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

1687.] THE JESUIT ALLOUEZ. 459Joutel, Cavelier, and Douay went to visit him. Heshowed great anxiety when told that La Salle wasalive, and on his way to the Illinois; asked manyquestions, and could not hide his agitation. When,some time after, he had partially recovered, he leftSt. Louis, as if to shun a meeting with the object ofhis alarm. 1 Once before, in 1679, Allouez had fledi Joutel adds that this was occasioned by " une espece de conspirationqu'on a voulu faire contre les interests de Monsieur de laSalle." — Journal Historique, 360." Ce Pfere appr^hendoit que le dit sieur ne l'y rencontrast, . .suivant ce que j'en ai pu apprendre, les Pferes avoient avanc£ plusieurschoses pour contrebarrer Tentreprise et avoient voulu detacherplusieurs nations de Sauvages, lesquellesa M. de la Salle.s'estoient donneeslis avoient este mesme jusques a vouloir destruirele fort Saint-Louis, en ayant construit un a Chicago, oil ils avoientattire une partie des Sauvages, ne pouvant en quelque facon s'emparerdu dit fort. Pour conclure, le bon Pere ayant eu peur d'yestre trouve", aima mieux se precautionner en prenant le devant.. . . Quoyque M. Cavelier eust dit au Pere qu'il pouvoit rester, ilpartit quelques sept ou huit jours avant nous." — Relation (Margry,iii. 600).La Salle always saw the influence of the Jesuits in the disastersthat befell him. His repeated assertion, that they wished to establishthemselves in the valley of the Mississippi, receives confirmationfrom a document entitled Mimoire sur la proposition d fairepar les R. Peres Jesuites pour la dtcouverte des environs de la rivihredu Mississipi et pour voir si elle est navigable jusqu'd la mer. It is amemorandum of propositions to be made to the minister Seignelay,and was apparently put forward as a feeler, before making thepropositions in form. It was written after the return of Beaujeuto France, and before La Salle's death became known. It intimatesthat the Jesuits were entitled to precedence in the valley of theMississippi, as having first explored it. It affirms that La Sail*had made a blunder, and landed his colony, not at the mouth of the river,but at another place ; and it asks permission to continue the work inwhich he has failed. To this end, it petitions for means to builda vessel at St. Louis of the Illinois, together with canoes, arm*.