IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) A ^ ..^^^<'. // S"/^ 4^ 1.0 I.I IM 115 ■^ Uii |2.2 M 12.0 U& 1 125 II 1.4 ||.6 ** 6" ► .> <^ 7] / ^^^J^"" '^ '/ /A Photographic Sciences Corporation m \ iV \\ 23 WfST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 o^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/ICMH ColBection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreprodnctions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. D D D D D D n Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur r~l Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagde Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurto et/ou peiliculie I I Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Cartes g6ographiques en couleur □ Coloured inic (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Reiid avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re Mure serr^e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intirieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout6es lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmies. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppidmentaires; The toti L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6ti possible de sj procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mithode normale de filmage sont indiqute ci-dessous. I I Coloured pages/ D Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommag^es Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurdes et/ou peilicul6es Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d6color6es, tacheties ou piqudes Pages detached/ Pages ddtachdes Showthrough/ Transparence I I Quality of print varies/ Quality in^gaie de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel suppi^mentaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont M filmdes d nouveau de fapon A obtenir la meilleure image possible. The posi or tl film Orifl begl the sion oth( first sion or 11 The shal TINI whit Map difft entii beg righ reqi met This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmi au taux de reduction indiqu6 ci-dessous 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X 1 y 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X ire details les du modifier lar une filmage The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanlcs to the generosity of: National Library of Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility or the original copy and in Iceeping with the filming contract specifications. L'exemplaire filmd f ut reproduit grAce d la g4n6rosit6 de: Bibliothdque nationale du Canada Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soln, compte tenu de la condition at de la nettetA de l'exemplaire filmi, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. 6es Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimte sont film6s en commenpant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernlAre page qui compoite une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmte en commanyant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernlAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol —►(meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol y (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles sulvants apparattra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols —► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". re Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmte d des taux de rMuction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre rutproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche d droite. et de haut en bas, en prenant le nomhre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes sulvants illustrent la mithode. y errata }d to nt ne pelure, ipon d 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 ■;Tii''Y""'*^ftt[.iiijiii;i •;! - ■•"■^r^WF" //' ■kUttMi CO NT E NTS. 1% BOOK 1. ^i&tf franfaSfions of the French *» Louifiana.' CHAK t. y^ //&^ /»y? Difcovety and StttUment of Ldd- vy fiana * . - Pagp i CHAP. II. The Return of M. dc St. Denis: Hisfittling the Spaniards at the Aifinais. His fecond Journey to Mexico, and Return from thence -> «• * 8 CiSfAf*^ lit. Embarkation of eight hundred Men by the Weft- N Itldia Company /o'Louifiana. Arrival and Stay at Cape Francois. Arrival at the Ifle Dauphine. Defcriptton of that I/land - - - - Ij CKAP. IV. The Jttthor*s Departure for his Grant. Dtfcrip-- tian of the Places he pajptd through^ at far as New Or- leans - -. m. . • ly" CHAP. V* The Author put in ^offiffton tf his TeffHsTf. His Refilution to go and fettle among the Natchez 20 CHfAP. VI. The Voyage of the Author to Biloxi. Defcrtpm tien of that Place, Settlement of Grants, The Author difcovers two Copper Mines, His Return to the Natchez 30 CHAP, VII. Ftrji fTar with the Natchez. Caufe of tbt War • • . - . • 3^ A 2 CHAP. wmm mmmmmmmmmtBmssd CONTENTS. CHAP. Vlll. Tlie Governor furprized the Natchez with feven hundred Men, Jjionijhing Cures performed by the Natives, The Author fends upwards of three hundrid Simples to the Company - - - 41 CHAP. IX. French Settlements, or Pojis. Pojl at Mobile. 7he Mouths of the Miffifippi. The Situation and Defcrip-^ /io» tf/* New Orleans - A -• -■ ■ 4^ CHAP. X. 7}>e Voyages of the French to the Miflburis, Canzas, and Padoucas. T%e Se^lements they in vain at- tempted to make in thofe Countries j with a Defcription of an extraordinary Phanomcnon . - - 63 CHAP. XI. The War with the Chitimachas. The Confpi- racy of the Negroes againji the French. Their Execu- tion - - - "11 CHAP. XII. The War of the Natchez. Maffacre of the French /« 1729. Extirpation of the t^Atchti in 1730 79 CHAP. XIII. The War with the Chicafaws. The fr/i Ex- pedition by the River Mobile. Thefecond by the Miffifippi. The War with the Chaftaws terminated by the Prudence of M, de Vaudreuil - - - 96 ... ^ - CHAP. XIV. PefeSfions on what gives Occafton to Wars in Louifiana. Tlie Means of avoiding Wan in that Prtyuince, as alfo the Manner of coming off with Advantage and little Expence in them - " - - . - 166 CHAP. XV. Penfacola taken by Surprize by the French. Retaken by the Spaniards. Again retaken by the French, and demolijhed - - - . , iii JO BOOK CONTENTS. BOOK IL Of the Country and its Produ£lsi '\ CHAP. I. Geographkal Defcription of Louifiana. Its Cti" I mati ■*- - - - 119 Defcripiion of the Lower Louifiana, and the Mouths of /^ Miififippi - • ik ... ...ii^j * ■ CHAP. II. The Author's Journey in Louifiana, /raw the Natchez to the River St. Francis, and the Countty of the. Chicafaws - - -.,nrV'f»3J CHAP. in. The Nature of the Lands of Louifiana. The Lands on the Coaji -, „ , .« ,^r *. ISl CHAP. IV. ^dHty of the Lands above the Fork. A ^arry of Stone for building. High Lands to the Eqft: Their vaft Fertility, JVeJl Coajt : Wejl Lands: Sak^ petre - - - - 13(8 CHAP. V. ^alfty of the Lands of the Red River. Pojt of Nachitoches. A Silver Mine. Lands of the Black .fover. - ^ - 165 CHAP. VI. A Brook of fait Watef : Salt Lakes, Lands of . the River of the Arkznhs, Red-veined Marble : Slate : Plajier. Hunting the Bujff^ , The dry Sand-banks in ^^Miffifippi.^.,.^^ - ..=^^^^jr , • siT^ CHAP. VIL The Lands of the River St. Fruncis, Mneof Mzrzmtg, and other Mines. A Lead Mine. AfoftStotiey tefemhling Porphyry. Lands of the Mifrouri. The Lands^ • North of the Wabache. The Lands of the Illinois. De' LaMothe'iil^fw, and other Mines - 176 < i H CHAP, MMilM mmtiif CONTENTS; CHAP. VIII. Of 'the Agriculture^ or Manner of cultivating^ ordering^ and manHfiaSlufingtfhe ComModities that are pro* fer Articles of Commerce. Of the Culture of Maiz, Rice^ and other F¥uiU ef 4hi Conmrjl, Cff thi SiU JTorm 183 CHAP. IX. Of Indigo, Toteueoy CoMn, U^dXy Jfofi, Mef Saffron > - „ -. » .1^9 CHAP. X. Of the Commerci that is, andm^ he eetrfied on in Louiftana. Of the CommoeUties which that Ptovina mayfurnijh in Return for thofe of Europe. Of the Com" therei^ Lam&unk with the Ij/les - - t^i Coffim^dS^es which Louidzttitmay ftirm/h in Return fir th^e ^Europe - - - - ibid, ^kfContmerti of Lojutfuna with the IJlands • 2(9 J CHAP. XI. Of the Commerce with the Spaniards, ^he CommoMties they bring to the Cohny, ifthnre is A DlnM^tt for them. Of fmh as may be given in Return, and may fuit them, ReJle£lions nn the Commerce of this Pr&uinee, and the great Advantages which the State and partioular Perfons may derive therefrom - - - 204 fhiComrttercev^iththtSpBii^lM^ -, - Ibid. ^he Commodates which the Spaniards hring to Louiiiana^ if there is a Demand for them - - ibid. Some AhJhnaSls fnm the imioricd Memoirs #/* LflUifiatMy i^/Af. Dumont. 1. OfTohacto, with the Way of cultivating andcUring tt 2iO 11, Of the Way of making biSgo - - .vt/^ Itt. Of tar ; the Way of making it \ and of making it into Pitd} - - - AJ7 iV. Of ihe. Mines of Louii^na - - ^8 Jkti'a£l from a late FrtWdl fF¥it&, cottt&nirtg tii Imfm- emce of Louifiana to France ' . - - 221 BOOK q O N T JE N T S. BOOK m. The Natural Hiftory of Louifiana. C^AP. I. Of Com$itdfHlfi * r . «15 CHAP. n. Of tk Fruk Trm pf LjouiQana t 231 CHK? All, Of Foreft Trees -" - - 238 CHA?,iy, Of Skrsfks/mdJEfc^efcerffefi . 244 C^A?,y. Of CwptMgPknts ^ « 248 CHA?, VI, Of the ^adrupedes . - 254 CHAP. VIL Of Birds and fyififfnfe£ls - r 271 CHAP. VIII. Of Fijhes qnd SbfllrFifi, * .286 fi O O K IV. Of the Natives of \xm{\2^, CHAP. I. The Origin of the Amgrtcaas ▼ 291 CHAP^ II. An Account of the feveral Nations of Loui- fiana -. - . • 304 Sect. I. Of the Nations inhabiting on the Eajt of the Miffifippi - . . . ibid. Sect. II. Of the Nations inhahiting on theWeJiof the Miilifippi . . . 31^ CHAP. III. A Defcription of the Natives of Louifiana ; of their Manners and Cu/ioms, particularly thofe of the Nat- chez : Of their Language^ their Religiony Ceremonies^ Jlulers, or Suns, Feajs, Marriages ^ &c, - 322 . .. Sect. CONTENTS. 8 E c T . I . J Defcription of the Natives \ the different Em- ployments of the two Sexes } and their Manner of bring- ing up their Children ... ^22 SiCT. II. Of the Language^ Government^ Religion, Cere- ": monies^ and Feajis of the Natives - -• 327 Sect. III. Of their Marriages^ and DiJiinSlion of Ranks - - - 343 Sect. IV. Of the Temples, Tombs, Burials, and other rt' ligious Ceremonies of the People of Louifiana - 349 Sect. V. Of the Arts and Manufactures of the Na* tives - - _ 2^8 Sect . VI. Of the Attire and Diverftons of the Natives :^ Of their Mtals and Fajlings - - 362 Sect, VII. Of the Indian Art of War CHAP. IV. Of the Negroes of Louifuna 369 376 Sect. I. Of the Choice of Negroes; of thtir Dijlempers^ and the Manner of curing them - - ibid. Sbct* II. Of th( Manner of governing the Negroes 380 PREFACE^ PREFACE. k THE Hiftory of Louifiana, which wc here prcfent to the public, was wrote by a planter of fixteen years experience in that country, who had likewife the advantage of being overfeer or dircAor of the public plantations, both when they belonged to the company, and after- wards when they fell to .the crown; by which means he had the beft opportunities of knowing the nature of the foil and climate, and what they produce, or what improvements they are likely to admit of*, a thing in which this nation is, without doubt, highly concerned and interefted. And when our author publifhed this hiftory in 1 758, he had likewife the advantage, not only of the accounts of F. Charlevoix, and others, but of the Hiftori- cal Memoirs of Louifiana, publifhed at Paris in ,1753, by Mr. Dumont, an officer who refided two- and- twenty years in the country, and was per- fonally concerned and acquainted with many of the tranfadlions in it ; from whom we have extraded fome paffages, to render this account more com-, plcte. ^ But whatever opportunities our author had of gaining a knowledge of his fubjed, it muft be owned, that he made his accounts of it very per- plexed. By endeavouring to take in every thing, be (Jcfcends to many trifles ; and by dwelling too * A long u PREFACE. long on a fubjed, he comes to render it obfcure, by being prolix in things which hardly relate a^ what he treats of. He interrupts the thread of his difcourfc? with private anecdotes, long ha- rangues, an4 tediou§ narrj|tions, which, have little or no relation to the fubjeft, and are of much lefs confequence to the reader. The w^Pt; of i|is|Ji24 and order throughout the v/hole work is ftill igore apparent-, and that, joined to thefe digrefl^ns, renders his accounts, however iuft ^nd interefting, fo tedious and irkfome to read, gind at the fame time h indiftinft, that few feem to fiaye reaped tjie benefit of them. For thefe re^fons jt was neceflary to methodize the whole work; to al^ridge fome parts of it 5 and to le^ve out many things that ap- pear to be trifling. This we have endeavoured to do In the tranflation, by r^ducipg the whple work to four general heads or books; an4 hy bringing the feveral fubjed 5 treated of^ the ac- counts of which lie fcattere up ancj down Ji> dif- ferent parts of the original, nder thefe t,heir pro- per heads 5 fo that the conn* l;ioj;i bcty^reen them, and the accounts of any on fybjeft^ m^y more cafily appear. This, it is prcfumed, wilJ tppear to be a fub^ jeft of no fmall confequencv ind importance to this nation, efpecially at this time. The/ countries here treated of, have not only by right always be- longed to Great-Britain, but part of thpm is now acknowledged to it by tl^e former ufurpers : and it is to be hoped, that the nation may pow reap fome advantages from thofe countries, on >yhich it has expended fo many million? 5 which there is np more 3 likely PREFACE. iii ti liHely way to 4o, %Hn by inaking thenj better Hnpwn in the firft pl^c^) ^n4, hy learning fron} tli<; experience of others, what they dp or are likely to produce, that may turn to accpunt to the nation. It ha$ been geni^r^ly fufpe^d, that this inatipn has fuffer^d much, from tl^e want of a d,ue I^nqwr ledge of her dominipns ii^ Aqrjcrica, w,^ch we fhpuld efideayour to prevent fpr the future. If that may be faid of any part o£ Aipenc^ it cer- tainly nT^ay of thpfe cojijn tries, ^yhich haye beeij^ called by the French Lpuifiana. They Jiaye not ooly includ^ji u|T^d|er that name all the \vcftcrn partf of yirginis^ and Ca,roiina 5 and thereby imagined, that they had, from this npipipal title, a juft ri^t to tjiofe ar)tii^nt dpmjnipr^s of the crowi> of Britain : but what is of wor^ cpfifequence pjcrhaps, the^ jjiaye e^j^ually deceived an^4 iAPPP^cd upon many, by the e3f;tr^yagai;it hopes ^o^ unreafonable exp^^a- tipn^ thf^ had formed t,o th^tpjjelyes, of ^He ya(^ adyafltages they were co rei^p ifrpm thpfe cppntricsj, as fqon a^ thpy had ufurped them ; which wl^en they c^me tp be dif^pppintcd in, they ran from onq extreme to anctther, and condemned the coyriJiry as gpqd for nothing, becaufe it did not anfwer the extravagant hppes they had conceived of it ; and we fecm to be mjfled by their prejudices, and tq be dra>yn into miftakes by their artifice or follyi Becaufe the Miflifippi fchenie failed in 17 19, every other reafonablc fch^me of improving that coun- try, and of reaping any advantage from it, muft do the fame. It is tp wipe off thefe prejudices, that the foUovying account of theft countries, which appears H' W , P R E F AC E. •pp^krs ttili^ b6th juft atid feafonable, and agree* able to cverj^ thing wc knoW df America, may be the more ftctelthry. W^ have bech l6ng ago told by 'F. Charlevoix, from whence it is, that many people have formed a contemptible opinion of this country that lies on and abogt the MilTifippi. Thcy^ arc milled, fays he, by the relations of fome feafaring people, and others, who are nc mannerof judges of fuch things, and have never fecn any part: of the country but the cbaft Itde, about Mobile, and the mouths of the Miflirippi J which bur author here tells us is as difmal to appearance, t\\c only thing thofe people * are capable of judging of, as the interior parts of the country, which they never faw, are deljghtful, fruitfiil, and inviting. They tell us, beRdes, that the country is unhealthful \ becaufe there happens to be a marfli at the mouth of the Miflifippi, (and what river is there without one ?) vvhicli they ima- gine murt be unhealthful, rather than that tliey know it to be foj not confidering, that all the coaft both of North and South America is the lame \ and not knowing, that the whole continent, above this finglc pait on the coaft:, is the moft likely, from its lltuation,, and has been found by all the experience that has been luid of it, to be the moft healthy part of all North America in the fame elimates, •'.s will abundantly appear from the following md all other accounts. To> give a general view of thoft countries, we fHoiild confidcr them .is tliey are naturally dividcil into four parts \ i. The fca coaft \ a. The Lower JLoui liana, or weftcrft part 6f Cai*olinai 3. The * - . Upper we led fhe PREFACE. V Upper Loulfiana, or wcftcrn part of Virginia j and 4. the river Mifllfippi. I. The fea coaft is the fame with all the reft of the coaft of North America to the foiithward of New York, and indeed from thence to Mexico, as far as we are acquainted with it. It is all a low flat fandy beach, and the foil for fomc twenty or thii ly miles diftance from the fliorc, more or l^fs, is all a pine barren^ as it is called, or a fimdy de- fart s with few or no good [X)rts or h;iibours on the coaft^ efpeciaily in all tliofe Ibuthern parts of America, from Chefapcak bay to Mexico. But however barren this coaft is in other refpcdls, it is entirely covered with tall pines, which afford great ftore of pitch, tar, and turpentine. Thefe pines likewile make good mafts for fhips •, which I have known to laft for twenty odd years, when it is well known, that our common mafts of New England white pine will often decay in three or four years. Thefe mafts were of that kind that is called the pitch pine, and lightwood pine •, of which I knew a fliip built that ran for fixtecn years, when her planks of this pine were as found and rather harder than at firft, although her oak timbers were rot* ten. The cyprefs, of which there is fuch plenty in the fwamps on this coaft, is reckoned to be equally fcrviccable, if not more fo, both for mafts (of which it would afford the largeft of any tree that we know), and for fliip building. And fhips might be built of both thefe timbers for half the price perhaps of any others, both on account of the vaft plenty of them, and of tlieir being fo cafijy worked. % In VI Si" P R ^ F ACE. In mod pa^-ts of thf fe coafts likey/ife, pfpccially about the Miffifippi, there is great plenty of cedars and ever-green oaks -, which make the bcft fliips of any that are built in North America. And we fuf- pedl it is of thefe cedars and the American cyprefs, that the Spaniards build their ihips of war at thq Havanna. Of thefe there is the greateft plenty, immediately to the weftward of the moyth of the Miflifippii where "l^rge yeffels cangoto tl^e lake of the Chetimachas, and nothing hinders t^em to go and cut the fineft paks in the world, with which all that coaft is covered ^ j " which, moreover, is a fure lign of a very good, ipftead of a ba4 foil ; and accordingly we (^e the French h^y^ fettled their tobacco plantations thereabouts. It i;s not without reafon then, that; our author te^s os, the ^argell navies might be built in that cquotry at a very fmall e^fpcnce. prom this it appears, that even the yhich the "vyhole. country has been fo much depreciated, is not without its ad- vantages, and thofe peculiarly adapted to a trading and maritime nation. Had thefe fai^dy d^farts in- deed been in fuch a climate as Canada, they would have been of as little value, as many would make them here. It might be difficult indeed to fcttl^ colonies merely for thefe or any other produftions of thofe poor lands : but to the ^yeftward of the Miflfi^pi} the coaft is much more fruitful all along the bay of Mexico •, being watered with a grea,t number of rivers, the banks of which are vcrf fti:ti}e, ajid are covered with fpr#§ of th^ talleft pak$, * a«r/ fertility, Britain receives at ledft" two or three Huiidred tKoufand pounds a yeaf, and might Vftnd' twice thdt value of their proctu^. But howe;ver barren of noxiou$ thefe iQw laiidi ©n thefei'icoift may be,' they extend but a little way aboiut the Miffifippij not above thirty dffo^'ty miles in a ftraight line, on the eaft fide of that river, atid' about twice a^ far on the Weft fide j ift which laft, the lands^ are, in recompence, much more fruitful. To follow the courfe^ of the riVer indeed^ which runs very obliquely fduth-eaft and • See p. 163. f Dument, 1. 15. i I ! viii PREFACE, north-weft, as well as crooked, they reckon it eighty-two leagues from the mouth of the river to the Cut- Point, where the high lands begin. II. By the Lawer Louifiana, our author means only the Delta of the Miffifippi, or the drowned lands made by the overflowing of the river. But we may more properly give that appellation to the whole country, from the low and flat fea coaft above; defcribed, to the mountains, which begin about the latitude 35°, a little above the river St. Francis -, that is, five degrees of latitude, or three hundred and fifty ftatute miles from the coaft ; which they reckon to be fix hundred and fixty miles up the Miflilippi. About that latitude a cbntinued ridge of mountains runs weftward from the Apalachean mountains nigh to the banks of the Miflifippi, which^are thereabouts very high, at what we have called the Chicafaw Cliff^s. Oppofite to thefe on the weft fide of the MiflTifippi, the country is moun- tainpjjs, and continues to be fp here aftd there, as far as we have any accounts of it, weftward to the jBOuntains of New Mexico; j which run in a chain of continjued ridges frpm north to fouth, and are reckofiftd tO; divide that, country from Louifiana, aiboyit 9D0 miles weft fern the MifTifippi. This-i? one entire level champaign country ; the part of which that lies weft of the Miflifippi is 900 n^flcs (of fixty to a degree) by ,300, and .contain^ 27o,i0!Q0 fquare milesj,as much as both France and Spain put together. This country lies in the lati- tude of thofe fruitful regioins of Barbary, Syria, jP^rfiaj India, and the middle of China, and is alone fi^QJent to fupply the world with all the produ<5ts of A^V tW^-'^-^i ■"■ ■it :i- PREFACE. i« of North America. It is very fertile in every thing, both in lands and metals, by all the accounts we have of it ; and is watered by feveral large naviga- ble rivers, that fpread over the whole country from the Mifljfippi to New Mexico j befides feveral fmaller rivers on the coaft weft of the Miflifippi, that fall into the bay of Mexico •, of which we have no good accounts, if it be not that Mr. Coxe tells us of one, the river of the Cenis, which, he fays, " is broad, deep, and navigable almoft to its heads, which chiefly proceed from the ridge of hills that feparate this province from New Mexico *," and runs through the rich and fertile country on the coaft above mentioned. The weftern part of this country is more fertile, fays our author, than that on the caft fide of the Mifljfippi i in which part, however, fays he, the Ig.nds are very fertile, with a rich black mould three fc^t deep in the hills, and much deeper in the bot- toms, with a ftrong clayey foundation. Reeds and canes even grow upon the hill fides •, which, with the oaks, walnuts, tulip-trees, &c. are a fure fign of a good and rich foil. And all along the Mifli- fippi on both fides, Dumont tells, " The lands, which are all free from inundations, are excellent for culture, particularly thofp about Baton Rouge, Cut-Point, Arkanfas, Natchez, and Yafous, which produce Indian corn, tobacco, indigo, &c. and all kinds of provifions and efculent plants, with little or no care or labour, and almoft without culture ; the foil being in all thofe places a black mould of an excellent quality f ." a 3 Thefe * DefLfipcion of Carolina, p. 37, f Memoirei, 1. iC. t PREFACE. . Thefe accounts arc confirmed by our own peo- ple, who were lent by the government of Virgini^^ in 1 741, to view thefe the weftern parts of that province ; and although they only went down the Ohio and Miffifippi to New Orleans, they reported, that " they faw more good land on the Miffifippi, dnd its many large branches, than they judge is in all the Engllfh colonies, as far as they are inha- bited '" as appears from the report of that govern- ment to the board of trade. ' What makes this fertile country more eligible and valuable, is, that it appears both from its fitu- ation, and from the experience the French have had of it *, to be by far the moft. healthful of any in all thefe fouthern parts of North America •, a thing of the laft confequence in fettling colonies, efpecially in thofe fouthern parts of America, which are in general very unhealthful. All the fea coafts of our colonics, to the fouthward o^ Ghefapeak bay, or even of New- York, are low and flat, marlhy and fwampy, and very unhealth- ful on that account : and thofe on and about the bay of Mexico, and in Florida, are withal excef- fively hot and intemperate, fo that white people are unfit for labour in them -, by which all our fouth- ern colonies, wliich alone promife to be of any great advantage to the nation, are fo thin of peo- ple, that we have but 25,000 white people in all South Carolina -f. But thofe lands on the Miffi- fippi are, on the contrary, high, dry, hilly, and in fome places mountainous at no great diftance from the t Se« p. -lac, III. f Defctiption of South Carolina, by ■ -, p. 30. 11 PREFACE. xi the river, befides the ridges of the Apalachean mountains above mentioned, that He to the north- ward of them i which mull greatly refrefh and cool the air all over the country, efpecially in compari- fon of what it is on the low and flat, fandy . and parched fta coafts of our prefent colonies. Thefe high lands begin immediately above the Delta, or drowned lands, at the mouth of the Miffifippi; above which the banks of that river are from one hundred to two hundred feet high, without any marihfeS about them i and continue fuch for nine hundred miles to the river Ohio, efpecially on the caft fide of the river *. Such a fituation on rich and fertile lands in that climate, and on a navigable river, muft appear to be of the utmoft confequence. . It is only from the rich lands on the river fides (which indeed are the only lands that can generally be called rich in all countries, and efpecially in North America), that this nation reaps any thing of value from all the colonies it has in that part of the world. But ^' rich lands on river fides in hot climates are ex- tremely un healthful, fays a very good judge -f, and we have often found to our coft. How ought we then to value fuch rich and healthfu?. countries on the Mifllfippi ? As much fureh; as fome would de- preciate and vilify them. It may be obferved, that all the countries in America are only populous in the inland parts, and generally at a diftance from navigation *, as the Tea coafts both of North and South America are generally low, damp, ex- f elTivcly hot, and unhealthful j at leaft in all the a 4 fouihern t See p, 158, f Arbutbtiot on Air. App, xil PREFACE. fouthern parts, from which alone we can expe^ any confiderable returns. Indances of this may be fecn in the adjacent provinces of Mexico, New Mexico, Terra Firma, Peru, Quito, &c. and far more in our fouthern colonics, which never became populous, till the people removed to the inland parts, at a diftancc from the fea. This we are in a manner prevented to do in our colonies, by the mountains which furround us, and confine us to the coaft j where,is on the MifTifippi the whole con- tinent is open to them, and they have, befides, this healthy fituation on the lower parts of that river, at a fmall diftance from the fea. If thofe things arc duly confidered, it will ap- pear, that they who are poflefled of the Miflifippi, will in time command that continent ; and that we Ihall be confined on the fea coafts of our colonies, to tliat unhealthful fituation, which many would perfuade us is fo much to be dreaded on the Mifli- fippi. It is by this means that we have fo very few people in all our fouthern colonies ; and have not been able to get in one hundred years above twen- ty-five thoudmd people in South Carolina -, when the French have not lefs than eighty or ninety thoufand in Canada, befides ten or twelve thoufand on the Miflifippi, to oppofe to them. The low and drowned lands, indeed, about the mouth of the Miflifippi mufl: no doubt be more or lefs unhealth- ful i but they are far from being fo very pernio cious as many reprelent them. The waters there are frefli, which we know, by manifold experience in America, are much lefs prejudicial to health than the offenflve fetjd marflies, that are to be foun4 0, PREFACE, x'ui found every where elfe on the fait waters. Ac- cordingly we are credibly informed, that fonie of the inhabiunts of New Orleans fay, they never enjoyed better health even in France ; and for that l-cafon they invite their countrymen, in their letters to them, we arc told, to come and partake of the falutary benefits of that delightful country. The clearing, draining, and cultivating of thofe low lands, muft make a very great change upon them^ from the accounts we have had of them in their rude and uncultivated ftate. ., III. The Upper Louifiana we call that part of the continent, which lies to the northward of the mountains above mentioned in latitude 35°. This country is in many places hilly and mountainous, for which reafon we cannot expeft it to be fo fertile as the plains below it. But thofe hills on the weft fide of the Miflifippi are generally fufpedted to con- tain mines, as well as the mountains of New Mexicoji of which they are a continuation. But the fertile plains of Louifiana are perhaps more valuable than all the mines of Mexico ; which there would be no doubt of, if they were duly cul- tivated, They will breed and maintain ten times as many people, and fupply them with many more neceflaries, and articles of trade and navigation, than the richcft mines of Peru. The moft in>portant place in this country, and perhaps in all North America, is at the Forks of the Miflifippi, where the Ohio falls into that river; which, like another ocean, is the general receptacle of all the rivers that water the interior parts of that vaft continent. Here thofe large and naviga- ble ptlv PREFACE' blc rivers, the Ohio, river of the Cherokces, Wa- bache, Illinois, Miflburi, and Mifliflppi, befldes fliany others, which fpread over that whole conti- nent, from the Apalachean mountains to the moun- tains of New Mexico, upwards of one thoufand miles, both north, fouth, eaft, and w;{l, all meet together at this fpot } and that in the bett climate, dnd one of the moft fruitful countries of any in all that part of the world, in the latitude 370, the latitude of the Capes .of Virginia, and of Santa pc, the capital of New Mexico, By that means there is a convenient navigation to this place from our prefent fettlcments to New Mexico j and from atl the inland parts of North America, farther than we are acquainted with it : and all the natives of that continent, thofe old friends and allies of the French, have by that means a free and ready accefs to this place -, nigh to which the French formed a Settlement, to fecure their intereft on the frontiers of all our fouthern colonies. In fliort this place '' is the centre of that vaft continent, and of all the nations in it, and feems to be intended by nature to command them both ; for which reafon it ought no longer to be neglected by Bl^itain. As foon as we pafs the Apalachean mountains^ thi$ feems to be the moft proper place to fettle at; and was pitched upon for that purpofe, by thofe who were the beft acquainted with thofe countries, and the proper places of making fettlements in them, of any we know. And if the lettlements at this place had been niade, as they were propofed, about twenty years ago, they might have prevented, or at leaft fruftrat^d, the late at- tempts PREFACE.. ^f tempts to wreft that country, and the terfitories of fhe Ohio, out of the hands of the En^lilh i an4 they may do the fame again. ' Bnr many will tell us, th^t thofe inland parts of N'^rth A. ypfica will be of no ufe to Britain, oi| accoufi^ of their diftance from the fea, and incon- ffnience to navigation. That indeed might btt faid of the parts which lie immediately beyond the mountains, as the country of tlic Cherokecs, and Ohio Indians about Pitfburg, the only countries thereabouts that we can extend our fettlements to ; which are fa inconvenient to navigation, that nothing can be brought from them acrofs the mountains, at Icaft none of thofe grofs commodities, which are the ftaple of North America ; and they are as inconve- nient to have any thing carried from them, nigh two thoufand miles, down the river Ohio, and then by the Miffifippi. For that reafon thofe countries, which wc look upon to be the moft convenient, are the moft inconvenient to us of any, although they join upon our prefent fettlements. It is for thefe reafons, that the firft fettlements we make beyond the moun- tains, that is, beyond thofe we are now pofleffed of, fliould be upon the Miffifippi, as we have faid, convenient to the navigation of that river ; and in time thofe new fettlements may come to join to our prefent plantations; and we may by that means reap the benefit of all thofe inland parts of North America, by means of the navigation of the Miffi- fippi, which will be fecUred by this poft at the Forks. If that is not done, we cannot fee how any of thofe inland parts of America, and the ter- ptories of the Ohio, which v^cre the great objefts § of Kvi PREFACE, of the prefent war, can ever be of any ufe to Bri- tain, a: the inhabitants of all thofe countries can otherwife have little or no correfpondcnce with it. IV. This famous river, the Miffifippi, is navi- gable upwards of two thoufand miles, to the falls of St. Anthony in latitude 45°, the only fall we know in it, which is 16 degrees of latitude above its mouth', and even above that fall, our author tells us, there is thirty fathom of water in the river, with a proportionable breadth. About one thoufand miles from its mouth it receives the rivrr Ohio, which is navigable one thoufand miles far- ther, fome fay one thoufand five* hundred,- nigh to its fource, npt far from Lake Ontario in New York ; in all which fpace there is but one fall or rapide in the Ohio, and that nayiga|b}e both up and d' , at leaft in canoes. This fall is three hun- dicd miles from the Miffifippi, and one thoufand three hundred from the fea, with five fathom of water up to it. The other large branches of the Ohio, the river of the C^herol^ees, ^nd the Wa- bache, afford a like navigation, from lake Erie in the north to the Cherokees in the fouth, and from tl>ence to the bay of Mexico, by the Miffifippi ; not to mention the great river Miflburi, which runs to the north-weft parts of New Mexico, much far- ther than we have any good accounts of that con- tinent. From this it appears, that the Miflburi affords the moft extenfive navigation of any river we know ; fo that it may juftly be compared to an inland fea, which fpreads over nine tenths of all the continent of North America; all which the French pretended to lay claim to, for no other reafoi^ xvii PREFACE. reafon but becaufe they were poflefled of a paltry fettlement at the mouth of this river. If thofe things are confidered, the importance of the navigation of the Miffifippi, and of a port at the mouth of it, will abundantly appear. What- ever that navigation is, good or bad, it is the only one for all the interior parts of North America, which are as large as a great part of Europe ; no part of which can be of any fervice to Britain, '.vi-hout the navigation of the Miffifippi, and fet- tlements upon it. It is not without reafon then, that we fay, whoever arc poflefled of this river, and of the vafl: tra(fts of fertile lands upon it, muil in time command that continent, and the trade of it, as well as all the natives in it, by the fupplies which this navigation.,.will enable them to furnifti thofe people. By ttiofe means, if the French, or any .others, are left in poflcffion of the Miflifippi, while we negled it, they mufl: commapd all that conti- nent beyond the Apalachean mountains, and difturb our fettlcments much more than ever they did, or were able to do ; the very thing they engaged in this war to accomplifti, and we to prevent. The Miffifippi indeed is rapid for twelve hundred miles, as far as to the MiflTouri, which makes • it difficult to go up the river by water. For that rea- fon the French have been ufed to quit the Miffi- fippi at the river St. Francis^ from which they have a nigher Way to, the Forks of the Miffifippi by land* But however difficult it may be to afcend the river, it is, notwithftandjiig, often done ; and its rapidity^ facilitates a defcent upon it, and a ready convey- ance for thofe grofs commodities, which are t^he chief . ' llaple i^vriii :^ R E F A c a. ftaple of North America, from the moft rcmort places of the continent above mentioned : and as for lighter European goods, they are more eafily carried by land, as our Indian traders do, over great part of the continent, on their horfes, of \/hich this country abounds with great plenty* The worft part of the navigation, as well as of the country, b reckoned to be at the mouth of the river 5 >vhich, however, our author tells us, is from feventeen to eighteen feet deep^ and will admit Ihips of five hundred tons, the largeft generally ufed in the plantation trade. And even this navigation might be eafily mended, not only by clearing the river of a narrow bar in the pafles, which our author, Charlevoix, and others, think might be eafily done ; but hkewile by means, of a bay, de- fcribcd by Mr. Coxe, from the adljial furvey of his peoplp, lying to the woftward of tlie Ibuth pais of the river ^ which, he fays, has from twenty-five to fix fathom water in it, clofe to the (hore, and not above a mile from the Miflifippi, above all the fhoah and difficult paffes in it^ and where the river has one hundred feet of water. % cutting through that one mile then, it would appear that a port might be made there for (hips of any burden ; the importance of which is evident, from its command- ing all the inland parts of North America on one fide, and the pafs from Mexico on the other ; fo as to be preferable in thefe ry abflradls in this place. ]por this purpofe we ihouljd compare thofe land^ ' with oijir prefent colonies ', and fhould be weU iti' formed of the quantity and condition of the lands wo already poilefs, before we can form any juft judgc-» racntof what may be farther proper or requifite. . "^ Ou^ prefent pofleffipns in North America between the i^a 9n4 ^hP mountains appear, from many fur- yeys and ^^V^^ menfuration^, as well as from all the maps and ot;her ac^punts w;e have of them, to ^ at a medium ^bput three degrees of longitude, 9^ one hundred and forty miles broad, in a itraight IJflfi} and they ej^tend fropi Georgia, in latitiidq 32*?, to t\;^ bay of Fundi, in latitude 450 (which h much farthj^r, both north and fouth than the landsi appear; to. t>€ of any great yajue)j which majfces 13 d^rees difference of lajtitvjde, or 780 mUes : this 1/^ngth multiplied by the, breadth 140, makea 109,200 fquare miles. This is not above as much lapd as i^ contained in ^ritaj^ and Ii-ela;id i whi^h, by Teq^pl^naan's S,urvey, mak^ iQ5,^34 iJqu^re . miles,. Jnfteadof being a^ la^ge as a, great patiiof Eijrqpq tjjcn,, as we; aye commonly tpld, aJtt the landj5;,MFf.ppffefs in Nppth America, between the f^aandtiHiflMnj^Sj dQ i^PtamoM^t to much.morc than aht P R E F A C E!. than thefe two iflands. This appears farther, frofrt the particular furveys of each of ouf colonies, as Well as from this general eftimate of the >vhole. Of thefe lands which we thus poflcfe, both the northern and fouthern parts are very poor and bar- ren, and produce little or nothing, at leaft for Bri- tain. It is only in our middle plantations, Virgi- nia, Maryland, and Carolina, that the lands pro- duce any ftaple commodity for Britain, or that appear to be fir for that purpofe. In fhort, it is only the more rich and fertile lands on and about Chefapeak bay, with a few fwamps in Carolina, like the lands on the Miffifippi, that turn to any great account to this nation in all North America, or that are ever Hkely to do it. This makes the quantity of lands that produce any ftaple commo- dity for Britain in North America incredibly fmall, andV£iilly lefs than what is commonly imagined. It is reckoned, that there are more fuch lands in Virginia, than in all the reft of our colonies ; and yet' it appeared from the public records, abot^t twenty-five years ago, that there was not above as much land patented ini that colony, which is at the fame time the oldeft of any in all North America, than is in the cbunty 6f Yorkfliire, in England, to wit, 4684 fquare miles ; although the country was then fettled to the mountains. 