Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/89

 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST iMISSOURI 29 of trading and colonizing. But useful as was the aid of Fronteuac to La Salle, friendship with the governor brought one drawback with it. It made Fronteuac 's enemies, La Salle's enemies. These enemies of the governor were by no means few nor powerless. In the first place he had offended the traders of Canada, by embarking in trade on his own account and estalilishing posts for this purpose on the western lakes. He had been unfortunate enough, also, to incur the displeasure of the Jesuits b}^ some opposition to their plans. The Jesuits were both numerous and power- ful and their opposition to the scheme of La Salle, induced in part by their dislike of the governor, was destined to cost La Salle very dear. The Jesuits had long had attention di- rected to the valley of the great river. Here they had planned to evangelize the Indians and to found a province like that of Paraguay in South America where they should be su- preme. La Salle's dream of colonization and settlement ran counter to this plan of the Jesuits and they were accordingly opposed to him and all that he attempted to do. In spite of all opposition, however. La Salle persisted in his work. In lfi73 he received from Fronteuac the grant of a new .seignory in the west. This was called Fort Fronteuac and was situated near the present site of Kingston. This grant carried with it a prac- tical monopoly of the fur trade in that pai't of Canada. In 1674 and again in 1677 be visited France. Here his enthusiasm, his knowledge of the country of America, and above all persistence and determination won approval for his schemes. He received from the King of France a patent of authority, giv- ing him the right to explore the country at his own expense, to build and equip forts, and to exercise a monopoly of the trade in bufit'alo skins for a period of five years. Armed with this concession. La Salle made the greatest exertion to raise enough funds to equip his expeditions. In this he was successful, and returned to Canada after having organized his expedition. He arrived in Quebec in August, 1678, and secured men and supplies for his projected expedition to the Mississippi. One man who accompanied him, and who was dest- ined to be closely associated with all his en- terprises, was Tonti. He also secured the friendship and help of Father Hennepin. On landing at Quebec, La Salle immediately set to making arrangements for the expedition and sent Father Hennepin and Tonti with men and supplies, as an advance guard. Starting on November 18th, from Fort Front- euac, they landed at Lewiston and continued up the Niagara river to the Falls. Here they concluded to wait, and arrange for the further course of the expedition. They were joined by La Salle in January, 1679. La Salle had come to Lewiston, in the vessel which he de- signed to use for the purpose of the expediton, but this vessel was wrecked in the attempt. The early part of 1679 was spent by the party in building a boat for use on the upper lakes. This boat was launched in the spring, above the Falls of Niagara. The party suffered very greatly from the hostility of the Iroquois In- dians. In fact it was almost impossible to prevent the destruction of the vessel which they were building. La Salle left the party in the spring, and re- turned to Fort Fronteuac to secure further supplies and funds. He found that all of his property had been attached by his creditors, at the instigation of his enemies, for the pay- ment of his debts. Nevertheless, La Salle re- turned to Lake Erie to continue the expedi- tion, and on August the seventh, embarked on the new vessel which he had named the "Grif-