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The La Salle Expedition to Texas

The Journal of Henri Joutel 1684â"1687

Texas State Historical Association

La Salle Sails to North America

On the 24th of July, 1684, after the Sieur de La Salle had concluded everything necessary for his journey and had overcome difficulties posed by several persons who were opposed to it, we departed the roadstead of Chefdebois at La Rochelle. We had four ships: one was a man-of-war named the Joly with 36 to 40 cannon, commanded by the Sieur de Beaujeu; the others, a small frigate called the Belle of about 60 tons armed with six cannon and commanded by two masters (the ship had been given to La Salle by the King); a storeship of about 300 tons named the Aimable, belonging to a merchant of La Rochelle named Massiot and commanded by someone called Aygron, which carried the bulk of the cargo intended for the settlement; and the last ship was a ketch on which La Salle had loaded the cargo of about 30 tons of wine, meat, and vegetables that were to be transported to the island of Saint Domingue. Aboard the ships there were about 280 men including the crews of the man-of-war and the storeship. The rest of the men were intended for the settlement, among whom were 100 soldiers who had been recruited at La Rochelle. Officers, volunteers, and other men engaged in several trades such as carpenters, masons, edge-tool makers, and others completed the number given. La Salle was aboard the Joly with his brother [the Abbé Jean Cavelier], the Sieurs Chefdeville and d'Esmanville, priests, his nephew, and two of the Recollet fathers destined for the settlement mission. The third priest was on board the storeship with 30 others, officers as well as volunteers. This accounted for about 200 men. The rest were on the other two ships.

At the same time that we left, 20 other vessels bound for Canada and the Islands also departed. The Joly was to be the flagship until the latitude of Cape Finisterre where each one would go her own way. We set our course, but, after four days of sailing, an accident occurred that forced us to change the bowsprit, which had broken in half, although it was not heavy weather. We had to lower our sails and furl them to cut all the riggings and cordage holding the mast for fear that it would damage the ship. After that, counsel was held about what should be done, whether to proceed ahead or put in to port. Some were of the opinion that we should go as far as Lisbon where we could get another mast; others considered it more prudent to put in to port near the mouth of the river at Rochefort where we were more certain to find a mast. The latter side prevailed. We were at that time at 40° 23' north latitude, about 50 leagues from La Rochelle. We left the other ships to pursue their course. A few of us conjectured that this was not an accident. Forthwith, the shallop was sent to shore to obtain a mast. The intendant had one brought to us immediately, and he came on board the same day. He held a few meetings with La Salle, and afterward we were ready to leave. This dispatch dissipated all our suspicions.

On the first day of August, in the evening, the departure shot was fired and we weighed anchor heading west–1/4-west [west-by-southwest] to recover our course. On the 8th, we passed the Cape of Finisterre at 43°. At La Rochelle, we had been warned about Dutch, English, and Spanish vessels which were waiting on our route under the appearance of privateers, although we were not at war with them, to rout La Salle's enterprise in whatever way possible. We did not encounter any of them. On the 12th, we reached the latitude of Lisbon at 39° and, on the 16th, we were at 36°, the latitude of the strait. On the 20th, we reached the latitude of Madeira at 32°. Beaujeu had his lieutenant, the Chevalier d'Hère, propose to La Salle to anchor there to take on fresh water and procure some provisions, but having departed from France only 21 days earlier, all the vessels had water and provisions for more than two months. La Salle had no thought of putting into port, given that would have been a loss of eight or ten days and could expose knowledge of our voyage; someone on the island could reveal it. This response did not please Beaujeu or several officers of his crew. The vehemence with which they insisted on anchoring at Madeira suggested that they might have some goods which they wished to trade. One passenger from La Rochelle spoke so loudly that La Salle was forced to silence him and to question Beaujeu if it was with his consent that a man without any authority spoke in such a way. This produced several disputes between La Salle and Beaujeu. Nevertheless, La Salle held firm and Beaujeu decided to proceed on course—which perhaps contributed to a less than happy conclusion. Thus, we continued and after we had rounded the Island of Madeira, we saw flying fish. Nature has given them wings to protect them from their enemies, other fish that pursue them. As is the usual, and the proverb is too true, big fish eat little fish. We had the pleasure of seeing these fish rise in schools which launch themselves out of the water and fly the range of a pistol shot. Some even fell on our decks. They are as large as medium-sized herring but the color of mackerel. The sailors make imitations of them with a rag that they attach to a fish-hook. Then they trail them along behind the ship in order to catch fish such as dorado coryphene and germons, which take them for fish, swallow them, and so find themselves caught on the hook. This is better than the usual, for seamen eat almost solely salted fish, and therefore they are very pleased when they can have some fresh fish.

