{37} Faithful to his word, Father De Smet returned among the Flatheads in the autumn of the same year, accompanied by the Rev. Fathers Point and Mengarini, and three lay brothers.[33] The mission of St. Mary's was at once established, and the most abundant harvest collected, (see Indian sketches).[34] About the same time Messrs. Blanchet and Demers retired to their usual winter stations, where they had the pleasure of learning that two other missionaries, Messrs. John B. Bolduc and Ant. Langlois had {38} set out from Canada to join them in their labor of love.[35] During the winter, Mr. Blanchet narrowly escaped a watery grave, in ascending the river Willamette on a visit to his friend Mr. Demers. In the
- [Footnote: so soon." Mr. Wilkes represents the missions here and the farms of the Canadians,
in a thriving state. He has incorrectly given the name Bachelet to Mr. Blanchet, superior of the Oregon mission, who was recently consecrated vicar-apostolic of that country.—Explor. Exp., vol. 4, p. 350.
Of the Methodist mission at Willamette, Mr. Wilkes says: "About all the premises of this mission there was an evident want of the attention required to keep things in repair, and an absence of neatness that I regretted much to witness. We had the expectation of getting a sight of the Indians on whom they were inculcating good habits, and teaching the word of God: but with the exception of four Indian servants, we saw none since leaving the Catholic mission."—Ibid. p. 351, 2. At this latter mission he numbers four or five hundred natives. The Methodists had a school of twenty pupils at some distance.
Near Port Orchard the chapel of the Catholic mission is 172 feet long by 72 wide. "Many of the natives," says Mr. Wilkes, "are capable of saying their prayers and telling their beads, and some were met with who could sing some Catholic hymns in their own language."
Of the Protestant missions at Clatsop, Capt. Wilkes observes: "There appeared to me to be little opportunity for exercising their ministerial calling, though I understood afterwards that at particular seasons a number of Indians collected to hear them."—Vol. iv., p. 322.—Ed. of Catholic Almanac.]
