Mission to New Caledonia: The Letters of John Nobili, S.J., 1845–1848
- Format:
- Journal Article
- Year:
- 2014
- Journal Title:
- Historical Studies
- Volume:
- 80
- Language:
- Abstract:
By expanding our knowledge of missionary work with First Nations in New Caledonia, and of Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) personnel, the John Nobili letters make a tremendous contribution to the histories of British Columbia, Canada, and the Pacific Northwest. Like many Jesuits, Nobili abandoned an uncertain future during Italy's Risorgimento for the perilous life of a missionary in North America. After ten months' residence at Fort Vancouver, where he learned English and the Chinook trade jargon, he was assigned to proselytize the First Nations of New Caledonia (British Columbia), under the auspices of the HBC which operated nine forts in the region. This paper is based on translations of the Nobili letters to Father General John Roothan in Rome and to his immediate superiors, Fathers Peter De Smet and Joseph Joset, of the Rocky Mountain missions. Nobili recorded his experiences in his diary, then transferred them to letters at the earliest possible moment. Their immediacy, their broad spectrum of fresh information and the fact that they are rare, non-HBC manuscripts from the 1840s make them valuable historical documents. Copies of the majority of the letters were obtained from Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu, Rome.
- Who (Jesuits):
- What (Subjects):
- Where (Locations):
- When (Centuries):
- Publisher URL:
- Page Range:
- 29–42
- ISSN:
- 1193-1981