PM, signed by the writer, entitled NOTICE Sur les Missions de la Rivière Rouge et du Sault Ste. Marie. The Red River mission and its church (Saint-Boniface) have jurisdiction over James Bay, Hudson Bay, a multitude of barbarians of several nations, and the métis or "bois-brulés". Following the example of Allouez, Hubert, Meurin, and Gibeau [recte Gibault] (Laval mentioned), the colony was established in 1818, two missionaries [Provencher, Dumoulin] went in 1818, one more [Destroismaisons] in 1820, and the chief of the mission [Provencher] was consecrated bp. of Juliopolis in the spring of 1822 [i.e., 12 May 1822] against the advice of those who would have preferred a simple vicar general (yet the diocese of Boston had less Catholics when it was established in 1810 [recte 1808]).
When the writer (who spent four years in the mission [1818-23]) left Red River, 800 had been baptized, 120 marriages and 150 first communions celebrated or renewed, many Protestants converted. The mission survives on land donated by Selkirk [T. Douglas] before his death [1820], but the opposition of the Protestants (an Anglican minister [West] spent several years in the colony [from October 1820]) makes it necessary to receive more missionaries and collect more money. As for missionaries, priests from Canada feel exiled and transportation costs are too high. As for money, the writer reminds that the Red River priests are not a community (such as the Jesuits) and have no other resources but individual donations.
Offerings could be entrusted to Demers, Comte, Painchaud, Maguire, Berthelot, [M.] Dufresne, Dénéchaud, Cadieux, Raimbault, Lamotte, Parent, Durocher, Paquin, Archambault, [J.-B.] Boucher [dit] Belleville, Mignault, Deguise, Hébert, and must be received by 25 April, because departure for Red River will be on 1 May [1824]. During the past summer [1823] the writer also visited the mission of Sault-Saint-Marie, between Lake Huron and Lake Superior, and celebrated 30 baptisms and four marriages; the mission had also been visited for two weeks by the bp. of Juliopolis on his way to Red River in 1822. The mission is in great need, will receive a tenth of the above offerings, and a missionary was promised by the bp. of Québec. [The following in Plessis's handwriting] The above shows the necessity of the establishment of [the bp. of Juliopolis at] Red River; in Lower Canada the subscription reached £500.
![[PM, signed by the writer, entitled NOTICE Sur les Missions ...]](/images/folder-80.png){kind=small}