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HIS DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

for the first time, the Sioux and Illinois, he prepared himself, by studying their language and customs, for that journey through their territory which he afterwards accomplished with so much success.

Renewed persecution soon after drove the Hurons to Mackinaw, upon the northern shore of Lake Michigan; and, following his little flock to this spot, Father Marquette chose it as the starting-point for his expedition. Accompanied by only one other Frenchman, the Sieur Jolliet, he left Mackinaw, with two canoes, in the spring of 1673, and ascended the Fox River for 175 miles, until they reached the portage to the Wisconsin. Thence they sailed down the latter river for an equal distance, until, to their inexpressible joy, they found themselves carried down the rapid current of the mighty stream, the existence of which had so long been doubtful. Father Marquette's journal of his voyage is full of interest. An enthusiastic adorer of the Virgin Immaculate, he at once named his discovery, after the object of his devotion, the "Conception," and subsequently founded a mission on its banks. It is in the very first page of his journal that he announces his intention of doing so, in the following terms: "Above all, I put our voyage under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Immaculate, promising her that, if she did us the grace to discover the great river, I would give it the name of Conception; and that I would also give that name to the first mission which I should establish among

HIS DEVOTIONAL EXERCISES.

117

these new nations, as I have actually done among the Illinois." Elsewhere is recorded the form of the daily devotions of the little band. After the creed, they said one "Hail, Father!" and "Hail, Mary!"then four times these words, "Hail, daughter of God the Father! Hail, mother of God the Son! Hail, spouse of the Holy Ghost! Hail, temple of the Holy Trinity! By thy holy virginity and immaculate conception, O most pure Virgin, cleanse my flesh and my heart, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ;" and, last of all, “Glory be to the Father!"-the whole being thrice repeated. At this particular epoch, it is not without its significance that this form of prayer should have been in the mouth of a missionary exploring an unknown American river nearly two hundred years ago. It is singular moreover, that, upon descending the "Conception" for upwards of a thousand miles, Marquette should have reached that portion of it which had been first visited by De Soto, and named the “ Espiritu Santo." After remaining some time at the mouth of the Arkansas, these voyageurs (in the true sense of the word) retraced their steps, and Marquette found a grave at the mouth of an obscure river on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. The event is thus recorded by his pious chronicler: "So tender a devotion to the Mother of God deserved some singular grace; and she accordingly granted him the favour he had always asked to die on a Saturday; and his two

companions had no doubt that she appeared to him at the hour of his death, when, after pronouncing the name of Jesus and Mary, he suddenly raised his eyes above the crucifix, fixing them on an object which he regarded with such pleasure, and a joy that lit up his countenance; and they from that moment believed that he had surrendered his soul into the hands of his good Mother."

CHAPTER XI.

THE MINERAL REGION OF LAKE SUPERIOR.

IN coasting along the southern shore of Lake Superior, one cannot but be struck with the singular shape of that State of which it is the northern boundary. Michigan is composed of two peninsulas: one runs in a due north and south direction, between Lakes Huron and Michigan; the other due east and west, between Lakes Michigan and Superior, of which the Porcupine Mountains form the dividing ridge. The highest peaks of this range, which abound in mineral deposits, have been estimated at from 1800 to 2000 feet in height. The scenery is wild, but not attractive. Dense pine-forests clothe the hills, while occasional plains of sand give a desolate aspect to the country. There is, nevertheless, good water-power, and the numerous large streams which flow upon either side of the dividing range will facilitate the transport of lumber, and enhance the value of this portion of the State. The extent of its lake coast has been estimated at from seven to eight hundred miles, so that five-sevenths of the entire peninsula

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NORTHERN PENINSULA OF MICHIGAN.

may be reached by water. There is good grazing in parts, and potatoes and garden vegetables flourish ; but for corn, both country and climate are uncongenial. Nevertheless, the timber and mineral resources of the northern part of the State are very great, and have attracted to its shores a rapidly increasing population, which already amounts to about twelve thousand inhabitants. The northern peninsula was given to the State in compensation for Toledo, a district upon its southern frontier, which now forms part of Ohio.

Michigan, with the remainder of the original north-west territory, was held by France until 1763, and then by England until ceded to the United States in 1783. It was not, however, taken possession of for some years after, and only constituted a territory in 1805. In 1837 it was admitted as a State into the Union. After much vehement controversy, the capital has quite recently been fixed at Lansing, an uninhabited spot in the centre of the country, approached only by a miserable corduroy road. The rival claims of the principal towns already existing in the State were so difficult to satisfy, that the most ineligible site in the province was chosen, it being deemed more desirable that the entire State should suffer from its inconvenient position, rather than that its general prosperity should be advanced at the expense of certain particular interests.

The sun was setting as, passing between the ex