CHAPTER XXI.

1682, 1683. ST. LOUIS OF THE ILLINOIS.

Louisiana.—Illness of La Salle: his Colony on the Illinois.— Fort St. Louis.—Recall of Frontenac.—Le Febvre de la Barre.—Critical Position of La Salle.—Hostility of the New Governor.—Triumph of the Adverse Faction.—La Salle sails for France. 309

[Pg xx]CHAPTER XXII. 1680-1683. LA SALLE PAINTED BY HIMSELF.

Difficulty of knowing him: his Detractors; his Letters; vexations of his Position; his Unfitness for Trade; risks of Correspondence; his Reported Marriage; alleged Ostentation; motives of Action; charges of Harshness; intrigues against him; unpopular Manners; a Strange Confession; his Strength and his Weakness; contrasts of his Character. 328