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172 The Louisiana Historical Quarterly of my residence and threw it over my shoulders. This is their way of presenting this sort of gift. I asked a Frenchman to question him as to what return he wanted and I bade him to do so in such manner that he would not appear to have been prompted by me. "I gave without design," said he, "do I trade with my father?" However, a while afterwards he told the Frenchman that his wife had no salt and that his son had no powder, his idea was that the Frenchman would repeat it to me. The Indian gives nothing without return, and one must observe the same maxin with him, otherwise one incurs their contempt. A spotted skin is a skin painted by the Indians in different colors, bearing images of calumets, birds and animals. Deer skins may serve as table covers and buffalo hides as bed covers. The French establishment in Arkansas would be very important if Mr. Law had retained his credit four or five years longer. His concession here was a prairie extending beyond sight, the entrance to which, from my house, is twice the distance a gun will carry. The Company of the Indies had conceded to Mr. Law sixteen square leagues which, I believe, amount to 100 leagues in circumference. His intention was to build a city here, to establish manufactures, to keep on hand a great number of vessels and troops and to found a duchy. He began his work a year before his fall. The goods he then sent to this, country amounted to fifteen hundred thousand francs. Among other things there were superb equipment and arms for two hundred cavalrymen. He had also bought three hundred negroes. The Frenchmen engaged for this concession were men of all kinds of trades. The directors with one hundred men went up the river on five boats to come here and begin this establishment; they were first to raise produce in order to be able to receive those whom they had left lower down on the river. The Chaplain died on the way and was interred on a batture of the Mississippi. Twelve thousand Germans were engaged for this concession. This was not doing badly for the first year; but Mr. Law fell into disgrace. Three of four thousand Germans among those who had already left their country, died at Lorient,and others on landing in the country, the engagements of the others were contermanded; the Company of the Indies again took possession of the concession, and abandoned it shortly afterwards and everything fell into confusion. About thirty Frenchmen remained here; the fine climate and good land kept them, for otherwise they received no succor. My arrival gave them great pleasure for it led them to believe that the Company of the Indies had not the intention of abandoning this concession as Concession of Ste Catherine 173 they had imagined, since it sent them a missionary. I cannot find words to express the joy with which these good people received me. I found them in dire need of all necessities. This great poverty, added to the excessive and extraordinary heat which prevails this year, has reduced them to the greatest misery. I relieved them as far as I could and the few remedies I brought proved useful. The time required by the sick did not prevent my delivering an exhortation during mass and an instruction after vespers on Sundays and feast days. I had the consolation of seeing most of them approach the sacrements and the assurance that the others were ready to do the same. The conversion of even one sinner is a compensation for the greatest hardships. The fatigue I endured at sea, the still greater fatigue I went through on the Mississippi, the change of climate and of food and all the reast have not in the least impaired my health. I am the only Frenchman who has escaped sickness since I am here; yet I excited much sympathy on account of the paleness of my complexion when I left France. For the contrary reason they did not pity Father Souel who has been ill three times since he is in this country. Pray that I may retain my strength to consecrate it to the conversion of the Indians. Judging from a human point of view there is not much good to expect from them, at least in the beginning, but I trust in God and hope for the best through Him. I have the honor to remain, etc. Secured by the courtesy of the Ursuline Ladies of New Orleans