HISTORY. 75 



Hennepin that he saw Johet at Quebec, and being informed 

 that he had been upon the Missisippi, he questioned him in 

 relation to it ; and was answered that he had never been 

 further than the country of the Hurons and Ottawas. These 

 Indians inhabited, the first south, and the last north, of the 

 Straits of Mackinac. This story of the interview with Joliet 

 may or may not be true ; but there is nothing, leaving it out 

 of the case, to induce even a strong belief that Marquette 

 and Joliet had been to the great river ; and the honor of its 

 discovery must be given to Hennepin. 



La Sale having made his preparations to maintain the posi- 

 tion he had established at Lake Pimitewi, as a point d'appui 

 for the prosecution of his discoveries, returned to that post, 

 and in 1 682 he descended to the Missisippi, and fell down 

 that stream to its mouth. And this is the first undoubted dis- 

 covery of the Lower Missisippi, though the narratives before 

 mentioned have related that both Marquette and Hennepin 

 had gone down the river nearly to its mouth. It was in 

 March that La Sale came to the Missisippi and prosecuted his 

 discover}'' to its mouth.* He took possession of the country 

 of the Arkansas Indians, and arriving at the mouth of the 

 river on the 9th of April, took possession of the country there 

 according to law — [Ch., v. 2, p. 276]. On the 11th he reim- 

 barked and ascended the river. On this voyage he left colo- 

 nies at Kaskaskia and Kakokia. 



The country of the lower Missisippi is not withm the scope 

 of this work, and events relating to it will be briefly noticed 

 only as they have connection with the discoveries or settle- 

 ments in the upper country. La Sale, after his voyage down 

 the river, returned to France for the purpose of making a 



* Charlevoix says he embarked on the Missisippi on the 2d of February, 

 and going down the river, took possession of the country of the Arkansas 

 on the 4th of March, 