'J^i*p If we examine all our other colonies, there will appear to be as great a fcarcity and want of good lands in them, at leaft to anfwer thc^ great end of colonies, the making tain ; and about as many, or 3600, in the fugar trade. The French, on the other hand, employ upwards of 20,»oo feaqoen In the iifhery, and many more thaa we do in the fugar trade. In fliott, the plantation trade of North America is to Britain, wh«t th«i iifliery is to France, the great nurfery of feamen, which may be much im- proved. It is for this reafon that we have always thought this nation ought, for its fafety, to enjoy an exclullve tight to the one or the other of thefe at leaA* PREFACE. xx^ colonies depends upon them, if not the colonies themfelves. Such lands alone enable the colonies to take their manufadures and other neceffaries from Britain, to the mutual advantage of both. And how neceflary that may be will appear from the ftate of thofe colonies in North America, which do Hot make, one with another, as much as is fufficient to fupply them only with the neceflary article of cloathing ; not to mention the many other things they want and take from Britain; and even how they pay for that is more than any man can tell. In fhort, it would appear that our colonies in North America cannot fubfift much longer, if at all, in a ftate of dependance for all their manufactures and other neceflaries, unlefs they are provided with other lands that may enable them to purchafe them ; and where they will find any fuch lands, but upon the Miflifippi, is more than we can tell. When .their lands are worn out, are poor and barren, or in jan improper climate or fituation, fo that they will produce nothing to fend to Britain, fuch lands can only be converted into corn and pafture grounds ; and the people in our colonies are thereby necefla- rily obliged, for a bare fubfiftence, to interfere with Britain, not only in manufadlures, but in the yery produce of their lands. By this we may perceive the abfurdity of the po- pular outcry, that we have already land enough^ and more than we can make ufe of in North America. They who may be of that opinion fliould fhew us, where that land is to be found, and what it will pro- duce, that may turn to any account to the nation. Thofe people derive their opinion from Avhat they fee in Europe, where the quantity of land that we b,.3 poflefs xxvi P R E F •A C E. pofTcfs in North America, will, no doubt, maintain a greater number of people than we have there. But they Ihould confider, that thofe people in Europe are not maintained by the planting of a bare ra^f commodity, with fuch immenfe charges upon it, but by farming, manufadlures, trade, and com- merce •, which they will foon reduce our colonies to, who would confine them to their prefcnt fettle^ ments, between the fea coaft and the mountains that furround them. Some of our colonies perhaps may imagine they cannot fubfift without thefe employments; which indeed would appear to be the cafe in their prefent ilate : but that feems to be as contrary to their true intereft, as it is to their condition of Britilh colo- nies. They have neither (kill, materials, nor any other conveniencies to make miinufadlures •, whereas their lands require only culture to produce a ftaple commodity, providing they are poflefled of fuch as are fit for that purpofe. Manufadures are the pro- duce of labour, which is both fcarce and dear among them ; whereas lands are, or may, and (hould be made, both cheap and in plenty ; by which they may always reap much greater profits from the one than the other. That is, moreover, a certain pledge for the allegian^'e and dependance of the colonies i and at the fame time niakes their dependance to be- come their intereji. It has been found by frequent experience, that the making of a liaple commodity for Britain, is more profitable than manufat^ures, providing they have good lands to work. It were to he wifhed indeed, that we could fup- port our intereft in America, and thofe fourccs of navigation, by countries that were more convenient to PREFACE. xxvii CO it, than thofe on the Miflifippi. But that, we f^ar, is not to be done, however it may be defired. We wifh we could fay as much of the lands in Flo- rida, and on the bay of Mexico, as of thofe on the MilTifippi : but they are not to be compared to thefe, by all accounts, however convenient they may be in other refpeds to navigation. In all thofe fouthern and maritime parts of that continent the lands are in general but very poor and mean, being little more than pine barrens^ or fandy defarts. The climate is at the Ikme time fo intemperate, that white people are in a great meafurc unfit for labour in it, as much as they are in the iflands ; this obliges them to make ufe of flaves, which are now become fo dear, that it is to be doubted, whether all the produce of thofe lands will enable the proprietors of them to purchafe flaves, or any other labourers ; without which they can turn to little or no account to the nation, and thofe countries can fupport but very few people, if it were only to protedl and (Je^ fend them. The mod convenient part of thofe countries feems to be about Mobile and Penfaeola ; which are, as it were, an entrepot between our prefent fettlements and the MiJTifippi, and fafe flation for our (hips. But it is a pity ^ that the lands about them are the mofl: barren, and the climate the moft intemperate, by ali aeC.counts, of any perhaps in all America *. And our author tells us, the lands are not much bet- ter even on the river of Mobile ; which is but a very inconfiderable one. But the great inconvenience of thofe countries proceeds from the number of Indians b 4 in . * See pag» 49, ill, kct CbarUvtix Hift. N. Fraace^ Tom. IU« 484. Laval, InfrOy 8iC, ' xxviii PREFACE. in them \ which will m^e it very difficult to fettle any proBrable plantations among them, efpecially in the inland parts that are more fertile ; whereas the MifTifippi is free from Indians for looo miles. It was but in the year 17 15, that thofe Indians over- ran all the colony of Carolina, even to Charles- Town ; by which the French got pofleffion of that country, and of the Miflifippi ; both which they had juft before, in June 1713, difpoflefled us of. If we turn our eyes again to the lands in our northern colonie.i, it is to be feared we can cxpeA much lefs from them. There is an inconvenience attending them, with regard to any improvements on them for Britain, which is not to be remedied. The climate is fo fcverc, and the winters fo long, that the people are obliged to fpend that time in providing the neceflaries of life, which fhould be employed in profitable colonies, on the making of lome ftaple commodity, and returns to Britain. They are obliged to feed their creatures for five or fix months in the year, which employs their time in fummer, and takes up the bed of their lands, fuch as they are, which fhould produce their flaple com- modities, to provide for themfelves and their flocks againft winter. For that reafcn the people in all our northern colonies are neceffarily obliged to be- come farmers, to make corn and provifions, inflead of planters, who make a flaple commodity for Bri- tain : and thereby interfere with their mother coun- try in the mofl material and efTential of all employ- ment^ to a nation, agriculture. In fhort, neither the foil nor climate will admit of any improvements for Britain, in any of thofe northern colonies. If they would produce any thing 5 ■ . •■ ' of PREFACE, XXIX pi that kind, it mud be hemp } which never coul4 be made in them to any advantage, as appears from many trials of it in New England *. The great dc- pendance of thofe northern colonies is upon the fup* plies of lumber and provifions which they fend to the iflands. But as they increafe and multiply, their woods are cut down, lumber becomes fcarce and dear, and the number of people inhances the value of land, and of every thing it produces, efpecially provifions. If this is the cafe of thofe northern colonies on the fea coaft, what can we expert from the inland parts ; in which the foil is not only more barren, and the climate more fevere, but they are, with all thefe difadvantages, fo inconvenient to navigation, both on account of their diftance, and of the many falls and currents in the river St. Lawrence, that it h to be feared thofe inland parts of our northern colonies will never produce any thing for Britain, more than a few furrs j which they will do much better in the hands of the natives, than in ours. Thefe our nortlSrn colonies, however, are very populous, and increafe and multipl) very faft. There are above a million of people in them, who can make but very little upon their lands for them- felves, and ftill lefs for their mother country. For thefe reafons it is prefumed, it would be an advan- tage to them, as well as to the whole nation, to re- move their fpare people, who want lands, to thofe vacant lands in the fouthern parts of the continent, which turn to fo much greater account than any that they are pofTefled of. There they may have the necef- faries * See Douglai's Hift. N. America« Elliotts Improveoaentt oa New Eng- land, &c, )■■<■■ ■ XXX PREFACE. laries of life in the grcateft plenty-, their docks maintain themfelves the whole year round, with lit- tle or no coft or labour ; " by which means many people have a thoufand head of cattle, and for one man to have two hundred, is very common, with other flock in proportion *." This enables them to beftow their whole labour, both in fummer and winter, on the making of fome ftaple commodity for Britain, getting lumber and provifions for the iflands, &c. which both enriches them and the whol^ .nation. That is much better, fur?ly, than toperifh in winter for want of cloathing, which they muft do unlefs they make itj and to excite thofe grudges and jealoufies, which mufl everfubfift between them and their mother country in their prefent ftate, and grow fo much the worfe, the longer they continue in it. J ti The many advantages that would enfue from the peopling of thofe fouthern parts of the continent from our northern colonies, arc hardly to be told. We might thereby people and fecure thofe courir tries, and reap the profits of them, without any lofs of people ; which are not to be fpared for that pur- pbfe in Britain, or any other of her dominions. This is the great ufe and advantage th^t may be made of the expulfion of the French from thofe northern parts of America. They have hithf^ito obliged us to ftrengthen thofe northern colonies, and have confined the people in tliem to towns and townfhips, in which their labour could turn to no great account, either to themfelves or to the nation, by which we have, in a great meafure, loft the la- bour of one half of the people in our colonies. But * Defcription of South Carolinni p. 68. \ PREFACE. Kxxi B«t as they are now free from any danger on their borders, they may extend their fettlemerjts w;th fafety, difperfe themfelves on plantations, and cul- tivate thofe lands that may turn to fome account, both to them aiid to the whole iiation. In Ihort, they may now make fome ftaplc commodity for Britain; on which the intereft of the colonies, and 9f the nation in them, chiefly depends ; and which we can never expeft from thofe colonies in their prefent fituation. What thofe commodities are, that we might get from thofe fouthern parts of North America, will appear from the following accounts ; which we have not ropm here to confider more particularly. We need only mention hemp, flax, and filk, thofe great articles and nepeflary materials of manufac- tures ; for which alone this nation pays at leafl: 9, million and an half a-year, if not two millions, and could never get them from all the colonies we have. Cotton and indigo are equally ufeful. Not co men- tion copper, iron, potafh, &?:, which, with hemp, flax, and fill^, make the great balance of trade agginft the nation, and drain it of its treafure ; when we might have thofe commodities from our polonies for manufadlures, and both fupply our- felves and others with them. Wine, oil, raifins, and currants, &c. thofe produ(5ts of France and Spain, pn which Britain expends lb much of Iier treafure, to enrich her enemies, might iikewife be had from thofe her own dominions. Bricran might thereby cut off thofe refources of h^r eiieinies j fecure her colonies for the future ; and prevent fuch calamities of war, by cultivating thofe more laudable arts of peace : which will be the more neccflary, as thefe arc ixxil DESCRIPTION OF THE are the only advantages the nation can expe6t, for the many millions th^t have been expended on. America, ^ Defer iption of the Harbour of P^ N s ACO L A» AS the harbour of Penfacola will appear to be a confiderable acquifition to Britain, it may be fome fatisfaftion to give the following account of it, from F. Laval, royal profeflbr of mathematics, and mafter of the marine academy at Toulon j who was fent to Louifiana, on purpofe to make obferva- tions, in 17 19; and had the accounts of the officers who took Penfacola at tliat time, and furveyed the place. " The colonies of Penfacola, and of Dauphin- Ifland, are at prefent on the decline, the inhabitants having removed to fettle at Mobile and Biloxi, or at New-Orleans, where the lands are much better ; for at the firft the foil is chiefly fand, mixed with Tittle earth. The land, however, is covered with woods of pines, firs, and oaks i which make good trees, as well as at Ship-Ifland. The road of Pen- facola is the only good port thereabouts for large ihips, and Ship-Ifland for fmall ones, where veflfels that draw from thirteen to fourteen feet water, may ride in fafety, under the ifland, in fifteen feet, and a good holding ground; as well as in the other ports, which are all only open roads, expofed to the fouth, and from wefl: to eafl:. " Penfacola is in north-latitude 30° 25'; and is the only road in the bay of Mexico, in which ftiips can be fafe from all winds. It is land-locked on every fide, artd will hold a great number of ftiips, which HARBOUR OF PENSACOLA. xxxiii which have very good anchorage in it, in a goo4 holding ground of foft fand, and from twenty-fivQ to thirty- four feet of water. You will find not lefs than twenty-^ le feet of water on the barr, which is at the entrance into the road, providing you keep in the dcepeft part of the channel. Before a (hip enters the harbour, fhe (hould. bring the fort of Pen- facola to bear between north and north ^ eaft, and keep that courfe till fhe is weft or weft ^ fouth, from the fort on the ifland of St. Rofe, that is, till that fort bears eaft, and eaft -J. north. Then ftie muft bear away a little to the land on the weft fide, keep^ ing about mid-way between that and the ifland, to avoid a bank on this laft, which runs out to fome diftance weft-north-weft from the point of the ifland, " If there are any breakers on the ledge of rocks, which lie to the wefliward of the barr, as often hap- pens 5 if there is any wind, that may ferve for a mark to fliips, which fteer along that ledge, at the diftance of a good muflcet-fliot, as they enter upon the barr ; then keep the courfe above mentioned. Sometimes the currents fet very ftrong out of the road, which you fliould take care of, left they fliould carry you upon thefe rocks. ** As there is but half a foot rifing (levee) on the barr of Penfacola, every ftiip of war, if it be not in a ftorm, may depend upon nineteen (perhaps twenty) feet of water, to go into the harbour, as there are twenty-one feet on the barr. Ships that draw twenty feet muft be towed in. By this we fee, that fliips of fixty guns may go into this harbour : and even feventy gun fliips, the largeft requifite in that coun- try in time of war, if they were built flat-bottomed, like xjotiv CfeSCRIPtlON OF THE fike the Dutch (hips, might pafs every where jfi that harbour. "In 17 19 Penfacola was taken by Mr. Charfip- melin, in the Hercules man of war, of fixty-fouf guns, but carried only fifty-fix j in company with the Mars, pierced for fixty guns, but had in only fifty-four; and the Triton, pierced for fifty-four guns, but carried only fifty ; with two frigates of thirty-fix and twenty guns *. " This road is fubjeft to one inconvenience ; fevcral rivers fall into it, which occafion ftrong cur- rents, and make boats or canoes, as they pafs back- wards and forwards, apt to run a-ground -, but as the bottom is al! land, they are not apt to founder. On the other hand there is a ^reat advantage in this road ; it is free from worms, which never breed in frefh water, fo that veflcls are never worm-eaten in it.'* , But F. Charlevoix feems to contradi(Sb this laft circumftance : " The bay of Penfacola would be a pretty good port, (fays he) if the worms did not cat the veflTels in it, and if there was a little more water in the entrance into it ; for the Hercules, commanded by Mr. Champmelin, touched upon it." It * The admiral was on board of the Hercules, which drew twenty-one feet of water, and there were bvt twenty -two feet into the har)~our in the faigheft tides ; fo that they defpaired of carrying in this fliip. But an old Canadian, named Grimeau, a man of experience, who was perfc<£lly ac- quainted with that coaft, boafted of being able to do it, and fucceeded j for which he was the next year honoured with letters of nobleiTe. Dumont (an officer there at rhat time) II. 12. Bat BelUn, from the charts of the admiralty, makes but twenty feet of water on tlie barr of Penfacola. The difference may arife from the tides, which are very irregular and uncertain on all that coaft, according to the winds ; never j'ifing above three feet, fometimet much lefs. In twenty- four hourt the tide ebbs In the harbour for eighteen or ainetcen bouri, mA flows five or fix. LavaU HARBOUR OF PENSACOLA. xjtxy it is not fo certain then, that this harbour is altoge- ther free from worms ; although it may not be fo fubjeft to them, as other places in thofe climes, from the many fmall frefti water rivers that fall into this bay, which may have been the occafion of thefe accounts, that are feemingly contradiftory. In fuch a place Ihips might at leaft be preferved from v/orms, in all likelihood, by paying their bot- toms with aloes, or mixing it with their other ftufF. That has been found to prevent the biting of thefe worms •, and might be had in plenty on the fpot. Many kinds of aloes would grow on the barren fandy lands about Penfacola, and in Florida, which is the proper foil for them •, and would be a good improve- ment for thofe lands, which will hardly bear any thing elfe to advantage, whatever ufe is made of it. Having room in this place, we may fill it up with an anfwer to a common objedtion againft Louifiana ; - which is, that this country is never likely to turn to any account, becaufe the French have made {6 lit- tle of it. But that objedion, however common, will' appear to proceed only from the ignorance of thofe who make it. No country can produce any thing with- out labourers ; which, it is certain, the l^'rench have never had in Louifiana, in any numbers at leaft, fufEcient to make it turn to any greater account than it has hitherto done. The reafon of this appears not to be owing to the country, but to their pro- ceedings and mifcondud in it. Out of the many * thoufand people who were contrafted for by the grantees, to be fent to Louifiana in 17 19, there were but eight hundred fent, we fee ; and of thefe the greateft part were ruined by their idle fchemes, which xxxvi DESCRIPTION, &. Ill: y > * ;M i I 1 V •**■'■ 5. V .»f ., ,.\'.)rt»^'' if*i*^ .\ \\ '\ t I. '•■.:! 1 S I :|f»n''*W!^'?'"''WK'."'"' r-'Tf" , •» r * NarvatSt uader* *■*»'- -'"?r." ,ji»v- "V- 9^^ S^Tfl^ ■■ '-^"^ s v?^Jf h">i. V »■> \x i -auk. »mim I" I III. H I R io THE OP i^'-"! OR Y U I S I A N A. *^ BOO K I. fbi tranfaSlions of the French iVlSitrl'itANA. QH AP. L Cy thi firft Difcovtry and SettUment of hQpitiAiSA,^ AFTER the Spaniards came to hafd fettlementi ^ on the Great Antilles, it wasnot long before they attempted to make difcoveries on the doafts of the Gulf of Mexico. In 1520, Lucas Vafquez de Aillon landed on the continent to the north of that Gulf, being favourably received by the people of that country, who made him prefents in gold, pearls^ and plated filver. This favourable reception made him return thither four years after ; but the natives having changed their friendly fen- timents towards him^ killed two hundred of his men, and obliged him to retire. In 1528, Pamphilo Nefunez * landed alfo oh that coaft, ' receiving from the firft nations he met in his way, pre- f«ntt mside in gpld | yfhKha ^y ^gns, they made him to B tiadcr* 1 T H E H 1 S t fe V underflfand, came from the Apalachean mountains, in tfte' country which at this day goes under the name of Flo- rida: and thither he attempted to go, undertaking a hazardous journey of twenty-live days. In this march he was fo oftdn attacked by the new people he continually difcovered, and loft fo many of his men, as ortly to tkink of re -embarking with the few that were left, happy to have himfelf efcaped the dan^rs which his imprudence had expofed him to. The relation publifhed by the Hiftorian of Dominico ♦ Soto, who in 1539 landed in the Bay of St. Efprit, is- ig romantic, and fo conftantly CQntradi with whom they matched out of neceffity. The rom own :d it ives, the out The OF LOUISIANA. s The report of the pleafantnefs of Louifiana fpreading through Canada, many Frenchmen of that country re- paired to fettle there, difperfing themfelves at pleafure along the river St. Louis, efpecially towards its mouth, and even in fome iflands on the coafl:, and on the river Mobile, which lies nearer Canada. The facility of the commerce with St. Domingo was, undoubtedly, what invited them to the neighbourhood of the fea, though the interior parts of the country be in all refpedls far preferable. However, thefe fcattered fettlements, incapable to main- tain their ground of themfelvety and too diftant to be able to afFord mutual afliftance, neither warranted the pofi^ffion of this country, nor could they be called a taking of pof- feffion. LouiHana remained in this negle^ed ftate, till M. d'Hiberville, Chef d'Efcadre, having difcovered, in 1698, the mouths of the river St. Louis, and being nomi- nated Governor General of that vaft country, carried thither the fir The Spaniards, for a long time, confidered Loujiiana as a property juftlv theirs, becaufe it conftitutes the great- eft part of Florida, which they firft difcovered. The pains the French were at then to fettle there, roufed their jealoufy, to form the defign of cramping us, by fettling at the Affinal's, a nation not very diftant from the Nadt- chitoches, whither fome Frenchmen had penetrated, There the Spaniards met with no fmall difficulty to form that fv'ttlemeht, and being at a lofs how to aceompliih it, one F. Ydalgo, a Fiancifcan Friar, took it in his head to write to the Fit-neh, to beg their affiftance in fettliiig a iTjifiiOn among the Affinais. Hefent three different copies of his letter hap-ha^ard three different ways to our fet- tlements, hoping one of them af leaft might fall into the handj^ of ihe Frcnc,h. . Nor was he difappqlntcd in his hope, one of them, from one poft to another, and from hand to hand, falling into the hands of M. de la Matte. That General, iiicef- fantly taken up v.?ith the concerns of the colony, and th^ means of relieving it, was not apprized of the defigns of the Spaniards in that letter i could only fee therein a fure and Ihort method to remedy the prefent evils, by favour-r ing the Spaniards, and making a treaty of commerce i^ith them, which might procure to the colony what it was i^ OF LOUISIANA. f want of, and what the Spaniards abounded with, namely, horfes, cattle, and money : He therefore communicated that letter to M. de St. Denis, to whom he propofed to undertake a journey by land to Mexico. M. de St. Denis, for the fourteen years he was in Loui- fiana, had made feveral excurilons up and down the eoun-^ try ; and having a general knowledge of all the languages of the different nations which inhabit it, gained the love and efteem of thefe people, fo far as to be acknowledged their Grand Chief. This gentlenian, in other refpefls a man of courage, prudence, and refolution, was then the fitteft perfon M. de la Motte could have pitched upon, to put his defign in execution. c How fatiguing foever the enterprize was, M. de St. Denis undertook it with pleafure, and fet out with t«Venty - five men. This fmall company would have made fome figure, had it continued entire ; but fome of them dropped M. de St. Denis by the way, and mapy of them remained among the Na<^hitoches, towhofe country he was pome. He was therefore obliged to fet out from that place, ac- companied only by ten men, with whom he traverfed up- wards of an hundred and fifty leagues in a country entirely depopulated, having on nis route met with no nation, till he came to the Prefidio, or fortrefs of St. John Baptifl:, on the Rio (river) del Norte, in New Mexico. . The Governor of this fort was Don Diego Raimond, an officer advanced in years, who favourably received M. de St. Denis, on acquainting him, that the motive to his journey was F. Ydalgo's letter, and that he had orders to repair to Mexico. But as the Spaniards do.not readily allow flrangers to travel through the countries of their dominion in America, for fear the view of thefe fine countries ihould infpire notions, the confequences of which might be greatly prejudicial to them, D. Diego did not chufe to permit M. de St. Denis to continue his route, without the previous confent of the Viceroy, It was B 4 tberefpr? t ^ THE HISTORY therefore neceflary to difpatch a courier to Mexico, and t» wait his return. The courier, impatiently longed for, arrived at length, with the permiilion granted by the Duke of Linares, Viceroy of Mexico. Upon which M. de St. Denis fet outdire£lIy, and arrived at Mexico, June 5, 1/15. The Viceroy had naturally an afFei^ion to France } M. de St. Denis was therefore favourably received, faving fome pre- cautions, which the Duke thought proper to take, not to give any difguft to fome officers of juftice who were about him. The affair was foon difpatched ; the Duke of Linarez having promifed to make a treaty of commerce, as foon as the Spaniards fhould be fettled at the Affinais ; which M. de St. Denis undertook to do, upon his return to Louifiana. CHAP. 11. Tbt Return 9/M. de St. Denis : HisfittUng the Spaniards at the Affinal's. His fecond 'Joumtj to Mexico, and Return from thence, MDe St. Denis foon returned to the fort of St. • John Baptift ; after which he refolyed to form the caravan, which was to be fettled at the Affinais ; at whofe head M. de St. Denis put himfelf, and happily coiv du6^ed it to the place appointed. And then having, in quality ofGrand Chief, aflembled the nation of the Affinais, he exhorted them to receive and ufe the Spaniards well. The veneration which that people had for him, made theih fubmit to his will in all things ; and thus the pro- mife he had made to the Duke of Linarez was faithfully fulfilled. ^ The Affinais are fifty leagues diftant from the Na£lichr- toches. The Spaniards, finding themfelves ftiil at too great a diAance from us, availed themfelves of that firft 5 fettlement. OP LOUISIANA. ^ fettlament, in order to form a fecond among the Adaiet, a nation wkich is ten leagues from our pbft of the Nat- chitoches : whereby they confine us on the weft within the neighbourhood of the river St. Louis; and from that time it was not their fault, that they had not cramp* ed us to the north, as I fliall mention in its place. To this anecdote of their hiftory I (hMl, in a word or two, add that of their fettlement at Penfacola, on the coaft of Florida, three months after M. d'Hiberville had carried the firft inhabitants to Louifiana, that country having continued to be inhabited by Europeans, ever £nce the garrifon left there by Dominique de Gourges ; which either periihed, or deferted, for want of being fupported *• To return to M. de la Motte and M. de St. Denis : the former, ever attentive to the proje£l of having a treaty of commerce concluded with the Spaniards, and pleafed with the fuccefs of M. de St. Denis's journey to Mexico, pro- pofed his return thither again, not doubting but the Duke of Linarez would be as good as his word, as the French )iad already been. M. de St. Denis, every ready to obey, accepted the commiflionof his General. But this fecond journey was not to be undertaken as the firft ; it was pro- per to carry fome goods, in order to execute that treaty^ as foon as it fhould be concluded, and to indemnify him- felf for the expences he was to be at. Though the ftore- houfes of M. Crozat were full, it was no eafy matter to get goods. The factors rcfufed to give any on credit ; nay, refufed M. de la Motte*s fecurity ; and there was no money to be had to pay them. The Governor was there- fore obliged to form a company of the moft refponfible men of the colony : and to this company only the fa£kors determined to advance the goods. This expedient was far from being agreeable to M. de St. Denis, who opened his mind to M. de la Motte on that head, and told him, that fome or all of his partners would accompany the goodt * Th«y returned to Fra«cc. See p. 3. i;o THE HISTORY goods they had engaged to be fecurity for; and that^' al- though it was abfolutely neceflary the efFedls Oiould ap« pear to be his property alone, they would not fail to dif- cover they theinfelves were the proprietors; which would he fuHicient to caqfe their confifcation, the commerce between the two nations not being open. M. de la Motte faw the folidity of thefe reafons ; but the impoilibility of a£ling otherwife conflrained him to fuperfede them : and, as M.de St. Denis had forefeen, it accordingly happened. He fet out from Mobile, Auguft 13, 17 16, efcorted, as he all along apprehended, by fome of thofe concerned ; and being come to the Aflinais, he there pafled the winter. Od the 19th of March, the year following, fetting out on his journey, he foon arrived at the Prefidio of St. John Baptift. M. de St. Denis declared thefe goods to be his own property, in order to obviate their confifcation, which was otherwife unavoidable ; and wanted to ihew fome a(^s of bounty and generofity, in order to gain the friendChipof the Spaniards. 3ut the untracSlablenefs, the avarice, and indifcretion of the parties concerned, brokft through all his meafures ; and to prevent the entire dif- concerting of them, he haftenpd his departure for Mexico, where he arrived May 14, 1717. The Duke of Linarest was yet there, but fick, and on his death-bisd* M* de St. Denis had, however, tiipe to fee him, who knew hittl again ; and that Nob}eman took care to .have him recom- mended to the Viceroy his fucceflbr j namely, the Mar- quis of Balero, a man as much againft the French as the Duke was for them. • M. de St. Denis did not long folicit the Marquis of Balero for coiicluding the treaty of commerfce ; he foon had other bufinefs to mind. F. Olivarez, who, on the reprefentation of F. Ydalgo, as a perfon of a jealous, turbulent, and dangerous difpofition, had been excluded from the mifTion to the'AITmais, being then at the court of the Viceroy, faw with an evil eye the perfon who had fettled F. Ydalgo in that million, and refolved to be ' - . fiveng^ ed of a4 be ?4 OF LOUISIANA. iv cwengcd on him for the vexation caufed by that difap* pointment. He joined himfelf to an officer, named Don Martin de Alaron, a perfon peculiarly proteded by the Marquis of Balero: and they fucceeded fowell with that nobleman, that in the time M. de St. Denis leaft expefled, l}e f/ound himfelf arrefted, and iclapt in a dungeon ; from which he was not difcharged till December 20 of this year» by an order of the Sovereign Council of Mexico, to which he found means to prefent feveral petitions. The Viceroy, conftrained to enlarge him, allotted the town for his plaipe q( confinement* The bufinefs of the treaty of commerpe being now at an end, M. de St. Denis's attention was only engaged how to make the mod of the goods, of which Don Diego Raymond had fent as large a quantity as he could, to the town of Mexico ; where they were feized by D. Martin de Alaron, as contraband } he being one of the emifTaries of his prote^or, appointed to |(>erfecute fuch Grangers as did not dearly purchafe the permiifion to fell their goods. M. de St. Denis could make only eneugh of his pillaged and damaged efFe6ts juft to defray certain expences of fuit, which, in a country that abounds with nothing elfe but g<>ld and filver, are enormous. Our prifoner having nothing further to engrofb his at- tention in Mexico, but the fafety of l^is perfon, ferioufly bethought himfelf how to fecurci it ; as he had ever juft grounds to apprehend fome bad treatment at the hands of his three avowed energies. Havii)g therefore planned the means of his flight, on September 25, 17 18, as the night came on, he quitted Mexico, and placing himfelf in am-- buih at a certain diftance from the town, waited till his good fortune (hould afford the means of travelling other- wife than on foot. About nine at night, a horfetnan, well-mounted, caft up. To rufh of a fudden upon him, difmount him, mount his horfe, turn the bridle, and fet tip a gallop, was the work of a moment only for St. Denis. ^e rode on at a ^ood pace till day, then quitted the com- mon 12 THEHISTORY mon road, to repofe him : a precaution he obrerved all along, till he came near to the Prefidio of St. John Bap- tift. From thenct he continued hit journey on foot i and at length, on April 2, I7i9> arrived at the French colony, where he found confiderable alterations. From the departure of M. de St. Denis from Mexico, to his return again, almoft three years had elapfed. In that long time, the grant of Louiflana was transferred from M. Crozat to the Weft India Company ; M. de la Motte Cadillac was dead, and M. de Biainville, bro- ther to M. d'Hiberville, fucceeded as governor general. The capital place of the colony was no longer at Mobile, nor even at Old Biloxi, whither it had been removed : New Orleans, now begun to be built, was become the capital of the country, whither he repaired to give M. de Biainville an account of his journey ; after which he retired to his fettlement. The king afterwards conferred upo«i him the crofs of St. Louis, in acknowledgement and _ recompence of his fervices. The Weft India Company, building great hopes of commerce on Louifiana, made efforts to people that coun- try, fufficient to accomplifli their end. Thither, for the firft time, they fent, in 17 18, a colony of eight hun- dred : men fome of which fettled at New Orleans, others formed the fettleme.nts of the Natchez. It was with this embarkation I pafTed over to Louifiana. CHAP. OF LOUISIANA. CHAP. III. K Mntbarkatton of tight hundred Mm kj tht Weft India Com- pany to Louifiana. Arriyai and Stay a/ Cape Fran- cois. Arrival at Ifle Dauphine. Dtfcription of that IJland, TH E embarkation was made at Rochelle on three different vefTels, on one of which I embarked. For the firft days of our voyage we had the wind con- trary, but no high Tea. On the eighth the wind turned more favourable. I obferved nothing interefting till we came to the Tropick of Cancer, where the ceremony of baptizing was performed on thofe who had never been a voyage : after paifing the Tropick, the Commo- dore fteered too much to the foutb» which our captain obferved. In ''^e^^, after feveral days failing, we were obliged to bear i.S to the north : we afterwards dif- covered the ifle of St. Juan de Porto Rico, which be- longs to the Spaniards. Lofing fight of that, we dif- covered the ifland of St. Domingo ; and a little after, as we bore on, we faw the Grange, which is a rock, overtopping the fteep coaft, which is almoft perpendi- cular to the edge of the water. This rock) feen at a diftance, feems to have the figure of a grange, or barn. A few hours after we arrived at Cape Francois* dif- tant from that rock only twelve leagues. W;e were two months in this pafTage to Cape Fran- cis ; both on account of the contrary winds, we had on fetting out, and of the calms, which are frequent in thofe feas : our veflel, befides, being clumfy and heavy, had fome difficulty to keep up with the others j which, not to leave us behind, carried only their four greater (ails, while we had out between feventeen ahd eighteen. It is in thofe feas we meet with the Tradewinds ; which though weak, a great deal of way might be made, did they blow conftantly, becaufe their courfe is from eaft to weft without varying i ftorms are never obferved in /4 THEHISTORV in thefc fcas, but the calms often prove a great hiri- drance ; and then it is neceAary to wait fome days, till a grain, or fquall, brings back the wFnd : a grain is a fmall fpot feen in the air, which fpreads very faft, and forms a eloud, that gives a wind, which is b'rifk at firft, but not lading, though enough to make way with. No- thing befides remarkable is here fecn, but the chace of x\itflying-fi/h by the Boniias. The Bonita is a Rfh, which is fomctimes two feet long J extremely fond of the flying-fijh ; which is the reafon it always keeps to the places where thefe fifh are found : its flefh is extremely delicate and of a gooi fla- vour. The Jlying'fi/h is of the length of a herring, but rounder. From its (ides, inftead of fins, iflue out two wings, each about four inches in length, by two in breadth at the extremity ; they fold together and open out like a fan, and are round at the end ; confifting of a very fine membrane^ pierced with a vaft many little holes, which ke<*p the water, when the fifh is out of it : in order to avoid the purfuit of the Bonita, it darts into t\it air, fpreads Out its wings, goes ftraight on, without being able to turn to the right or left ; which is the rea- fehf v%hat as Toon as the toilets, or little fheets of water, which fill up the fmall holes of its wings, are dried up^ it falls down again; and the fame Bonita, which pur- fued it in the water, ftill following it with his eye in the air, catches it when fallen into the water ; it fometimes falls on board fhips. The bonita, in his turn, becomes the prey of the feamen, by means of little puppets, in the form of fying-fijh, which it fwallows, and by that xneans is taken. We ftayed fifteen days at Cape Fran9ois, to take in wood and water, and to refreih. It is fituate on the north part of the ifland of St. Domingo, which part the French are in polTeffion of, as the Spaniards are of the Other, The fruits and fweet-meats of the country are 2 excellent. OF Louisiana. i^ excellent) but the meat gobd" for nothing, hacd) dry, and tough. This counti^y being fcorched, grafs is very (carce, and the animals therein languifh and droop. Sixl weeks before our arrival, fifteen hundred perfohs died of an epidemic diftemper, called the Siam diftcmper. We failed from Cape Francois, with the fame wind, and the fineft weather imaginable. We then pafled be- tween the iflands of Tortuga and St. ivomingo, where ws efpied Port de Paix, which is over-againft I'ortuga : we afterwards found ourfelves between the extremities of St^ Domingo and Cuba, which belongs to the Spaniards : we then fteered along the fouth coaft of this laft, leaving to the left Jamaica, and the great and little Kayemans, which are fubjeft to the £ngli(h. We at length quitted Cuba at Cape Anthony, fteering for Louifiana a north weft courfe. We efpied land in coming towards it, but fo flat, though diftant but a league from us, that we had great difficulty to diftinguifli it, though we had then but four fathom water. We put out the boat to examine the land, which we found to be Candlemas ifland (la Chandeleur.) We dire£lly fet fail for the ifland of Maf* facre, fince called Ifle Dauphine, lltuated three leagues to the fouth of that continent, which forms the Gulf of Mexico to the north, at about 27° 35' North lati- tude, and 288*^ of longitude. A little after we difcovered the Iflc Dauphine, and caft anchor before the harbour, in the road, becaufe the harbour itfelf was choaked up. To make this paflTage we took three months, and arrived only Auguft 25th. We had a profperous voyage all along, and the more fo, as no one died, or was even dangeroufly ill the whole time, for which wecaufed Te Dm/72 folemnly to be fung. We were then put on fhore with all our effe6^s. The company had undertaken to tranfport us with our fervants and elFedls, at their expence, and to lodge, maintain and convey us to our feveral conceflions, or grants. 'This i6 THEHISTORY 'J Thit gulf abounds with delicious fifti \ as the fardt (pilchard) red fi(h, cod, fturgeon, ringed thornback, and many other forts, the beft in their kind. The/arit is a large f\0\ ) its flclh is delicate, and of a fine flavour, the fcales grey, and of a moderate fize. The red fifli is (6 called, from its red fcales, of the fize of a crown piece. The cod, fiflicd for on this coaft, is of the mid- dling fort, and very delicate. The thornback is th« fame as in France. Before wc quit this ifland, it will not, perhaps, bq improper to mention fome things about it. The Ifle Maflacre was fo called by the firft Frenchman who landed there, becaufe on the (horc of this ifland they found a fmall rifing ground, or eminence, which ap- peared the more extraordinary in an ifland altogether flat, and feemliigly formed only by the fand, thrown in by fome high gufts of wind. As the whole coaft of the gulf is very flat, and along the continent lies a chain of fuch iflands, which feem to be mutually joined by their points, and to form a line parallel with the continent^ this fmall eminence appeared to them extraordinary : it was more narrowly examined ) and in different parti thereof they found dead mens b^nes, juft appearing above the little earth that covered them. Then their curi- ofity led them to rake ofF the earth in feveral places ; but finding nothing underneath, but a heap of bones, they CTied out with horror, Jh ! what a Majptat ! They afterwards underflood by the natives, who are at no great diftance ofl^, that a nation adjoining to that ifland, being at war with another much more powerful, was conftrained to quit the continent, which is only three leagues off, and to remove to this ifland, there to live in peace the reft of their days; but that their enemies, juftly confiding in their fuperiority, purfued them to this their feeble retreat, and entirely deftroyed them; and after raifing this inhuman trophy of their vi^« rious barbarity, retired again. I myfelf faw this fatal monument, which made me imagine this unhappy natioft OF LOUIfilAKA. tf nUloA ihuft have betn evtn numerous toward iti period, fli only the bonei of their warriori and aged men muft have lain there, their cuftom being to make flAvei of their young people. -Such h the origin of the iirft name of thii ifland, which, M our arrival, wai changed to that of Ifle Dauphioe : an «£t of prudence, it Ihould ibertii todifcontinue an ippellation, foodioui, of a p)ac« that wai the cradle of the colony i as Mobik was its birth- place. Thit ifland is very flat, and all a white fand, as ure all the others, and the coaft In like manner. Its length it about fevc- Wgues from eaft to well } iti breadth a (hort league . > outh to north, ^efpecially to the eaft^ where the fettlemunt was made, on account of the har- bour which was at the fout' end of the ifland, and choaked up by a high fea, i. littjle before our arrival : this eaft end runs to a point. It is tolerBbIi^ well ftored with pine) but fo dry and parched, on account of iti cryftai fand, as that no greens or pulfe can grow therein^ «nd beafts are pinched and hard put to it for fuftenance. In the mean time, M. de Biainville, commandant ge-« neral for the company in this colony, was gone to mark out the fpot on which the capital was to be built, namely, one of the banks of the river MiOifippi, where at prefent ftands the city of New Orleans, fo called in honour of the duke of Orleans, then regent. C H A P. IV. 77>i Author*! Dtparturi fir hh Grant, Dtfcriptlon of tht Places hi pajftd through^ as far as New Orleans* TH E time of my departure, fo much wi(hed for, came at length. I fet out with my hired fervants, all my effects, and a letter for M. Paillou, major ge« neral at New Oi "jins, who commanded there in the ab- fttKt pf M. 4e Biainville. We coafted along the con- . . C tinentf x8 THE HISTORY tinent, and came to lie in the mouth of the river of thi*^ Pafca-Ogoulasj fo called, becaufe near its moiith, and to the eaft of a bay of the fame name, dwells a nation, called Pafca-Ogoulas, which denoties the Nation of Bread. Here it maybe remarked, that in. the province of Loui-' liana, the appellation of feveral people terminates in the word Ogoula, which fignifies fiation ; and that moft of the rivers derive their nahies from the nations which dwell on their banks. We then palled in view of Biloxi, where formerly was a petty nation of that name ; then in view of the bay of St. Louis, leaving to the left fucr ceflively Ifle Dauphine, Ifle aCorne, (Horn-ifland,) Ifle aux VaifTeaux, (Ship-ifland,) andljje aux Chats, (Cat«* ifland). I have already defcribed Ifle Dauphine, let us now proceed to the three following. Horn-^ifland is very flat and tolerably wooded, about fix leagues in lengthy nar- rowed to a point to the weft fide. I know not whether it was for this reafon, or on account of the number of horned cattle upon itj that it received this> name ; but it is certain, that the flrft Can ^dians, who fettled on Ifle Dauphine, had put moft of their cattle, in great numbers*, there j whereby they came !to grow rich even when they flept. Thefe cattle not requiring any attendance, or ;Other care, in this ifland, came to multiply in fuch a manner, th^t the owners made great profits of them on our arrival in the colony. Troceedlng ftill weftward, we meet Ship-ifland ; fo called, becaufe ther? is a fmali harbour, in which veflels ^t different times have put in for. fhelter. But as the ifland is diftant four leagues from the coaft, and that this coaft is fo fiat, that boats cannot approach nearer than lialf a league, this harbour comes to be entirely uielefs. This ifland may be about five leagues in length, and a large league in breadth at the weft point. Near that point to the north is the harbour,., facing the continent ', to- wards the eaft end it may be hdlf » league in breadth : it ..» or LOUISIANA. f^ k 10 fufliciently wooded, and inhabited only by rats, Which fwami there. ^ At two loagues diftance^ going ^ill weftward, we meet Cat-ifland ; fo called, becaufe at the time it was difcovered, great numbers of cats were found upon it. This iflaliid is very fmall, not above half i league in di- ameter. The forefts are over-run with iindeirwood : i, circumftance which, doubtlef^, determined M. ^e Bi- ainville to put in fomfi hogs to breed ; which multiplied to Aich numbers, that, in 1722, going to hunt them, no othel" cr^atii]fes were to be feen ; and it was judged, that in tihie they muft have devoured each other. It was found they ha:d deftrbyed the ckts* All thefe iflands are very flat, and have the fame bot« torn of white fand j the woods, efpecially of the three firft, condft of pine j they are almoft all at the fame difr tance from the continent, the coafl of which is equally* iandy. ' After pafling the bay of St. Louis, of which I have fpo^ ken, we enter the two channels which lead to Lak^ Pont-^ chartrain, called at prefent the Lak^ St. Louis : of thefe channels, one is named the Great, the other the Little ; and they are about two leagues m length, and formed by a chain of iflets, or little i/les, between the continent and Cockle-ifland. The great channel is to the fouth. We lay at the end of the channels ia Cockle-ifland ; fo called, becaufe almoft entirely formed of the ihelfg named Coquilles des Palourdes, in the fea>ports, ivithotit a mixture of any others. This ifle lies before the mouth .•f the Lake St. Louis to the eaft, and leaves at its two extremities two outlets to the lake i the one, by which we entered, which is the channel juft mentioned ; the Other, by the Lake Borgne. The lake, moreover, at the other end weftward, communicates, by a channel, with the Lake Maurepas ; and may be about ten leagues in length from eaft to weft, and feven in breadth. Se-; veral rivers, in ^uth of the lake k 9 greet creek (Bifouc^ a ftream of dead water, with little or no obfervftUe cur^ rei^t) called Bayouc St. Jean ; it comes doTe to New Orleans, and falls into this lake at Grafs Point (Points aux Herbes) which projedts a great way into the lake^ at two leagues diftance from Cockle-iil;u>d, We palled near that point, which 19 nothing but a quagmire. From thence we proceeded to the Bayouc Choupic, fo denomi- nated from a fiih of that name, and three leagues from the Pointe aux Herbes. The many rivulets, which dif- charge themfelves into this lake, meke its waters almoft frefh, though it communicates with the fea : and on this account it abounds not only with fea iifli but with freih water fi(h, fome of which, particularly carp, would ap- pear to be of a monftrous iize in France. We entered this Creek Choupic : at the entrance of which is a fort at prefent. We went up this creek for the (pace of a league, and landed at a place where for- merly ftood the village of the natives, who are called Cola-PilTas, an appellation corrupted by the French, the ■true name of that nation being Aquelou-PiiTas, that is, ihe nation of men that hear and fie. From this place to New Orleans, and the river Miffifippi, on yrhlch that capiti is built, the diftance is only a league. CHAP. V. X^je Author put in Pojejfton of his Territory, His Refilution to go 0nd fittle amift^g the^z\.z\i^z, BEING arrived at the Creek Choupic the Sieur La- yigne, a Canadian, lodged me in a cabin of the Aquelou-PilTas, whoffe village he had bought. 'He gave others to my workmen for their lodging ; dbd we werfe all happy to find, upon our arrival, that we were under ihelter, m a place that was uninhabited. A* feW days after ihy arrival I bought an Indian female flaVe of one of the inhabitants, in order, to have a perfon' who could dreft OF LOUISIANA. it dreia our viAuals, as I perceived the inhabitants did all they could to entice away our labourers, and to gain them by fair promifes. As for my flavc and me, wc did not underfland. one another's language; but I mademyfelf to be underfiood by figns, which thefe natives compr««. hend very eafily : fhe was of the nation of the Cbiti<^ macbas, with whom the French had been at yrM for fom^ years. , .;^:,':i . -t I w6nt.toview a fpoton St. John's Creek, abootlia}^ a league diftant from the place where the capital was to be founded, which was yet only marked out by a hut, covered with palmetto-leaves, and which the com^ mandant had caufed to be built for his own lodging | and after him for M. Paillou,! whom be left c6mmaiidani of chat poft. I had ehofbnl that place preferably to any others, with a view to difpofe more eafily my people. As my hut. was compofed of very combuftible materials, I caufed a fire to be made at adiftance, about half way from the credc, to avoid accidents ; which occafioned an adventure, that put me in mind of the prejudices they have in Europe, from the relations that are ccMnmonly current. Theaccounit I am going to give of it,^may have upon tbofe who think as I did then, the fame efFe£^ that it had upon me. le was almoft night, when my flave perceived, within two yards of the ftre, a young alligator, five fe I was pleafed with my habitation, and I had good reafonsv' which I have alrejldy related, to make nie prefer it to others ) notwithftanding I had room to be- lieve, that the fituation was none of the healthiefl', the country about it being very damp.' But this caufe of an unwholefome air does not exift at prefent, finc^ they have cleared %he ground> and made a bank before the town. The quality of that land is very good, fojr what I had fown came up very well. Having found in the Tpring fomc peach-ftones which began to fprout, I planted them ; and j^e following autumn tLey had ^ade (hoots, four fe^t high, with branches in proportion. • - ■ " Notwitii; I ' OF LOUISIANA. 