S WANTON] INDIANS OF THE SOUTHEASTEKN UNITED STATES 159 



named Quigualtam or Quigualtanqui, living east of the river, who 

 seemed to dominate all others in the surrounding territory. The fol- 

 lowing spring, when the survivors of his expedition were descending 

 the Mississippi on their way to Mexico, they were followed and fre- 

 quently attacked by a fleet of canoes said to be under the command 

 of this chieftain. As the location of his province corresponds very 

 closely to the later country of the Natchez, who also appear in history 

 as a dominating people, the two were probably identical. March 26, 

 1682, La Salle came upon a crowd of Natchez Indians on the bank of 

 the Mississippi, and he visited one of their towns. June 12, 1699, the 

 tribe was visited by two missionary priests, De Montigny and Davion, 

 and in the spring of 1700 the former made a more extensive examina- 

 tion of their towns. March 11 following, after De Montigny had re- 

 turned to the Taensa, Iberville reached the landing place of the 

 Natchez and visited the town of the Great Sun, continuing to the 

 Taensa the following day. De Montigny returned with him to the 

 Natchez, among whom he intended to become resident missionary, but 

 he changed his mind later and returned to France with Iberville in 

 May. Soon afterward, however, St. Cosme descended from the Tama- 

 roa to take his place and continued his labors in the tribe until his 

 death at the hands of the Chitimacha in 1706. In November 1700, the 

 Jesuit Gravier visited the Natchez, and he has left us a valuable account 

 of them. In 1704 Penicaut spent part of the spring and summer among 

 them and made some interesting notes regarding their customs. A 

 small trading post was established among these Indians in 1713, partly 

 to counteract English influence, which was already becoming strong. 

 In 1714 or 1715 four Frenchmen ascending the Mississippi River were 

 killed in the Natchez towns and this brought on a short war in 1716, 

 resulting in the construction of a fort on the bluffs at Natchez, which 

 was named Fort Rosalie after the Duchess of Pontchartrain. In 1718 

 two important concessions were established near the Natchez towns, 

 one called St. Catherine, the other White Earth. In 1721 Father 

 Charlevoix visited Natchez and has left a considerable description of 

 the Indians which is almost identical with another contained in the 

 letter of a Jesuit missionary. Father Le Petit. In 1722 a second war 

 broke out and was followed by a third in a very brief interval of time, 

 the latter put down with considerable severity by Bienville. Some 

 years of peace followed in which the number of whites constantly 

 increased, but along with them there also increased occasions of fric- 

 tion between whites and Indians. These an exceptionally inexperi- 

 enced and unintelligent commandant named Chepart converted into 

 a native conspiracy and an uprising on November 28, 1729, resulting 

 in the destruction of the post and settlement, the massacre of the 

 greater part of the white inhabitants, and the capture of the remainder. 