On the 24th, we encountered the trade winds. On the 28th, we were at 27° 45' latitude, 344° longitude. On the 30th, heavy weather arose which lasted two days in force; but the wind was astern and only the ketch did not handle well, causing us to lose sight of her. However, she rejoined us a few days later.

On the 6th of September, we reached the Tropic of Cancer at 23° 30' latitude and 319° longitude. The sailors, as was their custom, prepared to "baptize" all those who had not crossed the line. To them, the exercise was worth plenty of money and brandy, which was the required offering for exemption from "baptism." They had filled their vats with water, just ready for this event, when La Salle learned of it and sent word to Beaujeu that he did not intend for his people to be exposed to this ceremony. The sailors, assuredly, would have gladly killed us all. We continued on our course.

On the 11th of that month, we arrived at the latitude of the Island of Saint Domingue (20° latitude and 320° longitude), and from that point we set course to the west, the wind dead calm. This provided the Sieur d'Esmanville the opportunity to hear the confession of an old gunner, 65 years of age, who was aboard the Belle and who died a few days later. The next day, the ketch that we had lost rejoined us. La Salle ordered me to go aboard the storeship concerning some disputes among several individuals.

On the 16th, we cleared the Island of La Sombrere, and on the 18th, we had heavy weather that made us fear a hurricane. The bad weather lasted two days during which we hove to and lost sight of the other vessels. A conference was held to consider whether we should wait or continue on course. As fresh water was beginning to run short, and there were more than 50 sick people including La Salle and most of the surgeons (the crew's surgeons as well as his), it was decided to press on sail to arrive without delay at the first port on the Island of Saint Domingue, called Port de Paix.

On the 22nd, we first sighted land on the Island of Saint Domingue, called Cape Samana, situated at 19° latitude and 308° longitude. On the 25th, we were to have arrived at Port de Paix, according to what had been agreed; but, for some reason unknown to me, Beaujeu wanted to go farther that night rounding the Island of La Tortue, some leagues distant from the coast of Saint Domingue. This was injurious for us not only because, as can be seen in what followed, provisions were more abundant at Port de Paix, but also that was the place where the Sieur de Cussy, governor for the King of the Island of Tortue and the coast of Saint Domingue, ordinarily resided. We continued ahead. The same day we rounded the cape or point of Saint Nicolas to enter into the Gulf of La Gonave, coasting along the Island of La Gonave which is in the middle. Finally, in the evening of the 27th of September, we arrived at Petit Goave after a crossing of 58 days since our last departure.

If the other three ships had been as good sailers as the Joly, we would have arrived after a month of sailing a distance one calculates as about 1,500 leagues from France. Only two of our men died among the more than 50 who were sick. The ship's officers said that it had been a long time since they had had such a fortuitous crossing, but we had some sick people because the provisions were inadequate for our number.

After we had anchored, a pirogue with about 20 men aboard arrived to identify us. When they recognized us, they came aboard and informed us that the Sieur de Cussy was in Port de Paix where the Sieur de Saint Laurent, Governor General of the Islands, and the Sieur Begon, the intendant, had arrived. This greatly annoyed La Salle, who had business with these gentlemen. However, there was nothing to be done; patience was necessary.

The Te Deum was sung in thanksgiving for our fortunate crossing, and La Salle, feeling somewhat recovered from his indisposition, went ashore with some of his party to find some provisions to relieve the sick and to find a way to inform Saint Laurent and Begon of his arrival. He wrote personally to the Sieur de Cussy requesting him to come to Petit Goave and undertake together with him the measures necessary for the success of the enterprise. A few days later, as the sick were suffering from the heat in the ship where they were a bit crowded, La Salle ordered the soldiers put ashore on a small island that is near Petit Goave, where the people of the so-called reformist church are ordinarily buried when they die in this region. The soldiers and the sick men were given fresh meat and fresh bread, and La Salle asked me to find a house where they would not be an inconvenience to the residents. I found one at the end of the island where they were taken with the surgeons to treat them.

