STATISTICAL DESCRIPTION

OF

LOUISIANA.

CHAP. I.

FIRST DISCOVERY, SETTLEMENT, AND LIMITS.

I HAVE Sought in vain for French or Spanish maps of Florida and Louisiana published in the beginning of the 18th century, though I have been informed there are such; but I have been more fortunate with those of England and Germany. I have procured two maps, one published in London, 1719, dedicated to William Law, Esq. of Laureston; having Louisiana as the centre, but reaching westward from Chesapeake Bay 33 degrees of longitude, and having the Rio Grand del Norte included in its western limit,

The other map was published by Homann, at Nuremberg in Germany, before the above period, or about 1712, and bears the title of "Regni Mexicani, Novæ Hispaniæ, Ludovicianæ, N. Angliæ, Caroliniæ, Virginiæ, et Pennsylvania, sed non Insularum Archipelagi Mexicani, in America, Septentrionali, accurata tabula, exhibita a Joh. Baptista Homano, Noribergæ.

I have seen another map by Homann of Nuremberg, which is entitled "Amplissimæ Regiones Mississippi, seu Provincæ, Ludovicianæ, a R. P. Hennepin, Fran. Miss. anno 1687; edita p. J. B. Homann, Geograph Noriberga." This map agrees with that above cited; it is coloured, and the routes of La Salle are very perspicuously traced, as well as of M. Cavalier, in 1687.

The routes of Soto in 1543, and his successor in 1552, are given in a very curious and distinct manner.

In a geographical work published in London, in 1717, with the title of " Atlas Geographicus; or a complete System of Geography ancient and modern," Page 670, vol. V. is a map of Louisiana, upon which the outline of that colony is marked as in the above cited maps of Homann and others; a copy of the latter work is No. 470 in the Philadelphia Library.

On both these maps the coasts, rivers, mountains, and other grand features of nature, in those parts of North America, are embraced, and drawn with astonishing correctness for the period of their publication. In the regions west of the Mississippi, but little additional accurate knowledge, and no precision, have been gained up to this time; no map extant has met my observation, in which the now Missouri territory and the province of Texas are more accurately defined.

In the London map, the bounds of Louisiana commences west at the mouth of Rio Grande del Norte, ascends that river to the mouth of the Rio Salado de Apaches, (now St. Paul's) thence along that river to its source; thence by a curve to the 37° N, lat. where the limit meets the margin of the map.

On the east side, Carolina, Georgia, and part of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, are included. On the north, the boundary is left undefined.

The Nuremberg map commences Louisiana at the mouth of the Rio Grande del Norte, ascends that river to the mouth of St. Paul's river; thence by a line nearly north, until it reaches 38° north latitude; thence east through the now territories of Missouri and Illinois, and the states of Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia, to the sources of James river, thence nearly

similar to the London map, until the limit merges into the Atlantic Ocean.

These two maps show that the bounds of Louisiana were at the epocha of their publication considered by the literati of Europe, as reaching to the Rio Grande del Norte. In both, the fort built by M. de la Salle is laid down at the head of the bay of Espiritu Santo, or St. Joseph, and on the west side of the mouth of the Guadaloupe or St. Marks, on the spot now called Matagorda.

With the general contour of the coast of the Mexican Gulph, these maps have great resemblance to each other, though differing considerably in latitude and longitude of places.

A British official map, published in 1755, in two parts, by Bowen, intended to point out the boundaries of the British, Spanish, and French colonies in North America, fixes the south-west limit of Louisiana at the same place as Homann.

No. 1040, in the Philadelphia Library, is a copy of Joutel's relation of La Salle's last voyage, printed in Paris, 1713. This book is a very valuable document in relation to Louisiana.

The small map attending this work is an exact copy of part of Homann's Latin maps, which appear to be the originals from which the others have been drawn. I have not even translated the names, considering it would be more satisfactory to the public to preserve the literal form as near as possible.

FERDINAND DE SOTO, in 1539-40, was no doubt the first European who actually traversed the regions near the mouth of the Mississippi; whose adventures have been preserved in literature. So extravagant, howéver, were the then projects of Spanish travellers in

pursuit of the precious metals, and so little qualified to collect useful knowledge, that very few precise ideas of the countries through which they roamed, can be collected from their accounts. We may, therefore, conclude of the voyage of Soto, like many others, that he traversed, but did not discover the countries over which he travelled.

After the voyage of Soto, 132 years elapsed before further knowledge of Louisiana was obtained by any European nation. In 1674, two French traders, Joliet and Marquette, reached the Mississippi by penetrating from Canada through lakes Huron and Michigan, and through the Fox and Ouisconsin rivers.

1683.-M. de la Salle, Father Lewis Hennepin, and the chevalier Tonty, discovered the country now called Louisiana; and the course of the Mississippi. These adventurers reached that river by the Illinois. M. de la Salle explored the river to the mouth-Hennepin surveyed it upwards above St. Anthony's Falls-went soon after to France, published an account of his discoveries, and named the country LOUISIANA.

1683.-De la Salle returned to Canada, and from thence to France; gained by the interest of the prince of Conti, and the marquis de Seignelai, (son of the great Colbert,) a small squadron, with which

1685, February 16th-He landed at the mouth of the Guadaloupe river, on the bay of Espiritu Santo, and built a fort. The object of his expedition was, and he set out carrying orders, to establish a colony on the Mississippi. From the very defective knowledge then gained of the northern part of the Mexican gulph La Salle passed the mouth of the Mississippi; and, entering a deep and wide bay, he landed his men and effects, thinking himself on the Mississippi; but soon