The Discovery of the Great West Author:Francis Parkman Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER V. 1672-1675. THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. ,'"I.n.i SENT TO FIND THE MISSISSIPPI.JACQUES MARQUETTB. DEPAR- TURE. Green Bay. The Wiscons... more »in. The Mississippi. Indians. Manitous. Thb Areansas. The Illinois. Jouet's Misfor- Tune. Marquette At Chicago. His Iu.nkss. Ilia Death. If Talon had remained in the colony, Frontenac would infallibly have quarrelled with him ; but he was too clear-sighted not to approve his plans for the discovery and occupation of the ulterior. Before sailing for France, Talon recommended Joliet as a suitable agent for the discovery of the Mississippi, and the Governor accepted his counsel.1 Louis Joliet was the son of a wagon-maker in the service of the Company of the Hundred Associates,3 then owners of Canada. He was- born at Quebec in 1645, was educated by the Jesuits ; and, when still very young, he resolved to be a priest. He received the tonsure and the minor orders at the age of seventeen. Four years after, he is mentioned with especial honor for the part he bore in 1 Lettre de Frontenac ait Afinistre, 2 Nov. 1672; Ibid. 14 Nov. 1674. MSS. 2 See " Jesuits in North America." 1678.] JOLIET. 49 the disputes in philosophy, at which the dignitaries of the colony were present, and in which the Intendant himself took part.1 Not long after, he renounced his clerical vocation, and turned fur- trader. Talon sent him, with one Pere, to explore the copper-mines of Lake Superior; and it was on his return from this expedition that he met La Salle and the Sulpitians near the head of Lake Ontario.2 In what we know of Joliet, there is nothing that reveals any salient or distinctive trait of character, any especial breadth of view or boldness of design. He appears to have been simply a merchant, intelligent, w...« less