One day, when I was taking a walk with La Salle and we were returning, he suddenly felt weak; he was forced to lie down on the ground, unable to stand erect. After he had regained his strength a bit, I led him into a room in the house that the Duhaut brothers had rented. A bed was made for him there, and he lay down. The next day, he was attacked with a violent fever and a fit of delirium that lasted seven days. The fever abating on the seventh day, he began to put matters in order for the continuation of the voyage which was not easy for him as he, at that moment, had neither money nor credit. He had been told that it was not at all necessary to carry money and, for credit, he had satisfied himself with a letter of exchange of 2,000 livres which was not accepted. With two or three hundred pistoles, he was at the end of all he had. His relatives accompanying him had little to lend him, and those who had been willing to follow him and expose their persons (on only his word) to the perils of an unknown settlement did not consider it appropriate to lend him the money they had at that time. His recourse was with the Sieurs Duhaut. They had many pieces of lace, Indian cloth, clothing, and other things of that sort which would be of no use in the wild country where we were going. They could earn some money from them on this island where all commodities were very expensive. A hen was worth 30 to 40 sous and the rest proportionally expensive; a day's wages for a worker were three to four francs. The Duhauts believed La Salle credible when he explained these matters. From the sale of some of the goods they advanced some money to La Salle. He asked the Sieur Le Gros, who was a businessman, to take charge of all that was unloaded, and he asked me to help him, which we did. We were fortunate, with the excessive price of commodities, to have an adequate supply of bread and wine.

On the 2nd day of October, the storeship the Aimable and the frigate the Belle arrived. They had joined a buccaneer ship and another from La Rochelle called Saint Joseph; but, when we saw them arrive without the ketch, we suspected that she had been seized. We were only sure of this a few days later.

On the 9th, an annoying incident happened to one of our Recollet fathers, Father Zénobe, superior of the mission. During the voyage he had written about everything that happened on board the Joly, that is to say, all the disputes that had taken place between Beaujeu and La Salle during the entire crossing. He had written them nearly as they had occurred. The father left his chest open, or someone opened it; but somehow or other the memoirs were seen by someone who took them to Beaujeu. He was extremely angry with the priest and went so far as to say that, if he returned on board his ship, he would have him eat with the crew.

On the 20th of October, a ship and a small sailing frigate appeared and we decided these might be the gentlemen I mentioned before coming from Port de Paix. Between 9 and 10 o'clock in the evening they disembarked to avoid the reception that was due them upon such occasion, particularly the Sieur de Saint Laurent, the Commander, Governor General for the King of the Islands of America. When La Salle learned of their arrival, he sent his first captain, named the Sieur de Valigny, to greet them for him and to make his apologies to them that he could not pay his respects in person because he was still in the grip of fever.

We received confirmation of the loss of the ketch which we had only conjectured. We were told that she had set sail a good 15 days earlier to come to rejoin us and that she was seized by two Spanish pirogues of 60 men each. These pirogues conceal themselves in coves in the shelter of some rocks. When they climb up the rocks and sight some ship that they believe they could easily capture, they bear down upon it with the full force of sails and oars, using oars more than sails. This loss was very severe for us; aboard the ketch were most of our provisions, those most necessary for such an enterprise. We lost also nearly all our cooking pots, very precious and very important household items for settlement in this country. At first this loss was kept from La Salle who was still not doing very well. A few days later, one of the Duhaut brothers told him of it. He could not resist declaring to Beaujeu that he had contributed partly to the loss of this ship because, if they had anchored at Port de Paix as had been agreed, this might not have happened. Moreover, they would have been spared the difficulty and the risk to which they exposed themselves in coming to Petit Goave. Furthermore, the arrangement of things would have proven much better at Port de Paix than in this place where we were.

The Sieurs Saint Laurent and Begon came to see La Salle, and the Sieur de Cussy came there privately several times to offer what was in his power to do. As his fever was diminishing, La Salle wanted to move his residency so he could revive his spirits. The Capuchin fathers, having heard this, offered him their place which was located near the church. La Salle accepted this and went there to lodge. The Capuchin fathers also had a house in the middle of Petit Goave where they had built a church.

La Salle, having at last fully recovered, had several meetings with these gentlemen with which he was most satisfied, having obtained their word that they would assist him in every way possible, which they certainly would do, being united among them and having no purpose other than to place all of French America in good order. As meal was not in abundance where we were, they ordered 15 to 20 casks of maize or Indian corn (what we call in France, bled de Turquie [Turkish corn]) delivered to La Salle to replace the meal that was lost on the ketch, as well as a few casks of wine and similar things. De Cussy offered to send La Salle a ship or two in the spring with provisions and food supplies in case he needed them and wanted to send his news. For that purpose, they agreed upon several unmistakable signals which should be given.

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Excerpted from The La Salle Expedition to Texas by William C. Foster, Johanna S. Warren. Copyright © 1998 William C. Foster. Excerpted by permission of Texas State Historical Association.
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