Joutel, Henri:

$14,500 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

A JOURNAL OF THE LAST VOYAGE PERFORM'D BY MONSR. DE LA SALE [sic], TO THE GULPH OF MEXICO, TO FIND OUT THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISIPI [sic] RIVER.... The first translation into English of the version of Joutel's narrative edited by De Michel, first published in Paris the previous year, including the account of LaSalle's Texas colony and the return of the remainder of his party to Canada. Of the three major narratives of the journey, this record, by LaSalle's closest subordinate, is the most valuable. The party embarked in 1684, ostensibly to establish a French base at the mouth of the Mississippi as a headquarters for operations, but also to push as far as possible into the region to gain a foothold against the Spanish. In fact, and via a conscious deceit, the base was established at Espiritu Santo Bay in Texas, from whence the party spent two years making excursions into the surrounding territory. When promised reinforcements failed to appear, LaSalle and his men determined to return to Canada via the Mississippi; however, one of the company assassinated LaSalle when they reached the Trinity River, and the company split up. Some of the survivors, including Joutel, pressed on, reaching Canada by way of the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers. His account is highlighted by the splendid map, based on Joutel's own observations. This is the first map showing the results of LaSalle's journeys and gives, for its time, a very accurate delineation of the course of the Mississippi from its no

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