2$ 'Notwithfta^ndingthefe advantages, I took a refolution to quit this fettlement, in order to make another one, about a hundred leagues higher up j and I iball give the reaTons, which, in my opinion, will appear fufficient to have made me take that ftep. ' My Airgeon came to take his leave of me, letting me know, he could be of no fervice to me, near ftich a town as was forming ; where there was a much abler furgeon thanhimfelf ; and that they had talked to him fo favourably of the poft of the Natchez, that he was very dcfirous to go there, and the more fo, as that place, being un- provided with a furgeon, might be more to his advan* tage. To fatisfy me of the truth of what he told me, be went immiediately and brought one of the old inhabi- tants, of whom I had bought my flave, who confirmed the account he had given me of the iinenefs of the coun- try of the Natchez. The account of the old man, joined tP many other advantages, to be found there, had made him think of abandoning the place where we were, to fettle there } and he reckoned to be abundantly repaid for it in a little time. . My flave heard the dtfcourfe that I have relatec*, and as (he began to underhand French, and I the language of the country, (he addrefledherfelf to me thus: ** Thou ** art- going, then, to that country; the (ky is much *< finer there ; game is in much greater plenty $ and as *< I have relations, who retired there in the war which <« we had with the French, they will bring us every ** thing we want : they tell me that country is very *} fine, that they live well in it, and to a good old age.** Two days afterwards I told M. Hubert what I had heard of the country of the Natchez. He made anfwer, that be was fo perfuaded of the goodnefs of that part of the country, that he was making ready to go there himfelf, to take up his grant, and to eftablifh a large fettlement for the company : and, continued he, *' I fF fhall be very glad, if you will do the fame : we (hall • Q 4 bt 94 THE HISTOHY ** be company to one another, and you will unc^HeT- ** tionably do your bufinefi better there than here.'* This determined i^e to follow his advice : I quitted my fettlement, and took lodgings in the town, till I (hould find an opportunity to depart, and receive fomo negroes whom I expe4ted in a (hor( time. * My ftay at l^ew Orleans appeared long, before I heard of the ar- rival of the negroes. Some days after the news of their arrival, M. Hubert brought me two good ones, whicli had fallen to me by lot. One was a young negro about twenty, with his wife of the fame age { which coil me both together 1320 livres, or 55I. fterling. Two days after that I fet oflT with them alone in a pettyaugre (a large canoe,) becaufe I was told we ihould make much better fpeed in fuch a vefftl, than in the boats that went with us i and that I had only to take powder ai^d ball with me, to provide my whole com- pany with game fttfficient to maintain us ; for which purpofe it was neceflTary to make uft of a paddle, in- flead of oars, which make too much noife for the game, I had a barrel of powder, with Hfieen pounds of ihot, which I thought wpuld be fufficient for the voyage : but I found by experience, that tl^is was not « fufficient for the vaft plenty of game that is to be met with upon that river, without ever going out of your way. I had not gone above twenty-eight leagues, to the grant of M, Paris du Vernai, when 1 was obliged to borrow of him fifteen pounds of (hot niore. Upon this I took care of my ami^unition, and (hot nothing but what was fit for our proviAon ^ fuch as wild ducks^ fummer ducks, teal, and faw- bills. Among the rtfk I killed a carancro, wild geefe, cranes^ and flamingoes; I likewife often killed young alligators } the tail of which was a feaft for thq flaves, as well as for the French and Canadian rowers. Among others things I cannot omit to give an account of a oionilrous large alligator I killed with a mufquet • phap. v^r, OP LOUISIANA, %% baU,. as it Uy upon the bank» about ton feet tbove th« •dgeof the water. We meafiiffed U,,and found it to be nineteen feet long ; iu head three feet and a half lotig^ above two feet nine inehet broad» and the other parts Iq proportion : at the belly it wat two feet two iuchea thicic ( and it infected the whole air with the odor of mufk. M. Mehane told me, he had killed one twenty- two feet long. After feveial dayi -navigation, we arrived at Tonicaa on Chriftmas eve^ where we heard mafa from M. d' Avion, of the foreign miiBoni, with whom we pafled |he reft of the holy-days, on account of the good reception and kind invitation he gave ui. I aiked him, if his great zeal for the falvation of the natives wai attended with any fuccefs ; he anfwered me,, that notwithftanding the profound reCpeA the people ibewed himt It was with the greateft difficulty he could get leave to baptise a few children at the point of death ; that thofe of an advanced age excufed themfelves from embracing our holy celigioni becaufe they are too old, fay they, to accuftom them- felves to rules, that are fo difficult to be obferved ; that the chief, who had killed thd phyfician, that attended his only (on in a diftemper of which he died, had taken a refolution to fUft every Friday while he lived* lo re- morfe for his inhumanity with which he had been Co (harply reproached by him. This grand chief attended both morning and evening prayers ; the women and chil- dren likewife affifted regularly at them ; but the men, who did not come very often, took more pleafure in ring- ing the bell. ]A other refpe^ls, they did not fuffer this jealous paftor to wantf for any thing, but furniihed him with whatever he deflred. We were yet twenty-five leagues to the end of our journey to the Natchez, and we left the Tonicatf, where we faw nothing interefting, if it were not feveral ftee^ hills, which ftand together { among which there is one that they name the White Hill, becaufe they find in it ^veri)) veins of an earth, that is white, greafy, and very M THE HISTORY ' fine, with which I have fern rtry good petten wir« liiadc. On the (lime hilt thei;e are velni of ochre, of whichlheNatchtft hud Juft taken feme to Aain their earthen ware, which looked well enough i when it wai brfmcared with ochre', It became red on burning. At laft wo arrived at the Natchec, after a voyage of twenty- four Icaguei i and we put on (hore at a lanaing- ptace, which is at the foot of a hill two hundred feet high, upon the top of whieh Fort Roflilie * ii built, Atrrounded only with palllfadoeii. About the middle of the hill ftanda the magattne, nigh to (bme houA^s of th« inhabitant!!, who are IVttl(^ there, becauft the afcent It not fo ftfcp in that place ) and it ii for the fame reafon that the maffaftine is buih there. When you are upon the top of tnis hill, you diCcover the whole country, which ii an extenflve beautiful plain, with fcveral littlb hillt interfperfed here and there, upon which the inha« bitants have built and made their ibttlementt. The pro* f)ic|Miii of thii i.ol.»nx. Qut iboitgh it h« ntt:«ir«r)r to bigln by a r«til«mcnl nctr the ft* t yet if ever Louil\«na comet to be In « Auurifli- }nf (oiiaition, «« it m»y »ery w»|l he, it eppeari to me, that the ei|>lt«l, •f it cannot be better lUu«tc4 ib«S in thii piece. It ii net fuhjeA to in- •nthttiont of the river | tht «!r it pure j the country very eittenAvt \ the UnJ fit for every thin^t. an«l well watered { it it not ul loo urett a dif- fence from the f«, and nothing hiiideri vefl'eli to go t«p to it. In fine, it ia within reath of every pUct ittte^ded to bo fettled. Charlevrix, Nift. 4e UN. France, 1)1. 415. TbU tt on the eaft fide of tho Milfifippi, and «pp«in to bo the (trd pod •» tliat Hvet wkich wt ought to Secure. OF L0U1IIANA. if pinjr* ftnd the other for himfelf. I went to them In two or three tfiiyi nfter my Arrivali wifh an old inhabitant for my guide, and to ftiew me the proper plaoef, and at tht fame time to choofe a f))ot of ground for myfelf i thii Lafl I pitched upon the firft day, hecaufe it ii more eafy t« wKicb fheladians had ckaied upon my land, and bought them ally cxoepi one, which an Indian would never fell to me : k wat fituated very convitnient for me, I bad a mind for it, and would have giyen bim a good pricey but I could never make him agree to my propofals^ He ^ve me to underftand, that without felling it, he would give it up to me, as foon as I Ihould clear my ground to his ; and that while he ftayed oa his own /ground near me, I fliould always find him ready to ferve.me, and that he would go a-hunting and filhing for me. This anfwer Satisfied me, becaufe I muft have had twenty negroes, before I could have been able to have reactied him ; they afltired me likewife, that he was an honed man ; and far from having any occafion to complair. of him as a neighbour, his ftay there was extremely ferviceable to me. I had not been fettled at the Katebex fix months wbea I fbnnd % payi in my thi^, which, however, did nof hindes me to go about my bufmefs. X confulted our fur- geoa about, it, who caufcid me . to be bleeded j on which the humour fell upon the other thighs and fixed there with fuch violence, that I could not walk without ex- treme pain. I confiilted the phyficians and fiirgeons of New Orleans, who advifed me to ufe aromatic baths; and if they proved of no fervice, I muft go to France, to drink the waters, and to bathe in them. This anfwer fatisfied me to much the lefs, as I was neither certain of my cure by that means,* nor would my prefent fituation allow me to go to France. This cruel diftemper, I believe, proceeded from the rains, with which 1 was wet, during our whole voyage ; and might be fome 'eire£ls of the fatigues I had undergone in war, during feveral cam- paigns I had made in Germany. As I could not go out of my hut, feveral neighbours were fo good as to conie and fee me, and every day we were no Iris than twelve at table from tlie time of our ar- rival. OF LOUISIANA. i| rival, wb k k nws on the fifth ^ Jaautry, 1720. Afllons the reft F. de Vilk, who waitod chcra, in Imb jonroey m the lUinoifi till Che ice, which bi^gan to come down finoa the north, was gone. His converiation afford^ me great lati^fa^Uon in my confinement, and allayed Ai vexation I was under from thy two negroes, being ruji away. In the mean time my diftemper did not abate, which made me refolve to apply to^ne of the Indian cenjuxcrs» who are both furgeons, divines, and forcerers; and wh» told me he would cure me by fucking the place where I felt my pain. He tr.ade feveral fcarifications upon the part with a Aiarp flint, each of them about as large as the prick of a lancet, and in fuch a form, that he could fuck them all at once, which gave me extreme pain for the (jpace of half an hour. The next day I found myfdf a little better, and wdked about into my field, where they advifed me to put myfelf in the hands of ibme of the Natchez, who, they faid, did furprizing cures, of which they told me many inftances, confirmed by creditable people. In fuch a fituation a man will do any diing for a cure, efpecially as the remedy, which they told me of, was very fimple: it was only a poultice, which they put upon the part afFedkd, and ir eight days time I was able to walk to the fort, finding myfelf per- fedly cured, as I have felt no return of my pain fince that time. This was, without doubt, a great fatisfac- tion to a young man, who founci himfelf otherwife in good health, but had been confined to the houfe for four months and a half, without being able to go out a mo*> ment $ and gave me as much joy as I could well have, after the lofs of a good negroe, who died of a defluxion on the breafl\ which he catched by /unniog away into the woods, where his youth and want of experience made him believe he might live without the toils of llavery } but being found by the Tonicas, conftant 'friends of the French, who live about twenty leagues from the Natchez, they carried him to their village, where he and his wife were given to a Frenchman, for whom they worked, ^ * THE HISTORY ^ workod, and by that that means got their livelihood ;' till M. de Montplaifirfenttheih home to me. This M. de Montplainr,^>ne of themoft agreeable gentlemen in the colony, wasfent by the company from Clerac in Gafcony, to manage their plantation at the Natchez, to make tobacco upon it, and to ihew the peo- ple the way of cultivating and curing it ; the company having learned, that this p^ice produced excellent to- bacco, and that the people of Clerac were perfe£lly Well acquainted with the culture and way of managing it. *^ C H A P. VI. •* '■ i The Voyage of the Author to Biloxi. Defeription of that Place, Settlement of Grants, The Author £fcoiuers twa . Copper'fninei* His Return to the Natchez. ii ; TH £ fecond year after my fettling among the Nat- chez, I went to New Orleans, as I was defirous to fell my goods and commodities myfelf, inftead of felling them to the travelling pedlars, who often require too great a profit for their pains. Another reafon that made me undertake this voyage, was to fend my letters to France myfelf, which I was certainly informed, were generally intercepted. Before my departure, I went to the commandant of the fort, and afked him whether he had any letters for the govekiiiment. I was not on very good terms of friend- ihip with this commandant of the Natchez, who endea- voured to p;^y his court to the governor, at the expence of others. I knew he had letters for M. de Biainvillc, al- though he told me he had nonf , which made me get a cer- tificate from the commifTary general of this refufal to my demand ; and at the fame time the commifTary begged me to carry down a fervan£ of the company, and ^ave me an order to pay for his maintenance. As I made no great hafle, but flopt to fee my friends, in my going down OF louis^aka: ^ ^ down the river, the commandant had time to fendbif: letters, and to write to the governor, that I refufed to> ^ke them. As foon as I arrived at Biloxi, this occaiI> 9ned M. de Biainville to tell me, with fome coldncfs, that I refufed to charge myfelf with his letters. Upon this £ ihewed him the certificate of the commiflary general j to which he could give no other anfwer, than by telling me, that A< lead I could not deny, that I had brought away by ftealth a fervant of the company. Upon this I ihewed him the other certificate of the commifTary ge- neral, by which He defired the directors to reimburfe me the charges of bringing down this ferVant, who was of no ufe to him above j which put the governor in a very bad humour. Upon my arrival at New Orleans I was informed, that there were feveral grantees arrived at New Biloxi. I thought fit then to go thither, both to fell my goods, and to get fure conveyance for my letters to Francei, Here 1 was invited to fup with M. d'Artaguette, king's lieutenant, who ufually invited all the grantees, as well as myfelf. I there found feveral of the grantees, who ' were all my friends ; and among us we made out a furo conveyance for our letters to France, of which we after« wards made ufe. Biloxi is Htuate oppofite to Ship-Ifland, and four leagues from it. But I never could guefs the icafon, why the principal fettlemcnt was made at this place, nor why the capital fhould be built at it ; as nothing could be more repugnant to good fenfe ; vefTels not being able to come within four leagues of it ; but what was worfe, nothing could be brought from them, but by changing the boats three different times, from a fnfaller fize to an- other flill fmaller j after which they had to go upwards of an hundred paces with fmall carts through the water to unload the leaft boats. But what ought ftlll to have been a greater difcouragement againfl making a iettle- ment at Biloxi, was, that the land is the molt barren of any to be found thereabouts ; being nothing but a fim fcfii, ^ * THE HISTORY iktidy as white and fliiniiif as fiiorvr, oa which no kfnl of gnens can beraiM ( bdfidcs, the being extremdly in« «oimnoded with iiits» which fwarm theM in the Tandy and at that time ate «ven the ?erf ftochs of the gnnsy the famine being there fe ytty great, that more than lite hundred people died of hunger; bread being vety dear, and llelh-«ieat ftill more me. There was nothing in plenty but fifli^ with which this place abounds. This fcarcity proceeded from the arrival of feveral grantees all at once j fo as to have neither proviik>ns« nor boats to transport them to the places of their def- tinatioR, as the cdmpany had obliged themfelves to do. The great plenty of oyfters, found upon the coaft, faved the lives of fome of them, although obliged to wade almoft up to their thighs for them, a gun-{hot from the ihore. If this food nouriflied feveral of them, it threw numbers into ilcknefs ; which was ftill more heightened by they long time the were obliged to be in the water. The grants were thofe of M. Law, who was to have fifteen hundred men, confiding of Germans, Proven^als^ &c. to form the fettlement. His land being marked out at the Arkanfas, confined of four leagues fquare, and was ere6ted into a duchy, with accoutrements for a company of dragoons, and merchandize for more than a million of livres. M. Levans, who was truftee of It, had his chaife to vifit the different pbfts of the grant. But M. Law foon after betoming bankrupt, the company feized on all the efFe^s and merchandife ; and but a few of thofe who engaged in the fervice of that grant, remained at the Arkanfas ; they were afterwards all dif- perfed and fet at liberty. The Germans almoft to a man fettled eight leagues above, and to the weft of the ca- pital. This grant ruined near & thoufand perfons at L'Orient before their embarkation, and above two hun- . dred at fiiloxi ; not to mention thofe who came out at the fame time with me in 17 iS^^ All this diftrefs, of which n OF LOUISIANA. jj which I was a witnefs at Biloxi, determined me to make an excurflon a few leagues on the coaft, in orc^cr to 1^ fome days with a friend, who received me with pleafure. We mounted horfe to vifit the interior part of the country a few leagues from the fea. I found the fields pleafant enough, but lefs fertile than along the ^ MiffiTippi i as they have fome refemblance of the neigh- bouring coaft, which has fcarce any other plants but pines, that run a great way, and fome red and white cedars. When we came to the plain, I carefully fearched every fpot that I thought worth my attention. In con- fequence of the fearch I found two mines of copper, whofe metal plainly appeared above ground. They ftood about half a league afunder. We may juftly conclude that they are very rich, as they thus difclofe themfelves on the furface of the earth. When I had made a fufficient excurfion, and judged I could find nothing further to fatisfy my curiofity, I re- turned to Biloxi, where I found two boats of the com- pany, juft preparing to depart for New Orleans, and a large pettyaugre, which belonged to F. Charlevoix the jefuit, whofe name is well kown in the republic of let- ters : with him I returned to New Orleans. Some time after my return from New Orleans to the Natchez, towards the month of March 1722, a phae- nomenon happened^ which frightened the whole pro- vince. Every morning, for eight days running, a hol- low noife, fomewhat loud, was heard to reach from the fea to the Illinois ; which arofe from the weft. In the afternoon it was heard to defcend from the eaft, and that with an incredible quicknefs ; and though the noife feem- ed to bear on the water, yet without agitating it, or dif- covering any more wind on the river than before. This frightful noife was only the prelude of a moft violent tempeft. The hurricane, the moft furious ever felt in 34 THE HISTORY , the province, lafted three days. As it arofe from the fouth-weft and north-eaft, it reached all the fetttletnents which were along the Miffifippi ; and was felt for fome ' leagues more or lefs ftrong, in proportion to the greater or lefs diilancc : but in the places, where the force or height of the hurricane pafTed, it overturned every thing in its way, which was an extent of a large quarter of a league broad ; fo that one .would talce it for an avenue made on purpofe, the place where it paifed being entirely laid flat, whilft every thing ftood upright on each fide. The lat,geft trees were torn up by the roots, and their branches broken to pieces and laid flat to the earth, as were alfo, the feeds of the woods. In the meadows, the grafs itfelf, ■ which was then but r.x inch'»s high, and which is very Bn^e, coqld not efcape, but was trampled, faded, and laid quite flat to the earth. The height of the hurricane palled at a league from my v'^bitation ; and yet my houfe, which was built on piles,^ would have been overturned, had I not fpeediLy propped it with a timber, with the great end in the earth, and nailed to the houfe with an iron hook fcven, or eight inch-^s long! Several houfes of our poft were overturned. But i: was happy for us in this fcolony, that the height of the huriirane paflTed not direftly over any poft, but obliquely traverfed the Miflifippi, over a coun- try intirely uninhabited. As this hurricane came from the fouth, it fo fwelied thq fea, that the Miflifippi flowed back againft its current^ fo as to rife upwards of fifteen fecthigh. CHAP. OF LOUISIANA* 35 C H A P. VII. ^irft War with the Natchez. Cau/e of the Tf^grJ IN the fame year, towards the end of fummer, we had the firft war with the Natchez. The French had fettled at the Natchez, without any oppofition from thefe people J fo far from oppofing them, they did them a great deal of iervice, and gave them very material aififtance in procuring provifions j for thofe, who were fent by the Weft India Company with the firft fleet, had been detained at New Orleans. Had it not been for the na^ tives, the people muft have perifhed by famine and dif- irefs : for, how excellent foever a new country may be, it muft be cleared, grubbed u'p, and fown, and then at leaft we are to wait the firft ,harveft, or crop. But du- ring all that time people muft live, and the company was well apprized of this, as they had fent, with the eight hundred men they had tranfported to Louifiana, provifions for three years. The grantees and planters, obliged to treaii or truck for provifions with the Natchez, in confequence of that faw their funds wafted, and them- felves incapable of forming fo confiderable a fettlement, without this trucking, as neceflary, as it was frequent. However, fome benefit refulted from this ; namely, that the Natchez, enticed by the facility cf trucking for goods, before unknown among them, as /ufils, gun- powder, lead, brandy, linen, cloths, and other like things, by means of an exchange of what they abound- ed* with, came to be more and more attached to the F.»?richi and would ' have continued very ufeful friends, had not the little fatisfa£lion which the commandant of Fort Rofalie had given them, for the mift>ehaviour of one of his foldiers, alienated their minds. This fort covered the Settlement of the Natchez, and protefled that of St. Catharine, which was on the banks of the rivulet of the Natchez j but both the defence and protec- D 2 tion 36 THE HISTORY tion it afforded were very inconflderable ; for this fort was only pallifaJoed, open at fix breaches, without a ditch, and with a very weak garrifon. On the other hand, the houfes of the inhabitants, though confiderably numerous, were of thennfelves of no ftrength; and then the inhabitants, difperfed in the country, each amidil his field, far from affording mutual afTiflance, as they would had they been in a body, flood each of them» upon any accident, in need of the affiflance of others. A young foldier of Fort Rofalie had given fome credit to an old warrior of a village of the Natchez } which was that of the White Apple, each village having its peculiar name : the warrior, in return, was to give him fome corn. Towards the beginning of the winter 1723, this foldier lodging near the fort, the old warrior came to fee him ; the foldier infifled on his corn ; the native anfwered calmly, that the corn was not yet dry enough tofhake out the grain ; that befides^his wife had been ill, and that he would pay him as Yoon as pofli- ble. The young man, little fatisfied with this anfwer, threatned to cudgel the old man : upon which, thi* lafl, who was in the foldier's hut, affronted It this threat, told him, he (hould turn out, and try who was the befl man. On this challenge, the foldier, calling out mur- der, brings the guard to his affiftance. The guard being come, the young fellow prefTed them to fire upon the warrior, who was returning to his village at his ufual pace } a foldier was imprudent enough to fire : the old man dropt down. The commandant was foon apprized of what happened, and came to the fpot ; where the wit- nefTes, both French and Natchez, informed him of the fa£l. Both juflice and prudence demanded td take an exemplary punifhment of the foldier; but he got off with a reprimand. After this the natives made a litter, afld carried off their warrior, who died the following flight of his wounds, though the fufil was only charged with great fhot. Revenge OP LOUISIANA. 37 Revtnge ii the predominant pafllon of the people ia America : fo that we ought not to be furprized, if thi death of this old warrior ralfed his whole village againft; the French. The reft of the nation took no part at firft in the quarrel. v The firft efFe£l of the refentment of the Natchez fell upon a Frenchman named M. Guenot, whom they furprized returning from the fort to St. Catharine, and upon another inhabitant, whom they killed in his bed. Soon after they attacked, all in a body, the fettlement of St. Catharine, and the other below Fort Rofalie. It^ was at this laft I had fixed my abode : I therefore faw myfelf expofed, like many others, to pay with my goodly and perhaps my lifb, for the rafhnefs of a foldier, and the too great indulgence of his captain. But aa I waa already acquainted with the charader of the people we had to deal with, I defpaired not to fave both. I there- fore barricadoed myfelf in my houfe, and having put myfelf in a pofture of defence, when they came in the night, according to their cuftom, to furprize me, they durft not attack me. This firft attempt, which I juftly imagined was to be followed by another, if not by many fuch, made me re- folve, as foon as day came, to retire under the fort, as all the inhabitants alfo did, and thither to carry all the provifions I had at my lodge. I could execute only half of my fcheme. My flaves having begun to remove the beft things, I was fcarce arrived under the fort, but the commandant begged I might put myfelf at the head of a detachment of the inhabitants, to. go to fuccour St. Catharine. He had already fent thither all his garrifon, referving only five men to guard the fort ; but this fuc- cour was not fufficient to relieve the fettlement, which the natives in great numbers vignroufly ftraitned. I departed without delay : we heard the firing at a dif- tance, but the noife ceafed as foon ^s I was conic, and P 3 the S« THE HISTORY the natives appeared to have retired : they had, doubtlcfs, difcovercd mc on my march, and the fight of a reinforcc- ment which I had brought with me, deceived them. The officer who commanded the detachment of the garrifon, and whom I relieved, returned to the fort with his men j and the command being thus devolved on me, I caufcd 'a\\ the Negroes to be aflemblcd, and ordered them to cut down all the buflics ; which cov9ring the country, fa- voured the approach of the enemy, quite to the doors of the houfcs of that Grant. This operation was performed without moleftation,* if you except a few' (hot, fired by the natives from the woods, where they lay concealed on the other fide of the rivulet ; for the plain round St. Ca- tharine being entirely cleared of every thing that could , fcreen them, they durft not ihew themfclves any more. However, the commandant of Fort Rofalie fent to treat with the Stung Serpent j in order to prevail with him ta appeafe that part of his nation, and procure a peace. As that great warrior was our friend, he effcdtually laboured therein, and ho^ilities ceafed. After I had paiTed twenty <( four hours in St. Catharine, I was relieved by a new de- tachment from the inhabitants, whom, in my turn, I re- lieved next day. It was on this fecond guard, which I mounted, that the village we had been at war with fent me, liy their deputies, the calumet ov pips of peace. I at firft had (ome thoughts of refufing it, knowing that this honour was due to the commandant of the fort ; and it appeared to me a thing fo much the more delicate to deprive him of it, as we jvere not upon very good terms with each other, Howeyer, the evident rjfk of giving occafion to protraft the war, by refufing it, determined me to accept of it j after having, however, taken the advice of thofe about me i who all judged it proper to treat thefe people gently, to whom the commandant was become odious. lanced the deputies, what they would have? They gnTwered, faultcring, Peace. ** GooJ, fai?^ Ij but why " brin^ OP LOUISIANA. ^^ ^ bring you the Ctdumet of Peace to me ? It if to the « Chief of the Fort you are to carry it, if you wi(h to «« have a Peace." Our orders, faid they, are to carry it *< firft'to you, if yoii choofe to receive it, by only fmolcing •* therein : after which we- will carry it to the Chief of <* the Fort ) but if you refufe receiving it, our orders are " to return." Upon this I told them, that I agreed to fmoke in their pipe, on condition they would carry it to the Chief of the Fort. They then made me an harangue ; to which I anfwered,' that it were beft to refume our former manner of living together, and ih^t the French and the Red-nun fhould entirely forget whit had pafled. To conclude, that they had nothing further to do, but to go and carry the Pipe to the Chief of the Fort, and then go home and deep in peace. This was the i/Tue of the firfl war we had with the ^Natchez, which jafted only three or four days. The commerce, or truck, was fet again on the fame footing it had been before ; and thofe who had fuffered any damage, now thought only how they might beft repair it. Some time after, the Major General arrived from New Orleans, being fent by the Governor of Louifiana to ratify the peace ; which he did, and mutual fincerity was reftored, and became as perfe(^ as if there had never been any rupture between us. It had been much to be wifhed, that matters had re- mained on fo good a footing. As we were placed in one of the beft and fineft countries of the world ; \Vere i;i ftri£l: connexion with the natives, from whom we derived tnuch knowledge of the nature of the produilions of the country, and of the animals of all forts, with which it abounds j and liiccwifc reaped great advantage in cur traf- fick for furs and provifions j and were aided by them in many laborious works, we wanted nothing but a p.ofound ^4 peace, I IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (AAT-3) /. z. i:^ u. '4s f/. ^ 1.0 I.I ^ lift £ l:^ 12.0 lis 11.25 11.4 ■ 22 I IKIIS V] s% Ta A>V ^^ ^ 9. '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation \ ■^ 4 SJ Cn 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 K. ^ 40 THE HISTORY peace, in order to form folid fettlements, capable of mak- ing us lay afide all thoughts of Europe : but Providence had otherwife ordered. . The winter which fuccecded 'this war was fo fevere, that a colder was never remembered. The rain fell in icicles in fuch quantities as to aftonifh the oldeft Natchez, to whom this great cold appeared new and uncommon* Towards the autumn of this year I faw a phsenomenon which ftruck the fuperftitious with great terror : it was in efFeft fo extraordinary, that I never remember to have heard of any thing that either refembled, or even came up to it. I had juft fupped without doors, iii order to enjoy the cool of the evening ; my face was turned to the weft, and I fat before rriy table to examine fome planets which had already appeared. I perceived a glimmering light, which made me raife my eyes ; and immediately I faw, at the elevation of about 45 degrees above the horizon, a light pfoceeding from the fouth, of the breadth of three inches, which went off to the north, always fpreading itfelf as it moved, and made itfelf heard by a whizzing light like that of the largeft fky-rocket. I judged by the eye that this light could not be above our atmofphere, and the whizzing noife which I heard confirmed me in that notion. When it came in like manner to be about 45 degrees to the north above the horizon, it ftopped fhort, and ceafed enlarging itfelf : in that place it appeared to be twenty inches broad ; fo that in its courfe, which had been very rapid, it formed the figure of a trumpet-marine, and left in its paflage very lively fparks, ihining brighter than thofe which fly from under a fmith's hammer ; but they were extinguiflxed almoft as faft as they were emit- ted. At the north elevation I juft mentioned, there ifltied Out with a great noife from the middle of the large end, a ball quite round, and all on fire : this ball was about fix inches in diameter j it fell below the horizon to the north) OF LOUISIANA. 41 north, and emitted, about twenty minutes after, a hollow, but very loud noife for the fpace of a minute^ which ap- peared to come from a great diftance. The light began to be weakened to the fouth, after emitting" the ball, and at length difappeared, before the nbife of the ball was heard. CHAP. VIII. ITte Governor furprixed the Natchez with /even hundred Men. AJioniJhing Cures performed by the Natives. The Author fends upwards of three hundred Simples to the Company. MDe Biainville, at the beginning of the winter • which followed this phaenomenon, arrived Mtty privately at our quarter of the Natchez, his march hav- ing been communicated to none but the Commandant of this Poft, who had orders to feize all the Natchez that ihould come to the Fort that jday, to prevent the news of his arrival being carried to their countrymen. He brought with him, in regular troops. Inhabitants and natives, who were our allies, to the number of feve^ hundred men. Orders were given that all our fettlers at the Natchez ihould repair before his door at midnight at the lateft : I went thither and mixed with the croud, without making myfelf known. We arrived two hours before day at the fettlement of St. Catharine. The Commandant having at length found me out, ordered me, in the King's name, to put myfelf at the head of the fettlers among the Natchez, and to take the command upon me ; and thefe he ordered to pay the fame obedience to me as to himfelf. We advanced with great filence towards the village of the Apple. It may be eafily feen that all this precaution was taken in order to furprize our enemies, who ought fo much the lefs to exped this aA of hoftility, as they had fairly made / , peace 42 THE HISTORY peace with us, and as M. Paillou, Major General, had come and ratified this peace in behalf of the Governor. We marched to the enemy and inverted the firft hut of the Natchez, which we found feparate ; the drums, in concert with the fifes, beat the charge } we fired upon the hut, in which were only three men and two women. From thence we afterwards moved on to the village, that is, to feveral huts that ftood together in a row. Wc halted at three of them that lay near each other, in which between twelve and fifteen Natchez had entrenched thcmfelves. By our manner of proceeding one would have thought that we came only to view the huts. Full of indignation that none exerted himfelf to fall upon them, I took upon me with my men to go round and take the enemy in rear. They took to their heels, and I pur- fued i but we had need of the fwiftnefs of deer to be able to come up with them. I came fo near, however, that they threw away their cloaths, to run with the greater fpeed. I rejoined our people, and exped^ed a reprimand for hav- ing forced the enemy without orders ; though I had my excufe ready. But here I was miftaken ; for I met with nothing but encomiums. This v^rar, of which I ftiall give no further detail, lafted only four days. M. de Biainville demanded the head of an old mutinous Chief of this village j and the natives, in order to obtain a peace, delivered him up. I happened to live at fome diftance from the village of the Apple, and very feldom faw any of the people. Such iis lived nearer had more frequent vifits from them j but after this war, and the peace which followed upon it, I never faw one of them. My neighbours who lived nearer to them faw but a few of them, even a long time after the conclufion of the war. The natives of the other villages came but very feldom among us ; and indeed, if we could have (ione well without them, I could have wifted to have been C( (i C( «c 4(( OF LOUISIANA. 43 been rid of them for ever. But we had neither a flcih nor a fifh-market j therefore, without them, we muft have taken up with what the poultry-yard and kitchen-garden furnifliedj which would have been extremely inconve- nient. I one day flopped the Stung Serpent, who was pafling without taking notice of any one. He was brother to the Great Sun, and Chief of the Warriors of the Natchez. I accordingly called to him, and faid, '* We were formerly friends, '* are we no longer fo ?" He anfwered, Noco; that is, I cannot tell. I replied, " You ufed to come to my houfe ; at prefent you pais by. Have you forgot the way ; or is my houfe difagreeable to you ? As for me, my heart* is always the fame, both towards you and all my friends. I am not capable of changing, why then are you changed ?" He took fome time to anfwer, and feemed to be embar- rafled by what I faid to him. He never went to the fort, but when fent for by the Commandant, who put me upon founding him j in order to difcover whether his people ftill retained any grudge. . / He at length broke filence, and told me, ** he was •* afliamed to have been fo long without feeing me ; but *' I imagined, faid he, that you were difpleafed at our ♦* nation ; becaufe among all the French who were in *« the war, you w^re the only one that fell upon us.'* You are in the wrong," faid I, " to think fo, M. de Biainville being our War-chief, we are bound to obey ** him ; in like manner as you, though a Sun, areoblfged «* to kill, orcaufe to be killed, whomfoever your brother, *« the Great Sun, orders to be put to death. Many other '* Frenchmen, bcfides me, fought an opportunity to attack ** your countrymen, in obedience to the orders of M. de " Biainville ; and feveral other Frenchmen fell upon the «' neareft hut, one of whom was killed by the firft fliot ff which the Natchez fired," : • ■ ' . He (( C( 44 THE HISTORY He then faid : " I did not approve, as you know, the •« war our people made upon the French to avenge the *« death of their relation, feeing I made them carry the <« pipe ef peace to the French. This you well know, «« as you firft fmoked in the pipe yourfelf. Have the <« French two hearts, a good one to-day, and to-morrow «* * a bad one ? As for my brother and me, we have but «* one heart and one word. Tell me then, if thou art, as *« thou fayeft, my true friend, what thou thinkeft of all *« this, and (hut thy mouth to every thing elfe. We « know not what to think of the French, who, after «' having begun the war, granted a peace, and offered it •< of themfelves j and then at the time we were quiet, ** believing ourfelves to be at peace, people come to kill *< us, without faying a word. " Why," continued he, with an air of difpleafurc, <« did the French come into our country ? We did not go <* to feek them : they afked for land of us, becaufe their ** country was too little for all the men that were in it. *« We told them they might take land where they pleafed, *' there was enough for them and for us j that it was " good the fame fun Ihould enlighten us both, and that <* we w6u1d wallc as friends in the fame path ; and that «< we would give them of our provifions, aflBft them to " build, and to labour in their fields. We have done fo ; " is not this true ? What occafion then had we for ** Frenchmen ? Before they came, did we not live better <* than we do, feeing we deprive ourfelves of a part of " our cornj our game, and fifti, to give a part to them ? <' In what refpedt, then, had we occafion for them ? Was ** it for their guns ? The bows and arrows which we ufed, ** were fufficient to make us live well. Was it for their ** white, blue, and red blankets ? We can do well enough '* with buffalo (kins, which are warmer ; our women *' wrought feather-blankets for the winter, and mulberry- ** mantles for the fummer ; which indeed were not fo '( beautiful ; but our 'women were more laborious and " lefg 5 O F L O U 1 S I A N A. 45 «< lefs vain than they are now. In fine, before the •* arrival of the French, we lived like men who can be •' fatisfied with what they have j whereas at this day we << are like Haves, who are not fufFered to do as they «« pleafe." • >, To this unexpefled difcourfe I know not what anfw^r another would have made ; but I frankly own, that if at my firft addrefs he feemed to be confufed, I really was fo in my turn. «* My heart," faid I ta him, *' better un- <' derftands thy reafons Chan my ears, though they are full « of them ; and though I have a tongue to anfwer, my ** ears have not heard the reafons of M. de Biainville, to « tell them thee : but I know it was necefTary to have the •< head he demanded, in order to a peace. When our <* Chiefs command us, we never require the reafons : I " can fay nothing elfe to thee. But to (hew you that ** I am always your real friend, I have here a beautiful' ** pipe of peace^ which I wanted to carry to my own " country. I know you have ordered all your warriors << to kill fome white eagles, in order to makeone, becaufe ** you have occafion for it. I give it you without any << other defign than to fhew you that I reckon nothing ^^ dear to4ne, when I want to do you a pleafure." I went to look for it, and 1 gave it him, telling him, that it was without deftgn\ that is, according to them, from no interefled motive. The natives put as great a value on 2ipipe of peace as on a gun. Mine was adorned with tinfel and filver wire : fo that in their eftimation my pipe was worth two guns. He appeared to be extremely well pleafed with it ; put it up haftily in his cafe, fqueezed my hand with a fmile, and called me his true friend. The winter was now drawing to a clofe, and in a little time the natives were to bring us bear-oil to truck. I hoped that by his means I fhould have of the beft pre- ferably to any other ; which was the only compenfation I expet^ed for my pipe. But I was agreeably difap- pointed. 46 T H E H I S t O R V pointed. , He font mc a deei-1\\^ \\r\\i oti tht* Hilr nl tlir I hl«!t- !rt\v«. I l<:U r»>H U:M ImiIIi tMil\ llot f tl\r \V:U with the ChliAJHwn in 17^0. NrrtV lhr»\ UrrrfVtnir!!. ^'vom »h;i» fHilrn^tht tptitf fo NfW ( >»lr;^n^ In- flu* \viy rif |,:\>trSf. t,oni!»^ thiMr i<< »\o |M»fH»t jMrlVot. roHMri h% «o*l jufn>rfoyr ihr iMtililiOji^ol t!uM!\plhil, llinrwne \\\v oM rtO\f Mrw Milo^i : frHlfMUror-^ vvhlrh htUr iltlrufil »4\oMivi'Mi rt« Irtftiofi n» \\\t\\ ilioivtion \v:i!«» »« A rtM>ji,i»<»(f U ity vvhli iMinArlt* frt> th» tu^ofi^ ot the KiitvilVm) which it ivucuUy {netiy tiumrtt)Uf» AHd il(1*| fdt the rhrtti \ w^rt w\vrt» t ««y*t t«N«M fc* fot whut »»*rttrt »hU Hjh wji lutllt^ nt %h»\ tT^«Vvi h« \\\t wft ^^f U. t"ttr ^lhh^^«\(^h i» Ik ho l»«|Vt«i ftbm ths t^|»U t,'*^ ^1^ ^'rt »i<<^Nvrt ^Sr Hvfv> Vrt rt h«v«rv<»rjr «h\)\ iVw fft»f^r. 1'he ortlv »rtv*ntAft«« «t' thin j^Urr l», thrtJ \\\% t\\n m»H ArtA he»hh«\»<, *n<< »h •»* tttit U, the wSntei^ is the me<^ rtijveeAbie IV!4lbtt>4i U U miL^ xnx* »rttit>ii r^'^'^^y '*♦ IH*we. tt\it ^n l\\mme» the ht'At« fthe esctflU-e ) ««»! the ti^hthhiws h«\e «inh live «|*rtrt h«t Aft^i which •>« ptt»|f (ticrtiit'ul otttht irdAit) Mi ta the iivtt»« i)kH>r«irr| lU l)o« , / {)V 1 n If I « I A N A. ' ^» n<( Wf rt«r »)itf III vvMiiMil nlili- ^lll♦lllf'f^•l In K^!lMf•^, In f|(«« liV'l»;«Mllr 111 iMf h, II niiMif til" itiiifjifmnflci hi wlil«-|i f hnvf Minlf ti(i|)lyMl iiivrrlC. I IriKuv i( Im hm fnlv fiifittfjTM »iHl»'f'|U'Hni IimIIjhV tiif I liiiiii' I hf !i luH, flini |i tuny hrvff tiltff urril rlrstilMtr* ttti'l Mint tlir* fvprtirf «» mki |i||«|| ; fm^ luy frill 0»t |i|nMiMtlii|» till' rtflvillltilf'f nf tlil^ rftliiliy jm- ^liip |iifini|itfil iiir tM ttiMJ'r t^f1rf'llMll•( mm tludf prtHl'i, nr fnttMiHP"! fit tlir IMliniijipl, tint) (u'ltii^ (ifffti^tlv wfll fir**' IjnniiitrtniMtli with tlir iiKiiiiry niitl flu* MMtiiipMf tli»' ImII, I »lnH' flrtttr't itirl'll, 1 itltiv In* nlijt* h» itt rfitii(il((li I', tn tlie liHMtt JiriipUl III tlir piMvitur, iiMil ^r«|lli^ MiyfrIf tliPtflri vlfli litMiMiit^, «t rt litirtll flint t^f, tiiKJ in n itinntier tint to licpti irpftitiMti *. I liiy, ftitl MhIIU' h ImlU upnti fin Iflfitift \ rt elrriitti- flimtr, I liii;i|^liif, liiflhicMt tfi itinki* It undrrlffinti, tli«^ ♦ lil'i littt h lti»'j!;iiliit I thf H|,Mitf Mild rntfiit of tlilx linall llliuiil liitf ti(iiitlttlii^ It to hfotltetwile. lit (>MJii|^ up tlif MlltlOppI, Wf iTifft with fmthl»t|5 h'Mititltrtlilr hfliitf wt" iMiiif to th^ MftfittniiH AM|^lMi«f, thr Kiiglilh Kftirh '. hi thnt prift titp tlvrt tfikr<( n inrge tmtiprti!!! I To thnt thr futttf' wlinl« which Win ht-foic fMit, imn'M niiitirtty Iti thli e'lhow, »»r tenth. Kor this fpnfMti it vfnn thtutj^ht pinprt t(» htilld twn hirt* jit thnt pl«ct?