20 BUEEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 43 



to this argument, however, by saying that at the time when these 

 travelers wrote none of them was personally familiar with both tribes. 

 Thus De Montigny had visited the Taensa, but not the Natchez; 

 Gravier had not visited the Taensa or Natchez, but had evidently de^ 

 rived his information from St. Cosme, who had lately settled among 

 the latter people, but was not necessarily familiar with the former; 

 and Du Pratz was sufficiently familiar with the Natchez, but had not. 

 so far as we know, ever seen a Taensa, the Taensa tribe having in his 

 time moved to Mobile bay. It Avas quite possible, therefore, as argued 

 by Gatschet, that these men had merely assumed a linguistic connec- 

 tion to exist on the strength of well-known resembkinces between the 

 tribes in manners and customs. Against the new evidence, however, 

 no such objection can be made. 



In order to understand the strength of this new evidence, which 

 emanates from missionary sources, it wdll be necessary to review in a 

 few words the movements of the early missionaries on the lower 

 Mississippi. After the Recollect fathers who accompanied La Salle 

 and Tonti, the first missionaries to descend below the country of the 

 Quapaw were three missionary priests named De Montigny, Davion, 

 and La Source, sent out under direction of the ecclesiastical center at 

 Quebec. These descended the river in the summer of 1G98 as far as the 

 Tunica and the Taensa, but returned to the Quapaw without going anj- 

 farther, and it is from the letter of De Montigny, dated from the latter 

 tribe on January 2, 169P, and pulilished in Shea's Early Voyages Up 

 and Down the Mississippi," that the statement referred to by Brinton 

 and (xatschet relative to the Taensa and Natchez languages is taken. 

 Later in the year 1699 De Montigny and Davion again visited the 

 tribes below and began missions among the Taensa and Tunica, re- 

 spectively. In June they voyaged down the Mississippi together, 

 accompanied bj^ four Shawnee Indians, two Taensa, and some Ca- 

 nadians, visited the Natchez and the Houma, and reached Iberville's 

 new settlement at Biloxi July I.'' A few days later thej'^ returned to 

 their charges, and Davion continued to minister to his chosen tribe 

 for about twenty years. De Montigny, on the other hand, had deter- 

 mined to transfer the seat of his labors to the Natchez as being more 

 important, and seized the opportunity presented by Iberville's visit to 

 the Taensa to return with him to the former tribe.^ Later on, how- 

 ever, he left these also, repaired to Biloxi, and accompanied Iberville 

 on his return to France.** Soon after his departure, if not indeed 

 before it took place, St. Cosme came down from the upper Mississippi 

 to assume his duties and remained there until December, 170G, when 



"Pp. 75-70. 



"La Ilarpp, Jour. Hist., 10, 1S;!1 ; IMarsr.v, Di'-couvortc^s. iv, 451-4512. 



<' Margry, Ddcouvertos, iv, 417, ISSO. 



"Ibid., 430-431. 



