La  Salle's  maps  and  papers,  supposedly  descriptive  of  these
journeyings,  were  reported  by  his  aged  niece  to  have  been  in
existence  as  late  as  the  year  1750;  but  they  have  not  been  found
by  his  reviewers.  In  1674  he  returned  to  France,  and  while
there  had  "ten  or  twelve  conversations"  with  a  friend  who  soon
thereafter  wrote,  anonymously,  a  "Histoire  de  Monsieur  de  la
Salle,"  which  is  reproduced  by  Pierre  Margry  in  the  first  volume,
page  376,  of  his  Decouvertes,  and  from  which  the  following
extract  is  taken,  viz : —

Cependant  M.  de  la  Salle  continua  son  chemin  par  une  riviere
qui  va  de  Test  a  l'ouest;  et  passe  a  Ononataque,  puis  &  six  ou  sept
lieues  au-dessous  du  Lac  Eri6;  et  estant  parvenu  jusqu'au  280me  ou  83™*
degre  de  longitude,  *t  jusqu'au  41me  degre*  de  latitude,  trouva  un  sault
qui  tombe  vers  Touest  dans  un  pays  bas,  marescageux,  tout  couvert  de
vielles  souches,  dont  il  y  en  a  quelques-unes  qui  sont  encore  sur  pied.
1    Vol.  XII— 2  (107)


108  Ohio  Arch,  and  His.  Society  Publications.