< (itie tut crtch liile uf tliptlvpt, tM rluM k niiy tittrfiipt-i nf (frwti- gfi«. 'I HpIp fotti fltr iiuirp thfin (mIVk ifiit tti Nvn which faces tlie liver \ in the middle of the ground of the place of arms llands the parilh church, called St. 1 x^iiis^ where the Capuchins officiate* wht^fe houfe is to the left of the church. To the right ftaiul the prifon, or jail, and the ^uajtl-houfe : hoth fides of the place of arms a\T taken up hy two bodies orwws of barracks. This place (lands all open to the river, . All the (Irccts are laid o\it both in length and breadth by the line, and interfe»5l and citift each other at right angles. The rti^^ets divide the town into fixty-Hx irtes i elex'en Along the river lengthwife, or in front, and fix in depth : each of thofe ides is fifty fquare toifes, A!\d each again divided into twelve emplacenknts, or compartments^ for lodging as manv families. The Intendant*8 houfe (lands behind the barracks on the left ^ and the maga- »ine, or wai-choufe- general behind the barracks on the j-ight, on viewing the town from the river fide. The Governor*s houfc (latids in the middle of that part of the ^)wn, fiK>m vihich \w g-o from the place of arms to the ha- bitation of the fefviits, which is near the towni The honfc of the Urfulm Nuns is quite at the end of the town, to the right 5 as is alfo the hofpital of the fick, of which the n\ms hav^e the infpcdion* What I have juft defcribed faces the river. On the banks of the riN^er runs a caufey, or mole, &% well on the fide of the town as on the oppofite fide, {'mm the Englifh Reach quite to the town, and about ten leagues beyond it ; which makes about fifteen or fixtecn leagues cs\\ each fide the river ; and which may be travelled in a coach or on horfcback, oti a bottom as finooth as a tabk. The g;t^atcft part of the houfcs is of brick j the reft $n of timber and brick» Tht or LOUISIANA. j) T!ie length ofthecaufeys, 1 juft itientlonntl, tsnifRcietit to fhew, thrttoii thefetN^'o fides of the Miflifippi there are many habitations ftanding clofe together \ each making a caufey to fecure his ground from Imindations, which (all not to come every year witn the Cprlng : and at that time, if any (hips happen to he in the harbour of New Orleans, they Ipcedily fet fail j becaufe the prodigious quantity Of dead wood, or trees torn up by the roots, which the river brings down, would lodge before the fliip, and break the ftottteft cable*. At the end of St. fohn's Crctic, on the banks of the t/ake vSt. Louis, there is a redoubt, and a guard to defend it. From this creek to the town, a part of its banks is In- habited by planters j In like manner as are the long banks of another creek; the habitations of this lad go under the name of Cicntilly. After thefe habitations, which are upon the Mifllfippi quite beyond the Cannes Brult^es, Burnt Canes, we meet none till we come to the Chimas, a petty nation fo called. This fettlement is Inronfiderable, tho* one of the oldcft next to the capital. It lie* on theeaft of the MilTifippl, The Baton Rouge is alfo on the eaft fide of the Mifli- fippi, and dillant twenty-fix leagues from New Orleans: it was formerly the grant of M. Artaguette d*Iron : it li there we fee the famous cyprefs-tree, of which a flilp-car- penter offered to make two pettyaugres, one of fixteen, the other of fourteen tons. Some one of the firft adveh" turers, who landed in this quarter, happened to fay, that tree would make a fine Wttlking-ftick j and as cyprefs is a red wood, it was afterwards railed le Baton Rouge. Its height could ntvcr be me.ifiirc*!, it rifes fo out of fight. Two IcagueB higher up than le Baton Rouge, was the Grant of M. Paris du Vernal. This fettlement is called Bayou-O^oulas, from a nation of that name, which for- merly dwelt here. It is on the well: fide of the Miffifippi, and twenty-eight leagues from New Orleans, 1^ 4 At 56 THE HISTORY Atalttftguo on this fide of Pointt Coup^) arc les Petits Ecorei^ (little Cliffs) where was the grant of the Mar*^ tjuis de Mezieres. At this grant were a diredor and under- dii'c^Jtor \ but the furgeon fbund out the fccret of reniam- ing fole mafter. The place is very beautiful, efpecialiy behind les Petits Ecores» where we go up by a gentle af- cent. Near thefeclifts, a rivulet falls into the Miflifippi, into which a fpring difcharges its waters, which lb attradl the bufFalo*s^ that they are very often found on its hanks. ' Tis a pity this ground was dcfcrted ; there was enough of it to make a very confiderable grant : a good water-mill might be built on the brook I jult mentioned. At forty leagues from New Orleans lies la Pointe Cou- pfe, fo called, becaufe the Miflifippi made there an elbow or winding, and formed the figure of a circle, open only about an hundred and odd toifcs, thro* which it made it*v felf a fllorter way^ and where all its water runs at prcfcnt, This was not the vmxk of nature alone : two travellers, coming down the MiHifippi, were forced to (lop fliort at this place ; becaufe they obferved at a diilance the furfT, or waves, to be very high, the wind beating againil the current, and the river being out, fo that they durft not venture to proceed. Juft by them pafled a rivulet^ caufcd by the inundation, which might be a foot deep, by four br five feet broad, more or lefs. One of the travel- lers, feeing himfelf without any thing to do, took his fufii and followed the courfeof this rivulet, in hopes of killing fome game. He had not gone an hundred toifes, before • he was put into a very great furprize, on perceiving a great ' opening, as when one is juft getting out of a thick fo- left. He continues to advance, fees a large extent of wa- ter, which he takes for a lake j but turning on his left, ho efpics les Petits Ecores, juft mentioned, and by experience he knew, he muft go ten leagues to get thither : Upon this he knew, thefe were the waters of the rivrr. He runs to acquaint his companion : this laft wants to be furc of it : certain as tlvey are both of it, they refolve, that 5 it OF LOUISIANA. 57 it WM neceflliry to cut away the roots, which ftood in tho paflage, and to level the more elevated places* They atw tempted at lehgth to pafi their pettyaugre thrbugh, by pulhing it before them.- They fuceeeded beyond their expectation 1 the water which camO on, aided them ns much by its weight as by its depth, which was incrcafed by the obftacle it met in (its way : and they faw them- felves in a (hort tihie in the Miififtppt, ten leagucu lower down than they were an hour before ) or than they would have been, if they had followed the bed of tho river, as they were formerly conftrained to do. This little labour of our travellers moved the earth ; the roots being cut away in part, proved no longer an ob- ftacle to the courfe of the water ) the flope or defcont in this fmall paflage was equal to that in the river for the ten leagues of the eompafs it took } in fine, nature, though feebly aided, performed the reft. The firft time I went up the river, its entire body of water paflcd through this part ) and though the channel was only made Ax years be^ fore, the old bed was almoft filled with the oose, which the river had there depofited ; and I have feen trees grow- ing there of an a(loni(hing ftze, that one might wonder how they ihould come to be fo large in fo (hort a time. In this fpot, which Is called la Pointe Couple, thb Cut-point, was the Grant of M. de Meufe, at prcfent one of the moft confiderable polls of the colony, with a fort, a garrifon, and an officer ro command there. The river is on each fide lined with inhabitants, who make a great deal of tobacco. There an Infpedlor refulcs, who examines and receives it, in order to prevent the mer- chants being defrauded. The inhabitants of the weft fide have high land? behind them, which form a very fine country, as I have obferved above. Twenty leagues above this Cut-point, and fixty leagues from New Orleans, we meet with the Red River. In an jfland formed by that xivcr, ftands a PVench poft, with a fort, a garrifon, its commandant and officers. I'hc firft inha- 5a THE HISTORY inhabitants who fettled there, were fome foUliers of that poft, difcharged after their time of ferving was expired, who fet themfeives to make tobacco in the ifland. But the fine fand, carried by the wind upon the leaves of the tobacco, made it of a bad quality, which obliged them to abandon the ifland and fettle on the continent, where they found a good foil, on which they made better to- bacco. I'his {>oil is called the Nachiloches, from a nation of that name, fettled in the neighbourhood. At this poll M, dc St. Denis commanded. Several inhabitants of Louifiana, allured thither by the hopes of making foon great fortunes, becaufc didant only feven leagues from the Spaniards, imagined the abundant treafurcs of New Mexico would pour in upon them. But in this they happened to be miilakcn ; for the SpaniHi poft, called the Adaies, has lefs money in it than the pooreft village in Europe \ the Spaniards being ill clad, ill fed, and always ready to buy goods of the French on firedit : which may be faid in general of all the Spaniards of New Mexico, amidft all their mines of gold and filver. This we are well informed of by our merchants, who have dealt with the Spaniards of this poil, and found their habitations and way of living to be very mean, and more fo than thofe of the French. From the confluence of this Red River, in going up the Miflifippi, as we have hitherto done, we find, about thirty leagues higher up, the poft of the Natchez. Let not the reader be difplcafcd at my faying often, tftm-fyf or about fo many leagues : we can afccrtain nothing juftly as to the diftances in a country where wc travel only by water. Thofe who go up the Miflifippi, having more trouble, and taking more time than thofe who go down, reckon the route more or lefs long, according to the iirae in which they make their voyage ; befidcs, when the water is high, it covers palVcs, which often fliorten the way a great deal. Tht ., / :\ OF LOUISIANA. 59 The NutchcT. arc fituate in about 31? odd minutes of north latitude, and 280** of longitude. The fort at this poi\ (Unda two hundred feet perpendicular above low- water mark. From this fort the point of view extends wed of the MifTiftppi quite to the horizon, that is, on the fide oppofite to that where the fort ihnds, th )Ugh the weft fide be covered with woods j bccaufc the foot of the fort (lands much higher than the trees. On the fame fide with the fort, the country holds at a pretty equal height, and declines only by a gentle and almofl imperceptible ilope, inl'cnfibly lofing itfclf froqi one eminciice to an- otluT. The nation which gave name to this pofl, inhabited this very place at a league from the landing-place on the Mif- fifippi, and dwelt on the banks of a rivulet, which has ontjr a courfc of four or five leagues to that river. All traveller! who paired and flopped here, went to pay a vifit to the natives, the Natchez. The diilancc of the league they went to them is through fo fine and good a country, the natives thcmfelves were fo obliging and familiar, and the women fo amiable, that all travellers failed not to make the grcatcfl encomiums both on the country, and on the native inhabitants. The juft commendations bellowed upon them drew thither inhabitants in fuch numbers, as to determine the Company to give orders for building a fort there, as well Co fupport the French already fettled, and thofc who fhould afterwards come thither, as to be a check on that nation. The ganllbn confiflcd only of between thirty and forty men, a Captain, a Lieutenant, Under Licutc> jiant, and two Serjeants. The Company had there a warehoufe for the fupply of the inluibitants, who were daily increafing in fpite of all the eftoits of one of the principal Superiors, who put all imaginable obflaclcs in the way : and notwithftanding (he progrefs this fcttlcment made, aud the encomiums beftowed 6o T M E H I S T O R Y beftnwtJ ujwn it, and which it delcrvcd, Goi! in his ph). Vidnicr guvc it \jp to the mge of its cnemicit in cmler to take vengeance of the dm committed there i for without •ncnticsntng thofc whoefcapcti the gcnertil maflkcrc, thci-« periOxfil of thcn^ upwariU of live hundred. Folly leagues hi<;hcr \ip than the Natrhcr, is the river Yafou. The Ciiant of M. lo Hlanc, Miniftcr, or Secre- tary At War, was fettled there, fom- leagues from the Miffifippi, as you go up this little river *. There a fort (lands, with a company of men, commanded hy a Cap- tain, A Lieutenant, Under-Llcutenant, and two Serjeants. This company, together with the fcrvants, were in the pay of this Minifter. This poft was very ftdvnntageoufly fitunteil, as well for the goodnefs of the air as the quality of the foil, like to that of the Natchee, as for the landing-place, which was very commodious, and for the commerce with the natives, if our people but knew how to gain and preferw their fricndlhlp. But the neighbourhood of the Chica- faws, ever faft friends of the Engli(h> and ever inftigated by them to give us uneafmefs, almoll cut off any hopes of fuccecding. This pott was on thefc accounts threatned with utter ri^in, fooner or later ; as a(!^ually happened in t7it, by means of thofe wretched Chicafaws ( who came in the night and murdered the people in the fettlementa that were made by two fcrjeants out of the fort^ But a boy who was fcalfcd by theni was cured* and efcaped with life. Sixty miles higher up than the YafouB, and at the dittance of two hundred leagues from New Orleans, dwell the Arkanfas, to the weft of the Miflifippi. At the en- trance of the river which goes by the name of that nation, there * Ite village of tHc IntiUns (Vtfous) is • league frnm thU^f«ttleinent } tmi on one tide of it thcrt it « hill* on which they pretend thut the EnglifH l.u^ t fort ; accordingly there are ftill Tome tracei of it to be fetl* Dumtntf II. 296. OF LOUISIANA. 61 there js a Cmall fort, wiiiclt ilvfcndii that poH*, which ii lh«rt'coiul ut tl)c colony in point uf time. It Is A great pity (o pood nnd fine a country Is dif^nnt from the Tea upwards of two huiulred leagues. 1 can- not omit mentioning, thnt wheat thrives extremely well liere» without our being obliged ever to manure the land i tind I am fo prepofl'eilcd in its favour, that 1 pcrfuadc my- felf 'the beauty of the climate has a great influence on the charntSlcr of the inhabitants, who ore at the famu time very gentle and very brave. They have ever had an in- violable fricndihip for the French^ uninfluenced thereto cither by fear or views of intcrcft ; and live with the French near them tis brethren ratlicr than as nci[;hbouis. In going from the Arkanfns to the Illinois, wc meet with the river St. Frnncis, thirty leagues inDrc to the north, and on the weft fulc of tlic Miflilippi. There a fm;\Il fort has been built hncc my return to France, To the £a(l of the Miflifippi, but more to the north, wa alfo meet, at about thirty leagues, the river Margot, near the ftccp banki of Prud'hommo : there n fort was alfo built, called AflUmpCion, for undertaking an expedition againft the Chicafaws, who Arc nearly in the fame latitude. Thefc two forts, after that expedition, were entirely de-* molilfaed by the French, becaufc they were thought to be no longer neccflary. It is, however, probable enough, that this fort Aflumption would have been a check upon the Chicafaws, who are always roving in thofc parts. Befides, the fteep banks of Prud'hommc contain iron and pit'Coal. On the other hand, the country is very bcijuti- ful, and of an excellent quality, abounding with plains and meadows, which favour the excurfions of the Chica- fawi) and which they will ever continue to make upon us, till wc have the addrefs to divert them from their com- merce with the Englifli. We have no other French fcttlcments to mention in Louinana^ but that of the Illinois i in which part of the colony 61 TH£ HISTORY colony wc had the firft fort. At prcfcnt the French fettle- mcnt here is on the banks of the Mi/nfippi, near one of th* villages of the Illinois •, That poft is commandcvl by one of the principal officers i and M. dc Bois-Briant, who Wii» lieutenant of the king, has commanded at it. Many French inhabitants both from Canada and Europe live there at this day t but the Canadians make three- fourths at lead. I'he Jefuits have the Cure there, with a fine habitation and a mill ^ in digging the foundation of which la(V, a quarry of orbicular flat (lones was founc^, about two inches in diameter, of the fhape of a buffoon's cap, with fix fides, whofc groove was fet with fmall but* tons of the fine of the head of a minikin or fmall pin. Some of thefe ftones were bigger, (ome fmiillcr; between the (loncs which could not be joined, there was no earth found. The Canadians, who are nximerous in Louifiana, arf moll of them at the Illinois. I'his climate, doubtlefs, agrees bettei with them, bccaufe nearer Canada than any other fettlement of the colony. Befides, in coming from Canada, they always pafs through this fettlement ; which niakes them choofe to continue here. They bring their wives with them, or marry the French or India women. The ladies even venture to make this long and painful voyage from Canada, in order to end their days in a coun- try which the Canadians look upon as a terreflrial para- difef. CHAP. * Thcf have, or h«ii formerly, other rettlemcnti hereabouti, at Kaf- kaflciet, fort Chartrei, Tamaroas, and on the river Maratneg, on the weft lide of the MiHifippi, where they found thofe minea that gave rife to th« Mlfllfippi fcheme in 1719. In 1741, when John Howard^ Sallee and otheri, were fent from Virginia to view thofe countrien, they were made prifonera hy the French { who came from a fettlement they had on an ifland in th« MtfTifippt, * little above the Ohio, where they made fait, lead, &c. and went from thence to New Orleani, in a fleet of boats and canoei, guarded by m large armed fchooner. Rtftrt »f th* GtvtrHmtnt tf Virginia. f It ia this that has made the French undergo fo many long and perlloyi t^yagca in North-America, upwards of two thoufand miles, agalnft cur- rents* OF LOUISIANA. •3 :>• C H A P. X. Thf Voyages of tht French to thi Miflburif, Canzas, and Padoucas. Tht StitUmtnts thty in vain attempted to maka in thofe Countries j with a Dejhiption of an extraordinary Phanomenon* THE Padoucas, who lie weft by northweft of the Miflburii, happened at that time to be at war with the neighbouring nations, the Canzas, Othoucz, Aiaoucs, Olages, Miflburis, and Panimahas, all in amity with the French. To conciliate a pence between all thefo nation* and the PadoucaS) M. de Bourgmont fent to engage them, Hs being our alliesi to accompany him on a journey to the PadoucRd) in order to bring about a general pacification, and by that means to facilitate the trafficic or truck be- tween them and us, and conclude an alliance with the Padoucas. For this purpofe M. de Bourgmont fet out on the 3(1 of July, 1724, from Fort Orleans, which lies near the Miflburis, a nation dwelling on the banks of the river of that name, in order to join that people, and then to pro- ceed to the Canzas, where the general rendezvous of the fcveral nations was appointed. M. de Bourgmont wns accompanied by an hundred Miflburis, commanded by their Grand Chief, and eight other Chiefs of war, and by fixty-four Ofages, com- manded rent*, citiraAi, and boiAeroui vvlndi on the lakeii !n order to get to thl* Ccttlement of the Illinois, wliich ii nigli to the Forki of the Miflifippi^ the ipoft innportint place in all the inland parti of North-Americaf to which the French will fooner or later remove from Canada } and there treA an- other Montreal, that will be much more dangerous and prejudicial to utp than ever the other in Canada was. They will here be in the midft of all their old friends and allies, and much more convenient to carry on a tr^« with them, to fpirit them up againft the Englini, Hcc. than ever they were at Kfontreal. To this fettlement, where they likewife are not without good hopes of finding mines, the French wiU for aver be removinf | as iong ii any of them are left in Canada. 64 THEHISTORY mandcci by four Chiefs of war, befidcs a few Frenchmen. On the fixth he joined the Grand Chief, fix other Chiefs of war, and fcveral Warriors of the Canzas, who prc- fented him the Pipe of Peace, and performed the honours cuftomary on fuch occafions, to the Miflburis and Ofages. On the 7th they pafled through extenfive meadows and woods, and arrived on the banks of the river Miflburi, over againft the village of the Canzas. On the 8th the French croiTed the Miflfouri In a petty- augre, the Indians on floats of cane, and the horfes were (warn over. They landed within a gun-ikot of the Can- who flocked to receive th^m with the Pipe ; their cas Grand Chief, in the name of the nation, afliiring M. d« Bourgmont, that all their Warriors would accompany him in his journey to the Padoucas, with proteftations of friendihip and fidelity, confirmed by fmoking the Pipe. The fame alTurances were made him by the other Chiefs, who entertained him in their huts, and * rubbed him over and hit companions. On the 9th M. di Bourgmont difpatched five Miflburis to acquaint the Othoues with his arrival at the Caneas. They returned on the 10th, and brought word that the Othouez promifed to hunt for him and his Warriors, and to caufe provifions to be dried for the journey ; that their Chief would fet out directly, in order to wait on M. de Bourgmont, and carry him the word of the whole nation. The Canzas continued to regale the French ; brought them alfo great quantities of grapes, of which the French made a good wine. On the 24th of July, at fix in the morning, this little army fet out, conHfling of three hundred Warriors, in- cluding the Chiefs of the Canzas, three hundred women, about five hundred young people, and at leaft three hun- dred dogs. The women carried coiiflderable loads, to the aftoniiho * It !s thus thej expreft thdr joy v^ cweOGei, at the fight of a pcrfoa. thejr refpeft. OF LOUISIANA. 6J aftonifliment of the French, unaccuftomed to fuch a fight. The young women alio were well loaded for their yevs i and the dogs "ere made to trail a part of the baggage, and that in the following manner : the back of the dog was covered with a fkii., with its pile on, then the dog was girthed round, ^nd his biraft*leather put on j and taking two pc/lf's of the rhicknefs of one's arm, and twelve feet long, t)icy faftcncd their two ends half a foot afunder, laying on the Jug's faddle the thong that fadened the two poles} and to the poles they alfo faftcncd, behind the dog, a ring or hoop, lengthwife, on which they laid the load. On the 28th and 29th the army crofTed feveral brook* and fmall rivers, pafTed through feveral meadows and thickets, meeting every where on their way a great deal of game. On the 30th M, de Bourgmont, finding himfelf very ill, was obliged to have a litter made, in order to be car- ried back to Fort Orleans till he (hould recover. Before his departure he gave orders ^bout two Padouca {laves whom he had ranfomed, and was to fend before him to that nation, in order to ingratiate himfelf by this a6l of generofity. Thefe he caufed to be fent by one Gaillard, who was to tell their nation, that M. de Bourgmont, being fallen ill on his intended journey to their country, was obliged to return home j but that as foon as he got well again, he would refume his journey to their country, in order to procure a general peace between them and the other nations. On the evening of the fame day arrived at the camp the Grand Chief of the Othouez : who acquainted M. de Bourgmont, that a great part of his Warriors- waited for him on the road to the Padoucas, and that he came to receive his orders ; but was forry to find him ill. At 66 THE HISTORY At length, on the 4th of Augud, M. dc Bourgmont fct out from the Canzas . a pcttyaugre, and arrived the 5th at Fort Orleans. On the 6th of September, M» de Bourgmont, who was flill at Fort Orleans, was informed of the arrival of the two Padouca (laves on the 25th of Auguft at their own nation } and that meeting on the way a body of Padouca hunt- ers, a day's journey from their village, the Padouca flaves made the fignal of their nation, by throwing their mantles thrice over their heads : that they fpoke much in com- mendation of the generofity of M. de Bourgmont, who had ranfomed them : tuld all he had done in order to a general pacification : in fine, extolled the French to fuch a degree, that their difcourfe, held in prefence of the Grand Chief and of the whole nation, diftufed an uni- verfal joy ; that Gaillard told them, the flag they fawwas the fymbol of Peace, and the word of the Sovereign of the Fi'ench : that p 'ittle time the feveral nations would come to be like b> ..iren, and have but one heart. The Grand Chief of the Padoucas was fo Well aflured that the war was now at an end, that he difpatched twenty Padoucas with Gaillard to the Canzas, by whom they were extremely well received. The Padoucas, on their return home, related their good reception among the Canzas ; and as a plain and real proof of the pacifi- tation meditated by the French, brought with them fifty of the Canzas and three of their women ; who, in their turn, were received by the Padoucas with all poflible marks of friendlhip. Though M. de Bourgmont was but jufl: recovering of his illnefs ; he, however, prepared for his departure, and on the 20th of September adually fct out from Fort Or- leans by water, and arrived at the Canzas on the a7th. Gaillard arrived on the 2d of Odober at the camp of the Canzas, with three Chiefs of war, and three War- riors of the Padoucas, who were received by M. de Bourg- mont or LOUISIANA. 6/ of >r- of lar- mont with flag difplayed, and other teftimonics of civility, and had prefents made them of fevcral goods, proper for their ufe. On the 4th of 06lober arrived at the Canzas the Grand Chief, and feven other Chiefs of war of the Othouez ; and next day) very early, fix Chiefs of war of the Aiaouez. M. de Bourgmont aflembled all the Chiefs prcfent, and fetting them round a large fire made before his tent, rofe up, and addrefling himfelf to them, faid, he was come to declare to them, in the name of his Sovereign, and of the Grand French Chief in the country ♦, that it was the will of his Sovereign, they (hould all live in peace for the future, like brethren and friends, if they expcdlcd to enjoy his love and protection : and fince, fays he, you are here all afTembled this day, it is good you conclude a peace, and all fmoke in the fame pipe. The Chiefs of thefe different nations rofe up to a man^ and faid with one.confent^ they were well fatisAed to com- ply with his requeft ; and inftantly gave each other their pipes of peace. After an entertainment prepared for them, the Padoucaa fung the fongs, and danced the dances of peace } a kind of pantomimes^ reprefenting the innocent pleafures of peace. On the 6th of OtSlober, M. de Bourgmont caufed three lots of goods to be made out ; one for the Othouez, one for the Aiaouez, and one for the Panimahas, which lafl arrived in the mean time j and made them all fmoke in the fame pipe of peace. On the 8th M. de Bourgmont fet out from the Canzas with all the baggage, and the flag difplayed, at the hea4 of the French and fuch Indians as he had pitched on to to accompany him, in all forty perfons. 1 he goods in- t The Governor of Loulfiana. F a tended 68 T U !•: n I 8 T O R Y nittlcv! 1*01 piTfetus were \mM on horfes* A« they fct out latxr, theytrrtvelleil but five lenguw, liuvlilch theytrofled A I'mrtll »iver anJ two bivoks, in a line country, with llt^ tie wood. The frthie ilAy Gfldlrtiil, Qiienet, nntl two rtnl«ufn«i ^Tit* dilprttcheil trt rtrqurtint their nation with the ninrrh of the KixMtch. '1 hrtt ilny they trivellei! ten lertftuenj troflej one \mt ftiu) two brooks. The loth they mAile eight lertgues, crwfTd two nuntl i>ivers ftrtt! thtre brooks, To their right rtnd left they hml 0»\rr!\l (inAll bills^ oiv which tu^e conUI obferve {>icces oF mck even with the ghnniil. Along the rivers there is found rt Hrtte, rtnd in the n\cmlinv!«, n retUllflt nittrblf, llanding tMtt nf the earthy oi\e, tmi^ «ni! thi-ce feet j fonic |>ieces of ll \ipwAi\b of fix feet in vliameier. The nth they prtfled over feverrti brooks « ml rt fninll river, rtiul then the river of the Caof.fts, which hntl only ihr^e fcti vvAter. Further on, they foutnl feveritl brooks, irtuing ft\>m the neighbouring little hills. The river of the C'antAs runs ilire«!^lly fi-om weft to call, and falls into the Mlrtimri j is very gi^eat in floods, becaufe, accohling to the report of the Padoucas, it comes a great way off. The Wdoils, which border this river, afHird a retreat to t\un\bri-s of b\iff Aloes and other game. On the left were fttn grcrtt eminences, with hanging rocks. The !>.th of Oi^ober, the journey, as the preceding day* was extrcn\oly dlverfified by the variety of obJe»5fs. They ctxMU\l eight brook !«, beaUti!\il meadows, covered With heixis of elks and buflalocs. To the right the view wns unbounded, but to the left fmall hills were fecn at k difVance, which f\-om time to time pl-efented the appear* ance of imcieni caftles. The t^th, on their n\rtrch they faw the meadows cover- ed abnod entirely with b\if^'alocs, elks and deer \ Co that one could fcarcc dirtinguiOi the dili'erent herds, fo nume* 4 y rous re l^ ». ^a ^ w . A « r- # V- 5\t c* U!» OP t> O in B 1 A N A. fous anil To IntPMtilKeil they werp. TIip rmnp dity ihry pntled through n wnml nhrmll twn lr«p;up«« loii|t;, ntul jt pi-etty rough arcentj n thing which lermcd pxtrnordliirtry, •s till then they only met with little proves, the Inrfrelt of which rcurce contained «n huntlrcrl trees, hut ftinif^ht mi A cnne j grov«8 too Hntill to afloid a reuent to n qnatter of the huffalofes ttiid tilts fcen there. The f4th the mnrch wns retnrilrti hy^ttrients antl de-* fcents I from which ifl'ticd miiny rprinj^s of nn extreme pure wrtter, forniln|); Ibvend hrooks, whole wnter« uniting inuke little rivers that fall into the river «)f the Can/tis : A\u\ douhtleCs it is this niullittnle r»f hrooks which travcrlte and water thele meadowB, cximding n great way out of light, that Invite thofe nume'oun herds of huHaltjes. The 15th they eroded levcral hrooks and tWo little rivers, It is chiefly on the hanks of the waters that we find thofe enchanting grove, adorned with grafs under- neath, and fo clear «»f underwood, that we may there hunt down the flag with eafc. The 16th they continued to pafs over a fimilar land* fcape, the heauties of which were never cloying. Hc- fnlcs the larger game, thefe groves afforded alfo a retreat to flocks of turkeys. The 17th they made very little way, hecaufe they wanted to get into the right road, from which they had flrayed the two preceding days, which they at length re- covered I and, at a fmall diibnce from their camp, faw an encampment of the Tadfuicas, which appeared to have been quitted only ahout eight days before. '1 his yielded them fo much the more pleafure, as It fliewed the near- iiefs of that nation, which made them encamp, after having travelled only fix leagues, in order to make fignals from that place, by felting fire to the parts of the mea- dows which the general fire had fparcd. In a little time after the fignal was anfwcrcd in the fame manner > and If 3 con- 70 THE HISTORY confirmed by the arrival of two Frenchmen, who had orders given them to make the fignals. On the i8th they met a httle river of brackifh water ; on the banks of which they found another encampment of the Padoucas, which appeared to have been abandoned but four days before : at half a league further on, a great fmoke was feen to the weft, at no great diftance off, which was anfwered by fetting fire to the parts of the meadows, untouched by the general fire. About half an hour after, the Padoucas were obferved coming at full gallop with the flag which Gaillard had left them on his firft journey to their country. M. de Bourgmont inftantly ordered the French under arms, and at the head of his people thrice faluted thefe ftrangers with his flag, which they alfo returned thrice, by raifing their mantles as many times over their heads. After this firft ceremony, M. de Bourgmont made them ^11 fit down and fmoke in the Pipe of Peace. This adion, being thefeal of the peace, difFufed a general joy, accom-' panied with loud acclamations. The Padoucas, after mounting the French and the Indi- ans who accompanied them, on their horfes, fet out for their camp : and after a journey of three leagues, arrived at their encampment ; but left a diftance of a gun-fhot between the two camps. The day after their arrival at the Padoucas, M. de .Bourgmont caufed the gocdj allotted for this nation to be unpacked, and the different fpecies parcelled out, which he made them all prefents of *. After which M. de Bourgmont Cent for the Grand Chief and other Chiefs of the Padoucas, who came to the camp to the number of two hundred : and placing himfelf be- tween * Red and h\\ifi Litnburgs, Oiirts, fufifs, fabres, gun-powder, ball, n^ufket-flints, gunfcrews, mattocksj hatchets, lookirg-gUfles, Flemiflf knives, wood-cutters knives, clafp-knivei, fcifTars, combs, bells, aw|s^ needles^ drinking glafles, brafs-wire, boxes, rings. Sec, OF LOUISIANA. 71 tween them and the goods thus parcelled and laid out to view, told them, he was fent by his Sovereign tO' carry them the word of peace, this flag, and thefe goods, ^nd to exhort them to live as brethren with their neighbours the Panimahas, Aiaouez, Othouez, Canzas, Miflburis^ Ofages, and Illinois, to traffick and truck freely together, and with the French. He at the fame time gave the flag to the Grand Chief of the Padoucas, who received it with dcmonftrations of refpe6l, and told him, I accept this flag, which you pre- fent to me on the part of your Sovereign : we rejoice at our having peace with all the nations you have mentioned ; and promife in the name of our nation never to make war on any of your allies; but receive them, when they come among us, as our brethren ; as we (hall, in like manner, the French, and condudb them, when they want to go to the Spaniards, who are but twelve days journey from our village, and who truck with us in hor fes, of which they have fuch numbers, they know not what to do with them; alfo in bad hatchets of a foft iron, and fome knives, whofe points they break off, left we fhould ufe them one day againft themfelves. You may command all my War- riors ; I can furnifh you with upwards of two thoufand. In my own, and in the name of my whole nation, I entreat you to fend fome Frenchmen to trade with us ; we can fupply them with horfes, which we truck wit' the Spaniards for bUfFalo-mantles, and with great quar .ties of furs. Before 1 quit the Padoucas, I (hall give a fummary of their manners ; it may not, perhaps, be difagreeable tp know in what refpe£ts they diflFer from other Indian nations *. * The Author (hould llkewife have informed us of the fate of thofe in- tended fettlemeats of the French, which Dumont tells us were deftroyed, and all the French murdered by the Indians, |>articularly among the Mif- i^uris } which is confirmed below in book II. ch. 7. F4 The • ' «nl,S lultivaic nrt p;<"«HS «»^c< livp oMly nn htrntinfj;. Hut ihcy Arr nm trt be lonluleirtl m a Wrtiulp»iiip[ urttltus thrt* tmploycii Ih lnnuih{^ wiiitrr rtiu! Cmnmrt | frrlhp; tlipy hrtvc Irtf^c \ illflp;rs, r(MirHlii\^ nl A prrAt numlw nF trtUlitu* Vvhith coillrti»\ vpjy tum)riou« f««\ili'»s ; thrlr jtrr th^ll* j>fvmrt!^rht rthtnlcs j fVrt>i\ whirh rt hnmtircl hnntrii^ d* \\\wv k\a\^ jrmuicy Tumu ht^m^^ whrtT thvy fiiwt ImhIs of l>\»M-y|t>r«^ ihr It ;\!t ol" whirh rouHrt^ of A hntuhn^ hrrtctrtl ix) th« rn4 hrul^ with thr m\\x\ At thrii hnitt» to the md the huffAhn?* tiiAV TiTut thcmv '^^^ ': Atti^ in a cuMcent^ oi' half tin^^ till they \\A[\p^ t^tit the iTMtjtue thmtip^h Itttij^ue, nm! eAu »io tio nioie ihAn jurt WAlk : thp huntets then dirntount, point a dAit ftt i^c cxntiiiity of the (1\otiMei\ An«i kill cAeh tif thetn t>nc cow, liimclinn 1 motv : ihvs As I fAJtl Ahove, they wvx^v kill the ^V'lOr's. Then they f^Ay them, trtke out the rntrnib^ AOvl eut the v nunfr in two 5 the heAtI, feet, AUil t^ntr.iilx they lesv-e tv> the w^^l^eR AnJ other t'Arn(vort)us AOtmttls : the Ikitv \\\vy Iav on the horfe, auiI on thAt the ficfT^> which they cuny home. Two iIavs After thev g,o \>ut Ag:Ain i And then they hring home the meAt Aript ffoitt the hones ^ the W'xmicn anvi youn^ peiiple ihvfs it in *hf» In^dJAn faihion \, whilt the meti trtuvn for fome ilAyjt lfuj-x*r to bunt in the fame mAnner. I1\ey cany hon\e iheir dry proviftons, ♦.\t tile r\\(\ hf tvlilrli4 Huifr who trHiJillird Iti Hip vllltigf^ frt m\ wiMt fhf »ulip»^ tn liiitU IM tlip IlltP HirtMhpr | wdlch h{H »t»t»»lr l^ndinht hrtvcllers rtfHHU thl« tiert|ile was ?1 WrtM- llt'tjllf), IllUtMM. l! tlif)' (bw littlr Of I1M itirtlr, tliry «« little filrttit rthy rithtts luv^-r miy »oliir(n» j vvliltli liilt the flprthln^ds litlng tltPHi In Hilh, rtlntijj with the hutlcs they ttutk with thnn for hiifttilh-titrtfitlfs. The tirttioii of thr Pfldtun-jis Is nty niimei-mts, e^tehfl;! siltilnl^ twn hmitlml Iragttes^ titnl thry hrtve vlllnges tjfiltir clnle tn the Rpftiihth^n of New Mrxlrti. They att rtc- qhtilhtrtl With hlvei-, nml tiimle the Ktetuh tJMHerftrttid thev MTotkrd 'M the HilueH. 1 he Itihnhltfjhts uf the vll- Irtf^rw ttt n (liflftiite Fit»lti the Rjirtuhhls, have ktilves itimle nr fit-e-lTotir, f/ifV>rr df pu^) of whith they nifh ttiake lintchets J thr ln»gel1 to fell tnhhllhiEt find little ttees with j the Icfi, to Any nml cut up the hefttlH they kill. Thefe (leople are Fat from being frtvjie;e, iior would It he ti difficult Htrtttei- to t lvill/,e them \ a plain proof they have hrtd long Intereourle with the Spaulards. I he few d?iy^ Ithe Fretich ftjtyed nmotig them, they were hecome very fnmlllflf, rtiid would frtht hrtve M. de Bourgmo«t lertve fome I'^reiichmeu nmoug them \ efpetlally they 6f the vlllt^e at which the pence was corn luded with the other tintbm. This vllkge confiftetl of iiu hundred and forty huts, cohtnlnliij; nbout eight hundred warrlorji, fifteen hundrenl women, m\<\ at Icatt two thoufand thildren, fome l*«dnucrts hiiving four wives. When they are in want of horfesi they trnin up great dogs to carry their baggage* 11ie men for the moft part wear breeches and flocking^ alt of fl piece, made of drelTed fkins, In the manner of the Spaniard! : the women alfo wear petticoats and bodices all nf a piece, adorning their waifts with fringes of dreflcd Ik ins. Ihey 74 THE HISTORY They are almoft without any European goods among them, and have but a faint knowledge of them. They knew nothing of fire-arms before the arrival of M. de Bourgmont ; were much frighted at them } and on hear- ing the report, quaked and bowed their heads. They generally go to war on horfeback, and cover their horfes with drefled leather, hanging down quite round, which fecures them from darts. All we have hitherto re* marked is peculiar to this people, befides the other ufagcs they have in common with the nations of Louifiana. On the 22d of OAobcr, M. de Bourgmont fetout from the Padoucas, and travelled only five leagues that day : the 23d, and the three following days, he travelled in all forty leagues : the 27th, fix leagues : the 28th, eight leagues : the 29th, fix leagues ; and the 30th, as piany : the 31ft, he travelled only four leagues, and that day ar- rived within half a league of the Canz^s. From the Padoucas to the Canzas, proceeding always eaft, we may now very fafely reckon fixty-five leagues and a half. The river of the Canzas is parallel to this route. On the I ft of November they a)l arrived on the banks of the MifTouri. M. de Bourgmont embarked the 2d on a canoe of (kins ; and at lengthy on the 5th of Novem- ber, arrived at Fort Orleans. I fhall here fubjoin the defcription of one of thefe canoes. They choofe for the purpofe branches of a white and fupple wood, fuch as poplar } which are to form the ribs or curves, i'nd are fattened on the outfide with three poles, one at bottom and two on the fides, to form the keel i to thefe curves two other ftouter poles are afterwards made f^ift, to form the gunnels ; then they tighten thefe fides with cords, the length of which is in proportion to the intended breadth of the canoe : after which they tie faft the ends. When all the timbers are thus difpofed, they few on the (kins, which they take care previoufly tp foak a confiderable time to render them manageable. From OF LOUISIANA. 75 From the account of this journey, extradlcd and abridged from M. de Bourgmont's Journal, we cannot fail to ob- ferve the care and attention neceilary to be employed in fuch enterprizes ; the prudence and policy requifite to manage the natives, and to behave with them in an affable manner. If we view thefe nations with an eye to commerce, what advantages ihight not be derived from them, as to furs ? A commerce not only very lucrative, but capable of being carried on without any rifque ; efpecially if we would follov/ the plan I am to lay down under the article Com- merce. , laces : the whole day was very calm ; in the evening efpecially 7ft THE HISTORY cfpccinlly thefe clouds were entirely joined ; no fky was to be (ccn i but ail the different configurations of the clouds were diftinguiihable : I obfervcd they ftood very high above the earth. The weather being To difpofed, the fun was preparing to fet. I faw him in the indant he touched the horizon, becaufc there was a little clear fpace between that and the clouds. A little after, thcfc clouds turned luminous, or reflc6tcd the light : the contour or outlines of mod of them fcenicd to be bordered with gold, others but with a faint tincture thereof. It would be a very difficult matter to dcfcribc all the beauties which thefe different colourings prcfcnted to the view : but the whole together formed the fincft profpecSl I ever beheld of the kind. I had my face turned to the eaft ; and in the littk time the fun formed this decoration, he proceeded to hide himfclf more and more ; when fufHciently low, fo thn* the ihadow of the earth could appear on the convexity of the clouds, there was obferved as if a veil, ftretcbed from north to fouth, had concealed or removed the light from •ff that part of the clouds which extended eaftwards, and made them dark, without hindering their being perfedlly well diftinguiflicd ; fo that all on the fam^ line were partly luminous, partly dark. This very year I had a ftrong inclination to quit tho poft at the Natchez, where I had continued for eight years. I had taken that rcfolution, not' 'ithftanding my attach- ment to that fettlement. I fold off mv effefts and went down to New Orleans, which I found greatly altered by being entirely built. I intended to return to Europe ; but M. Perier, the Governor, preifed me fo much, that I ac- cepted the infpc£lion of the plantation of the Company j which, in a little time after, bccam,e the King's. CHAP. OF LOUISIANA. 77 CHAP. XI. 77)i ff^ar with the Chitlmachas. The Conjftirncy of the Negroes againji the French. TheW Execution, BEFORE my arrival in Louiftana, we happened to be at war with the nation of theChitimachas ; owing to one of that people, who being gone to dwell in a bye- place on the banks of the Miflifippi, had aflaflinatcd M. dc St. Come, a Miflionary of that colony ; who, in going down the river, imagined he might in fufcty retire into this man's hut for a night. M. de Biainvilie charged the whole nation with this afTaflination ; and in order to fare his own people, caufed them to be attacked by fevcral nations in alliance with the French. Prowefs is none of the greateft qualities of the Indians, much lefs of the Chitimachas. They were therefore worfted, and the lofs of their braved warriors conjflraincd them ta fi4e for peace. This the Governor granted, on condition that they brought him the head of the afTaflin ; which they accordingly did, and concluded a peace by the ceremony of the Calumet, hereafter defcribed. At the time the fuccours were exped^ed from France, in order to deftroy the Natchez, the negroes formed a defign to rid themfelves of all the French at once, and to fettle in their room, by making themfelves mailers of the capital, and of all the property of the French. It was difcovercd in the following manner. A female negroe receiving a violent blow from a Fr«nch foldier for refufing to obey him, faid in her paffion, that the French fhould not long infult negroes. Some Frenchmen overhearing thefe threats, brought her before the Governor, who fent her to prifon. The Judge Cri- minal not being able to draw any thing out of her, I told the Governor, who feemed to pay no great regard to her threats, that I was of opinion, that a man in liquor, and a woman 7« THE HISTORV a womin in paflion, generally fpcalc truth. It is there- fore highly probable, faiJ I, that there is fome truth in yrhat (he (aid : and if fo, there mud be fome confpiracy ready to break out, which cannot be formed without many negroes of the King's plantation being accomplices there- in : and if there are any, I take upon me, faid I, to find them out, and arreft them, if necclTary, without any dif- order or tumult. The Governor and the whole Court approved of my reafons : I went that very evening to the camp of the negroes, and from hut to hut, till I faw a light. In this hut I heard them talking together of their fcheme. One of them was my firft commander and my confidant, which furprized me greatly ; his name was Samba. 