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A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

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1717-1723.] CHARLEVOIX. 6<strong>and</strong> questioned missionaries, <strong>of</strong>ficers, voyageicrs, <strong>and</strong>Indians. The results were not satisfactory. Themissionaries <strong>and</strong> the <strong>of</strong>ficers had noth<strong>in</strong>g to tell ; thevoyagers <strong>and</strong> Indians knew no more than they, but<strong>in</strong>vented confused <strong>and</strong> contradictory falsehoods tohide their ignorance.Charlevoix made note <strong>of</strong> everyth<strong>in</strong>g,<strong>and</strong> reported to the Comte de Toulouse thatthePacific probably formed the western boundaiy <strong>of</strong>the country <strong>of</strong> the Sioux, <strong>and</strong> that some Indians toldhim that they had been to its shores <strong>and</strong> found whitemen there different from the French.Believ<strong>in</strong>g that these stories were not withoutfoundation, Charlevoix reported two plans as likelyto lead to the coveted discoveiy. One was to ascendthe Missouri, "the source <strong>of</strong> which is certa<strong>in</strong>ly notfar from the sea, as allthe Indians I have met haveunanimously assured me;" <strong>and</strong> the other was toestablish a mission among the Sioux, from whom,after thoroughly learn<strong>in</strong>g their language, the missionariescould, as he th<strong>in</strong>ks, ga<strong>in</strong> all the desired<strong>in</strong>formation. 1The Regent approved the plan <strong>of</strong> the mission;butthe hostile disposition <strong>of</strong> the Sioux <strong>and</strong> the Outagamiesprevented its execution for several years. In1 The valuable journal <strong>of</strong> Charlevoix's western travels, written<strong>in</strong> the form <strong>of</strong> letters, was published <strong>in</strong> connection with his Histoirede la Nouvelle <strong>France</strong>. After his visit to the Lakes, he went toNew Orleans, <strong>in</strong>tend<strong>in</strong>g to return <strong>in</strong> the spr<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> cont<strong>in</strong>ue his <strong>in</strong>quiriesfor the Western Sea ; but be<strong>in</strong>g unable to do this, he wentback to <strong>France</strong> at the end <strong>of</strong> 1722. The <strong>of</strong>ficial report <strong>of</strong> his missionis conta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> a letter to the Comte de Toulouse, 20 January •"1723.

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