LAFITAU, Joseph Francis, French missionary, born in Bordeaux, France; died in France in 1740. He belonged to the Jesuit order, was for several years a missionary in Canada, and after his return to France was a professor of belles-lettres till his death. He discovered in the country of the Iroquois a plant that he named the Aureliana Canadensis. In his opinion it was the same as the one which the Chinese call ginseng. He wrote "Memoire concernant la precieuse plante gin-seng de Tartaire" (Paris, 1718)" "Meeurs des sauvages Americains compares aux moeurs des premiers temps," in which he tries to show that the American Indians are descended from the primitive inhabitants of Greece (2 vols., 1723; 4 vols., Rouen, 1724); and "Histoire des decouvertes et des con-quotes des Portugais dans le nouveau monde" (2 vols., Paris, 1733; 4 vols., 1734).