1 fpeedily retired for fear of being difcovered ; and in two days after, eight negroes, who were at the head of the confpiracy, were feparately arretted, unknown to each other, and clapt in irons without the lead tumult. The day after, they were put to the torture of burning matches i which, though feveral times repeated, could not bring them to make any confeflion. In the mean time I lean it that Samba had in his own country been at*the head of the revolt by which the French loft Fort Arguin ; and when it was recovered again by iVl. Pcrier de Sal vert, one of the principal articles of the peace was, that this negro (hould be condemned to flavery in America : that Samba, on his palTage, had laid a fcheme to murder the crew, in order to become mafter of the (hip ; but that be- ing difcovered, he was put in irons, in which he conti- tinued till he landed in Louifiana. I drew up a memorial of all this ; which was read before Samba by the Judge Criminal ; who, threatening him again with the torture, told him, he had ever been a fedi- tious fellow : upon which Samba dire the Grand Sun and his council : that at prcfent they had only to retire j and in a few days he would aiTcm- ble them again, that they might then determine the part they vrcvt to a6t. In Hve or fix days hie brought together the old men, who in that interval were confulting with each other : which wai the reafon that all the fufFrages were unanimous in the fame and only means of obtaining the end they pro- pofed to themfelvea, which was the entire dcftrudion of the French in this province. The Sun, feeing them all aflembled, faid : «« You ** have had time to refledl on the propofition I made you ; .a And parc * \ pro- , m of You you J and F L O I 8 I A K A. •! *« And lo t Imagine ydu will foon fet fbrth the beft means «« how to get rid of your bad neighbours without hfl/>atd.** The Sun having done fpeaking, the oldeft rofe up, fa- luted his Chief afttr his manner, and faid to him : *« Wc have a long time been fenfible that the nelgh- •« bourhood of the French Is a greater prejudice than «« benefit to us : we, who are old men, fee this ; the «« young Ibe It not. The wares of the French yield " pleafure to the youth j but In tffed^, to what purpofe is «« all this, but to debauch the young women, and taint «« the blood of the nation, and make them vain and idlef •• The youhg men are in the fame cafe ; and the married •« muft work themfelves to death to maintain their fami- " lies, and pleafe their children. Before the French •• came amongft us, we were men, content with what «« we h^d, and that was l\!fficlent : we wallcpd with bold* •• nefs every road, becaufe we were then our own mafters : •« but now we go groping, afraid of meeting thorns, we •"^ walk like flaves, which we fliall foon be, fince the w French already treat us ai If we were furh, When «« they are fufflclently ftrong, they will no longer dlf- *« fenible. For the leaft fault of our young people, •• they will tie them to a poft, and whip them as they «* do their black flaves, Have they not already done fo ** to one of our young men j and is not death preferablfl «* to flavery V* Here he paufed a while, and af^er taking breath, pro- tecdcd thus : «« What wait we for f Shall we fuffVr the French to ** multiply, till we are no longer in a condition to oppofo ** their eftbrti ? What will the other nations fay of us, •• who pafs for the moft ingenious of all the Red-men ? •« They will then fay, we have Icfs undcribnding than •• other people. Why then wait we any longer ? Let u« •* fct ourfelvcs at liberty, and fhow we are really men, ** who call be fatisftcd with what we have. From G a •• thii «c cc 84 THE HISTORY *' this very day let us begin to fct about it, order cuf •« women to get provifions ready, without telling them " the reafon ; go and carry the Pipe of Peace to all the ** nations of this country 5 make them fenfible, that the *^ French being Wronger in our neighbourhood than clfe- « where,' make us, more than others, feel that they want *' to enflave us; and when become fufficiently ftrong^ ** will in like manner treat all the nations of the coun- try J that it is their intereft to prevent fo great a mis- fortune; and for this purpofe they have only to join us, *< and cut off the French to a man, in one day and one '* hour ; and the time to be that on which the term pre- " fixed and obtained of the French Commandant, to *< carry him the contribution agreed on, is expired ; the ** hour to be the quarter of the day (nine in the morn« ** Ing ;) and then feveral warriors to go and carry him the *^ corn, as the beginning of their feveral payments, alfo << carry with them their arms, as if going out to hunt : '< and that to every Frenchman in a French hQufe, << there fhall be two or three Natchez ; to afk to borrow ** arms and ammunition for a general hunting-match, on « account of a great feai^, and to promife to bring them ** meat ; the report of the firing at the Commandant's, *' to be the fignal to fall at once upon, and kill the ** French : that then we fhall be able to prevent thofe «* who may come from the old French village, (New ** Orleans) by the great water (Miffifippi) ever to fettle «« here." He added, that after apprlfing the other nations of the neceiHty of taking that violent fbp, a bundle of rods, in number equal to that they fhould refervc for themfelves, ihould be left with each nation, expreflive of the number of days that were to precede that on which they were to flrike the blow at one and the fame time. And to avoid miftakes, and to be exa£i: in pulling out a rod every day» and brewing and throwing it away, it was neceffary to give this in charge to a perfon of prudence. Here he ceafed / he fed OF LOUISIANA. 85 ceafed and fat down : they all approved his pDunfel, an4 were ito a man of hi) mind* ' The proje£): was in like manner approved of by the Sun of the Apple : the bufmefs was to bring over the Grand Sun, with the other petty Suns, to their opinion ; becaufe all the Princes being agreed as to that pointy the pation would all to a mai> implicitly obey. They how- ever took the precaution to forbid apprifing the wometi thereof, not excepting the female Suns, (PrincelFes) or giving them the leaft fufpicion of their defigns againft the French. The Sun of the Apple was a man of good abilities ; by which means he eafily brought over the Grand Sun to favour his fcheme, he being a .young man of no experi- ence in the world, ^nd having no great correfpondence with the French : he was the more eafily gained over, as all the Suns were agreed, that the Svin of the Apple was a man of folidity and penetration { who haying repaired to the Sovereign of the nation, apprifed him of the necefv fity of taking that ftep, as in time himfelf would be forced to quit his own village ; ajfo of the wifdom of the mea- fures concerted, fuch as even afpertained fuccefs; and of the danger to which his youth was ^xpofed with neigh- bours fo enterprifing ; above all, with the prefent French Commandant, of whom the inhabitants, and even the foldifr$ complained : that as lung as the Grand Sun, his father, and his uncle, the Stung Serpent, lived, the Com- mandant of the fort durft never undertake any thing to their detriment ; becaufe the Grand Chief of the French, who refides at their great village (New Orleans,) had a love for them : but that he, the Grand Sun, being unknown to the French, and but a youth, would be defpifed. In fine, that the only means to preferve his authority, was to fid himfelf of the French, by the method, and with ths precautions projected by the old men. G 3 The 86 THE HISTORY The reAiIt of thii converfatioo Was, that on tht day following, when the Suns fhould in the morning cortie to falute the Grund Sun, he was to order them to repair to the Sun of the Apple, without taking ttotice of it to any one. This was accordingly executed, and the feducing abilities of the Sun of the Apple drew all the Suns into, his fcheme. In confequence of which they formed a council of Suns and aged Nobles, who all approved of the defign : and then thefe aged Nobles were nominated heads of embalfics to be fent to the feveral nations ) had a guard of Warriors to accompany them, and on pain ot death, were diicharged from mentioning it to any one whatever. This refolution taken, they fet out fev^rally «t the fame time, unknown to the French. Notwithdanding the pi^fuund fecrecy ob(erved by th^ Natchee, the council held by the Suns and aged Nobles gave the people uneafinefs, unable as they were to pene- trate into the matter. The fetpale Suns (Princefles) had| ilone in this nation a right to demand why they were V;ept in the dark in this affair. The young Grand female Sun was a Princefs fcarce eighteen : and none but th«^ Stung Arm, a woman of great wit, and t)o lefs fenfible Of it, could be offended that nothing was difclofed to her* In eife£^, (he teftiJBed her difpleafure at th|s referve with rcfpedl to hcrfelf, to her fon ; who replied, that the feve- ral deputations were made, in order to renew their good intelligence with the other nations, to whom they had not of a long time font an cmbafTy, and who might imagine thcmfelvcs (lighted by fuch a neglc6V. This feigned ex- cufc fcemed to appeafe the Princefs, but not quite to rid her of all her uneafinefs j which, on the contrary, was heightened, when, on the return of the embaffies, (he faw the Suns alTemble in fccret council together with the deputies, to learn what reception they met with j whe;eai fu-dinarily they aflembled in public. At this the female Sun was filled with rage, which would have openly broke out, had not her prudence fet V^undt or LOUISIANA. ^ bmrnds to it. Happy it was for the French, (he iiHAgined herfelf neglet^ed : tor I am perriiaded the colony owes iti prefcrvntion to the vexation of this woman rather than to any remains of aft'edlion flie entertained for the French, at lh« was now far advanced in years, and her gallant dead fome time. In order to get to the bottom of the fecret, (he pre* vailed on her Ton to accompany her on a vifit to a relation,' that lay flck at the village of the Meal } and leading him the longeft way about, and moft retired, took occafion to reproach him with the fccrccy he and the other Suns ob* fervcd with regard to her, infifting with him on her right as a mother, and her privilege as aPrincffs: adding, thai though all the world, and herfelf ton, had told* hrrn he ^as the fon of a Frenchmaii, yet her own blood was much dearer to her than that of ((rangers i that he needed not apprehend (he would ever betray him to the French, againft vrhom, (he faid, yv>it arc plotting. , Her fon, ftung with thcfe reproaches, told her, it wal unufunl to reveal what the old men of the council had once rcfolved upon ; alledging, he himfolf, as being Grand Sun, ought to fet a good example in this refpedt : that the affair was cc ncealed from the Piinccfs his con- fort as well as fror|) her ; and that though he was the fon of a Frenchman, this gave no millruft of him to the other Suns, But fteinpj, fay* he, you have gueflbd the whole fifFair, I need not iiitbrm you farther ; you know as much as I do mylclf, ofily hold your tongue. She was ip no pain, (he replied, to know againft whom he had taken his precautions : but ns it was agaiiiil the French, this was the very thing that made her apprehen- five he had not taken his meafures aright in order to fur* prize them j as they were a people of great penetration, though their Commandant had none: that they were brave, and could bring over by their prefents, all the Wir- G 4 riois M THE HISTORY riort of the other nAtioni | and had rerourcesi which tht KcJ-mcii wci^ without. Her Ton tnid her dxc had nothing to apprehend a» t« the meafurc!! taken : that all the nations had heard and approved their proje*^^ and promifhl to fall upon th« French in ti\eir neighhourhotnil, on the fame day with th« Natcher : that the Cha^Uws took upon them to de{|ro/ all the French lower down and along the Mifliftppii up at far ai the I'onicas $ to which la(^ people^ he faidt wc did not lend, as they and the Oumas are too much wedded tq the French \ and that ft was hetter to involve hoth thefii nations in tl^e fame general dclhudiion with the Frencht He at laft toM her, the bundle of tx)ds lay in the templei on the fUt timber. The Stung Arm being inft>rm^ of the whole dcfign, pretended to approve of it, and leaving her fon at eafe, |\encef QUI St AN A. i^ Ing hlmMf of tht f^roundi of i^ ere«ted tKt foldlfr ti « GowartI tnd a viii»nary, taufed him tn be tiapt In iiiNiB» nnd fi|idi h« Would ncv^r take nity Itep towtidi rppnlring the Tort, or putting hiitileir uit his guard, as the Natchez would then imagine he was a man of no refuiution, and WON ftruek with a mere pantck. The Stung Arm fearing a difeovvryi notwitti(tandi|ig her utmo(|; precai^tion) and the fecrecy (he enjoinedi re* paired to the temple, and pulled Come roda out of the fatal bundle : her defign was to halten or forward the terttf prefixed, to the end that fuch Frenchmen ai efcBpe4 ihj^ mallacre, might apprise their countrymen, manjf of whom had informed the Commandant) who clap( (even of them in ironsi treating them ai cowards on th«( account^ The female Sun, feeing the term approaching, and many of thofe punifhcd, whom (he had charged to Me» quaint the Governor, relblved to fpcak to the Under* Lieutenant i but to no better purpofe, the Commandant paying no greater regard to him than to the common (bidiers. '^l Kotwithftanding all thefc informations, the Command'* ant went out the night before vj.i a patty of pieafure, with fome other Frenchmen, to the grand village of the Kat* (Che«t without returning to the fort till break of day | whefc he was no fooi)cr come, but he had prefTmg advicO |o be upon his guard. ^ The Commandant, ftlll fluftered with his kft night's debauch, added imprudence to his neglect of thefe lad advices t and ordered his interpreter Inftantly to repair to the grand village, and demand of the Grand Sun, whe« ther he intended, at the head of his Warriors, to coma and kill the French, and to bring him word diredtly. !|l'he Grand Sun, though but a young man, knew how fo diflcmble, and fpoke in fuch a manner to the inter- ' ^ prcter, ft THE HISTORY ^ifttr* M t(i givt Aill (kliifaAlon to the Commafid* •iit« who v«lu«d himftir en hit contempt of formev •dvictt : K« then re|;»tired to hii houfei AtUAte below the The Nntcheg hncl too well taken their meafurei to ho difappoiiuetl in the fuccefR theretif. The fatal moment waa At Uft come. The Natches fet otit on the Eve of 8t. Atiilrrw, 1719, taking care to bring with them one of tlte lower fort, armed with a wooden hatchet, in or-r der to knock down the Commandant * : they had fo lligh a contempt for him, that no Warrior would deign to kill him. The hnufea of the French filled with enc- mies, the fort in like manner with the natirei, who entered in at the gate and breaches, deprived the foldieri, without oiKccrsi, or even a ferjeant at their head, of the means of fclf-defcnce* In the mean time the Grand Sun arrived, with fome VVarriora loaded with corn, in appcAr- •nce as the firll payment of the contribution) when ieveral ihot were fired. As this firing waa the fignul, (everal (hot were heard at the fame inltant. Then at length the Commandant faw, but too late, his folly : he ran into his gai^en, whither he was purAied and killed. This maHacre was executed tytry where at the iame time. Of about fevcn hundred pcrfons, but ffw cfcaped to carry the dreadful news to the capital 1 ot\ receiving which the Governor and Council were fenfibly affcdled, and orders were difpatchcd every where to put people on their guard. The other Indians were difplcafcd at the condudl of the Natchc«, imagining they had forwarded the term agreed on, in order to make them ridiculous, and propofcd to take vengeance the firft opportunity, not knowing the true caufe of the precipitation of the Natchez. After • Other* fny h« WM (hot t but atlthtr tcctuMt can U ifttrtaloeJ, at n» PnncKman f rcfent tfcapcd. or LOUISIANA. ff ft AAer they hid cleared the fort, warohpufe, and othef houfei, the Natchc« fet them til on fire, nut leaving t^ fingle building itanding. The Yatous, who happened to be at that very time on •n vmbafly to the NatchcK, were prevailed on to dcflruy the pod of the Yntoui | wliich they failed not to eflc^ fome daya after, muking themfelvrs madcrs of the fort« under colour of paying a viAt, as ufual, and knocking all the garrii'on on tito head. M. Pericr, Governor of Loulflana, wai then taking the proper ftcps to be avenged : he frnt M. le>Sueur to tht Chadtaws, to engage them on our iido ngainft the Nat- chez ( In which he Succeeded without any difficulty. Th« renfoii of their rcadinefs to enter into thin dcflgn wai not then underftood, it being unknown that they were con- cerned in the plot of the NatchcK to destroy all the French^ and that it wet only to be avenged of thu Natchez, who had taken the ilart of them, and not given them a fulH* cient fhare of the booty. M. dc Loubois, king'a lieutenant, wai nominated to be at the head of this eicpedition : he went up the river with a flnall army, nnd arrived at the Tonicas. The Chadlaws at length arrived in the month of February near the Natches, to the number of fiftcuii or fixtcen hundred men, with M. le 8ueur at their head) whither M. de Xoubois came the March following. The army encamped near the ruins of the old French fettlemcnt ; nnd after rcfling five days there, they marched to the enemy's fort, which was a league from thence. After opening the trenches and firing for fcvcral duyt upon the fort without any great ci)'c6t, the French at lafl; made their approach fo near as to frighten the enemy, who fent to offer to rcleufe all the French women atid children, on the condition of obtaining a laAing peace, and of be- ing fuifered to live peaceably on their ground, without being driven from thtncc, or molcdcd for the future. M. de %• T«K MlS1M>rrtO>l vSun ttarpttetl thrle tomliilonn* puwlilifil K\\t }f\n\\\\ \ix\\'C\i\\ \\\K\\\\\\ phM«ili», \\v \kw\\\k\ \\v\\\\r\ riUrf \\w I'vMt wiih »l\«» l^tiul»» not lUrtVi ihfi> iiii>it(iiiir!i »n tm«i ) whici^ \vrt< rtt:cr|>tt ^M\m\ »lnir, AVtiM ihcmlrh tM ol the lollowihit tti|Ahi« rtiul wnu out ol" ibt H> *^<' *• wivrs Aiu) ihihiivn, lomlnl with Ihdv l>««i|^tHi« «ml (hr i'lrnch pUimlri, l(?ii\ in|j[ nothing ^ut the cduiHMi Aiul \)a\\ behiiul. M» M !,tM»M« \v«!i llnirk with m«tt»i»t>tfMt m thli rft*«i|V(», rt«v< o«ly thm«nht t^l iTMifttilti|j tt> thi» Uiullon- X\wr% in *Mtlfi t« imlKl * R»t^t thr«r; hut ftiCl It wtt< iiwp«»rt^vy ft* \Th^>vev thr l^'tfneh o«t of th« h«tt»d« of th» ChAv^*WN«* who Inhrtnl on m vt\y hl^h tdiKom. *rh« iMAth^r w^rt« aMnphMniUtl hy tnrnus ol titt gJinul •hltf t>r the 'V<>iMcA«» who iMx'x AllrtI m\ ihfin Uy mtrpt whttt M» d<» I.ouhois wrt« vontli-rtlnril to oftt»i ihcm, to rrttiilV their juvAiuT^ \vhi\h th«^v rtcnMtlihuly rtnvptnl, uml p«vt» u|i the Firnch Ibvrx^ on ^^^■on\i^e of b«>ing prthi m limn m |>otRble : Init they kepi 4' Teturlty n ytnin^ PhMU hnirtn *m^ Tonxe neg^w lUves whom they woulU ttever |>4tt wlll\, i\\\ jvAvwent w»«R n\rtvle. M» Je T,on\nM» j^uve «»\!ei» to h\iiM n tenure- fort, ftti ferKi^Me t\> a OxKcAtloj there he lcl\ M. vhi Cieurti wit^ An hnnxlttsi a\\\\ tNX-enty n^eit In j,\rtnl!on, wi«h tannon itn«J Ammunition i aWvt whi»h he wentOowu tho Mirtiliphl to New Oilertus. The ChAd{tws> Toniciis oiul otl\t?v t\V\t.^^ \Ti\\\\\\\\ hon\e. AlVcv the KAK'he^ h«\l ahrtuvional l1\e fvut, U Wrts vle- wuxlilhe^U auvl n« piles, ov rtakes, h\m\». As the Natthr* ^reftdeJ ^th the ven|eAnce of the I'jvivch, w\\\\ the info- tencq O r f. Ut A I A N A. 91 Inlliiit orHirtplh^ Im tHMli^ltl. A rtu^rl lliMH rtOt't, rt »«niiftil»'rrtm«« prtify nf tlif Nnftfir^ rUHlitl thr l*lp»» nf IVm** fit lHi« (}himl i^hlnf iff th« 1\»i«Un«i, Mhtl»«r |mh»«m<'»* nf (•rini liidtiiii » |i»««mi wirh Him Aiul till fhr Kmttlt. t he (MiiHf IHtf Ht M. M^rln <^ttti(lM|t with tliHr (4rMh(l Chivfi MHil n^w ttf them tlbnii^tl thli Irtfitcliriy. M. IViln, CotMrnHtulrthl Clrnhfnl, irfrtlhun rMMfif ft?r- V)( r, iir^tr(*>i*(t im imtHHo* whrrfliy (ii (IIUMVcf Itt Wtttit l>rtH Hif Ntttthpt hml trtkpn fpfunfl. And i\hn mntiy •ti*- i|iiliipM \w wrt*i btlil, fhi^v hiitl piiHiely (|iiit(rt| tht* Km(I llilt* ttf (h» Mintlipitl* ttulitutfl>( Hi nv*»l«l Ht« troiiltlMliMiitf iiiul tltiM|ti*rntiN vilitN of (lit* C'ltMi^liiwii i mimI lit nrilor (ci li Murines, nnd Inlpitdtor of LoiiinMtii, in nrdrr to t(ik« poltbnioii of thttt Culuny in the King's 1 wm M tHfe in STORY I was continued in the inrpe£lion of this plahtatioity now become the King's in t730» as before. M. Perier, who till then had been Commandant General i>f Louiliana for the Weft India Company, was now made Governor for the King i and had the fatisfa^lion to fee his brother arrive, in one of the King's (hips, commanded hf M. Perier de Salvert, with the fuecours he demanded, which were an hundred and fifty foldiers of the marine* This Officer had the title of Lieutenant General of the Colony conferred upon himi The Meflrs. Perier fet out with their army irl very fkvourable weather ; and arrived at laft, without obftruc- tion, near to the retreat of the Natchez. 1 o get to that place, they went \ip the Red River, then the Black River, «nd from thence up the Silver Creelc, which communicates with a fmall Lake at no great diftance from the fort, ^hich the. Natchez had built, in order to maintain their ground againft the French* The Natchez, ftruck with terror at the fight of a Vigilant enemy, (hut themfelves up in their fort. Defpair aflumed the place of prudence, and they were at their wits end, on feeing the trenches gain ground on the fort : they equip themfelves like warriors, and ftain their bodies with- different colours, in order to make their laft efforts by a fally, which refembledatranfportofragemore than the calmnefs of valour, to the terror, at firft, of the foldiers. The reception they met from our men, taught them, however, to keep themfelves (hut up in their fort; and though the trench was almoft finifhcd, our Generals were impatient to have the mortars put in a condition to play on the place. At laft they are fet in battery ; when thi^ third bomb happened to fall in the middle of the fort, the ufual place of refidence of the women and children, they fet up a horrible fcreaming ; and the men, feized with grief dF tdtlStANA. ^ grief at the cries of their wives and children, made the fignal to capitulate. The NatcheBy after demanding to capitulate, ftarted difficulties. Which occafioned meflages to and fro till night« which they waited to avail themfelves of, demanding till next day to fettle the articles of capitulation. The night Was granted them, but being narrowly watched on the fide next the gate, they could not execute the fame projftA of efcape, as in the war with M. de Loubois. However^ they attempted it, by taking advantage of the obfcurity of the night, and of the apparent ilillnefs of the French t but they Were difcovered in time, the greateft part being conftrained to retire into the fort. Some of them onljf happened to efcape, who joined thoTe that w«re out a hunting, and all together retired to the Chicafaws. Th« reft furrendered at difcretion, among whom was the Grand Sun, and the feqiale Suns, with feveral warriors, man/ women, young people, and children. The French army re-embarked, and carried the Natchez IS flaves to New Orleans, where they were put in prifon ) but afterwards, to avoid an infe£^ion, the women and children were difpofcd of in the King's plantation, and elfewhere; among thefe women was the female Sun, called the Stung Arm, who then told me all (he had done, in order to fave the French. Some time after, thefe flaves were embarked for St. Domingo, in order to root out that nation in the Colony; which was the only method of effeiSiing it; as the few that eicaped had not a tenth of the women heceflary to re« cruit the nation. And thus that nation, the moft con- fpicuous in the Colony, and moft ufeful to the French, was deftroyedk '»*«»( > «A#i« CHAP. ^D THE HISTORV CHAP. XIII. Thi War 'mth the Chicafiws., i:he firji Exp^dliion by iU river Mobile. The fecond by the Miffifippi* The Wa^ tvitb the Chadkaws terminated by the prudence £f M. do Vaudreuil. THE War with the Chicafaws was owing to their having received and adopted the Natchez : though in this refpefl they a<^ed only according to an inviolable ufage.and facred cuftom, eftablifhed among all the nations of North America ) that when a nation, weakened by war, retires for ihelter to another, who are willing to adopt them, and is purfued thither by their enemies, this is in efFed to declare war againft the nation adopting. But M. de Biainville, whether difpleafed with this z€t of hofpitality, or loAng fight of this unalterable law, con- ilantly prevailing among thofe nations, fent word to the Chicafaws, to give up the Natchez. In anfwer ta his demand they alledged, that the Natchez having demanded to be incorporated with them, were accordingly received and adopted; fo as now tq conftitute but one nation, or people, under the name of Chicafaws, that of Natchez being entirely aboli(hed. Befides, added they, bad Biain- ville received our enemies, fhould we go to demand them? or, if we did, would they be given up ? Notwithftanding this anfwer, M. de Biainville made warlike preparations againft the Chicafaws, fent off* Cap- tain le Blanc, with fix armed boats under his command ; one laden with gun-powder, the reft with goods, the whole allotted for the war againft the Chicafaws j the Cap- tain at the fame time carrying orders to M. d'Artaguette, Commandant of thePoft of the Illinois, to prepare to fet out at the head of all the troops, inhabitants and Indians, he could march from the Illinois, in order to be at the Chi- cafaws the loth of May following, as the Governor him- felf was to be there at the fame time. The OP LOUISIANA. 47 The Chicaiawd, apprized of the warlike preparations of the French, refolved to guard the Mifliflppi, imagining they would be attacked on that fide. In vain they at- tempted to furprize M. le Blanc's convoy, which got fafe to the Arkanfas, where the gun-powder was left, for reafons no one can furmife. From thence he had no crofs accident to the Illinois, at which place he delivered the orders the Governor had dif-. patched for M. d'Artaguette } who finding a boat laden with gun-powder, defigned for his poft, and for the fer- Tice of the war intended againft the Chicafaws, left at the Arkanfas, fent ofF the fame day a boat to fetch it up ; which on its return was taken by a party of Chicafaws; who killed all but M. du Tiflenet, junior, and one Rofalie, whom they made flaves. In the mean time, M. de Biainville went by Tea to Fort Mobile, where the Grand Chief of the Cha£laws waited for him, in confequence of his engaging to join his War- riours with ours, in order to make war upon the Chica- faws, in confideration of a certain quantity of goods, part to be paid down dlre£lly, the reft at a certain time prefixed. The Governor, aftet this, returned to New Orleans, there to wait the opening of the campaign. M. de Biainville, on his return, made preparations againft his own departure, and that of the army, coiififting of regular troops, fome inhabitants and free negroes, and fome flaves, all which fet out from New Orleans for Mobile; where, on the loth of March, 1736, the army, together with the Cha£l:aws, was afTembled ; and where they refted till the 2d of April, when they began their march, thofe from New Orleans taking their route by the river Mobile, in thirty large boats and as many pettyaugres ; the Indians by land, marching along the eaft bank of that river; and making but fhort marches, they arrived at Tombecbec only the 20th of Apr;l, inhere M. de Biainville caufed a fort to be built : here he gave the Cha£laws the reft of the goods due H ^o 9^ THE HISTORY to thsm, and did not (et out from thence till the 4thr of Maf . All this time was taken up with a Council of War, held on four foldiersy French aMdSwifs, who had iaid a fcheme to kill the Commandant and garrifon^ to carry off M. du Tiilenet and Rofalie, who had happily made their efcape from the Chicafaws, and taken; refuge in the fort, and to put them again into' the hands of the enemy, in order. to be better received by them, and! to al&ft, and fhew them how to ftikl^e a proper defence agaihft the French, and frotii thence td go over to the Englifh of Carolina. From the 4th of May, on: which the army Tet out from Tombecbec, they took twenty day9 to come to the land- ing-place. After landing* they built a very extenfive in- clofare ofpalifadoes, with a (bed, as a cover for the goods and ammunition, then the army pafled the night. On the 25th powder and ball were, given out to the foidiers» and ihh^bitants, the fick with fdme raw foldiers being left to guard this old fort of fort. From this place to the fort of the Chicafaws aie feven leagues : this day they mtarched five leagues and a h^lf in two columns and in file, acrof^ w9ods. On the wings inarched theCha&aws, to the number of twelve hundred at leafty commanded by their Grand Chief. In the evening they encamped in a meadow, furrounded with wood. . On the 26th of May they marched to the enemy's fort, acroTs thin woods ; and with water up>to the waifl, pailed over a rivulet, which traverfra. a fmall wood ; on coning out of which, they entered a. fine plain: in this plain fiood the fort of the Chici^ws, with a village defended by it. This fort is fituated on an eminence, withan eafy afcent; around it flood feveral huts, and at a greater dif- tance towards the bottom, other hutsj which appeared to have beef) put in a ilate of defence: quite clofe to the fort ran a little brook, which watered a part of the plain. The OP LOUISIANA. W The Chaftaws no fooner efpled the enemy's fort, than itliey rent the air with their'death-crles, and inftantly flew to the fort: but their ardour flagged at a carabin-fhot from the place. The French marched in good order, and got beyond a fmall wood, which they left in their rear, within cannon^fhot of the enemy's fort, where an Engliih Hag was feen flying. At the fame time four Englishmen, coming from the huts, were feen to go up the afcent, and enter the fort, where their flag was fet up. Upon this, it was-imagined, they would be fummoned to quit the enemy's fort» and to furrender, as would in like manner the Chicafaw^ : but nothing of this was once propofed. The General gave orders to the Majors to form large detachments of each of their corps, in order to go and take the enemy's fort, Thefe orders were in part executed : three large detachments were made ; namely, one of gre- nadiers, one of foldiers, and another of militia, or train-> bands ; who, to the number of twelve hundred men, ad- .vanc^d with ardour towards the enemy's fort, crying out aloud (everal times, Vive le Rot, as if already mailers of the place ; which, doubtlefs, they imagined to carry fword in hand ; for in the whole army there was not a iUigU iron tool to remove the earth, and form the at- tacks. . The refl: of the army marched in battle-array, ten men deep }■ mounted the eminence whereon the fort flood, and being come there, fet fire to fome huts, with wild-fire thrown at the ends of darts j but the fmc^e ilifled the arm)r. ; The regular troops marched in front, and the militia, ©r tfain-bandt, in rear, according to rule. Thefe train- bands made a quarter turn to right and left, with intent togoanid inveft the place. But M. de Jufan, Aid-Major of the troops, ftopt ihort their ardor, and fent them to their proper poft, referving for his own corps the glory of carrying the place, which continued to make a briflc de-^ H 2 fence. too THE HIST OR V fiance, fiitnvilitt remAitied At the qu«rteri of refelVei where he obferved what would be the ifTue of the Attack) thtn which none could be more difAdvuntAgeouit Both the reguUrs and iiihAbitAius, or tratn-baticti, gAve Ihf^Ances of the greateft valuur i but w4iat could they do» open And ex(H)ft^ as thty were, againd a fort, whof« (lAkes oir wooden pofts were a fAihom in cortipAfs, And their joinings AgAin lined with other po(b, almoft as big t From this fort, which was well gAnifoned, liTued a (hower of balls ) which would have mowed down at WtkH hAlf the AflailAnts, if direifted by men who knew how to fire. Th« enemy were under cover from All the attacks of the French, A»\d could have defended themfelvcs by their loop-holes* Bcfides, they formed a gallery of flat paliifadoed quit* round, covered with earth, which fcrcened It from thts effe6ls of grenadoes. In this manner the troops lavifhcd their ammunition Againft the wooden pofts, or ftAkes, of the enemy*s fort, without any other cft'eil: thAn hAving thirty-two men killed. And almoft fevcnty Wounded | which Irtft were carried to the body of refervej from whence the General, feeing the bad fucccfs of the AttAck* ordered to beat the i-etreat, and font a krge detachment to favour it. It was now five in the evening, And the AttAck had been begun at half An hour after one. The troops rejoined the body of the army, without being Able to CArry off their dead, which >vcre left on the field of bAttlei expofed to the rage of the enemy. After taking fomc refrefliment, they dire^Iy fortified themfelvcs, by felling trees, in order to pafs the night fecure from the infults of the enemy^ by being cArefuUy on their guard. Next day it was obferved the enemy had availed themfelvcs of that night to demolish fomt huts, where the French, during the .nttack, had put themfelvcs utuiei vcv&r, in order from thence to bAtter thefott. On or LOUISIANA. lot Ott the a7th, the day after th« attack, the army began Its march, and lay nt a league From th« enemy. The day following, at a league From the landing- plnce, whither they arrived next day, the French embarked for Fort Mobile, and From thence for the Capital, fVom which each returned to his own I.-me. A little time after, a ferjeant of the garrifnn of the Illinois arrived at New Orleans, who reported, that) in confequence of the Genernrs orders, M. d'Artaguetttf had taken his menfures (o well, that on the 9th of May he arrived with his men near the Chicafaws, fent out fcouts to difcover the arrival of the French army) which he continued to do till the 20th : that the Indians in al- liance hearing no accounts of the French, wanted either to return home, or to attack thn Chicafaws ) which lafl: M. d'Artaguette refolved upon, on the 21ft, with pretty good fuccefs atfirft, having forced the enemy to quit their village and fort : that he then attacked another village with the fame fuccefs ( but that purfuing the runaways, M. d'Artaguette had received two wounds, which the Indians finding, refolved to abandon that Commandant^ with forty^fix foldiers and two ferjeants, who defended their Commandant all that day, but wert at lafl; obliged t4 furrender 1 that they were well ufed by the enemy, who uoderftanding that the French were In their country, pre- vailed on M. d'Artaguette to write to the General t but that this deputation having had no fuccefs, and learning ttiat the French were retired, and defpairing of sny ran* fpm for thsir Haves, put them to death by a flow fire. The ferjeant added, he had the happinefs to fall into the hands of a good maftcr, who favoured hii nfifai^e to Mobile. M. de Biainville, deflrous (0 take vengeance of the Chicafaws, wrote to France for fuccours, which the Court fent, ordering ulfo the Colony of Canada to fend f^iccours. In the mean time M. de Biainville fent ofl* a H 3 larjre 102 THE HISTORY large detachment for the river St. Franci«> in otdcr'to build a fort there, called alfo St. Francis. The fquadron which brought the fuccours from France being arrived, they fet out, by going up the Mil&fippi, for the fort that had been juft built. This army cbnfifled of Marines, of the troops of the Colony, of feveral In- habitantS) many Negroes, and fome Indians, our allies ; and being aflembled in this place, took water again, and ftill proceeded up the Mifliflppi to a little river called Margot) near the Cliffs called Prud'homme, and there the whole army landed. They encamped on a Hne plain, at the foot of a hill, about fifteen leagues from the enemy ; fortified thcmfelves by way of precaution, and built in the fort a houfe for the Commandant, fome cazerns, and a Warehoufe for tht goods. This fort was called Aflump- tionj from the day on which they landed. They had waggons and fledges made, and the roads cleared for tranfporting cannon, ammunition, and other ijeccfTiiries for forming a regular fiege. There and then it was the fuccours from Canada arrived, confiiling of French, Iroquois, Hurons, Epifingles, Algonquins, 'and other nations : nnd foon after arrived the new Commandant of the Illinois, with the garrifon, inhabitants, and neigh- bouring Indians, all that he could bring together, with a great number of horfcs. This formidable army, confifting of fo many different nations, the grcatefl ever ften, land perhaps that ever will be feen, in thoTe parts^ remained in this camp without undertaking any thing, from the month of Auguft iyy)% to the Mfirch following. Provifions, which at firft were in great plenty, came at laft to be fo fcarce, that they were obliged to eat the horfes which were to draw the ai-tillery, ammunition, and provifions ; afterwards ficknefs raged in the arnriy. M. de Biainville, who hitherto had attempted nothing againd the Chicafaws, rcfolved to have recourfe to mild methpds. He tberefoj-e detached, about the 15th of QF LOUISIANA. 103 «fM^rch, the company of Cadets, with their Captain, M.^ de Celoron, their Lieutenant, M; de Su Laurent^ ^and the Indians, who came with them from Canada^ againft the Chicafaws, with orders to offer peace to them iin his name, if they (lied for it. What the General had forefeen, failed not to happen* As Toon as the Chicafaws faw the French, followed by the Indians of Canada, they doubted not in the leaft, bui. the reft of that numerous army would foon follow ; and they no fooner faw them approach, but they made fignals of peace, and came out of their fort in the moft humble manner, expofing themfelves to all the confoquences that might enfue, in order to obtaifi peace. They folcmnly protefted that they ai^ually were, and would continue to be inviolable friends of the French ; that it was the £ng- lifh, who prevailed upon them to z&. in this manner; but that they had fallen outavith them on this account, and at that very time had two of that nation, whom they nhade flaves ; and that the Firench might go and fee whether they fpoke truth. M. de St. Laurent aflced to go, and accordingly ^ent with a young flave : but he might have bad reafon to have lepented it, had not the men been more prudent than the Avomen, who demanded the head of the Frenchman : but in his hands, as enemies. They protefted, in the moft folemn manner, they would for ever be friends of the French and of their friends, and enemies of their enemies ) in fine, that they would make war on the Englifli, if it was thought proper, in order to ibew that they renounced them as traitors. Thus ended the war with the Chicafaws, about the be- ginning of April, 1740. M. de Biainville difmiiTed thor auxiliaries, afbr making them prefents i razed the Fort AiTumption, thought to be no longer neceflary, and em- barked with his whole army t and in pafTing down^ caufcd the Fort St. Francis to be demoliflied, as it was now be- come ufelefs i and he repaired to the Capital, ^fter an ab* fei>ce of mo^? than ten months* Some years after, we had difputes with a part of the Cha^taws, who followed the intcrefts of theRed-Shpe, a Prince of that nation, who, in the firft expedition againft the Chicafaws, had fome difputes with the French. This Indian, more infolent than any one of his nation, took a pretext to breakout, and commit fcvcral hoftilities againft the French. M. de Vaudreuil, then Governor of Loui« iiana, being apprized of this, and of the occafion thereof, ilri£lly forbad the French to frequent that nation, and to truck with them any arms or ammunition, in order to put a ftop to that diforder in a (hort time, and without draw- ing the fword. M. de Vaudreuil, afkcr taking thefe precautions, fent to demand of the Grand Chief of the whole nation, whe- ther. OF LOUISIANA. iCf fher, like the Red-Shoe, he was airo difpleafcd with the French. He made anfwer, he wii their friend : but that the Red-Shoe wa« a young man, without underftanding. Having returned this anfwer, they fent him a prefent : but he was greatly furprized to find neither arms, pow- der, nor ball in this prefent, at n time when they were friends as before. This manner of proceeding, joined to the prohibition made of trucking with them arms or am- munition, heightened their furprize, and put them on having an explication on this head with the Governor; who made anfwer. That neither arms nor ammunition would be trucked with them, as long as the Red-Shoe had no more underftanding ( that they would not fail, as be- ing brethren, to (hare a good part of the ammunition and arms with the Warriors of the Red-Shoe. This anfwer put them on rernonftrating to the Village that infulted us| tpld them, if they did not inftantly make peace with the French, they would themfelves make war upon them. This thrcatning declaration made them fue for peace with the Frenchi who were not in a condition to maintain a war againft a nation (o numerous. And thus the prudent policy of M. de Vaudreuil put a ftop to this war, without either expence or the lofs of a man. CHAP. l«6 THE HISTORr C HA P. XIV. Ji^fU^lmi an what givts OccaJUns to JVars in Louifiana. Tht Means ofawiSng IPars in that ProviitN^ as alfo thi Manner mf earning off with Advanto^t and UttU Expence in thtm, THE experience I have had in the art of war, from fome compaigns I made in a regiment of dragoons till the peace of 17 13, my application to the iludy of the wars of the Greeks, Romans, ai>d other ancient peopk, and the wars I have feen carried on with the Indians of Louiiidna, during the time I refidcd in that Province, gave mc occafion to make feveral refledions on what could give rife tx> a war with tlie Indians, on the rheans of avoid- ing fuch a war, and on fuch methods as may be employed, in order eitlier to make or miintain a war to advantage againft them, when conftrained thereto. In the fpace of fixteen years that I refided in Louifiana, I remarked, that the wars, and even the bare difputes we have had with the Indians of this Colony, never had any Other origin, but our too familiar intercourfe with them. In order to prove this, let us confider the evils produced by this familiarity. In the firft place, it makes them gradually drop that reQpe tirw fi>t-t« mow would ftllffe* to com)>le«t this defigh, mill prtvent the (Vduduleht tnM* mctx:c of the fcnglltli thiilcri* Aft to the mftimet- or tArtytl^( oti ihewtt* iti Louiftitni, AS w*i hiikiitrto iKm«4 it is Vffy expennvr, highly rii» tiguii\g« iiifl the ride lUwAyi it^^^t ( hectiul'e you mutl Arft ttiinl\)ortthe(ititmuuition tx) ihv Uttdin^ plAc« i fVoth th«hee tirAV«l IHr mtitiy leAgucs ^ theu 'AtA^ the at-tillety tthnt^^ by MiAin lx)it^^ At\t) ciitty the Attimunitioh on meit^ii OioultU tti% A thiug thAt hArAitb Aitd weniteuR the tt-oops very iwuch. MottHwev, thoiT is A gtt^At lieal of H(k in Hinlting WAt in this n\rtnn^r: you have the appvoAchen of a fott to t1^Ak«» which cAnnot ht done without loft of lives : And tt\ou!d you mAk« a hitAch, how nirtny hiAve men Me loft» betxM^ yttu tm Foix^e meit who (ight like delperrtdoee, be- tAUre they phifeir deAth ItJ Itiiveiy* t fAy^ Ihould you mAke a bi^Ach \ bccnure tn aII the time i \tMtA in this Province, I never (Hw nor heArd thAt the tAntton which were htouf);ht ttgAinl^ the tndiAn fbrt«| ever mAde a hivAch for a Angle mAn to pAls : (t ii there* fdvt ^uite ureleis to he At thAt extience. And to hArAfii the troops to brin^ Aitill*iiy^ which cAn be of no minner of Service, ThAt c*tinon can m«ke no bpe«ch in tndiiin forts mAy Appear (lr;\tigt : but nvn tjiore ftrange thAn true j ni wiM AppeAr^ if we conddcr thAt the wooden ports or rtAkes which furround thcie ti)rt«, Are too big ft)r a bullet of the f\7.e of thofe uled in ihe(e wArs, to cut them down, though it were eve!\ to hit their middle. If the bullet gives more tnvards the evigt; of the tree, it glides ort. And ttrikes the next to it J (hould the ball i\ii exadly between twoportt» it opens them» And n^eets the port of the lining, which rt\^p^ It rt\t>it : Another b«ll may rtrikc the lAmc tree, At the other joining, th<;n it doles the little Aperture the %iCi\ti had tuAdc. Wort or LOU ill AN A. itf W«l« t It) uhdirtike Aith i W»r« I wmk\ Mifg ofit^ « ttw MkM nltirsf ( rritild fittily mi((iit||« (Item i t\wf W«li44 imt AahiI me lb miiclt in prtlt^tttsi nor (:(mf\ime Co mmmIi Ammunitiuit Anil inuviiidmi : n ^roit litviiig thi« i ii^4 Winging no bdnnnn with m«i 1 /huuld ttlfn (hve eiep- »^.,.,«-..^..f j^^ C H A W XV. rcnntcotti WiJ^w *y Surprhi h ihf frenth. tiiUtim Iff ihf BpAtiiardsi Agdin tttaktn bjf tin i^entli^ and dt-* tHHiflftdi BEtfORK 1 go any farther, t think It necefl-iry f» relate what hoppened with refljeiH to thd Kort nf Penfacwlrt In VirghilH** This fort helongn to the iSpaui* ftrdp, unit fervcfl for an Kntrepot, or hwrhonr for the Spa- «l(h galleons to put lnto» in their pitflnge from La Vern Crujj to iCurope* Tnwrtrdu the hef),inning of the year 17 ft), the Com* ittanthmt O^neral having nnderfloml hy the laf^ Oilpi which airiveil, that w?ien», about fiftctn lengutB from Ule Dauphine, is dcfcnilcd by a llact ado fort the entrance of the road : over ngainff it (land?) a fnrtin, or fmall fort, on the weft point of thn I(le St. Kofe \ whiuhi tin that fule, dcfnids the entrance yf the road : this fort hag only a guard-huufu tu defend it« I'hc * 1 ht aulhpr mud meiti Carolina* Ill TH£ HI8T0RV ik The Cohimand«nt Gtncral, perAiidiBd it wdutd be (ih- poffibte to bedegt the place ih fbrnii wanted to take it hf furpriaei confiding In the ardor of the French, and fe-' curity of the Spaniahli^ who were m yet ignorant of ouf being at war with them in Europe. With that view he ftifemhled the few troops he hud, witit feveral Canadian and Fitnch planters, newly arrived, who went ai voliin- feeri. M. de Chateauguie r, the Commandant'i hrother, ■nd KingN Lieutenant, comnikandcd under him ^ and next htm, M. de Richebourg, Captain. Afkr arming this body of men, and getting the ncceflitry fupplies of am- munition and provifions, he emhAikcd with his fmall army, and by the favour of a profpcrous wind, arrived in ft Ihort time at his place of dcftinatlcn. The French anchored near the fortin, made theii dcfccnt undilcovcred, feifted on the guard-houfc, and clapt the foldiers in irons i which was done in lefs than half an hour. Some French foldiers were dKlered to put on the cloaths of the Span!