326 An Hîjî or ical Journal of 



Canton of the Natchez is the moil populous of the Colony ; ne- 

 ver thelefs, it is five Years iince any Frenchman has heard Mafs 

 here, or even feen a Priell:. I foon faw that the Privation of 

 the Sacraments had produced in the greateft Part of them that 

 Indifference for the Exercifes of Religion, which is the com- 

 mon EfFed of fuch Privation : Yet many (hewed a great Defire to 

 take Advantage of my Prefence, for regulating the Affairs of 

 their Confciences ; and I thought it was my Duty to help 

 them to this Comfort without much Sollicitation. 



The firft Propofal that they made to me was, that I would 

 agree to marry, in the Prefence of the Church, fome Inhabi- 

 tants, who by Virtue of a civil Contrad, drawn up in the Pre- 

 fence of the Commandant and the principal Clerk, lived toge- 

 ther without any Scruple, alledging, as well as they who had 

 authorized this Concubinage, the Neceffity of peopling the 

 Country, and the Impoffibility of having a Prieft. I reprefented 

 to them, that there was one at the Tafousy and at Ne^ Orleans^ 

 and that the Matter was worth the Pains of taking the Journey : 

 / They replied, that the contracting Parties were not in a Con- 

 dition to take long Journies, nor to be at the Expence of bring- 

 ing a Prieft hither. In fhort, the Evil was done, and there 

 remained nothing but to remedy it, which I did. Then I 

 eonfefîed all who prefented themfelves, but the Number of thefe 

 was not fo great as I had hoped. 



Nothing more detaining me at the Natchez^ I departed from 

 De arture f'om ^^^^^ ^(>^ of December, pretty late, ac- 

 ? -NT '^^/^ companied by M. de Fauter, the King's En- 



Natchez. . ^ 1 r> 1 



gmeer, who was viliting the Colony, to ex- 

 amine the Places where it v/as fit to build Forts. We went four 

 Leagues, and encamped at the Side of a little River, which 

 we found on the Left. We re-embarked the next Day two 

 Hours before it was light, with the Wind pretty high, and 

 againfl us. The River in this Place makes a Circuit of four- 

 teen Leagues ; and as v/e turned, the Wind turned with us, 

 being beaten back by the Land, and by the Iflands, v^hich we found 

 in great Numbers, fo that it vv^as always in our Faces. Not- 

 withilanding which, we went ten Leagues farther, and en- 

 tered into another little River on the Left Hand. All Night we 

 heard a great Noife, and I thought it was the Effeél of the 

 Wind, that was grown lironger, but they afTured me that the 

 River had been very quiet, and that the Noife which had waked 

 me, was made by the Fifli, that dafhed about the Water with 

 their Tails, 



The 



