La Salle and the discovery of the great West - North Central ...

;848 A NEW ENTERPRISE. [1684.Such, in brief, was the substance of this singularproposition. And, first, it is to be observed that it isbased on a geographical blunder, the nature of whichis explained by the map of La Salle's discoveriesmade in this very year. Here the river Seignelay,or Red River, is represented as running parallel tothe northern border of Mexico, and at no great distancefrom it, — the region now called Texas beingalmost entirely suppressed. According to the map,New Biscay might be reached from this river in afew days ;and, after crossing the intervening forests,/the coveted mines of Ste. Barbe, or Santa Barbara,would be within striking distance. 1 That La Sallebelieved in the possibility of invading the Spanishprovince of New Biscay from Red River there can beno doubt ; neither can it reasonably be doubted thathe hoped at some future day to make the attemptand yet it is incredible that a man in his sober sensescould have proposed this scheme with the intentionof attempting to execute it at the time and in themanner which he indicates. 2 This memorial bearsi Both the memorial and the map represent the banks of RedRiver as inhabited by Indians, called Terliquiquimechi, and knownto the Spaniards as Indios bravos, or Indios de guerra. The Spaniards,it is added, were in great fear of them, as they made frequentinroads into Mexico. La Salle's Mexican geography was in allrespects confused and erroneous ;nor was Seignelay better informed.Indeed, Spanish jealousy placed correct information beyond theirreach.2While the plan, as proposed in the memorial, was clearly impracticable,the subsequent experience of the French in Texastended to prove that the tribes of that region could be used with