* ards, in order to facilitate the furptifing tl>c enemy. The thing fuccccdetl to their wifli. Oi\ tlie morrow at day- t>reak, they pcrccivcil the boat which carried lh«* detach- ment fum Pcnfrtcola, in order to relieve the guaid of the fortin \ on which the Spnnifh march was caiifed to be beat up ) atui the French in difguife receiving them, and clapping thrm in ir<>ns, put on their cloaths ) and flep- ping into the fantc biMit^ ftirpiifcd the (rntinel, the guard'*' lioiife, and at laft the garrifon, to the very Ciovernor him- Iclf, who was taken in bed \ fo that they k\\ were made prifonci-s wiihout any blood-flitd. The Commandant General, apprchcnfivc of the fcarcity of provifions, fliippevl off the prifoncrs, cfiorted by fome foldiers, commanded by M. dc Richebourg, in order to land them at the Havunnn : ho left his brother at Penfa^ cola, to commaiul there, with a ganlfon of lixty men. As foon as the French vcflcl had anchored at the Ha- vanna, M. dc Richebourg went un (here, to acquaint the Spani(h OF LOUISIANA. tt| Bfmnifli CJovernor with hii comminion i who rectlved him with pulitetieiii, nnd ti a teftimony of hin grititude, made him and his ofHcen prifoiteri, put tho (Mditrn In irons and in prifon, whare they lay for fomt time, ex- pofed to hunger and the infultii of. the Spaniards, which determined many of them to enter Into the fcrvlce of Spain, In ortter to ef'cape the extreme mifery under which they groaned. > Some of tho French, nowty enlifted in the Spani(h troops, informed the (ilovernor of the Havnnna, that thf French gar ri Ion left at Penfacola was very wealc : he^ in his turn, rclblved to carry that fort by way of reprlAtl. For that purpofc he oauflsd a Si^aniOi vefl'«l, with that which tlie French had brought to the Havanna, to be armed. The Spanifti veflel ftationed itfelf behind the tile ^t. Rofc, and the French velTel caitic before the fort with French colours. The fentinel enquired, who commanded the vefTelf Ttiey anfwcred, M. de Richcbourg. This velDi), after anchoring, took down her French, and hoifled Spanlfli colours, firing three guns : at which fignal, ogrced on by the Spaniards, the Spanlfh velTel Joined the fird I then they fummoned the French to furrender. M. dt Chateauguiere rcjcfled the propofition, fired upon the Spaniards, and they continued cannonading each othci' till night. ^ On tho following day tho cannonading was continued till noon, when the Spaniards ceafcd firing, in order to fummon the Commandant anew to furrender the furt : he (lemandcd four day<«, and was allowed two. During that time, he fent to afk fuccours of his brother, who WM in no condition to fend him any. The term being expired, the attack was renewed^ the Commandant bravely defending himfelf till night; which two thirds of the garrifon availed themfclves of, to aban- don their Governor, who, having only twenty men left» I faw 114 THE HISTORY faw hirtlfelf uhable to make any longer reAftance, deffltntfe^ to capitulate, and was allowed all the honours of war ; But in going out of the plac^, he and all his men were made pHibners. This iiifr^6lton of the capitulation was occafionedby the fliame the Spaniards conceived, of being cohftrained to capitulate in this ihdnhtr with tiventy meh only. As foon as the Governor of the Havanna was apprifed of the furrender of the fort, vainly imagining he had over- tJiroWn half his enemies at leaft, he caufed great rejoicings to be made in the ifland, as if he had gained a decHivc vi^lory, or carried a citadd of importance. He alfo fent tiflT feveral vefTels to victual and refrefli his warciors, who, according to him, muft have been greatly fatigued in fnch an a^ion as I have juti dei€iearances, that fuccours were fent them, deputed tWo officers in a fhallop on board the commodore : but they were no fooner on board, than they were made pri* foners. They were in efteO: three French men of war, whh two Ihips of the Company, commanded by M. Champmelin. Thefe fliips brought upwards of eight hundred men, ancl thirty officers, as well fuperior as fubaltern, all of them 6ld and faithful fervants of the King, in order to remiain in Louifiana. The Spaniards, finding their error, fled to Penfacola, to carry the news of this fuccour being arriveci for the French. The fquadron anchored before the ifland, hoifted French colours, and fired a falvo, which was anfWered by the place. The St. Philip was drawn out and made to join the fquadron : a new embarkation of troops was madcf and the Mary left before Ifle Dauphine. On September the 7th, finding the wind fkvofurable, the fquadroh fet fail for Penfacola : by the way, the troops that vriere to make the attack on the continent, were landed near Rio Perdido ; after which the fliips, pre- ceded by a boat, whibh fbewed the way, entered the har- bour, and anchored, ^nd laid their broad fides, in fpit6 of feveral difcharges of cannon from the fort, which is upon the Ifle of St. Rofe. The (hips had no fooner laid their broad-fides, but the canonnade begiinonboth fides. Our fiiips had two forts to batter, and feven fail of (hips I 2 that 1^ 11^ THE HISTORY that lay ja the harbour. 8ut the great land fort iued bnfy one gun on our array, in which the Spanlfh Gover- nor, having <:>brenred upwardi of three hundred Indiana, comnuuided bj M. de St. Denis, whofe bravery was uni- verlally acknowledged, was Ilruck with fuch a panick, from iJie fear of falling into their hands, that he ftruck, and Surrendered the place. The fight continued for about two hours longer : but the heavy metal of our Commodore making great cxe« cution, the Spaniards cried out feveral times oa board their ihips, to flrike j but fear prevented their executing thefe orders : none but a French prilbncr durft do it for them. 1 hey quitted their fhips, leaving matches behind, which would have foon fet than on fire. The French prifoners between decks, no lonn;er hearijig the leaft nolle, furmifed a flight, came on deck, difcovercd the ilratagem of the Spaniards, removed the matches, and thus hjndeifed the veflels from taking fire, acquainting the Commodore therewith. The little fort held oiit but an hour longer, after which it furrendered for want of gunpowder. 7'he Commandant came himfelf to put his fword in the hands of M. Champmelin, who embraced him, returned him his fword, and told him, he knew how to difUnguifti between a brave officer, and one who was not. He made his own fhip his place of confinement, whereas the Commandant of the great fort was made the Uughing- ftock of the French. > AH the Spaniards on board the fhips, and thofis of the two forts were made prifoners of war : but the French deferters, to the number of forty, were made to cafl lots ; half of them were hanged at the yard-arms, the reft con- demned to be galley-Haves to the Company for ten years in the coui;Ltry. M. Champmelin caufed the two forts to be demolifhed, prcferving only three or four houfes, with a warehoufe. ' .Thefe OF LOUISIANA. 117 Thefe houfeft were to lodge the officer, and the few fo>U diers that were left there^ and one to be a gvard-hottfe. The reft of the planters were tranfported tolfle DavphuBe^ and M. Champmelin fiet fail for France *• The hiffory of Pto&cola i* the more neceflary^ aa It is fo near our iettlements» that the Spaniards hear o»r gvns^ when we give them notice by that fignal of otir defign to come and trade with them. • At tbc peter that kon fuccMdctf btlwcts Ttuut mi tfiim, Fkii*. cola yiM icftvcd lo tbc Uft, I 3 THE V ■^'' t ml m I I WMMMMUUiMMbteM* mtmmif THE H I ST O R Y :.i.:wii- OF L O U I S I A liJ A. i m ii t •kMMMaM ■ ..r-'sr?'"' B O O K II. Qf ihi Country^ ^ni its Pro4u8s. ••■•P*«i««w»-"fc»^ O-fa CHAP.]. Ceogt^hical i^ifcripilon 4f LouifiaAa. //; CBmiti, LOUISIANA 18 that paitt of Nortlk America, wKkh is bounded on the fouth b]r tht Gulf of Mexico; on the ^aft by Garolrhfa^ an £ngli(h colony, and by a part of Oanada ; on the weft by New Mexico ; and on the north, in part by Canada ; in part it extends, without any aiSgnable bounds, to the Terre lacognitte, adjoining to Hudfon's Bay f . Its breadth it about two hundred leagues f, extending between the Spa* * By th(R chtfter granted by Loui« XIV. to M. Crozat, Louifitna extendi pnly ** from tKe edge of tl^e f«* at far as the IlUnoiif" Vrfaich n not abort half the extent afligned by our author. ■f According to the beft maps and accounts extantj the diftance from tht MUBfip^ to the mountain* of New Mexico is about nine hundred miles, and£roB)>th&Miirtfippi to the Atlantic Ocean about fix hundred| reckop* iflf^Xfy i»Uc* to a *oi in »■ firaight line. I 4 nifli lao THE HISTORY nifli and Englifli rettlementi ; its length undetermined, at being al(ogeth«r unknown. However, the fource of tht^' Miffifippi will afford us fome light on this head. The climate of Louifiana varies in proportion as it ex« tends northward : all that can be faid of it in general is, t|^at its fo«(fh6rn p||rts are not fo fcdrching as tholb of Aflrica in the fame latitude ; and that the northern parts are colder than the correfponding parts of Europe. New Orleans, which lies in lat. 30*^, as do the more northerljr coafts of Barbary and Egypt, enjoys the fame temperaturei of climate as I^uigi^oc. Two degrees hieher up, at the Natchez, where I redded tor eight yeara, th« climate is far more mild than at New Orleans, the country lying higher L. and. at the Illinois, which is between 45?. and 46^, the fummer is in no refpe6t hotter than at Rochelle ; but we find the frofts harder, and a more plentiful fall of fnow. This xlifFjerence of climate fi;om that ^of Africa and Eurdpe, I afcribe to two caufes : the nrft is, the pumber of woQd^, which, though fcattered up and down» cover the face of this country : the fecond, the great number of rivers. The former prevent the fun from wariT^ing the earth i and the latter diffufe a ereat degree of humidity : not to mention the continuity of this coun* try with tbofe to the nprthward ; from which it follow^» that thq winds blowing from that quarter arc much colder than if they traverfed the fea in their couri'e. For it is well known that the air is never fo hpt, and i^eyer fo cold at fca, as on land. f* We ought not therefore to be furprized, if in thefouth» em part of Louifiana, a north wind obliges people in fummer to be warmer cloathed ; or if in winter a fouth wind admits of a lighter drefs ; a,s naturally oviring, at the one time to the drynefs of the wind, at the other, to the proximity of the Equator. Few days pafs in Louifiana without feeing the fun* The rain pours down there in fudden heavy (bowers, '■ ■' ■' ■ ■■ ' whicH OF LOUISIANA. ttf which do not laft long, but difappear in half an hour^ perhaps. The dews are very plentiful, advantaf»eoufljr fupplying the place of rain. We m;iy therefore well imagine that the air is perfe^llf good there; the blood is pure; the people are healthy j fubjeA to few difeafes in the vigour of life, :^nd without decrepitude in old age, which they carry to a far greater length than in France. People live to a long and agree- able old age in I^ouifiana, if they are but fober and tem- perate. This country 19 extremely well watered, but much more fo in feme places than in others. The Miiliflppi divides this colony from north to fouth into two parts almoil equal. The firft difcoverers of this river by the way of Canada, called it Colbert, in honour of that sreat Minifter. By fome of the favages of the north it |s called ly^eadl-Chaflipi, which literally denotes. The Ancient Father of Rivers, of ^yhich the French have, by corruption, formed Miflifippi. Other Indians, efpeci- ally thofe lower down the river, call it Balbancha ; and at iaft the French have given it the name of St. Louis. ' Several travellers have in vain attempted to go up to its fource ; which, however, is well known, whatever fom« authors, miAnformed, may alledge to the contrary. We bc?re fubjoin the accounts that may be moil depended upon. M> de Charleville, a Canadian, and a relation of M. de Biainville, Commandant General of this colony, told me, that at the time of the fettlement of the French, curiofity alone had led him to go up this river to its fources ; that for this end he fitted out a canoe, made of the bark of the birch-tree, 'in order to be more portable in cafe of need. And that having thus fet out with two Canadians smd two Indians, with goods, ammunition, and provi- fions, he went up the river three hundred leagues to the iiortb, above the Illinois: that there he found the Fall, ^' > <;alled la^ THE HISTORY CHlle4 3t* Antony's. This fall is a flat rock, which tra- verfes the river, and gives it only between eight or ten feet fall. He caufed his canoe and efk£U to be carried over that place ; and that embarking afterwards above the fall, he condnued going up the river an hundred leagues more to the north, where he met the Sioux, a people in- habiting that country', at fome diftar^ce from the Miifi* fippi ; fome fay» on each fide of it. The Sioux, little accuftpmed to fee Europeans, wers furprized at feeing him, and afked whither he was going.; He told them, up the Miffifippi to its fource. They anfwered, that the country whither he was going was very bad, and where he would have great difHcuIty to find game for fubfiflence ; that it was a great way oiF, reckoned as far from the fource to the fall, as from this lafl to the fea. According to this information, thePvliin* fippi muft meafure from its fource to its mouth between fifteen and ftxteen hundred leagues, as they reckon eight hundred lea'^ues from St. Antony's Fall to the fea. This conjeAure - the more provable, as that far to the north, feveral rivers of a pretty long courfe fall into the Mii^- fippi } and that even above St. Antony's Fall, we find in this river between thirty and thirty five fathom water, and a breadth in proportion ; which can never be from a iburce at no great diilance ofF. I may add, tMt all tha Indians, informed by thofe nearer the fource, are of tho fame opinion. Though M. de Charleville did not fee the fource of the Miififippi^ he, however, learned, that a great many* livers empty their waters into it : that even above St. Antony's Fall, he faw rivers on each fide of the MiiR-t fippi, having a courfii of upwards of an hundred leagues. It is proper to obferve, that in going down the river from St. Antony's Fall, the right hand is the weft, tho left the eaft. The firft river we meet from the fall, and fome leagues lower down, is the river St. Peter, which $ pi ace; from which there are two leagues to a little riyer which falls into Lake Eric. Here Ih^y change their v^ffels ; they come in pettyaugres, and go down the river St. Laurence to Quebec in birch canoes. On the river St. Laurence are feveral carrying-places, on account of its many falls or catara^ls. Thofe who have performed this voyage, have told me they reckoned eighteen hundred leagues from New Orleans to Quebec ♦. Though the Wabache is confidered in Loui- fiana, as the moft confiderable of the rivers which come from * It U not above nine hundred leagues* 124 THE HISTORY Irom Cs^hads, and whrcb» uniting in one bed, form the fiycr commonly called by that name, yet all the Canadiart travellers a0ure me» that tlae river called Ohio, and which. lalls into the Wabache» comes a much longer way than this tail ; which fhould be % reafon for giving it the nam^ Ohio j but cu(!om has prevailed in this refptdl *. : From the Wabache, and on the (ame fide, to Man- chac^.wc fee but very few rivers, and thohvvery fmall eaes, which fall into the Miffifippi, though there are jieariy three bu^drcd ^nd fifty leagues from the: Wabacbe to Manchac f. This will, doubtlefs, appejMT ibmething extraordinary to thofe unacquainted with the country^ , The reafon, that may be affigned for it, appears quite natural and ftriking. li} all that part of Louiflana,. which is to the eaft of the MiiBftppi, the lands are fo high in the neighbourhop^ of the rivec, that in many places the rain-water runs off from the banl^s of the Mi0ifippi» and d.iicharges itfelf into rivers, which fall eitber diredUy kito the fea, or into lakes. Another very probable reafon is, that from the Wabache to the fea, no rain falls but in fudden gufts ; whicl^ defe abouts are brought down and accumulated by means Of the ooze which the Miflidppi carries along with it in iti annual inundations; which begin in the month of March, by the melting of the fnow to the north, and laft for about three months. Thofc oozy or muddy lands eafily produce herbs and reeds ; and when the Miififippt happens to overflow the following year, thefe heibs and reeds intercept a part of this ooze, fo that thofc at a diftancc from the river cannot retain fo large a quantity of It, fince thofe that grow next the river have ftopt the greateft oart ; and by a neceflary confequence, the others farther ot;, and in proportion as they are diftant from the Miflifippi, can retain a much lefs quantity of the mud. In this manlier the land rifing higher along the river, in proccfs of timv^ the banks of the Miflifippi became higher than the lands atout it. In like manner alfo thefe neigh- bouring lakes on each fide of the river are remains of the fea, which are not yet 511cd up. Other rivers have firm banks, formed by the hand^ of Nature, a land of the fame nature with the continent, and always adhering thereto : thefe forts of banks, inflead of augmenting, do djiily diminifh, either by finking, or tumbling down into the bed of the river. The banks of the MifTifippi, on the contrary, increafe, and cannot diminifh in the low and a^.juiulated lands j becaufe the ooze, alone depofited on its banks, increafe them 5 which, befides, Is the reafoii that the Miffifippi becomes narrower, ih place of wafhing away the earth, and enlarging its bed, as all other known rivers OF LOtJiSlANA. 129 Hvei^s do. If we confider thefe faf the in- hvbhiint^ t^^fed a well td be fiinlc at a little di^l'ance from the'Miifidpfrt, in order tor procure a clearer water. Ac twenty fcef deep there was Ibund a tree laid ftat, three feet in dii^metey : the height of thb earth was therefore augmented twenty feet fince the fall* or')6Aging of that tree, as well by the accumulated 'Aiud^*^ x»'hy the* rotting 6f the leases, which fall every winter, and which the Miflrtfippi carries down invaft quantities; In effef^, it fweeps do#n a great deal of mud^ becaufe it runs ' for twelve hui¥dred leagues at leaft acpofs a country wkkh is nothing clfe but earth, which the depth of the river fuilicicntly ptoveir. It car- ries down vaft quantities of Jeayes, canes and. (rees, upon its waters, the (>readth of wfhich is always alcove half d IcagMO, and fomet|me^ a leaguie and a quarte/. Its banks arc .covered with inuclv wood, (pmetimes for the^breadth of a league on each fffle, from its foorc^. to. its mouth« There .is nothing therefore more, eafy to ^bfe conceived, than that this river carries down with its wat/ers a pro4igi> ous quantity of Qoze» leaves, canes and tr^cs, which it continually tears up by the. foots, and tl^at the (ear throw- ing ba^lfi again all thefe things, they ihould necelTarily produce the lands in queftion, andwhtcharefenfibly in- creating* At the entrance of the pafs or channel to the fcHith-eaflr, there v s built a;fn:jall fort, ftiU caJlcd Balifc. This fort was bull! fii; a little ifland, without .t;he mouth of the river. In 1734 it ftood on the fame (pot, and I have been told that at.prefcnt it is half a. league within the riv^r : the land therefore hath in twenty years gained this fpace on the fea. Let' i& now rcfume th? fequel of the J3i?ogr:\phical Deicription of Louifiana. ^ • 4. ' I • k k» The 130 THE HISTORY Tbe eoaft it beundai td the weft ^7 St. fiefnard'i Bayt vheie M. de la Sidk landdd ; into this bay a fmali river falls, and there are (omt otheBs which difcharge thttr waters between this bay and Afcenfion bay ;, the j^tntcfS fitldom fiwqueat that coaft. On the eaft the coaft is bounded by Rio Perdtdo, which the French corruptiedly call aux ^erdrix; Rio Pqrdido Agnifying 1^^ Biver^ aptly Co called by the Spaoiafds^ becauie it bfei itfelf under ground, and after waf^Sv^P^^^ .^V^*** ^ *^* charges itfelf mto the fea» ^ Uiidtc to fhe *£aft of Mobile» on which the firft French ft^tqw Settled. From the Fork down <9 the fe»» ^eie i» no river ( not it it ppflible Cfaere ihould be an^y* after what I have «e* lafied : om the oontrafy, w« fiad at a finoU diftance from the Fork* another channel to (he eaft^ called the Aayoue of le Siicar : it is fuU of a> (bftoose or mud, and conunu- nicatet wii,t)& the lakes which lie to the eaft/ On coming nearer to the fea^ we meet^ at about eight leagues fvottk the (irincitMtl^iMoeKh of the MiMppi, the firft Pafs ; -aiid « league lower down, the Otter Pa<«k Thcfe two pafles or channdt are only for pettyaugres. From this plutie there is r6 land fit to tread 01^, it being all a quiigmfre down to the Tea. There alfo we find a point) Whith pflfrts the mouths of the Mtffifippi : fhttt to the right is called the SoUth-Paft, or Channel ; the weft point of which runs two leagues fkrther into the ka, than the point of the South-iUift I'ais, which is to the feflt «(f that of the South Pats. At fiHI veiTek entt«d by the South .«aft PiftTs) but before we ^& down to it, we find to the ^ifc the Eaft-Paf», whitih is that by which ftitps enter at prefent. At each of thefe three jf^alles dr Channels iHicre is a Bar, as in all other rivers : thefe bars are three c^uartcrs of a league broad, with only eight or ;nih6 feet water: but there is a channel through this l^a'r, wfiich^^ing often fubjea to thift, ihc cbSfe'rig pilcil ife 0br%etf-to be ^^ always or LOUISIANA. rjt &lw«ys Tonnding, in order to be fure Ksf the pafs: this thaiwiel ist at lo^r water, between feventeen and eighteen feet deep •. This description may fuffice to fhew that the h\\\ng in with the land from Tea is bad ; the land fcarce appears two leagues oif } which doubtlej^ made the Spaniards call Che Miffifippi Rio Efcondido, the Hid River. This river !s generally muddy, owing to the waters of the MiUburl % for before this junction the water of the Milfifippi is very dear. I muft not omit mentioning that no fhip can either enter or continue In the river when the waters ar« high) on account of the prodigious numbers of trees» and vaft quantities of dead wood, which it Carries down» and which, together with the canes, leaves, mud, and fand, which the fea throws back upon the coaft, are con- tinually augmenting the land, and make it project into the Gulf of Mexico, like the bill of a bird. I (hould be naturally led to divide LouiHana into the Higher and Lower, on account of the great difl^erence between the two principal parts of this vaft country. The Higher I would call that part in which we find ftone, which we firft meet with between the river of the Natche* and that of the Yafous, between which is a cliff of a fine free ftone ; and I would terminate that part at Man- chac, where the high lands end. I would extend tho Lower Louifiana from thence down to the fea. Tho bottom of the lands on the hills is a red clay, and fo compad, as might afford a folid foundation for any build- ing whatever. This clay is covered by a light earth, which is atmoft black, and very fertile. The grafs grows there knee deep ; and in the bottoms, which feparate thefe fmall eminences, it is higher than the talleft man. Towards the end of September both are fucceffively fct on fire ; and in eight or ten days young grafs iboots up * I fliall tnal:e no mention of the iflands, which are frequent In the MiOifippi, as being, properly fpeaking) nothing but little iiles, produce^ bjf rHlhc4feM| though the foil be nothing but « fand bottom. K 2 half 132 THE HISTORY half a foot high. One will eaftly judge, that in fucHl paftures herds of all creatures fatten extraordinarily. The flat country is watery, and appears to have been formed by every thing that comes down to the Tea. Khali add, that pretty near the Nachitoches, we find banks of miifcle-fliells, fuch as thofe of which Cockle-Ifland is formed. The neighbouring nation affirms, that accord- ing to their old tradition, the Tea formerly came up to thU place. Thei women of this nation go and gather thqfe (hells, and make a powder of them, which they mix with the earth, of which they make their pottery, or e'arthen ware. However, 1 would not advife the ufe of thefe fliells indifi^crently for this purpofe, becaufe they are naturally apt to crack in the fire : I have therefore reafon to think, that thofe found at the Nachitorhes have ac- quired their good quality only by the difcharge of their falts, from continuing for fo many ages out of the lea. If we may give credit to the tradition of thefe people, and if we would, reafon on the fads I have advanced, wc (hall be naturally led to believe, and indeed every thing in this country, fliews it, that the Lower Louifiana is a country gained on the fea, whofe bottom is a cryftal fand, white as fnow, fine as flour, and fuch as is found both to ^e eaft and weft of the Miilifippi ; and we may expe6)t, that in future ages the fea and river may fprm another land like that of the Lower Louifiana. The ^ort Balife fliews that a century is fufficient to extend Louifia;i,a two leagues towards the fea. ' : L . • . 'iM «i'rfoir^>r' * ^ . - ■ ■ • . .■■.:;. - •J ilrmt • ' 5>j ...■...■ - ■ • ^watJthe. breed Pf thefe animals is greatly • * ^^A ^ ^ \ I'ij J .;.» '! itfe, '••>;;) ,f»'»!i'; ;iii >'ti rJiief my fcouts happened one day to ftray, becuufc the wea- >ther was foggy i (o that he did not return at night to our hut I at which I was very uneafy, and could not fleep j as he was not returned, though the ftgnals cf call had been re)|>(:;ated till night clofed. About nine the next morn- ing he caft up, telKng us he had been in purfuit of a drove of deer, which were led by one that was altogether white : OK LOUISIANA. I39 white: but that not being able to come up with tkem, he picked tip, on the Adc of ■ hill, ibmt Anall lh«rp ftenei, of which he brought a famplc* Ihcfe ftoncs I received with pleaAire, betaufb I had not yet (ben any in all this country, only a hard red free- itone in a cliff on the Miffifippi. After carefulhr examin.. ing thoftf which my difcovercr brought me, I found thty were a gypfum. 1 took home feme pieces, and on my ' return examined them more attentively ( found them to be very clear, tranfparcnt, and friable i when calcined, they turned extremely white, nnd with them I mad^fome fa^i- tious marble, This gave me hopes that this country, producing Plafter of Paris, might, befides, hatre ftonei Ibr building. 1 wanted to fee the^ fpot myfelf*. we iot out about noon, and travelled for about three leaguea btfoit we came to it. I examined the fpot, which to me appeared to be a large quarry of Plafter, As to the white deer above mentioned, I learned from the Indians, that Tome fuch were to be met with, though but rarely, and that only in countries not frequented by the hunters. \ The wind being fct in for rain,, we,refolved to put our- felves under ihcUer. The place where the bad weather overtook us was very fit to fe( up at. On going out to hunt, we difcovered at five hundred paces ofi^ In the de- file, or narrow pafs, a brook of a very clear water, a very commodious watering-place for the buffaloes, which were in great numbers all around us. My companions foon raifed a cabin, well-fecured to the North. As we refolved to continue there for eight days at Icaft, they made it fo cloA: a« to keep out the cold : in the night, I felt nothing of the feverity of the North wind, though t lay but lightly covered. My bed con- fifled of a bear's ^in, and two robes or coats of buffalo; the bear fkin, with the flefh fide undcrmoft> being laid on leaves, 140 THE HISTORY Isaiitt,. and ^hcpile uppermoft by way of draw* bed; one of the buffalo coatsi folded double by way of feather- bod i one half of the othec under meferved for amatrafa, and the Othef ovj^r me for a cpvcrlet : three canes, or troughs, bent ta f JTeipicircIe, one s^t'the head, another in the middle, .an4,Ml'^'^^*^ '^* ^'^^^r fupportcd a cloth which formed my . tfftejr a/gid curtains, and fccurcd mc from the injuries of tbea^ir^ and the flings of gnats and mofkitto's. My In- .ndians had their ordinary hunting and travelling beds, whicl^.^onfift olr a deer iicin and a buffalo coat, which they always carry with thcn^, wly^n they cxpet^t to lie out of tbfiif, villages, We fcftc^ nine days, and regaled our- ,ieIy58,;,'wi.tK choice rbuffal^, turkey, partridge, phcj^- fants, &c. jjoTM.difcovery I.hjkd mtdq of the plafter, put mc to lookxout; during our (lay, in:all the places round about, foe •iquiy JeagUes. I was at I all tired of beating about fuch fine plains, without dt^covoring the leaft thing, and .l^^^d rf folved toga fi^r to the North, when at the noon- ,Cjgn«^l| th(^ tcout a-hea^l .lyaited to fliew me a (hining and ,Aar|j..rtpne^ of ,the Iq^^gth and A?cof one's thurph, and as fquare as a joiner could have made a piece of Ayood pf the fame bignefs. I imagined it might b^ rock- cryflal ; 'to'>)i''iiiflf&V^f thereof, ^to, our night's lodging near wood and water, where we put up, in good time: then at fun-fct, when every, thing in nature Is |iu(hed, we were charmed with the enchanting warbling of dijffcrent birds ; fo that one would, be it^lined to fay, they -,t refer ved 10 THt HISTORY rtfervftl ttsi« favovrtble aomcot for die melody itttd htr^ nionyof their fimg, toeelcbrate^ uadiilurbcd Uki at their ca^ thf bcACfiiB of ihf Ccfaipr. On th« Othes hand, vrtf arc diiliifbed in the nighti by die hideous noife of th« numberlefs waCer-fbwU ihat are to bo icM oa the Miffi' fippi, and evety river or lake near it, Tuch as cranes, flamingo'ii wild geefe, herons^ faw-billst ducks, &c. As we proceeded furthfr north, we bef nn to fee flocks of fwans room through the air, mount out of fight, and proclaim their paflfage by their piercing ihrill cries. We for fome davs followed the courfe of a river, at the head of which vft found, in a very retired place, a beaver- dam. We iet up our hiit within reach of this recreat, or vil-^ ]«ge of beavers, but at fuch a diftance, as that they could not obferve our fire. I put my people on their guard, againft making any noife, or firing their pieces, for fear of fearing thofe animals ; and thought it even ncccf- fary to forbid them to cut any wood, the better to con- ceil ourfelves. After tdking all thefe precautions, w^ {"ofe and were iVivni frmit m Inwri, j^rtvr fhtni much mm- Mttse ptrtly i\«civ ii) us iit t^t>trt tr>pxaittihn what pitlN. \ A« t «ptnthphr^f<< ^Hnt >\\\\^\\ tht* tv.upr wjii h»H k\W h mt^n tt> VIII only h«f^ the movp nrtttnwiy tn r?r»mlHR It » r%ri*llv i<^ th'''"'* HprtVrM wrtr bl tl\r nH'.y Itlnt^^ wlilth il\r\- hAVlhf^ IVvH-rtI tlmr«» !ip|Mt^.iclu'\l If^ nml hHiHietf yVv jtiul I till! t^Ht rhrtolV tr» 3ta j\^^'«» thr 4¥(Sv\l^l(r V^r \)H\>rH bt rt mt^mlipf whrt rtppt-turil i\^!^t\^^1 tt^wgMN^ m\ \\\t )^x^\[\Mm he might bhly hfe H <*Hm* wt^n labmuT^. My llit^t m!\»lp thrm rill m\\\W tb ^hpfe rt^Mws^ with pv^rv l\>ml th*h rt htlmlml bl«w» bf the Mi^ el" t^clt i ivpiTctpr ro\iM hrtvc tlom*. As Ibbrt rti I httil ItOM this lN#rtV^\\ t rAH<»\i my rbmp^Mlrtmi \ tmH fiwdlhg thvwattf ^\\\ «bt Vun bff quick eiUiU^h, t tAUttid th« Ijfrwth tx^ be wiiWrtttli rtrttJ I cxamihetl the dcdk • , 1 ti!^^\tld tKefe HtfAVSpM ffih^% thini l<5i:i thrtli the hmwrt y^ tt>mtMb« l^r^ but thfir make Hie i'^me > hAVlh| \\\^ ftimc herttlj fame rtirtrp tteth» tHme beitrdHj le^li M m'l|iM'fi iMi'l" lllt^" Hi" Mf^^tn. \Uf> m wlilHlH, t)iifhi|t Hill ^trthilMiflHM, I ^rtuN »fiy pH<|if/- fn Mit ImUf^lH, ^!1MM, rtfwl ffftN, fM |if tlifMwii lit friwfl^ffi fh^ fUrl tif ^l1^ )mM'. Wt^ f flftf^ rtf' lrMi>fli fM ft enlilii, IH wIllrH fH'*fr W^f-r Mnf f?K iM^hf* ^ftHough probably there may be fome in its bowels, having ob- ierved fofflc ftones in a part where the earth was tumbled down. We accurately examined all this riftng ground, without difcovering any thing ; and though that day we traivelled upwards of five leagues, yet we were not three leagu(;s diftant from the hut we fet out from in the morning. This high ground would have been a very coiKimodious fituation for a fine palace ; as from its edges is a very diftant profpeffc. Next day, after a ramble of about two leagues and a half, I had the fignal of call to my right. I inftantly flew thither; and when I came, the fcbut (hewed me a ftump fticking out of the earth knee high^ and nine inches* in diameter. The Indian took it at a diftance for the ftump of a tree, and was furprifed to find wood cot in a country which appeared to have been never fipequent^d : but when he came near enough to form a judgement about it, he faw from the figure, that it was a very different thing : and this was the reafon he made the fignal of call; < I was highly pleafed at this difccvery, which w^s that of a lead-ore. I had alfo the f^lisfadioh to fiiid iny ^er- leverance recompenfed $ but in particular I was ravifhed with admiration, on feeing this wonderful produ£(ton, and the power of the foil of this province, conf^raining^ as it were, the minerals to uifclofe themfelves» I conti- nued to fearch all around, and I difcovered ore in fev^^l places. We returned to lodge at our laft hut, on account of the convenience of water, which was too fcarce on thi$ high ground. Wc fet out from thence, in order to come nearer to the MifTifippi : through every place we pafTed, nothing but herds of buffaloes, elk, deer, and other animals of every kind, yrcre to be feen -, efpecially near rivers and brooks* . L 2 Bears^ mA the HISTQRV Bears,, on the other haf^d, keep in the tliick wooils, where they find their proper food* i After a march ofiive idaysilefpihl a mountain tb my right, which Teemed To high as to excite my curiofity* Next morning I directed' thither my courfe, where we arrjyed about three in the aft^cnqon., , We (popped at the too^ o^' the motuitai|i« where, we fouiid a fine fpring ii|MJf^^ following we went u)» ta it* topy whece it il i^»y.. Though th^ffr is eartb dnqught for plants^ yet they are fo thin fown, that hardly two hufiiibred coaM.be fp\|DflQin an^ acrcof gpQ|Mn4# iTjfies arealfo very rare on t]buait>fpot^ andi thefe poor, ttifagre^. and cancerous. The j^9j^9t>tf9;Vi"4 there arfs.^U fit for making lime, r off ttiie r watdrj and .there paifed the nighb Next> day we;croi&d the .Miflifippii^ in going, up which we killed a ijbep^'beart With her cubs: for during the winter^ the bank* of< this Miflifipp* are lined with them ; atld: it isi rai^ ilk: gping- up' the riter^ not to fee many cxpfs it in a 4?^y>« in fcarch of food; thQwantof which makes themauit the bank«. . , ^ / Ir^Ofklnucdi ray* .route, in going up tbe Miffiiippi quite ^•,«lf0 Chicafayi^) CUIirs«:(f£GOffe» 4 Prud^h^Hmtie) where ].vWM te^ii I ihould Jujid iiyniethiag ^ the^eiie&t of the colmiyi this Was what lefteited my; curioitty* . Beihg arrived at thofe elifFs we landed^ ^nd ooncealedj after unlading tt, the petJtyaugre in th^e Witter ; and from that day I fought^ and^a^^tength found the iroh^mine, 6f which I had fome hints given me. After being fu re of this, I carefully feaFchisd all around^ to find iCaftiAe: but this was impoflible : however, I believe- It may be found higher up in afcendifig theMiffifippi, but that care I leave to thofe who hereafter (hall choofe to. uadsiitake the work- ; j ing . OF l>OtJ;I6-lANA4 «4f ]ng that oiiiie. Ihad^ however, rome amendi made in« for my trouble ; as in fearching^ 1 found ibme marks of pit«coaI ; ia the neighbourhood, a; thing at leaA as uieful in other' parts of die colony as in this. yH^m %' ■{' ■ After having made my refleiaions, I refolv^d-ln a Httii time to return homfe} but being loth to leave fo fine 1 countty^ I penetrated a little farther into it } And in thil ^ort exeurfion I efpied a fmall hill, all bare and parthed^ having on its top only two trees in a very drooping con« dition, and fcarce any grafs, befides fome little tufts, diftant enough afunder, which grew on sk very firm clay. The bottom of this hill was not fo barren, and the adjacent country fertile as in other parts, Thefe inditatidns made 'mc prefume there might be a mine in that'fpotc I at length returned towards the Miflifippi, in order to meet again the pettyaugre. As in all thi^ country, and in all the height of the colony we find numbers of buffa- loes, elk, deer, and other game ; fo we find numbers of wolves, fome tigers; Cat-a-mounts, (PIchous) and cari- riort-crows, all of them carnivorous animals, Wliich I (hall hereafter defcrlbe. When we came n'eiiV the Miffi* fippi we made the fignal of recognition, which was an* fwered, though at fome diftance. It was there mypeople killed fome buffaloes, to be drefled and cured in their manner, for our journey. We embarked at length, and went down the Miflifippi, till we came within a league of the common landing-place. The Indians hid the petty- augre, and went to their village. As for myfelf, I got home towards du(k, where I found my neighbours and flaves furprized, and at the fame time glad, at my unex- pe£led return, as if it had been from a hunting-match in the neighbourhood. I was really well pleafcd to have got home, to fee my ^aves in perfe^ health, and all my affairs in good order : jput I ,was flrongly imprefled with the beauties of the . L 3 countries 150 THE HISTORY countriei I had feen. I could have wi(hed to end my days in thoft charming folitudesi at a diftance from thd tumultuous hurry of the world, far from the pinching gripe of avarice and deceit. There it ii, faid I to my* itlff one rcliihcfi a thoufand innocent delights, and which Are repeated with a fatisfaAion ever new. It is there one lives exempt from the aHaults of cenfure, detradlon, and calumny. In thofe dclightfome meadows, which often cxt(}nd far out of fight, and where we fee fo many dif- ferent fpecics of animals, there it is we have occafion to admire the beneficence of the Creator. To conclude, there it is, that at the gentle purling of a pure ami living water, and enchanted with the concerts of birds, which fill the, neighbouring thickets, we may agreeably con- template the wonders of nature, and examine tiiem all at our leifure. I had reafons for concealing my journey, and flrongcf reafons ftill to fupprcfs what I had difcovered, lu order to avail myfeif thereof afterwards : but the crofles I un» derwent, and the misfortunes of my life, have, to this day, prevented me from profiting by thefu difcoverles, in returnihg to that charming country, and even fo much a^ to lay them before the public. CHAP, OF LOUISIANA. iSt CHAP. III. Of iU Nature of the Lmdi of Louifiana. Tf)e Landt tn the CoaJI* IN order to defcribe the nature of this country with fome method, I (hall firft fpcak of the jilace we land at, and (hall therefore begin with the coafl : I (hall then go up the MiiTifippi \ the reverfe of what I did in the ntr T^' 9 OF LOUISIANA. 153 ifThe moutttsins which I faid thefe Qountritfs have to the norths form nearly the figure of a chaplet, with one end pretty near the Miffifippi, the other on the banks of the Mobile. I'he inner part of this chaplet or chain is filled with hills ) which are pretty fertile in grafs, fimplest fruits of the country, horfe-chcfnuts, and wild-chefnuts, as large, and at leall as good as thofe of Lyons. To the north of this chain of mountains lies tlic coun* try of the Chicqfaws, very fine and free of mountains : it has only very extenfive and gentle eminences, or rifing grounds, fertile groves and meadows, which in fpring- time are all over red, from the great plenty of wood ftraw- berries : in fummer, the plains exhibit the mod beautiful enamel, by the quantity and variety of the flowers : in fiutumn, after the fetting fire to the grafs, they are cpverelde(^ of the country, to what circum^sMice this t^eacl^ might owe its name. And they told me, that before the Iwft fettloment of the French in this colony, the EngUlh, Wing iwatt) of the beauty of the counjtry,, which they had, doubtlefs, vifited before, in going thither fj?om Caro^ jina,by land* attempted tp make themfelves mafters of tho entrance of the Mifllfippi, and to go up the river, in order i9 (fittify themfcU'Cs on the (irft firm ground they could jneet» Xxfitcdby that j,ealou(y which is natural to them, they took fuch precautions as they imagined to beoroper^ ifi order to (Recced* The Ixxdians op theij* part, who had already (cen or jheard G(f feveral people (French) having gone up and 4own the MiiGfippi at diffcccnt times } the Indians, 1 fay, who, .perhaps^ were not fo well pleafed with fuch neigh- 4>9<^^ were fliil more frightened at feeing a fhip ent^r the *• river. or LOUISIAN/^. 157 jtlver, which detcj-mined them to ftop iti palTagC} but thii was impofltblc) as lon{( as the Eiiglifh had any wind* of which they availed thetTift'Lvcs quite to thii Reach* Thcfe Indiana were the Ouachaa and Chaouachas, who dwelt to the wed of the Miflifippr, and below this Reach. There were of them oti each fide of the river, and they lying in the canes, obfcrved the Engliih, and followed them as they went up, without daring to attack them. When the Englifh were come to the entrance of thte Reach, the little wind they had failed them i obferviitD befldee, that the Miflinppi made a great turn or windifi|;« they dcfpaired of fuecieding ) and wanted to moor in thii fpot, for which purpofc thiy muft bring a ropoto land : but the Indians (hot a great number of arrows at them, till tin report of a cannon, fired at random, Scat- tered them, and gave the fignal to the £ngli(h to go on board, fur fear the Indians (hould come in gteater num- bers, and cut them to pieces. Such is the origin of the name of this Rsactf. The MifTiftppi in this place forms the figure of a crefcent, almoft clofed { Co that the fame wind which brings up a fhip^ proves often contrary, when come to the Reach ; attd this is the reafoir that Ihipi moor, and go up towed, or tacking. I'his Reach iv fix or Ctvtn leagues) fbme aflign it eight, more or lefs, according as they happen to make way. The lands on both Tides of this Reach ite inhabited, though the depth of foil is incnnfiderable. Imfnedlatdy above this Reach ftinds New Orleans, the capital of this colony, on the eaft of the Miflfifippi. A league behind the town, directly back ftom the river, we meet with a Bayouc or creek, which can bear large boats with oarsi In following this Bayouc for the fpace of a league, we go to the lake St. Louis, and after traverfmg obliquely this lafl,* we meet the Channels, which lead to Mobile, where I begah my defcription of the nature of the foil di Loui* fiana. 1 a The The ground on which New Orle«ni it fituate^, heti\g an earth accumulated by the OMe, in the fame manner a« ii that both below and above, a good way from the capital^ la of a good quality for agriculture, only that it it ftrong, and rather too fat. This land being flat, and drowned by the inundations for fcveral ages, cannot fail to be kept in moidure, there being, moreover, only a mole or bank to prevent the river from overflowing it ) and would be even too moid, and incapable of cultivation, had not this mole been made, and ditches, clofe to each other, to facilitate the draining ofF the waters : by this means it has been put in a condition to be cultivated with fuccefli* From New Orleans to Manchac on the eaft of the Miflifippi, twenty-five leagues above the capital, and quite to the Fork to the weft, almoft over-againft Manchac, and a little way oflf, the lands are of the fame kind and quality with thofe of New Orleans. C H A P. IV. Quality ofthi Lands above the Fork. A ^arry ofSttm ftf huiidlng. High Lands to the EaJ} : Their vaji Fertility^ mji Coq/i : Weft Lands : Sakpetn. TO the weft, above the Fork, the lands are pretty flat, but exempt from inundations. The part beft known of thefe lands is called fiaya-Ogoula, a name framed of Bayouc and Ogoula, which flgnifles the nation dwelling near the Bayouc ; there having been a nation of that name in that place, when the firft Frenchmen came down the MiffiAppi ; it ties twenty-five leagues from the capital. But to the eaf^, the lands arc a good deal higher, feeing from Manchac to the river Wabache they are between an hundred and two hundred feet higher than the Miififippt in its greaieft floods.. The flopc of thefe lands goes oflF per* pendicukrljr OF LOUISIANA. 