﻿HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  21 
  

  

  AS 
  A 
  COLONY 
  OF 
  FRANCE, 
  1699—1^63. 
  

  

  In 
  February, 
  1699, 
  an 
  expedition 
  led 
  by 
  Iberville 
  ar- 
  

   rived 
  upon 
  the 
  coast, 
  and 
  occupied 
  Ship 
  Island. 
  Iber- 
  

   ville 
  had 
  offered 
  to 
  prosecute 
  the 
  plan 
  of 
  La 
  Salle 
  to 
  

   colonize 
  Louisiana, 
  and 
  under 
  the 
  patronage 
  of 
  Count 
  de 
  

   Pontchartrain, 
  the 
  French 
  minister 
  of 
  marine, 
  was 
  put 
  

   in 
  command 
  of 
  an 
  expedition 
  fitted 
  out 
  at 
  La 
  Rochelle, 
  

   consisting 
  of 
  two 
  frigates 
  and 
  two 
  smaller 
  vessels, 
  to 
  be 
  

   employed 
  in 
  this 
  service. 
  After 
  exploring 
  the 
  shores 
  

   and 
  inlets 
  in 
  that 
  quarter, 
  it 
  was 
  resolved 
  to 
  establish 
  

   the 
  proposed 
  colony 
  on 
  the 
  main 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity, 
  

   and 
  accordingly 
  a 
  landing 
  was 
  effected 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   extremity 
  of 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Baluxi. 
  A 
  fort 
  of 
  four 
  bastions, 
  

   with 
  twelve 
  pieces 
  of 
  cannon, 
  was 
  commenced 
  on 
  the 
  

   first 
  of 
  May 
  following, 
  the 
  colonists 
  brought 
  over 
  by 
  

   the 
  expedition 
  numbering 
  about 
  two 
  hundred, 
  including 
  

   women 
  and 
  children, 
  were 
  settled 
  around 
  the 
  fort, 
  and 
  

   the 
  first 
  European 
  settlement 
  was 
  established 
  in 
  Missis- 
  

   sippi. 
  

  

  Iberville, 
  leaving 
  his 
  brothers 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  settle- 
  

   ment, 
  the 
  elder, 
  Sauvolle, 
  as 
  governor, 
  and 
  the 
  younger, 
  

   Bienville, 
  as 
  his 
  lieutenant, 
  set 
  sail 
  on 
  his 
  return 
  to 
  

   France 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  reinforcing 
  the 
  infant 
  colony 
  

   he 
  had 
  founded, 
  and 
  procuring 
  for 
  it 
  the 
  necessary 
  sup- 
  

   plies. 
  

  

  In 
  July, 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  departure 
  of 
  Iberville, 
  the 
  

   colony 
  was 
  visited 
  by 
  two 
  missionaries, 
  Montegay 
  and 
  

   Davion, 
  who 
  had 
  wandered 
  from 
  Canada, 
  and 
  had 
  been 
  

   residing 
  among 
  the 
  Indian 
  tribes. 
  Father 
  Davion, 
  who 
  

   had 
  been 
  in 
  turn 
  among 
  the 
  Yazoos 
  and 
  Tunicas, 
  had 
  

   established 
  himself 
  at 
  an 
  eminence 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  

   the 
  Mississippi, 
  where 
  an 
  indurated 
  clay 
  or 
  imperfectly 
  

  

  