. But except those that have
received their names from some nation of Indians who inhabit their
banks, there are very few of their names we can be well assured of,
each traveller giving them different appellations. The French having
penetrated up the Missouri only for about three hundred leagues at
most, and the rivers which fall into its bed being only known by the
Indians, it is of little importance what names they may bear at
present, being besides in a country but little frequented. The river
which is the best known is that of the Osages, so called from a nation
of that name, dwelling on its banks. It falls into the Missouri,
pretty near its confluence.

The largest known river which falls into the Missouri, is that of the
Canzas; which runs for near two hundred leagues in a very fine
country. According to what I have been able to learn about the course
of this great river, from its source to the Canzas, it runs from west
to east; and from that nation it falls down to the southward, where it
receives the river of the Canzas, which comes from the west; there it
forms a great elbow, which terminates in the neighbourhood of the
Missouri; {160} then it resumes its course to the south-east, to lose
at last both its name and waters in the Missisippi, about f our
leagues lower down than the river of the Illinois.

There was a French Post for some time in an island a few leagues in
length, overagainst the Missouris; the French settled in this fort at
the east-point, and called it Fort Orleans. M. de Bourgmont commanded
there a sufficient time to gain the friendship of the Indians of the
countries adjoining to this great river. He brought about a peace
among all those nations, who before his arrival were all at war; the
nations to the north being more war-like than those to the south.

After the departure of that commandant, they murdered all the
garrison, not a single Frenchman having escaped to carry the news: nor
could it be ever known whether it happened through the fault of the
French, or through treachery.

As to the nature of that country, I refer to M. de Bourgmont's
Journal, an extract from which I have given above. That is an original
account, signed by all the officers, and several others of the
company, which I thought was too prolix to give at full length, and
for that reason I have only extracted from it what relates to the
people and the quality of the soil, and traced out the route to those
who have a mind to make that journey; and even this we found necessary
to abridge in this translation.

In this journey of M. de Bourgmont, mention is only made of what we
meet with from Fort Orleans, from which we set out, in order to go to
the Padoucas: wherefore I ought to speak of a thing curious enough to
be related, and which is found on the banks of the Missouri; and that
is, a pretty high cliff, upright from the edge of the water. From the
middle of this cliff juts out a mass of red stone with white spots,
like porphyry, with this difference, that what we are speaking of is
almost soft and tender, like sand-stone. It is covered with another
sort of stone of no value; the bottom is an earth, like that on other
rising grounds. This stone is easily worked, and bears the most
violent fire. The Indians of the country have contrived to strike off
pieces thereof with their arrows, {161} and after they fall in the
water plunge for them. When they can procure pieces thereof large
enough to make pipes, they fashion them with knives and awls. This
pipe has a socket two or three inches long, and on the opposite side
the figure of a hatchet; in the middle of all is the boot, or bowl of
the pipe, to put the tobacco in. These sort of pipes are highly
esteemed among them.

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