159 pendicularly from the Miflifippi, which on that ftdere- ccivet but few riven, and thofe very fmall, if we except the river of the Yafouiy whofe courfe it not above fifty leagues. ^ All thefe high lands are, beftdes, furmoiintcd, in a good many p! ^cs, by little eminences, or fmall hills, and rifing grounds ruiuijniz off Icngthwlfc, with gentle flopes. Ic is only wh^n wc g/) ^ little way from the Miflifippi, that we find theft: Im^h lands are over-topped by little moun' tains, wh>h appear tu bf all of earth, though ftecp, with« out thelcail gravel or pebble being perceived on them* The foil on thcfe high Innds is very good } it is a black light mold, about three feet Joep on the hills or rlfing grounds. This upper earth lies upon a rcddifti clay, very ftrong and ilifF} the loweft places between thefe hills are of the fame nature, but there the black earth is between five and fix feet deep. The grafs growing in the hollows is of the height of a man, and very flender and fine ; whereas the grafs of the fame meadow on the high lands rifes fcarce knee deep ; as it docs on the highcfl eminences* Unlefs there is found fomcthing underneath, which not only renders the grafs (horter, but even prevents its growth by the efficacy of fome exhalations ; which is not ordi- narily the cafe on hills, though rifing high, but only on the mountains properly fo called. My experience in architedlure having taught me, that (evei^al quarries have been found under a clay like this» I was always o( opinion there mufl be fome in thofe hills. Since I made thefe reflei^ions, I have had occafion, in my journey to the country, to confirm thefe conjectures. We had fet up our hut at the foot of an eminence, which was deep towards us, and near a fountain^ whofe water was lukewarm and pure. This fountain appeareer for buildings and the up«> pfit part Wh ich yr ^ fhis da^) which is pei^uliar to the coun^ - try. I was highly pleafed to be thus afcertained, that there was ftone fit for building in this colony, where it is ima* ^ned there is none, becaufe it does not come out of thd earth to ihew itfelf. i&l! is not to be w6ridef6d, that there is flone to he found' hi 'the Lower Lotiifiana, which is only an earth accumu- lated by oo«ej but it is far more extraordinary, not to fee a flint, nor even a pfebble on thd hrlk, for upwards oT ah hundred leagues fometimes j howevdr, this h a thihg common in this province. I imagine I ought to afltgn a reafon for it, which feemt' pretty probable to nie. This land has never been turned, dr dug, ?nd is Very clofe above th6 clay, which is ex- irtmtly hard, and covers the ftone, which cannot fliew hfelf through ftlch aooVefing : it is therefore no fuch Tur- priiie, ths* • obftrve no ftonef oat of the earth in thefe j^Iains ana ^n thefb eminences. All thefe hig^ lands are generally meadows and forefis of tall trees, with grafs up to the knee. Along gullies they prove to be thickets, in which wood of every kind is found, and alfo the fruits of the country. ^Almoft all thefe landi on the eaft of the river are (acH as I h^ve defcribed ; that is, the meadows are on thofe higU grounds^ whofe Oope is very gentle; we alfo find therd tall forefts, and thickets in the low bottoms. In the me^^* dows we obferve here and there groves of very tall and ftraight oaks, to the number of fourfcore or an hundred Ht moft: there are others of about forty or fifty, which ieem to have been planted by men's hands in thefe mea- dowSj for a retreat to the bufFaloeS) deer,, and other ani- mals, and a fcreeii againft ftorms, and the ding of the The OF LOUISIANA* i6t .■«-» m 'he The tall forefts ar(; all hiccory, or all oak : in thtfc Utft we find a great manjr morals ; but then thece grows a fpecies of muihrooms at the feet of felled walnut-treei, which the Indians carefully gather i I tailed of them, and found them good. : > •, , The meadows are Itei^ ^ly covered with graft fit fbr |[>afture, but produce quantities of wood-ftrawberries hi the moAth of April } for the following mooth» th<^;prff(pe^ is charming; we fcarce oblerve a pile of grafs, nolefs wh^ we tread under foot ; tl^e flowers, which are. ithen; in aJl their beau«^y. exhibit to the view th/e mo:ft rai^iihing ftght* being diverfified without end ; one in particuUrJ have re- marlced, which would adorn the moft beautiful parterre ; I mean t^e Irion's Mputh (la gueuk de Lion), , Thefe meadows aibrd not only a charming pfoTpetEt %o the eye; they, moreover, plehUfully produce excellent iimples, (equally with, tall woods) sis well Yor the pur- pofes of medicine as of dying. When all thefe pllusts are burnt, and a fmall rain comfii on, muflirooms of an ex- cellent flavour fucceed to theok, and whiten th0 furface of the meadows all over. . : *, . j^'^rt? '^ ThoCe ri(ing meadows and tall forefts slbodhd With buf- faloes, elk, and deer, with turkeys, partrtd^es^ and all kinds of game ; conlequently wolves, tatamdurits, arid other carnivorous anittah' are found there} %hiclr^ in M» ]6Wlh^ thii othier animus, defltoy and devour fuch as are too old or tdo fat; and wlieh the Indians ep a hunting, thefe aniWals are fure to have the bfl^^ or hound's fee, which makes them follow the hunters. - ' * . Thefe high lands naturally produce lipulberry-tre/ss, the leaves of which are very grateful to the {|lk-worm. tndigo, in like manner, grows there along the thickets, without culture. There alfo a native tobacco is foiuhd growing wild, f6r the culture of which, as well as for other fpecies of tobacco, thefe lands are extremely well adapted. Cot- ton is aifo cultivated to advantage : ivheat and flax thrive M better hi'ttvrttni) MdH! «!tniy>lh«H»^ ttmn bw«r tiow^i tv^wAttJi (h« VAI^iuU tHf UHd th(^ii6 l#lHg tntt frtt I which U tht irAfbU Ihftti fntitptH), tMkti tom« \\\t^ ^ M gi^itiei" height i\\m (n th« kHdi t Am n^itirtg ir^f I hut th« tt)ttt)n mit) th« »th«r l^hxtutEKons Ah* t\«^ither (b ftmng imi- Hi (tne thvtis nhd ihe tt\)pi of them «)« o(\eit kOi fM^Mhlvi though th« (bil be of Alt ettc«llthi hAturtk tit fiti»i ihttiAi high \m\^% to the ciitl t)f the MiftlHifipt, fhMn Mtnthdc ttt tht liyer WAhttche^ mny nut) might tn «^rttAtn m(Meji : sve lliit) in ihiHii, jud Mt th« (lirfkt'e, imii Aiiv) pit-fMnU hut itn A(^|)eAi^Ai^«e Mt nivet- mltttti golU th«)« n\;ty he, t^pptf ttlth^ Attd l«Ati. ' Let \i8 V«tiM*ii to MrtnehAc, \vheit t qiiltteil the Mlttt- fippi I whieh I lh«n ewi^^ Ih dhlei' to virtt the well fttle, Ai t hAV« AlireAiiy done the «A(1^i t diAti begitt with the wi^tl m^t^% whith i«n»mhleii thAt to the e^ft i hut is (^ilt more «ih' Ahd hAfr«H tm the (hoi«. Ott quitttH| thAlcoAfl of whiN Aiui ttfiktA fkndi in ortler to go itdrthwAd} we meet (t^ ^Hx Ukm^ whkh ctimmuhicAte with otto Aim- th((> And whith Atr, iloultthsri) remAini of th« feA. He- tween thefe lAkei And the Mi(tifi|i|)i, it aa eArth Aciumu^ Uteni on the fAndi And IR>tmed by the oofte of thAt rive;, AS I fAidi between thefe Uken the^ tt nothing but fAndi OH whith there Is fo )iu)e Aarth^ thAt the fAnd-bottoi^ Ap* ^{itAinta vi^^l fo thAt ^ 6nii there but little pAfture, whith foine dirAyed buftkloei cqme to eAt| And no treei, if we AKtept A hill on th« bAnb of one of the(^ Ukes, which tA #ll,tov«red with ever-green 0Aki| At ilbr (ht|w building. This fpot mAy be a IcA^ue in length by hAlf a leAgue inbreAdtht And wai CAlled lUrAtAriAi becAulk en» tlofed by th^tb lAkt* ahiI ihAll' t^UtletS) to form Almoll An IllAnd on dry Und. Tbe(^ lAkvii Ate lK>red with monllroui cArpi as well fur fite AS for lei^gth i which (lip out of the MilTifippi And Its muddy ftreAmi when oversowed) in feArch of cleArer WAter, ^ft» (^UAntity of (\(U In thefe Ukei ii ver/ Airpriting, efpe- 1 . <^»«^V [U for ha lly or LOUtltANA. f«| cUlly II tH«y Abound with va(I numbtri of Mlllgitorii In the nelghhourhout) o» thelb Uk«» thtr« nre fome petty imtioni of Indium, who purity livn on this iiniphibioui ■nim«li fi«tw«en ihttk Ukei «nd th« banks of the MIfflAppt, Ht«tis is Aiinie thin herbiigit, «nd imontt others, niilur«i h«mp, whith grows like trees, and very bmnthed. This need not Airprite us, is eich pi«nt ftitndi very dift«nt from the other t here«bouts w« And little wood, unlelb when we ApproAch the Mifltflppl. To the weft of thelb lakes we And eM«tllenl Unds, covered in many pUces with open woods of tall trees, through which one mAy CAAly ride on horlbbAck i and here we And Ibme buA^Aloes, which only pAfn through theib woods becAufie the pAAure under the trcei Is bitter i And therefore they prefer the gredi of the meAdows, which ly^ iitg expoOed to the rays of the Aini becomes thereby mort favoury. In going Aill fArther weft, wt meet much thicker woods, becAutb this country is extremely well WAtered t we here And numbers of rivers, which fAil into the feai and what contributes to the fertility of this Und, Is the iiuml)«r of brobkS} thAt fall Into theAi rivers* This country nbounda with deer and other garnet buAViloes are rare t but it promKks great riches to fuch as Ihall Inhabit it, from the ejteellent ({ualitv of its lands* The Spaniards, who bound us on that Adc, are Jealous enough : but the great quantities of land they poAefs In America, have made them lofe Aght of fettling there, though acquainted therewith before us: however, they took fome fteps to traveri^ our defl^ne, when they faw we had fome thoughts that way. But they are not fettled there as yet ^ And who could hinder u« from making ad* vantegeous fettlements In that country f t refume the banks of the Mi/HAppl, above tht lakft^ and the lands above the Fork, which, as I l)ave fufllciently M a acquainted i64 THE HISTORY acquainted the reader, are none of the bed ; and I go up to Che north, in order to foUow (he (kme method I ob- lerved in deferilMng-the nature of the lands to theeaft. The banks of the MiiSfippi are of a fat and ftrong fdil ; but far lefs fubje£^ to inundations than the lands of the eaft. If we proceed a little way weftward, we meet land gradually rHing, and of an excellent quality ; and even meadows, which we might well affirm to be boundlefs, if they were not interfe£led by littlfe groves. Thefe meadows are covered with buffaloes and other gatne, Which live . there fo mucb the more peaceaMy, «s t^y aw neither . hunted by men, who never Irttquent f holb counftries ; nbf difquieted by wolves or tigers. Which keep tiiott to the north.. -■ ■ The country I have juft defcribed is fuch as 1 have re- prefented it, till we come to New Mexico : it rifes gently enbugh, near the Rrtl Ri\/er, which bounds it to the north, till we reach a high land, which was no more than ■ Uteaffvir leagues in breadth, and in c:ertain places only a ie«lguf the plains ; otherwife they go fc%ut little Aither, betaufe they find ihere neither water, nof fahpeitre. We are to remaj-k, by the bye, that all cloven-footed <'«nim«ljare extremely fond of fait, and that Louifiana in general contains a great deal of faltpetre. And thus we are not •-T* OF LOUISIANA. 165 not to wonder, if the bufialo, the eUc, and the deer, have a greater inclination to foma certain places than to others, though they are there often hunted. We ought therefore to conclude, that there is more faltpetre in thofe places, than in fuch as they haunt but rarely^ This is what made me remark, that thefe animals, after their ordinary repaft, fail but rarely to go to the torrents, where the earth is cut, and even to the clay j which they lick, efpecially after rain, becaufe they there find a tafte of fait, which allures them thither. Moft of thofe who have made this remark imagine that thefe animals eat the earth ; whereas in fuch places they only go in queft of the fait, which to them is fo ftrong an allurement as to make them bid defiance to dangers in order to get at it. / CHAP. V. ^ality of the Lands of the Red River. Pojis of the Nacht- toches. A Silver Mine, Lands of the Black River. THE B^nks of the Red River, towards its confluence, are pretty low, and fometimes drowned by the in- undations of the Miffifippi } but above all, the north fide, which is but a marfhy land for upwards of ten leagues in going up to the Nachitoches, till we come to the Black River, which falls into the Red. This lail takes its name from the colour of its fand, w ich is red in feveral places : it is alfo called the Marne, a ame given it by fome geographers, but unknown in the country. Some call it thei River of the Nachitoches, becaufe they dwell on its banks : but the appellation. Red River, has re- mained to it. Between the Black Rivei* and the Red River the foil is but very light, and even fandy, where we find more firs than other trees } we alfo obferve therein fome marlhes. But thefe lands, though not altogether barren, if culti- M 3 vated. i66 THE HISTORY vated, would be none of the beft. I'hey continue Aich along the banks of the river, only to the rapid part of it* thirty leagues from the Miffifippi. This rapid part can- not jufily be called a fall i however, we can fcarce go up with oars, when laden, but muft land and tow« 1 ima- gine, if the waterman's pole was ufed, as on the Loire and other riven in Flrance, thi^ obftacle would be eafily furmounted. The fouth fide of this river, quite ^o the rapid part, i| entirely different from the oppofite ftdc} it is fomething higher, and rifes in proportion as it approaches to the height I have mentioned } the qualitv is alfo very different. This land is good and light, and appears difpofed to receive all the culture imaginable, in which we may affuredly hope to fucceed. It naturally produces beautiful fruit trees and vines in plenty ; it was on that fide mufcadine grapes were found. The back parts have neater woods, and the mea- dows interfedled with tall forefts. On that fide the fruit trees of the country are common } above all, the hiccory and walnut-trees, which are fure indications of a good foil. From the rapid part to the Nachitoches, the lands on both fides of this river fufficiently refemble thofe I have juft mentioned. To the left, in going up, there is a petty nation, called |he Avoyelles, and j^nown oi^ly for the fer- yices they have done the Colony by the horfes, oxen, and f ows they have brought from New Mexico for the fervice of the French in Louifiana. I am ignorant what view the Indians may have in that commerce : but I well know, that notwithflanding the fatigues of the journey, thefe cat- tle, one with another, did not come, after dedu6tf;ig all expenccs, and even from the fecond hand, but to about two piffoles a head } whence I ought to prefuine, that they have them cheap in New Mexico. By means of this na- tion we have in Louifiana very beautiful horfes, of the fpecies of thofe of Old SpriB« threat dbow, ok wMioi t» tht uft | then proceeding thence fouth-eaft, at which place we be^ |in to know it, it comes and fallt into the Miflifippi, •^out 31*^ and odd minuiei. I faid above, that the Black River difcharget itfclf into the Red, ten leaguci above the confluence of thia Uft with the Miftflppi : we now proceed to refume that river, an4 follow iu qou<(e, after having obfcrved, that the fifli of all thofe rivart which communicate with the MilBfippi, are the fame ai to fpecios, but far better in the Red and Black Riven, becauie their water is clearer and better than that of the Miflifippi, which they always quit witli pletfure. Theif delicate and finer flavour may alio ariiii from the nourifliaient they take in ^bofe rivers. The lands of which we are going to fpeak are to th« north of the R6i River. They may be diftinguiflied into twoparta ( which are to the right and left of the Black River, in going up to its fource, and even as far as tht river of the Arkanias. It is called the Black River, be* caufe its depth gives it that colour, which is, moreover, heightened by the woods which line It throughout the Co* lony. All the rivers have their banks covered witk woods { but this tivcr, which is very narrow, is almoft quite covered by the branches, and rendered of a dark co- lour in the flrft view. It is fometimes called the river of the Wachitas, becaufe its banks were occupied by a na« tion of that nime, who are now extindfc. I (hall continue to call it by its ufual name. The lands which wedireflly find on both fides are low, and continue thus for the fpace of three or four leagues, till we come to the fiver of the Taenfas, thus denominated frum a nation of that name, which dwelt on its banks. This river of the Taenfas is, properly fpeaking, but a chan- nel formed by the overflowings of the MiiHfippi, has its courfe almoft parallel thereto, and feparates the low lands from the higher. The lands between the Miffifippi and ... the 175 THE HISTORY ^ the river of tht TMnfkt arc the fame i»i in tht Lmrtr LoulHana. Tht finds we find in going up the Black River art nearly the fame, ai well for the nature of the foil, ai for their good qualitici. They are riftng groundii ex- tending in length) and which in general may be confl* 4ered ai one very eKtenfive meadowi diverftfled with lil« the grovet, and cut only by the Blaclc River and little broekt> bordered with wood up to their fourcet. tiuflli* loci and deer are (ktn in whole herdt there. In approach- Ing to the river of the Arkantlis, deer and pheafanta be- gin to be very common i and the fame l^iei of game is found there, ai ii to the eaft of the Miflifippi i in like manner wood-f^rawberriet, fimplei, flowers, and mufh- roomi. The only difference is, that thii fide of the MifU- lippi it more level, there being no lands fo high and (m very different from the refl of the country. The woods are like thofe to the eaft of the MUfifippi, sno^pt (hat t« the wefl there are more walnut and hf75 i^n ^rhe wolves being many in « body, kill not what it fufEcient for one alone, but as many as they can, befooe they begin to eat. For this is the manner of the wolf, to 'kill ten or twenty times more than he needs, efpecially 'when he ckn do it with eafe, and without interruption* Though the country I defcribe has very «xtenfive plains, I pretend not to lay that there are ao rifii^ grounds or hills ; but they are nore rare there than clfe- where, efpecially on the weft fide. In approaching to New Mexico we obferve great hills and mountains, fome of which are pretty higli. ' I ought not to omit mentioning here, that from the low lands of JLouifiaiia, the Miffifippi has feveral fiioal banks of fand in it, which appear very dry upon the falling of the waters, after the inundations. Thefe banks extend more or lefs in length ; fome of them half a league, and not without a confiderable breadth. 1 have feen the Nat« chez, and other Indians, fow a fort of grain, which they called Choupichoul, on thefe dry fand-banks. This iand received no manner of culture x and the women and children covered the grain aoy how with their feet, with- 40ut taking any great pains about it. ' After this fowingp and manner of culture, they waited till autumn, when they gafhered a great qumtity of the graiji. It was pre- pared like millet, and very good to eat. Thispjantis what is called Belle Dame Sauvage *, which thrives In all countries^ but requires a good foil: and whatever ^od quality the foil in Europe may have, it fhoots but a foot and a half high ; and yet, on this (and of the Mi0i- fippi, it rifes, without any culture, thtee feet and a half* and four feet high. Such is rh.e virtue of this faod all up theMi^ppi; o^r, to fpeak more prcpefly, for the whole length of it& cduiTe ; if we except the accumulated earth of the Lower Louifiana, acrofs which it paiTes, and where • it cannot leave any dry fand4>anks j becaufe it is ftrait- efted * H« fttini to mean flvck*w)iciit. ,\ »M«^ #(thth tti t)iHk»i whtcH the HvtHr itMt t«ifl)i» tnil th ill the gh)\hes And llhle tbttfts t liAv^ ttieHt!attetl» ""^ which Itti to the horih of the Atkdtiniii pheininti, |)At^vtd|;lli t\Upes) knd wobtlcocksi Aire lit llkch gteiit M^m%«r«, thit thbn^ who tt»^ moft rdnd bf thii gtme^ lft(ght VftAljr Iktiiiry thiii^ h)rtgiti|i ttl «llb etet-y othl^r tpii:M bf ]g;AHt«« BmAil hfhil Ahs ftitl va(tl| more nil- ]j . t •w MMMHlMWIMtaMlMiM C H A P. Vtf* HW £ff>»^ dfi^ River St* l^t-AHcts. M>r^ tf MuMHiej^, itx«r^M^,illtH^h A Lhd Mifie* Jl j^ Sunt refia/th^tHf Jhirhhm, Lti^s */ ^^ MlltbufL TO ti>H«/^ WftA «/ f/^WAWh<^. <%i;rf^rden plants and greens thrive eKtremely well in Louifiana, and grow in much greater abundance than in France : the climate is warmeri and the foil much better. Howevei-) it is to be obferved, that onions and other bulbous plants anfwer not in the low lands* with- out a great deal of pains and labour \ whereas in the high grounds they grow very large and of a fine flavour. Tht inhabitant! of Louifiana may very eaAly make Silk, having mulberries ready at hand, which grow n|itu- rallyin the highlands, and plantations of them may beeafily made. or rnuiaiAN-A. #f^ m«d(*. The Icmvi*! of the ntttiiril mitthe^ri^f «if 1,nu]H* nm ire what the fiHi^wrtrttfi «re Very fnhd nf) 1 me«ti thr nmre roinmon miilherrici with a large iMf, bttt tunStt^ and the fruit of the colour of Uurgundy wine. The prti-* vince prbducei ilfu the White Miilherry, whkh has th# fame quality with the red. Ifhiill iiett reHte tome rxfirrlmenti* thrtthateheen mttJ« on thii ruhjedt, hy people who were rtet|ualnted with It. Madam Hiihert, H native of Provence, where they mallfl II great deal r>f fillr, which /he nnderftood the martage- ttierit of, was defirouii of trying whether they eould ralfe filk-worms with the ttiulberry letvci of this province, and what fort of flik they would afford. The firft of her expt-rimehti wa^, to give fome large fitk- worms a parcel •f the leaven bf the Red Mulberry, and another parcel of the White Mtilberry both upon the fame frame. She ob- ferved the worms went over the leaVija of both forta, with- out (hewing any greater liking to the one than tn the other : then (hk put to the other two forti of leavefi fome of the leavdi of the White-fweet or Sugar-Mulberry, and Ihe found that the worms left the other forts to go to ihefe^ «nd that thev preferred them to the leaves of the common Red and White Mulberry *, The fecond experiment of Madam Hubert was, to ralfe and fefed (bmt filk-Wdrms f^parately. To fOfVte fhe gave the leaves of the common White Mulberry, AhA to bfhtifa the leaves of the White flugar^Mulberry j In order to fee the difference of the (ilk from the difference uf their food. Moreovei, fhe raifed and fed fome of the native ftlk- worms of the country, which were taken very y^iung fj'om -the mulberry-trees ; but (he obferved that thefe laff were very flighty, and did nothing but run up and down, their nature being, without doubt, to live upon trees : Ihe then changed their place, that they might not tmtc with the other * See ail account of thcfe different finti of Mulberry, in ur foot upon the root, in order to prevent the pulling k out of the earth ) and to be upon your guard not to cut yourfclf, as the tool ii dangerous. In btrder to Aiake an lAdi^^work, a (hcd Is fii'fl of alt to ht built t th|!< building is at leaft twenty feet high, without walls or flooring, but only cowrod. The whol6 Is built upon pofVs, wliith ttiay be clofed with mats, if you plMfti this building has twenty feet In breadth, and Kt kaft thirty In length* In this fhcd three vats or large tubs are (Ist Ih fVich a tnaninei^, that the water niay be eaftty drained off from the itrf^i which, is the lowermoft and fmallefl^k The fecoiid refls with the edge of its bottom oa the upper edge of the firft, fo that the water may eafily run from it into the one bdow. This rconnd vat is not broader b\kt deeper than the firft, and is called the fiat«> «ery i lor this reafon it Hi* {t* beaters, which are Little buckets formed of (bur ends of boards, about eight inohce longy vi^ich together have the figure of the hopper of a mill; or LOUIStAKA. 1^ fnill ) a ftick rum Kcrofa them, which ii put Into t wooden fork, ill order to beat the Indigo : thett «re two of them toll each Add, which in ail make four. The third vat is placed in the fame manner ovar tht fecond, and ii as big again^ that it may hold the Icavea $ it is called the Rotting-tub, becaufe the leaves which aft put into it are deadened, not corrupted or fpollcd theraiii. The Indigo-operator^ who conducts the whole wor]^ knows when it is time to let the water into the (econ4 vat ) then he lets go the cock ; for if the leaves were left too bng, the Indigo would be too black ) it muft have no tnore time than what is fufHeient to difchtirge a kind of flower or froth that Ii fbund upbn the leaf. The wateri when It is all In the Aicond vat, is beat till the tndigo- operator gives orders to ceafei whi<:h he doet not before he has Ceveral times taken up fome of this water with a filver cup, by way of allay, In order to know the exadt time in which they ought to give over beating the water : and this Is a fecret which practice alone can teach with certainty. When the Indigo-operator finds that the water is fulfil cicntly beaten, he lets it fettle till he can draw off the water clear ) Which is done by means of feveral cocks one above another, for fear of lofmg the Indigo. For thie purpofe, if the water is clear, the higheft cock is opened, the fecond In like manner, till the ^ater is obferved to be tinged } then they fhut the cock : the fame is done in alt the cocks till all the Indigo be in a pap at the bottom Of the fecond vat. The firfl:, or fmall vat, ferves only to purify the water which is found to be tinged, and let run while clear.. When the Indigo is well fettled, they put it In elorh bags a foot long and fix inches wide, with a fiiHill circle at top, which helps to receive the Indigo with eafe j it i« fuftcr«d to drain lill it gives no more water : however, [\\ ns^H \\) \\A\>* k\w iv«hI^ k\w\f rtirt^v It irt m\ ii^ (il ^^v^Ht^^ l\^«t wt tt^^ IWt Hl^h, i»tt*t^iillM| tn the »|uiillt^ w^ l^l\tK^ lU ti^ViilUUAi AHtl bf A9 l^m) A t^aAltt)^ At lt»t\(l rt!( Jh tht» IttftiuUi i\)^Act»m« w»i thdt l^tim tlm^i lmm«- )\\ts\\$\ th*y hAMp^ l« theU tH»tttle« ttl' iiertt'e ttiul In i\\tW ^\^H'(^n% \\M \)\^ tNi^^» th^ t>tl»\tl|^Al un» Hf which Is Vh<\t tht* ^^\^yuN thftil s\!l llwrtb tht^t^hu Thin HrtthI i\^hAtt*H \% \^s\ \A\p \ ItH Mits wht»iv i\»rtV»t^l tw m\ t«* th>^^ tt^v^*^t^ t*^ m^ mk t\\\\ a hrtll' m^ Ilk IV?t i tht* In^^Pi- t^AHt^r Iti rt^m l» At iHl^ i^lfthtt^^^ ll»\fn 111 illftHi^tvi', Ahtl It* Wwi viVfn wnY twtt iv»*t l^^j^fei whith m thifit ttwt'i t\it'^ t«t\Pttt \ \n )\\W^ \% ^\m^s \s\\k \\n^)t tillbuJ^tn thi» h^Atl. t1\tft t\>t^Attrt t>r Vl^^gi^^lA hAi A hwAil^fi- hvit tt^«mt I^^Ati iM rt*\k il WmWtvs M^ \m% httt w}^ ^ hbh i Itii t\m\\ li wvst v^l!^!¥*Ahtis tiwt \m h rthi»i^ t It mn mm i^lrtiui ^ Wftttt A pm\«\i» l^«^AWli* lt!< Iti^f II thlHH*!'^ AHtl Hwt IH |\\tl \rtt Ikp A* »h^ «*tU t^. WhAt U tultlVAti*^ IH the I MVt^k V.m\Um U i\waII In ih« IftA^tli l« tt^lt^y^e^ thAn thAt ^t t.millUu\A| \i\[i mutlfi i^wng^^ Antt t^lfrthWH^ tH«* hrAit* th vihti^ hs ft^vv 1\)tvA»'tt>^ yirtv\ \\\A^ A hetl t^n the W^ f^t^ ttf i^x^utw^ yt^tt A»^ waIW^ ttt\ Aht! ftl^ It Hjt ththt^^ Irt MghilN \ thli tArtli you t^«»At Artit Wrtke Icviel with Ihtp Wtk tsf A l\^:\tl*e i yt^wtlW^WAhU low thy tVH»tl| whl^ih li f\t\im\%ly fiMe» wtfAtty H»^tm\t^lll\g |^*^^^t>y ImK tt mult he Udxvtt tt^|\e«^i h> tsf ttvtt vhkk. Wheu tht ft*e^ is l\»Wu, th« %Ant\ Is m bi%^ i^\t\x^\ but ihe llftd In tovtttfil with Att\e« 01" taUtfllANA. «9| An ibHll Ml (lit! HillMet^H ttMl hiUf iMVIfli U le tMHf)llHHl«4 1h M 4ihi, IHH dltlUHl tllf«(! I^(!t DVil*)^ WRf t « M\»{Wlt HHt IHH iHIII(| Ih 0H)» (t) Wl«t( it with IfAi^i without tift!HltlM| Ihl lIMVIIi Thl ilfcft tlM1l» fht lNHt)»tllHtiHft It In t^t^H mIH, Hf<*»f*« m\ik fm Hiud WMt«t It ! )H lilt(< milHHI>(-f WH«H tll(* /H^fl In In tki! hh\\^ if It tMlttN tmt| jtmu ttitill ^t*Htlf ()iHh* kli IttHWtitilii »v»MlH^< hdbtiyf^ It l« IbmfwhMt tim in fli- Itiigt Min) wH(!tt It ifi IVtHUtd It tPt\u\m m llttl(< wrif»*fi You tttoil iittlttly t*ov(*f tli» plHht IH tN« dti)^ timt* with Ihitte l(»MVM jiiutsbd the til||ht h«fbf(« ) m pt-eeiuilMH m hh MttMUHt tb Hi! tiil^fHN withi till th(! ^mtHtt H^^^ li^<* t\illy ilNt!k tnntt V»u Hiult (tiib ^Mlly vlllt th« tohnftdi lo diiflt l( bf CHtit^lllitH, whlt^h fMi((!H (ifft^H itf flftd wmitti «Htli-il)^ (•Mt it [ipi if th«v t(^(! Hbt tl«(lfby«tl< 1*ha lbhAbt!H'tlMt(!l'|llllll(' l« bf th« fH»i(l(! bf M Dili-^w^«»m, hill M pHitkle bH Iti htit^lt tbWMftlii iti i^itttcftfit jf ) itn tblbiir (9 bf lh« ttibtl ht^MUtifUl (^ti|f-^«H4 ftH^d with l)lvt*f t^tHkt 1 Ih M WbHif It h «N h(!MUtlM tb thit nyc mn it N fiitNl tb tht tlltlHtUtlf^tldllfi I iHVII jtm^ MttCHtlbH tb k^¥p mf ttlHHtdtlbH t'lMf bf «lf mm^ bBft«tvlH|i Ih w»'*'^lM|f It with th«* hbi? Hwt t« tb«*^h thiftftlkii flhbulwhifh 1 tnuNtb Iny h^wewHh, m wtll lb n*t;ut« thi^m M|ttiM(t giiltn bf wIhH, ttn tb ««b(ihl# them lb tlfftW fl^Hi th» niifth r« ttibrt! «hubtl«ht hbuH/hmt'ttt. Wh*!h the Ibhutcb he^Ub th put foHh tutiters ' ^lut^lted th«tiio(t^t hftiut^ the^ wbuld ht4v« fhbt ihtb Wtibth««« whitih WbuM (mtibVt*Hlh the lenvei^ Hbd for th« tutnt ttm* ft»H rtbjijied the tbhflttb Hhm IhbcillMjs^ nkm the tw^-lfth !vgfi iit\etwiirtl» fttlpH'^d ^1^' ^^^^ ^^«^ UiwtittntSf whi^h mm tbHtf tb ihy thittg. Mlthertu f did Hothlbg hut whtti wai oHllHirify 4(ih(t hy thbi); who tultiviie iohi^tt O Wlfh \^ THE HISTORY with fottie degree bf '^lire ; but my method Of j)ftM»ediiig lifferw^rd^ was diftcfcnt. I i'aw my neighbours ftrip the leaves of tobacco fromtM felk, itrihgtheim', Tetihtifhtodry, by hangitlg them out 1n the aif, then prut th^in in heapr^, t6 hiiike theih fWeat. *As for me, Icarefull'y ^kamihed the plaht, and %hefn I bbferved the ftem begin to turn ydlbw httt ^nd thtfre, I caufed the ftallc to be cut with a pruning-knife, knd left iX for fome time on the earth tode;iden. After\Vard5 If^as carried off, on hand-barroWs, becaufe it is thus l^fs.'ex'* pofed to be broken than on the necks of negroes. Wheii^ it wias brought to the hoUfe, I caufed it to be hung up* with the big end of the ftdm turned upwardis, the leaves n of each ftalk (lightly touching one another, being well af- fured they would ihrivel in drying, and no longer touch I each other. It hereby happened, that the jtiice contained in the pith (fometimes as brg as one's finger) of the fteiii k)f the plant, flowed into the leaves, and aiigmenring theit fap, made them much morie mil4 and wax^^ As'f^ft as thefe leaves afllimed a brrght chefnut colour^ I ftripfied them from the ftallc, and mkde them dir^dily into 'bundles^ .which! wrapped tip in a cloth, and boUnd it clofe with a. ' cord fdr twenty four hours;; th^n undoing the cloth, they were tied up clofer ftill. This tobacco turhed black and lb waxy, that it could not be rafped in lefs than a year ; butth^n it had a fubftaiice and flavour.fo muph the more agreeable, as it never afFedled the head; and fo I fold it for double the price of thd common. The cotton which is cultivated in Louifiana, is of the fpecies of the white Siain*, though not fo foft, nor lb Jong as the filk-^cotton ; it is extremdy white and vtiy fine, and a very good ufe may be made of it. This cotton . ' : . h * l^his Eait-tndia annual cottop has been found to t>e much f;etter and whiter tb'irn what is cultivated in our colonief, wHfcViV'df the "turo key kind. Both q£ them keep their eoloutheuer in ttifliiiin; lAd'Arliili^ _^r than the perennial cotton tb|t, comes from the Ulandi, although thit lad it of a longer ftaple. - ' OF tQUISUNA. 1^1 U, >ro^ed, mX flfom ^. C^^^y 99 in the ii«i0*lndic8, but (rom ^' pl|4pt9 ar.4i fMW«8 mucH b^|tqr in light than in ftroftg 9n4 f4t isinf) 8; fMcii ;ts thoTe of the : Lower Louifiinte) ' inhere it i« Qot fo iineas on the high gro4nd9. Thia pkint may hv ated in lands newly cleared, ftnd rt«t yet proper for; tobacco, much lefs for indigo^ which requitee » gi^und weH worked like a garden. The feeds of cotton are plantied three feet afunder, more or lefi acce^-djug to the quality of |he foil : the field is weeded at the proper feafon, in oHer to clear it of the noxious weeds^ and freib earth laid to the root of the plant, to fecure ii. againft the winds. The cotton requires weirdfng, neither Co often, nor fo carefully as other plants ; and the care of gathering k the employment^ of young people, incapable d harderlabour. When the root of the cotton is once coyered with fre/b earth, and the weeds are removed, it is fuflered to grow without further touching it, till it arrives to maturity. Then itb heads or pods open into five parts, and expofb dieir Cotton to view. When the fun has driied the cotton "well, it is gaHiftred in' a proper manner, and conveyed into the CohferVatory j after which comes on the gi^teft tafk, which i^ to fisparaee tt fi^m the grain or feed to which it i9}okiif adheres ; ^nik ifi this part of the work, which^dtf- gufts,ijheinli»bitants In the pul vvation of it. I contrived jl miU for the purppfe, tr.i«d it, and found it to fucceed, lb a^ to difpatQh the Wj^k very much. Thecidture of indigo, tobaccd, and cotfon, may be ^a^y carried oniwithout any interruption to the making of 4itVitf a» aj^ one of thefe is no manner of hindrance to the other. In the lirft place, the work about thefe three plants idoes^^Kit come on till after the worms have fpun their filk: "in the fecond place, the feeding and cleaning the fllk- worm requires no great degree of flrength j and thus the -care employed about them interrupts no other fort of ^work, either as to time, or as to the perlbns employed '3rl*:'3 0/2 Iherpin, 196 THE HISTORY thtrein. tt fuffiees for this operttion to have t perfen whd knows how to feed and cl«tn the worms ) young negroei of both rexes might iffift this peffoh, little (kill fuffieing for this purpofe : the oldeft of the young negroes^ when Mught, might (hift the worms and lay the leaves | the othet young negroes gather and fetch them i and all this Ubour, which takes not up the whole day, lafts only for about ftx weeks. It appears therefore, that the profit made of the C\\k is an additional benefit, fomuch the more profitable, as it diverts not the workmen from their ordi- nary tafks. If it be obje^kd, that buildings are requifite to make filk to advantage } I anfwer, buildinss for the pur- pofe co{( very little in a country where wood may be had lor taking t I add farther, that thefe buildings may be made and daubed with mud by any perfons about the far mily i and befides, may ferve for hanging tobacco in, two months after the Alk- worms are gone. I own I have not feen the wax-tree cultivated in Loui- fiana ; people content themfelves to take the berries of this tree, without being at pains to rear it { but as I am per- suaded it would be very advantageous to make plantations of it, 1 (hall give my fentiments on the cultureprpper fpr this tree, after the experiments I made in regard to it. I had (bme feeds of the wax»tree brought me to Fontenii' le Comte, in PoiAou, fome of which I gavetofeveriil'of my friends, but not one of them came up. I began to refledl, that Poi<9;ou not being by far fo w»rm as Louifiana^ thefe feeds Would have difficulty to fhoot \ I therefore thought it was neceiTury tofupply by art thedefe^of natures I pro- cured horfe, rcow, (heep, and pigeon's dung in equal quii^ tity, all which I put in avelTel pf proportionable rtKe, and poured on them water, almoft boiling, in order todiflbive their falts : this water I drew off,, and fleeped the grains in a fuiHcient quantity thereof for forty-eight hours } «f- ter which I fowcd them in a box full of good earth i feven of them came up,, and made (hoots between feven aiMi OP LOUISIANA. iff fight inchei high, but they were all killed by tht froft for want of putting them Into thegreen-houfe. , , , Thii feed having ftich difficulty to come up^ I preAimt that the wax, in which it ii wrapped up, hindt ri the moi« fture from penetrating into, and making iti kernel flioot t and therefore I ihould think that thofe who chooft to fow* it, would do well if they prevtoufly rolled it lightly be- tween two finall boardi juft rough from the faw t this frif^ion would caufe the pellicle of wax to fcale off with fo much the greater facility, ai it ii naturally ytry dcyi and thtn it might be put to ftsf p. Hogi grow naturally in Louifiana, yet fuch ai have a dcftre to make ufe of them for themfelves, or fell them to breweri, cultivate this plant. It is planted in alleys, diftant aAinder fix feet, in holes two feet and one foot deep, in which thQ root is lodged. When fhot a good deal, a polt ot the fixe of one's arm, and between twelve and fifteen fieet long, is fixed in the hole i care is had to dired th# ihoots towards it, which fail no^ to run up the polot When the flower is ripe and yellowifh, the ftem is cut quite clofe to the earth and the pole pulled out^ in order to pick the flowers, which are faved. If we confider the climate of Louifiana, and the qua* lity of the high lands of that province, we might eafily produce faflfron there. The culture of this plant would be fo much the more advantageous to the planters, as thf neighbourhood of Mexico would procure a quick and uft*- fi4 vent for it, . ch» O3 CHAP. ^ THE HISTORT ,'J' :fl iOilvni itiyw «tKV» ,,. C H A P, X. Of At Gmntfret that is^ ahdiilgj^ki tihritdmik Loiiifiaiia. (^4ki GtihmtMtia mbUh tbM Brdvinumafftami/b imntmrk ffrfhrfg^Kurope, Of tbi Ctmmn^a 'if Lo^itucnk with v"|l^.^ft»»-''' > «. ' • ' < 'H >v,HT^fiif bnf Y tlAI^)^ often refle^ed 0n the happincTs of iTranbe jL lii itit portion which Provnlence has allottecf heir m America. She has found in her lands neither tbegpI befides the fpeqies of bufalpcs woul4 notbe dimklinied, bccaqfy ijjefe (^ k^^jdfifi ve aiw»yp the prey of wolves. ;♦ ,h * v Deer-lkins, which were bought of the Indians at firtt^ did nqt plcafe ^he manufacturers of Niort, where they are drefied, becaufe thp lodjans altered the quality by their way of dreifing. thefn } but fince thele (kins have b0en called for without atiy preparation but taking ofF the hair, they make more of them, and f^U them cheaper ths^n before. The wax-tree produces wax, which being much drier , than bees- wax, may beajr mixture^ which wiU not hinder Its lafting longer than bees-wax. Some of this wax wais feiit to Paris to a fadlor of Lbuifiana, who fet fo low a price upon it as todifcourage the planters from fowing any more. The fordid avarice of this fa£tor has done a feN vice to the iflands, where it gives a higher price than that of France. The i^ands alfo draw timber for building from Louiiiana* v^hich might in time prevent France from making hei* pro- fits of t^e' beauty, goodnefs, and quantity of wood of thia. province. The quality of the timber is a great induce- ment to build docks there for the conftru6]tion of fliips : the wood might be had at a low price of the inhabitants, hecaufe they would get it in winter, which is almoft an idle time with them. This labour would alfo dear the grounds, and fo this timber might be had almoft for nothing. Mafts might be alfo had in the country, on ac- count of the number of pines which the coaft produces ; and for the fame reafon pitch and tar would be common. O 4 for aoo THE HISTORY For tht planki of (hipi, then It no wtnt of oak i but might not v«ry good onet b« made of cypreA f this wood ia, indctdi (bfter than oak, but andowoi with qualUhN furpaAng thii laft : it is light, not apt to Q>lic or waifs it fuppla and tafily worlted t in a word, it ii incomipcl* bic both in air and water } and thui making th« planka ftouter than ordinary, there would be no inconvcnienct from the ufe of cyprefi. I have obferved, that this wood ii not injured by the worm, and (hip-wormi might per« hapa have the fame averfion to it aa other wormi have. Other wood fit for the building of ihipi ii very com* mon in this country j fuch as dm, afl), alder, andothen. There are likcwife in this country fcveral fpecies of wood| which might fell in France for joiners work and finaering» as the cedar, the black walnut, and the cotton-tree. No* thing more would therefore be wanting for compleating ibips but cordage and iron. As to hemp, it grows fo ftrong as to be much fitter for making cabUi than cloth. The iron might be brought from France, as alfq fails i however, there needs only to open the iron mine at the cliffs of the Chicafaws, called Prud'homme, to fet up for- ges, and iron will be readily had. . The king, therefor^, might caufe all forts of (hipping to be built there at fo fmall a charge, that a moderate ixpence would procure a numerous fleet. If the Englifli build (hips in their colo- nies from which they draw great advantages, why might not we do the fame in Louifiana i France fetches a great deal of faltpetre from Holland and Italy i (he may draw from Louifiana more than (he will have occafion for, if once (he fets about it. The great fertility of the country is an evident proof thereof, confirmed by the avidity of cloven- footed animals to lick the earth, in all places where the torrents have broke it up : it is well known how fond thefc creatures are of fait. Saltpetre might be made there with all the eafe imagina- ble, on account of the plenty of wood znfi water i it OP LOUISIANA. i9i would bcfidti be much mori purt thtn what ii commonly hid, th« Mith not being fouled with dunghilli ( and 911 the other hand, it would not be dearer than what it now purchafcd by France in other placet. What commerce might nut be made with Silk f Tho filk-wormt might be reared with muck greater fucceft in thii country than in Prance» at appeara from the trhda that have been mado, and which I have above related. ,The landt of Loulfiana are vtry proper for the cultura of Saffron, and the climate would contribute to produce it in great abundance ) and, what would ftill be a con« fiderable advantage, the Spaniardt of Mexico, who oon« fume a great deal of it, would enhance iti price. I have fpoken of Hemp, In refpe^l to the building of fhipi ! but fuch ai might be built there, would never bo fufficient to employ all the hemp which might be raifed in that colony, did the inhabitant! cultivate at much of it u they well might. But you will fiiy. Why do they not } My anfwer it, the Inhabitanti of thii colony only follow the beaten track they have got into; but if they' faw m Intelligent perfon fow hemp without any great ex- pence or labour, at the foil ia very fit for it t if, I fay, they faw that it thrivet without weeding t that in the winter eveningt the negroet and their children can peel it t in a word, if they faw that there it good profit to be had by the fale of it } they then would all make hemp. I'hey think and aA in the fame manner at to all the other articlet of culture fn thit country. Cotton it $lfo a good commodity for commerce ; and the culture of it it attended with no difficulty. The only impediment to the culture of it in a greater quantity, it the difficulty of feparating it from the feed. However, if they had milli, which would do thitAvork with greater difpatch, the profit would confiderably increafe. The m ibi TttlE hi STORY' r^tTlM^ Imligd of Louifiani, according to intdllgentoiefw diants, tH'iiii good M that of the iitands; and hat even more of the copper colbtir. As it thrives ejttremely well, and yields more herb than in the iflands, as much Indigo may fie'iBidt as there, -though they have four outtings* mni' only three in Louifianiw The climate is warner in ^ttt ilfansdsy and therefore thty make four gatherings j but the Ibil is drier, and' produdes hot fp mttchasLouifiana: 1^ j^t ,^e .^ree |CMttit;4{^ pf ^ laft arf a| gpod a^ the f^ qit^ngs in tlve ifl^rf^v »ji?i. ■ , > . ocTke Tobacco, of' thiacoldaiy is So excellent,, that if the «onnience ^beof .wras free,) it would fell for oaeiitindvdl Ibis and.fix.)ivres thaiipoUhd^ io£he and delicate i»it8 juice -^ layour. Ricp my .*!^ fP"** ? ^^ ^^9^ ^ |;ra4e. W^ g^ to the Eal^^jln^ies for the jfiq^ vf^ jcoiUun^ 99 Ff a«fej i»Wl mhj iVM,l4!Wi? jir^w ff^pfl? f9rf ign <^f|Uflr j|ri«, i|i()Hit ,3iv9 ^n*X Ji^y^ 9^ ft^r qwp cpuiji/[,ryRif^f Wf ^4ef,^ iEmetiH^i^ P^lHtps tj9p often, y?|«-s.of fcfrcijQr ll^pcin^ 9re migh,t al>jf^8,4ppe9d uppij ^di^ fjpe ^ l^i^ji^^^ ^ec^ufe U ^ A^ MJB§ U?^ fftiJ, R^ufjdM^agc l^i?l^.frV^P«W>»V?es/q8ioy«-n.r) ...;, j.^/ .^j,^ff,,] ,,. , , We may aiTd to tht^^cdmrnerce ibme drugSi ufed in medicine and dying. ' As to the iirft, Loviifiana produces SafKifras, Sarfapal-iHe, £4^iiine, but above" alP the excel- knt bairn of Copj^lm (Sw^t-gum) the virtues of Which, if weH known, would fave the life of iMny a perfon. This colony alfo furnifi\es us With bears oil, which is ex- cellent in aU rheumatic pftins. For 4ying, I 4ui4 only .fhe wood Aync, or Stinking Wood, for yellow ^ and the Achctchi /qr fed; of |he be^Mty of which . colours we J^J^I giye.^n accpunl in ^Cithc vent whereof is certain, as every thing anfwers there, where or LOUXSIAKA. 9^ Whs^luKirjr fcigiis ecjually fts in Frtnoci Vlmat winei^ mid ftroiig liquon- ftU well i and tbough I hi? c fpolun of the manner of growing wheat in this country, thd iiu habitants, towards the lower part of the river ejpeciallir, will never grow it, any more than they will cultivate^ tn« vine, becaufe in thefe forts of fv««k a negro will not earn his mafter half as much as in cultivating Tobaccot which, tiowiv^r, it lefs profitable than Indigo. ' j^i*? 11^ CdrntiHTif ^ Loulfiahft wUh tht IJkmdi, "^^'fROM ItOtiifiahB to dM Ifland« they cany cfpreft wood fquared for building, of different fcantlings : Tome- times they tranfport houfes, all framed and marked out* ready to fet op, oh landing at thdf place of deftination. jpriokt, w^j^ coil fourteen or fiftren llyfct the |li(^ iJMld, df:Uva^;ifn Mrd the ihip. dt'THct for covering hosfet and Aeda, of theikmeprico.' ; ApalAchea|ibeansj (Garavan^ns) worth ten livxtiche '^itd, of t#o hundred we^ht. Jkfaiv, or Indjin corn. ^^tiCyprefb flank often or twelve feet. ^i^'^ledpeas, whtdi coft in «he country twelve or thirteen iiVres (>he barrel. tritaned tiee, which cofts twenty livres the barrel, of two hundred wei^t. There is, a p;reat profit to be made in the iilands, hj carrying thither the goods I have juft mentioned : this profit is generally cent, per ant, in returns. The ihipping which go from the cokuiy bring back -fugar, cofFco, -rum, which the negroes^confume in drinks bcAdea other goods foi; the ufe of t)ie, country. The (hips which come from France to Louifiana pyt all in at Cape Fran9ois. Sometimes there are (hips, ^hich not having a lading for France, becaufe they may have fo* THE HISTORY n Wvt bMii pild in money or bills of exehihgei •ra6bligH «i mum by Cape Franvoiii in order to teke in their cergA fcff France. MM a*U CHAP. XI. Of th* Cmmrtt with the Spaniards, fhi Gtmrnttiitm thiy Wing H thi CoUnyy if thtn is a Dtttmnd fir tbm. Of fick m mqjf ht givM in rrturHp mul maj fui{ tbm* /?#- JUitiont m tht Cmmtrti •f this Prwincf^ and the gnM e ) Jtkmtihfgt wkitk. tki Sum mid ptrtimUit Pirfinf mttf dtfivt - wifif^tn% .ta; '> \ilV\ ' . 1 ■ .