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*n	in,hlf	"neMoiers" tells	of the old fort	built	by Iberville
to	fortify against	sevage	attack.	' AV-L1-L*
Iberville1 s departure he left a f€r-’ colonists tinker ths coir.ir.and of Cauvolle de la Vilantray. The iort was completed and mass celebrated April 30, 1699, by Pother Anatsse Douay, a famous priest of the "Hecon.et" order of the Franciscans who had been one of the corapany of La Salle. Tnis is the first recorded Christian service so far as knovn.
The	territory	in the	days of Ssuvolle's comrrsnd	extended from
the	Gulf	of Kexico	to the	1'insouri.	Father Vontigny, vho	vas
residing with the Tensas, and Father Davion, the pastor of the Yazoos, visited	Eauvolle	in the	fort at Biloxi,	and this visit
resulted in the	founding	of the	first chnpel.
Governor Dauvolke vas an accomplished scholar, a poet and had a most rorcantic	history.	Racine, Bousquet and Viliars	declared his
genius. It vas	Sauvolle's hard	fate to succumb	to the	hardships of
his pioneer experience. He died in Biloxi in 1701. The first commander, the first colonial governor, the first poet of Biloxi, let us hope that this generation will yet build a monument to his name.
The history of Biloxi recalls the heroic search of Tonty for the lost Labile, one of the post appealing narratives of American history. It vas r-auvolle vho received frorc an old Indian Chief a letter which. Tonty had addressed to I.asalle and dated April 20th, 1635. He vrotb of his trip down the river and his love and devotion for I.asalle.
He had traversed the long solitudes, rending canoes to the east and the vest and had found no trace of his friend vho away in the vilds Df Texas vas searching for the "Z&S fatal river." Tonty’s name should be preserved among our memorial land marks.
Daring ships in the distant years have traversed these vaters, soldiers of fortune searching for the gold of India and the fountains of youth, the old pirates, Jean and Pierre I.afitte, tr.ay still on dark nights, says the legend, be heard counting their gold around Barataria Bay.
There were the brave missionaries whose devotion led them to the vilds of the new vorld and is everywhere a pathetic chronicle.
For the vanishing view of the birch-berk canoe and the track of the moccasined-foot a!on<? the Indian trail are seen as symbols of a picturesque past. The old pottery vhich Nature, the eternal nolder has preserved, the rugs and baskets of artistic dyes and weaving are perceived as a sincere snd painstaking expression of harmonious ideals. The Indian vampum has taken its Place among enduring works of art, vhibh have escaped the conventional standards of civilisation. The veil drilled beads, without vhich no confession of sin or fsstal ceremony vas valid, it is said, and which forced a part of the intertribal message, vere used in the rites of burial.
The traditions of the past, like the smoke of the calumet, cast over them a veil of mystery and beauty.