■ Mi,, 4 . Thi Ommirtt mth thi Spaniardi. THE commodities which fuit the Spahlatdt are Atf- ficiently knov/n by traders, and therefore It is not neoeiTary to give an acdotunt of them : t haye likewif« lorebore to give the particMlars of the commodities which *they carry to this colbny, though Tknow tkem all : thf^ is not our prefent bufinefs. I (hall only apprifb (Itch aa Ihall fettle in Louifiana, in order to traffick with the Spa- niards, that it is not fuAcient to be furniflied with the .principal commodities which fuit their commerce, but they (hould, befides, know how to make the proper aflbrfi- meats } which are moft advantageous to ui| ai well at t* them, when they carry them to Mexico* Thi dmrntditiit which the Spaniards bring f Louifiana, if thin is a dtmsndfir them* CAMPEACMY wood, which is generally worth from ten to fifteen livres the hundred weight. Brafil wood, which has a quality fuperior to that of Campeachy. * Ve^ oir'LoutriAHA; ws Very |dOil CftCMf which U t6 bd met with Ifi ill th^ iwrti of Spahi, worth between eighteen ihd twenty ItrNi Che quintilt or hundred weight. ' ' ' •'» Cochineid, which comei from Vera Crux : there It no difficulty to have ai much of ^t ai one can defire, becaufii To near ) it !i worth fifteen livrei the pound : there it ^ inferior fort» called Sylvefter. Tortoife-lhell, which ii common in the Spaniib Ulaiid%| U worth feven or eight livrei the pound* i'Tanned leather^ of which they have great quantitleii, |(hat marked o^ iiA^ped is worth /bur livrei ten foli tte Itvee. Marroquin, or Spanilh iepthcri of which they hiv* great quantities and cheap, -Tumedealf, which ii alfo cheap. , ' \ ^ Indigo, which ii manufactured at ' uaiimala, ti'^rorai' ^ree or four livrei the pound ; there ii of it of a perfe5| good quality, and therefore felli at twelve Uvrei thi pound* "^ . Sarfaparilla, which they have In very great quantilioi^ and fell at thirteen or fifteen foil* Havanna fnufFy which ii of different pricei and quali« ties : I have feen it at three ihillingi the pound, which ia our money make tbirty-feven fall fix deniers. Vanilla, which ii of different prices. They havo many other things stty cheap, on which great profici might be made, and for which an eafy vent may be found In Europe ) efpecially for their drugs : but a f.articular detail would carry me too fiir, a may diicQiK«c (uc|i obj«^.«f commerce at may turn to account, t im^giiie it gop4 it^n^r flight m ^js cploojr tan tl^e leather of the country, and cheaper ^an in France i I even imagine that the liattier , might ihere be brought to its perfedlion in lefs time> and what inakes me think fo, is, that I have l^rd it ayerred^ that the Spanifh leather is extremely good, and is never above Aree or four mondis ih the tan-pit. The fame will hold of many otheir thingf , lyhich woufit l^dit money going out of the kingdom t6 ft^gn coun- tries. Would it not be thore foitable ttni more ufeful, td devife means of drawing the fame commodities from our 0mk codoiiietf As tbefriaeaM arc lb eafy^ at leioft money would not go out of our hands j France and her oalomiei would be as two families who traffick together, find reader each other mutual fervice. Befides, theipe vould not be occaiion for fo much money to carry oh a commerce to liOuifiana, feeing the inhabitants have need of European goods. It would therefore be a commerce very di^rent from that which, without exporting the merchandife of ihe kingdom, exports the inoney ; a cjmmeree iUtI very different from that which carries to f'rance commodities highly pff^udicial to our own manu/lM^ures. ' I may add to all that I frave faid im Louiftana, as on^ of the great advantages of this country, that women ar6 very frmtf ol in k, which they attribute to the, waters of die Miffiiippi. Had the intentbns of the Company been puriuedyr and dieir orden execa^ed, there iaiaoidouht hot this colony had at this day been very Atoog, *nd bitflcd widi a Jiumeroua young progeny, iwhom^ nn Other climsrtc would allure to go and fettle in ; but being iretamed by the beauty of their own, they would improve its riches, and multiplied anew in a ihort time* could offer tbeir mother-country Xticcours in men andXhifM, aiid in many other things that «re not^ be cpncemfied. . I cannot I catihd^ tb6 Ihtidt ili^ the itn^rtjtifM± of thte (\jN*(cdfii»ii| COM, Whfc!i ilhis doldny might atthffli !h ^ (int^ df fetfdty^ fo ft bftd yeiir^are iiybtiged t^ catry biiir tnortef (to K»rrfg;i^ LouifianH Vr«i OHceMl fdtled, what rupt)lie8 of torn fnigbtt ndt be vetelved frdm that frUttftil coiMtry i I IhW ghre iwe reafom Wbidi iiv)ii confirm tny opinion. '' The flr'ft ik. That tHfe f^kbftants UlWajrs 'gre^ nttxt corn than is Me^ty l6r the fubfiftende of wenhfelvitt, their Workmen, and flaves. I dWn, that in the lower jikrt oT the colony ohly rice cculd be hi(d, btit thi^ is aU ^ys kjtttit fupply. Now, were the colony ^Iduallj^ ftttled to'^he Arkanfas, (hey Would gr6w Wheat and rye in ks gireiit quantities 'as one cotild well defire, whicb W6uld be of great fervice t6 Franpe, when her crops hap- I^entofail. The fecond reafon is, That in this colony a Scarcity it never to be apprehended. On my arrival in it, I informed myfelf of what had happened therein from 1709, and I tnyfelf remained in it till 1734; and finfe my return t» France I have had accounts from it down to this prefent year 1757 ; and from thefe accounts I can aver, that 00 tntemperature of feafon has caufed any fcarcity ilnce the beginning of this century. I was witnefs to one of the fevereft winters that had been known in that country in the memory of the oldeft, people living ; but provijQpns were then not dearer than in other years. The foil of this province being excellent, and the feafcns always fuit- able, the provifions and other commodities cultivated in it never fail. to thrive furprizingly. ' One will, . perhaps, be ftirprized to hear me pfbmiie iuch fine things of a country which has been reckoned to be fo much' inferior to the Sp»iilh.or Port ogucfe colonics in ^aiet'icsii but fuch as will take the trouble to rcRaSt on . ; that 9tM TMB HISTORY ) th«t iKhich coniUtutM tiM fnuiiiM ftrangth of flitWy tnd tlM feal foodaeif of i^ ooontrjTt will fooA altsr their opli nioAt and mm with mf» that a country lertila in men» in pfodilAioot of the earth» and in neoeflary metali^ ia infinitily pielerable to.couBtriet from which aaea draw golds filver, and diamond! : the firft elM of which ii to pamper, luxury and render the people indolent) and tho ftoond to ftir up the avarice of neighbouring nationi. I therefore boldly aver, that Louifiana, well governed, would not long fiUl to fuUU all I havt advanced about itt for thott|^ there are ftill fomenftiona of Indiani who mighf prove en(|mies to the French, the fettlert, by their martial charaAer, and their seal for their king and country^ - aided by a few troops,, commanded, above .all, by good officers, who at the fame time luiow how to command thf colonifts : the fettlers, I fay, will be always match enough- for them, vnd prevent any foreigners whatever from in- vading the country. What would therefore be the con- fequence if, as I have projected, the. firft nation that Ihould become our enemy were attacked in the manner I have laid down in my reflections on an Indian war ? They would be dire£My brought to fuch ti pafs as to make all other nations tremble at the very name of the French, and to be ever cautious of making war upon them. Not to mention the advantage theiie is in carrying on wars in this manner; for as they coft little, as little do they hazard the lofs of lives. * In 1734, M. Perier, Governor of Louifiana, was re- lieved by M. de Biainville, and the King's plantation put on a new footing, by an arrangement fuitable to the notions of the perfon who advifed it. A fycophapt, who wanted to make his court to Csrdinal Fleury, would per- fuade that minifter, that the plantation coft his Majefty ten thoufand livres a year, and that this fum might be well favcd ; but took care not to tell his Eminence, that for thefe ten thoufand it (aved at leaft fifty thoufand Upon f; OF LOUISIANA. aof Upon thiiy my plioe of OireAor of tht public plantt- ttont WMabolUhcd, tnd I at length refolvtil lo quit the colony and return to Friuicei notwithfUnding all the fair pnmiifn and warm folicitationi of my fuperion to prevail upon me to ftay. A Kin^^t ihip» La Gironde^ being ready to fail, I went down the river in her to Balife, and from thence we fet fail, on the loth of May, 173A. We bad tolerable fine weather to the mouth of the Bahama Streightf 1 afterwards we had the wind contrary, which retarded our voyage for a week about the banks of New- foundland, to which we were obliged to ftretch for a wind to carry us to France : from thence we made the paiTage without any crofs accident, and happily arrived in the foad of Chaidbois before Rochelle, on the 25th of Jurjc following, which made it a pailage of forty-five days from I^Ottifsana to France. u-i^ Smt ^10 THEHISTORV^ Some AkfirM&sfrom tbt Htfierieal Memoir f of Lbui-. fiana, by Af. Da Mope. ''*t huu / Of Tobaccoi with tht way ne another, left; they (hould rot. In this manner they fill their whole houfe with tobacco, aAd leave it to fweaC and dry. :., After the tobacco is cut, they weed and clean the ground on which it grew : each root then puts out feveral Aickers, which are all pulled off, and only one of the beft is left to grow, of which the fame care is takei>.as of the firfl crop. By this means a fecond crop is made on thfe prohil)ite•» • IL Oftbt way of making Indigo. ^bfj The blue ftone, known by the name of Indigb, Is tSo extra^ of a plant which they who have a fufEcient number of flav^s to manage it, make fome quantities throughout call this colony. For this purpofe they firft weed the 'ground, and make fmall holes in it with a hoe, about f\ve ^ inches afuoder, and on a ftraight line. In each of thefe holes they put five or ftx feeds of the indigo, which are fmall, long, and hard. When they come up, they put forth leaves fomewhat like thofe of box, but a little longer and broader, and not fo thick and indented. When the 'r ' OF LOULSI ANA. 215 tbt plant li'liVe or fix iiiohe» high > they take care to looftnthf .tarth about the root, and at the fiune time to wced'tt^ I'hey.reclcon it has acquired a proper inatunty» when it ia about three feet and t half high ; chit you may likewife know, if the leaf cracki u you T'lueese the plant ill yout'hand. Before you cut it, you get ready a place that is covered 19 khe fame manner with the one made for tobacco, about twenty-five feet high ; in which you put three vats, one sbove anothen, as it were in difFerent ftoriea, fo that the. higheft is the iai^efV ; that in the middle is fquare, andthe^ deepeft; the -third, at bottom, is the lead.. After thefe operations, you cut the indigo, and when you have^^vei^at arms-full, or bundles of the 'plant, to the quantity judged neceflslry for one working^ you fill the vat at leift three quarters full ; after which you pour water thereon up to the brim, and the plant is lef^ tH fteep^ in order' to rot it; which is the reafon why this vat is called the r6tting-tub. For the three or four hours which the plant takes to rot, the water h impregnated With its virtue;' and, though the plant is green, communicates thereto a blue colour. :■■,■■'*•■ At th^ bottom of thegreSt vaY, 'ind where \t bears on the one in the middle (which, as was faid, is fquare) is a pretty large hole, flopped with a bung ; which is opened when the plant is thotight to be fufficiently rotten, and all the water of this vat, mrxed with the mud, formed by the rotthig of the plant, falls- by this hole into the fecond vat; on the edges of which are placed, at proper di- ftanceft, forks of iron or wood. On which large long poles are laid, which reach frbth the two fides to the middle of the Watbr In the vat ; thcend plunged in the water is fur- nifhed ' wfth' a bucket without a bottom. A number of flaves lay hold on thefe polds, by the end which is out of the water ; and alternately pulling them down, and then letting the buckets fall into the vat, they thus continue to P4 beat 2l6 THE HISTORY beat the water ; which being thus agitated and churned* comes to be covered with a white and thick fcum | and in fuch quantity as that it would rife up and flow over tho brim of the vat, if the operator did not take oare to throw in, from time to time, fome fi{h-oil, which he fprinklca with a feather upon this fcum. For thefe reaibns this vat is called the battery. They continue to beat the water for an hour and a half, or two hours } after which they give over, and the water is left to fettle. However, they from time to time open three holes, which are placed at proper diftances from top to bottom in one of the fides of this fecond vat, in order to let the water run off clear. This is repeated for three Ceveral times } but when at the third time the muddy water is ready to come out at the lowermoft hole, th^ flop it, and open another pierced in the lower part of that fide, which refts on the tb^rd vat. Then all the muddy water falls through that hole of the fecond vat into the third, which is the leaft, and is called the devifing They have (r:ks, a ^9ot long, made of a pretty clofe cloth, which they fill with this liquid thick matter, and hang them on nails rounfi the indigo- houfe. The water drains out gradually \ and the matter which is lc;ft behind, refembles a r^al mud, w^ich they take out of thefe facks, and put in moulds, naade . like little dravtrers, two feet long by half a foot broad^ and with a bordcir, or ledge, an inch an^ a lialf high. Theii they lay tbc^ out in the iiin, which draws oflFall.the moifture: and as this mud comes to dry, care is taken to work it with a mafon's trowel : at length it forms a body, which-holds together, and is cut in pieces, while freftv, with wire* It is in this manner that they draw from a green herb this fine blue coloMr, of which there are twp (prts, one of which is of a ^purple dove colour. III. OF LOUISIANA. nf: ♦ m. Of fori th$ wt§ tf moHng iti tmd tf maiim it inf PM. I htf c hiAf that tiMy made « great deal of tar in this colony, from pinei and fin ; which is done in the follow- ing miilncr* It it a commoii miftake, that tar is nothing but the (kp or gum of the pine, drawn from the tree by in* ciiioni the largeft trees would not yield two pounds by this method ; and if it were to be made in that manner, you muft choofe the moft thriving and flouriihing trees for the purpofe ; whereas it is only made from the treet that afe old, and are beginning to decay, becaufe the older tl^ey; are, the greater quantities they contain of that fat bituminous fubftance, whicb yields tar } it is even proper that the tree fhould bo felled a long time, before they ufe them for this purpofe. It is ufually towardf the mouth of the river, and along the fea-cosifts, that they make tar} becaufe it is in thofe places that the pinea chiefly grow. When they have a fuflkient number of thefe treetf that are fit for the purpofe, they faw them in cuts with a crofs-cut faw, about two icet in length $ and while the Haves are employed in fawing them, others fplit thefe cuts lengthwife into fmaU pieces, the fmaller the better. They fometimes fpend three or four months in cutting and preparing the trees in this manner. In the mean time thor make a fquare hollow in the ground, four or five feet broad, and five or. fix inches deep : from one fide of which goes off a canal or gutter, which difcharges it- fclf into a large and pretty deep pit, at the diftance of a few paces. From this pit proceeds another canal, which communicates with a fecond pit ; and even from the firfl: fquare you make three or four fuch trenches, which dif- charge themfelves into as many pits, according to tl^ quantity i%B 'THE HiS^T'OR^^ quantity 6f wood you have, or the quantity of tar you imagine you may draw from vit. Then you lay over the fquare. hole four oc five pretty^j^^rong; biUfs. of jron;,>fu\4v upon thefe. bars you arrange .^rofs- wife the fplit pieces of pine, of which you (hould'have a quantity ready ; laying them fo, tha^.thereroay,ib^a,iUUeai^^bn|;iJlre^$;{hoiQ,, f In thi» mJ|nn©r.you raifei^rMV"ge^Wthe TqujU^e ^le^^^anid:' from thence iuns into the pits n^dev'>:rcj^iv^ibtl:j.~: .i*, If you would make pitch of this tar, take t^d Spthttif red.hot cannon bullets^ and throw 'th)emMiMt»^ the'' pits, fuU of the tar, which you invend for thii ^rp^fe : ' hhme-^ diately up6h which, the 'tar takes' fire' with <^^^i^rible noiieand a horrible thick ftnoke, by which tlV6'iliM>ii(hite that may remain in the tkr' is <:on fumed ifid ^dillfipated, and the (nafs diminiflie6-in--|»rQportion;< and When they think it isr Sufficiently burnt, they extitiguifli fh^^'fire^ not with water, but with a hurdle covered with turf and earth. As it grows cold, it becomes hard and Ihining, fo that you cannot take it ottt of the pits^ but by cut* ting it with an axe« . . .! '^ ■ ' ■ • ■ . . - - ■ ■ . IV. Of the Mines of Louifiana. BEFORE we quit this fubjed, I fhall conclude this account by anfwering a queftion, which has of^en beeii propofed to me. Are there any Mines, fay they, in this province }! There are, without all difpute ; and that is fo ceftairtV sirid ( > w«^ll known, that they who have any knowledge of this country never once called it in qucf- tion. 'And ft is allowed by alL that there arc to be found in this country quarries of plafter of Paris, flate, and very fine .veined marble ; and I have learned from one of CF LOUISIANA. 2x9 my friends, who as well as myfelf had been a great way on difcoverles, that in travelling this province he bad-, found a place full of fine flones of rock-cryftal. As for my (hjare, I can affirm, without endeavouring to impofe on any one, that in one of my excurfions I found, upoa tbe river of the Arkanfas, a rivulet that rolled down with its waters gold-duft ; from which there is reafon to be- lieve that there are mines of this metal in that country. And as for filver-mipes, there is no doubt but they might be found there, as well as in New Mexico, on which this province borders. A Canadian traveller, named Boh Homme, as he was hunting at fome diftance from the Poft of the Nachitoches, melted fome parcels of a mine, that is found in rock? at a very litt)e diftance from that Poft, virhich appeared to be very good Hlver, without any far-^ ther purification *. ,^ . It will be objected to me, perhaps, that if there is any truth in what I advance, I fhould have come from that country laden with filver and gold ; and that if thefe pre- cious metals are to be found there, as I have faid, it is furprizing that the French have never thought of difcover- ing and digging them in thirty years, in which they have been fettled in Louifiana. To this I anfwer, that this objedion is only founded on the ignorance of thofe who make it; and that a traveller, or an officer, ordered by his fuperiors to go to reconnoitre the country, to draw plans, and to give an account of what he has feen, in nothing but immenfe woods and deferts, where they can-< not fo much as find a path, but what is made by the wild beafts ; I fay, that fuch people have enough to do to take care of themfelves and of their prefent bufmefs, inftead of gathering riches ; and think it fufficient, that they re- turn in a whole fkin. With regard to the negligence that the French feem hitherto to have (hewn in fearching foi thefe mines, and in \ * Sec a farther account and aflay of tbii oiiae above. Md THE HISTORY^ in 7S4 22,334 21,764 '■1755 20,698 19.7 " 91,564 87,84s Total — . — -p 350,111 — -^ 298,980 Average — — 87,528 74»74S Imported yearly — . — — — hhds 87,528 Exported 74,745 Home confumption — — — — 12,783 To 87,528 hogiheads, at lol. per hogfliead, j£875,28o Toduty on 12,783 hogiheads at 20I. — — 255,660 Annual income from Tobacco — — — 1,130,940 The number of feamen employed in the Tobacco tra^e is computed at 4500; — in the Sugar trade 3600 ; — and in the Fifiiery of Newfoundland 4000, from Britain. h-sM THE ■)ftvr\ 'yi t. ^»ft C *. t A %r tiasl ? wholerome both for itiaiv And other animals, efpecially for poultry. The tmtivest that they iHay have change of diflHei, drcOr it in various waysk The beft is to make it into what is called Parched Medl, (Farine Ffoid^.) As there li nobody who does not eat of this with |rftfafure, even though not very hungry, I will give the manner of preparing it, that our provinces of France, which reap this grain, may draw tht fame advantage from it. The corn is iirft parboiled in water ; then drained and well dried. When it is perfeflty dry, it is then roifled ia a plate made for that putpofe, a(hes being mixed with i^ to hinder it from burning) and they keq> continually ftir- ring it, that it may take only the red colour which they want. When it has taken that colour, they remove the aihcs, rub it well, and then put it in a mortar with the aflies of dried (talks of kidney beans, and a little water } they then beat it gently, which quickly breaks the huflc., and turns the whole into meal. This meal, after being pdunded, is dried in the fuft, and after this laft operation it may be carried anywhere, and will keep fix months, if care be taken fr5m time to time to expOfe it to the fun. When tbey w|nt to eat of it, they mix in a veflel twd thirda water with one third meal, and in a few minutei the mixture fwells greatly in bulk, and is fit to eat. It it a very nourifliing food, and i» an excellent provifion fot travellers, and thofe who go to any diftance to trade. This parched meal, mixed with milk and a little fugft)^^ may be ferved up at the beft tables. When mixed witH milk'Chocolate it makes a very lafting nouriflimentl Froni Maiz they make a ftrong and agreeable beer ; and thejf likewifef diftil brandy from it.^ Wheat, rye, barley, aAd oats grow extremely well iii Louifiana ; but I rrruft add* one precaution in regard to wheat ; when it is fown by itfelf, as in France, it grows at fifft wonderfully i but wheii it is in Bower, a greai Q,^ * fiumbac IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 12.8 ti^m Ui ■ 2.2 ^ li£ 12.0 F^ll'-^l'-^ ^ 6" ► Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WeST MAIN STRiET WEBSTER, N.Y. 145S0 (716) S72-4503 '^ l/j , 'A- 228 THE HISTORY number of drops of red water may be obferved at the bot- tom of the ftalic within fix inches of the ground, which are collefted there during the night, and difappear 9t fun-rifing. This water is of fuch an acrid nature, that in a (hort time it confumes the ftalk, and the ear falls be- 'for^ the grain is formed. To prevent this misfortune, which is owing to the too great richnefs of the foil, the method I have taken, and which has fucceeded extremely well, is to mix with the wheat you intend to fow, fome rye and dry mould, in fuch a proportiwi that the mould fhall be equal to the rye and wheat together. This me- thod I remember to have feen pradlifed in France; and when I a(ked the reafon of it, the farmer told me that as the land was new, and had lately been a wood, it con- tained an acid that was prejudicial to the wheat; and that as the rye abforbed that acid without being hurt, it thereby prcferved the other grain. I have feen barley and oats in that country three feet high. ^ The rice which is cultivated in that country was brought from Carolina. It fucceeds furprizingly well, and experience has there proved, contrary to the common notion, that it does not want to have its foot always in the water. It has been fown in the flat country without being , flooded, and the grain that was reaped was full grown, and of a very delicate tafte. The fine relifli need not furprife us ; for it is fo with all plants and fruits that grow without being watered, andat a diftance from watery places. Two ^rops may be reaped from the fame pjant ; but the fecond is poor if it be not flooded. I knpvv npt whether they have attempted, fmce I left JLouifiana, ,t9 fow it upon the fides of hills. . " ' ■ The firft fcttlers found in. the country French-beans of various colours, particularly red jind black, and they have been called beans of forty days, becaufe they require oq longer time to grow and to be fit to eat green. The Apa^ ' lachean beans ^re fo called beg^ufe we received them froni a nation O't'LOUISI AN a'. 22Q k riatfoh oT the natives of that name. They probably had them from the Engliifh of Carolina, whither they had Iseen brought from Guinea. Their ftalks fpread upon the ground to the length of four or five feet. They are like the other beans, but much fmallefr, and of a brown colour, having a black ring round the eye, by which they are joined to the (hell. Thef^ beans boil tender, and have a tolerable relilh, but they are fweetifh^ and fome- what infipid. The potatoes are roots more commonly long than thick ; their form is various, and their fine fkin is like that of the Topinambous (IriOi potatoes.) In their fubftarice and tafte they very much refemble fweet chefnuts. They are cultivated in the following manner; the earth is raifed in little hills or high furrows about a foot and a half broad, that by draining the moifture, the roots may have a better relifh. The fmall potatoes being cut in little pieces with an eye in each, four or five of thofe pieces are planted on the head of the hills. In a (hort time they pufli out Ihoots, and thefe fhoots being cut oft about the middle of Auguft within fcven or eight inches of the ground, arc planted double, crofs-ways, in the crown of other hills. The roots of thefe laft are the moft efteemed, not only on account of their fine relifh, but becaufe they are eafier kept during the winter. In order to preferve them during that feafon, they dry them in the fun as foon as they are dug up, and then lay them up in a clofe and dry place, covering them firft with aihes, over which they lay dry mould. They boil them, or bake them, or roaft them on hot coals like chefnuts j but they have the ifineft relifli when baked or roafted. They are eat dry, or cut into fmalUflices in milk without fugar, for they are fweet of themfelves. Good fweetmeats are alfo made of them, and fome Frenchmen have drawn brandy from them. The Cu{haws are a kind of pompion. There are two forts of them, the one round, and the other in the fhape 0.3 «>* 230 T H E H I S T O R y of a hunting horn* ThrXc laft arc the heft, being of 4 more firm fubflance, which makri them Iccep much better than the others ; their fweetnefs is not fo infipid, and thry have fewer feeds. They make fwectme^its of theft , |a(l, and ufc both kinds in foup ; they make fritters of them, fry thorn, bake them, and road them on the coals, und in all ways of cooking they are good and palatable. All kinds of melons grow admirably well in Louifianaf Thofe of Spain, of France, of England, which laft arc called white melons, are there infinitely finer than in the countries from whence they have their name ; but the bcft: fif all are the water melons. As they arc hardly known in France, except in Provence, where a few of the fmalj kind grow, I fancy a dcfcriptiop pf ti^em wD) not bp dif- ilgreeable to the reader. , The ftalk of this melon fpreads like ours upon the ground, and extends to the length of ten fi^et. It is (a tender, that when it is any way bruifed by treading upon St, the ff uit dies ; and if it is rubbed in the lead, it grow^ warm. The leaves are very much indented, as broad as the hand when they are fpread out, and arc fomewhat of t fea-green colour. The fruit is either round like a pompion, or long. Thera are fomc good melons of this laft kind, but the ftrft fort are moft efiecmed, and de- fervedly fo. The weight of the largeil rarely exceeds thirty pounds, but that of the fmallcft is always above , ten pounds. Their rind is of a pale green colour, inter- (jperfed with large white fpots. The fubftance that ad. kieres to the rind is white, crude, a|id of a difagreeable fartnefs, and is therefore never eaten. The fpace withii) ihat is HIM with a light and fparkling fubdance, that may be called for its propertws a rofe-coloured fnow. It , fpelts in the mouth as if it were actually fnow, and leaves a relifh like tJiat of the water prepared for Ack people from goofcberry jelly. This fruit cannot fail therefore of being very rcfrelhing, and is fo wholcfome, that pcrfon^ m * \ OF LOUISIANA. 431 in all kinds of dift^mpers tn'ay fatisfy their iij^petlte with it, without any ap|)rchenflon of being the worfe for it. The water-melons of Africa are not near fo relilhing n ihok of LouiAana* I'he feeds of water-melons are placed like th()fe of the French melons. Their (hape is oval and flat, being a» thick at the ends as towards th6 middle ; their length rs about fix lines, and their breadth four. Some are black And others red } but the black are the beil, ind it is thofe you ought to choofe for Ibwing, if you would wifl) to have good fruit ; which you cartnot fail of, if they art: not planted in (Irong ground, where they would degene- rate and become red. All kinds of greens dnd roots Which hiive been brought from Europe into that colony fucceed better there than ih France, provided they be planted in a foil fuited to them ( for it it certainly abfurd to think that onions and other bulbous plants fhould thrive there in a (bft and watet-y foiF, when every where clfe they require a light and dry ^th. CHAP. II. Of tht Fruit Tras 0/ Louifiana. IShaCll now proceed to give an account of the fruit trees of this colony, and (hall begin with the Vine, which is fo common in LoUifiana, that ^^atever way you walk from the fea coaft for Ave hundred leagues north- wards, you tanhot proceed in hundred fteps without meeting with one j but unlcfs the yme-ihoots (houid hap- pen to grow in an expofed place, it cannot be expe£^ed that their fruit (hould ever come to perfe6t maturity. The treej to Whith thiy twine are fo high, ind fa thick of |eav^$, and the intervals of underwood are fo Ailed with reeds, that the fun cannot warm the earth, or ripen the fmt of t\\\^ ihrub. I will not undertake ro defcribe afl 0.4 ^9 \- ^32 TH E HI STOR Y'i , • the kinds of grapes which this country produces ; it is even jmpodlblc to know them ail ; I Hull only fpcak uf three vr fpur^ The firft fort that I (hall mention docs not perhaps defer ve the name of a grape, although its woud and its leaf greatly rcfemblc the vine. This (hrub bears no bunchqs, an^ you hardly ever fee upon it above two grapes together. The grape in fubftancc and colour is very like a violet ^aoiafk plum, and its Hone, which is always lingte, greatly ijcfemblcs a nut. Though not very rclifliing, it has not however that difagrecable fliarpncfs of the grape . that grows In the neighbourhood of New Orleans. , On the edge of the favannahs or meadows we meet with a grapc^_ the fhoots of which refemble thofc of the Bur- gundy grape- They make from this a tolerable good wine, if they take care to cxpofe it to the fun in fummer, and to the cold in winter. I have made this experiment myfelf* and muft fay that I never could turn U into vinegar. There is another kind of grape which I make no diffi- culty of "claflihg with the grapes of Corinth, commonly called currants. It refemb|es them in the wood, the leaf, the tree, the fize, and the fwcetnefs. Its tartnefs is owing to its being pVcvented from ripening by the ifhick (hade of the large trees to which it twines. If it were planned and cultivated in an open field, I make not the Icaifl doubt but it would equal the grape of Corinth, with which I clafs it. ' -• ■ . ' -'sr itiO':' , Mufcadme grapes, of an amber colour, of a very good l^ind, iand very fweet, have been found upon declivities of 3, good e;cpof^re, even fo far north as the latitude of 31 de- grees. There is the greatell probability that they might make excellent winc of thefe, as it cannot b^ doubted but the grapes might be brought to great perfeftion in this country* fince in the moi(t foil of New Orleans, the iy^tings of the grape whi^h fomc of the inha|)itants of OT LOUISIANA. 2^ that city Kronght from France, have fuccccded extremely wcl), jind afforded good wine. As a proof of the fertility of Louifiana, IcanilotToi*- bcar mentioning the following fa£t ; an inhabitant of New Orleans having planted in his garden a few twigs of this Mufcadine vine, with a view of making an arbour of them, one of his fons, with another negro boy, entered the garden in the month of June, when, the grapes are ripe, and broke off all the'bUnchcslhey could find. The father, after fevercly chiding the two boys, pruned the twigs that had been broken dnd bruifed ; and as feveral months of fummcr ftill remained, the vine pufhed out newr fhoots, and new bunches, which ripened and were as good as the former. • -^ ;i Ix The Perfimltion, which the French of the colbny call Pliicminier, very much refijirrbles our medlar-tree in its Jeaf and wood : its flower, Which is about an inch and a half broad, is white, and 'is compofcd of five petals; its fruit is about the fize of a large hen's egg ; it 19 Yhaped like our medlar, but its fubftarice is fwecter and more delicate. This fruit is aftriftgent ; when it is qifite ripe the natives make bread of it, which they keep from year to year; and the bread has thisf'remarkablc property that it will flop the moft violent loofencfs or dyfentcry ; there- fore it ought to be ufed with caution, sind only after phy- fic. The natives, in order to 'make this bread, fqucezc the fruit over fine fieves to feparate the pulp from the fkin and the kernels. Of this pul'p, vvhich is like parte or thick pap, they make cakes about a foot and a half long*, a foot broad, and a finger's breadth in thicknefs : thefe they dry in an oven, upon gridirons, or elfe in the furt i whicli laft method of drying gives a greater relifli to tht bread. This is one of their articles of traffic with the French. Their plum-trees are of two forts : the bcft h tfjat lyhicb beairs violet-coloured plums, quite like ours, which are ' t 134 THE HISTORY) ■re not difagreeable* and which certainly would be good if they did not grow in the middle of Woodi. The other kind bears plums of the colour of an unripe cherry, and thefe are To tart that no body can eat them } but J am of opinion they might be preferved like goofeberries ; cfpe- cialiy if pains were taken to cultivate them in open grounds. The fmall cherries, called the Indian cherry, are frequent in this country. Their wood is very beauti- ful, and their Je^^ves difTqr in nothing from thofe of the cherry tree. The Papaws are only to be found fat up in Higher X^^ouiftana. Thefe trees, it would feem, do not love hejit ; they do not grpw fo tall as the plum-trees ; their wood is very hard and flexible } for the lower branches are fometimes fo loaded with fruit that they hang perpendicu- larly downwards; anfl if you unlo;^d them of their fruit in the evcningv you wiU £nd them next morning in their natural ere^ portion. The fruit refembles a middle-fized Fucumberji the pulp is very agreeable and very whole- fome } but the rind, which is eafily dripped off, Reaves on the finders fo (harp an acid, that if you touch your eye with (hem before you wa£h them, it will be imntediately inflamed, and itph mfift ipfi^pportably iQ^ (w?f>ty*fouf hours after. The natives had doubtlefs got the peach-trees ^nd fig* trees from the £ngli(h colony of Carolina, before the f rench eftabUib«d tliiemfelves in Louiftana. The peachei are of the kind whicH we call Albergcs } s»re 0f ^e fixe of the fift, adhere to the ftone, and contain Co mucli water that they make a kind of wine of it, Th^ figs are either blue or white \ gns Urge and well enough tafted. Our colonifts plant tbci peach ftones about th4 end of February* and fuiFer the tree^ to grow cxp6fe4 to al| weathers. In tl>e third year they will gather frtjm one tree at leaft two hundred peaches, and double that num- ber for fix or feven years more, when the tree dies irreco? » • ■ ■ ' ' i' * • '■■ "■■' 7 ..' ♦ >■ OF LOUISIANA. 935 verably. As new trees are fo eafily produced, the lofs of the old ones is not in the lead regretted. The orangc-trccs and citron-trees that were brought from Cape Francois have fuccoeded extremely well ; how« ever I have fcen fo fevcre a winter that thofe kinds of threes were entirely frozen to the very trunk. In that cafe they cut the trees down to the ground, »nd the following fum^ mer they produced (hoots that were better than the former. If thcfc trees havf; fucceeded in tKe flat and moid foil of New Orleans, what may we not ejtpciSl when they are planted in better foil, and upon declivities of a good ex- pofure ? The oranges and citrons are as good as thofe of other countries } but the ripd of the orange in particu-* )ar is very thick, which makes it the better for a fwcct» meat. There is plenty of wild apples in LouiHana, like thofe in Europe } and the inhabitants have got many kind of fruit trees from France, fuch as apples, pears, plums, cherries, &c. which in the low grounds run more into wood than fruit ; the few I had at the Natches proved that hig^ ground is much nvore fuited to them than the JlOWy The blue Whortle berry is a flirub fomewhat taller than our largeft goofeberry bufhes, which are left to grow as they pleafe. Irs berries are of the (hape of a, goofeberry, grow finglc, atid are of a blue colour: they tafte like a fwcetiKh goofeberry, and when infufed in brandy it makes ^ good dram. They attribute feveral *- i.ites to it, which, as I never experienced, I cannot anfw ^ for. It lovwC a poor gravelly foil. Louifiana produces 170 black mulberries : but from tt^e fea to the Arkanfas, which is- an extent of navigation upon the river of two hundred leagues, wcmcct very fre- quently with three kinds t^f mulberries ; one a bright red, another perfectly white, and a third white and fwcetifh. The firft of thefe kinds is very common, but the two laft are 236 THE HISTORY are more rare. Of the red mulberries they mnke excel- lent vinegar, which keeps a long time, provided they take care in the making of it to keep it in the (hade in a veflcl well flopped, contrary to the practice in France* They make vinegar alio of bramble berries, but this is not fo good as the former. I do not doubt but the colo-* nifts at prefont apply themfelvcs ferioufly o the cultiva- tion of mulberries, to feed filk -worms, cfpeciaily as the countries adjoining to France, and which fupplied us with filk, have now made the exportation of it diffi- cult. The olive-trees in this colony are furprifingly beauti- ful. The trunk is fomctlmes a foot and an half diameter, antt thirty feet high before it fprcads out into branches. The Pioven^als fettled in the colony affirm, that it8 olives would afford as good an oil as thofe of their coun- try. Some of the olives that were prepared to be eat green, were as good as thofe of Provence. I have reafon to think, that if they were planted on the coafts, the olives would have a finer relifli. '" They have great numbers and a variety of kinds of wal- nut-trees in this country. There is a very large kind, the wood of which is almoft as black as ebony, but very porous. The fruit, with the outer (hell, is of the fizc of a large hen's egg : the fhell has no cleft, is very rough, and fo hard as to require a hammer to break it. Though the fruit be very relifliing, yet it is covered with fuch a thick film, that few can beftow the pains of feparating the one from the other. The natives make bread of it^ by throwing the fruit into water, and rubbing it till thp film and oil be feparated from it. If thofe trees were engrafted with the French walnut, their fruit would pro^ bably be improved. Other walnut-trees have a very white and flexible wood. Of this wood the natives make their crooked ipaJcs for hoeing their fields, 1 he nut is fmaller than ours, » t) F I. O U I S I A N A. 237 ours, and the (hell more tender} but the ftuit is To bitter that none but perroquets can put up with it. The Hicori bears a very fmall kind of nut, which at firft fight one would take for filberts, as they have the fame ihapc and colour, and their (hell is as tender, but within they arc formed like walnuts. They have fuch an excellent relifh, that the French make fried cukes of them as good as thofe of almonds. Louifiana produces biit a few filberts, as the filbert re- quires a pour gravelly foil, which is not to be rnet with in this province, except in the neighbourhood of the Tea, efpecially near the river Mobile, I'he large chcfnuts are not to be met with but at the diiUnce of one hundred leagues from the fea, and far from rivers in the heart of the woods, between the coun- try of the Chadaws and that of the Chicafaws. The common chefnuts fucceed befl upon high declivities, and their fruit is like the chefnuts that grow in our woods. 1 here is another kind of chefnuts, which are called the Acorn chefnuts, as they are fhaped like an acorn, and grow in fuch a cup. fiut they have the colour and tade of a chefnut/; and I have often thought that thofe were the acorns \yhich the firfl of men were faid to have lived upon. • The Sweet-Gum, or Liquid-Ambar (Copalm) is not only extremely common, but it affords a balm, the vir- tues of which are infinite. Its bark is black and hard, and its wood fo tender and fupple, that when the tree is felled, you may draw from the middle of it rods of five or fix feet in length. It cannot be employed in building or furniture, as it warps continually ; nor ts it fit for burning on account of its ftrong fmell ; but a little of it in a fire yields an agreeable perfume. Its leaf is indented with five points like a flar. I (hall not undertake to particularize all the virtues of this Sweet-Gum or Liquid-Ambar, not having learned all of .V' ajS THE HIST-ORY of thrm from the natives of the country, who irould ht no lefs furprifcd to find that we ufed it only as a varniih^ than they were to fee our furgeons bleed their patients^ This balm, according to them, is an excellent febrifuge » they take tco-or a dozen drops of it in gruel fading, andi before their meals i and if they fhould take a little more« they have no reafon to apprehend any danger. 1 he phy- ficians among the natives purge their patients before they* give it them. It cures wounds in two days without any. bad confequcnces : it is equally fovereign for all kinds of' ulcers, after having applied to them for fome d ys a plafteK of bruifed ground-ivy. It cures confumptions, openst obftrudtions } it affords relief in the cciic and all internal! difeafes ; it comforts the heart i in fhort, it contains fo many virtues, that they are every day difcovering fome new properly that it hat< CHAP. III. Of fvrefi Trees, HAVING defcribed the moft remarkable of their fruit trees, I fliall now proceed to give an account of their foreft trees. White and red cedars are very com* mon upon the coal^. The incorruptibility of the wood, and many other excellent properties which are well known, induced the firfl French fettlers to build their houfes of it ; which were but very low. Next to the cedar the cyprefs-tree irtlie moft valuaUe wood. Some reckon it incorruptible } and if it be not, it is. at leaft a great many years in rotting. The tree that wat found twenty feet deep in the earth near New Orleans was a cyprefs, and was uncorrupted. Now if the lands of Lower Louifiana are augmented two leagues everjr century, this tree muft have been buried at leaft twelve centuries. The cyprefs grows very ftraight and tall, with a pro- O r L O U I S I A N A. 239 a proportionable thkknedit They cominonljr make their pettyaugret of a Angle trunk of this tree, which will carry three or four thoufand weight, and fumerimes more. Of one of thofe trees' a carpenter offered to make two pettyaugres, one of which carried Axtecn ton, and th< other fourteen. There is a cyprefs at liaton Kouge, a French fettlemcnt twenty-fix leagues above New Orleans, which meafures twelve yards round, and is of a prodi- gious height. The cyprefs has few branches, and it» le»f is long and narrow. The trunk clofe by the ground fometimes fends off two or three ftems, which enter the earth obliquely, and ferve for buttreiTes to the tree. Its wood is of a beautiful colour, fomcwhat reddiHi ; it is foft, light, and fmooth ; its grain is ftraight, and its pores very clofe. It is cafily fplit by wedges, and though ufed green it never warps. It renews itfelf in a very extraor-* dinary manner : a fliort time after it is cut down, a (boot is obferved to grow from one of its roots exa<5lly in the form of a fugar-loaf, and this fometimes rifcs ten feet high before any leaf appears : the branches at length arife front the head of this conical ihoot *. The cypreflcs were formerly very common InLouifiana ^ but they thuve wafted them fo imprudently, that they are now fomewhat rare. They felled them for the fake of their bark, with which they covered their houfes, and they fawed the wood into planks which they exported ac diiFerent places. The price of the wood now is. three tunes as niuch as it was formerly. The Pine-tree, which loves a barren foil, is to be found in great abundance on the fea coafts, where it grows very high and very beautiful. The. iflands upon the coaft, which are formed wholly of (hining fand, bear noother trees, and I am perfuaded that as. Anemafis might be made of them as of the firs of Sweden. M * Thii U a aiflake, accerdia| to Cbulcvolx. 040 THE HISTORY ^ All the fbuth parts of Louifiana abound with thd Wild Laurel, which grows in the woods without any cuU tivation: the fame may be faid of the ftone laurel; but if a perfon is not upon his guard he may take for the laurel a tree natural to the. country, which would com- municate its bad fmell to ev^ry thing it is applied to. Among the laurels the preference ought to be given to the tulip- laurel (magnolia) which is not known in Europe. This tree is of the height and bulk of one of our common walnut-trees. Its head is naturally very round, and fo thick of leaves that neither the fun nor rain can penetrate it. Its leaves are full four inches long, near three incnes broad, and very thick, of a beautiful iea-green on the upperfide, and refembling white velvet on the under-fide : its bark is fmooth and of a grey colour ; its wood is white, folft and flexible, and the grain interwoven.' Jt owes its name to the form of its great white flowers, which are at Icaft two inches broad. Thefe appearing in the fpring amidft the glofly verdure of the leaves, have a moft beauti- ful efFe<^. As the top is naturally round, and the leaves are ^ver-green, avenues of this tree would doubtlefs be worthy of a royal garden. After it ha^ (he its leaves, ' its fruit appears in the form of a pine apple and upon the flrft approach of the cold its grain turns lu > a lively red. Its kernel is very bitter, and it is faid to b( ifpecific againft fevers. The faflafras, the nameof which is familiar t botanifts on t count of its itiedicinal qualities, is a large ai tall tree. Its bark is thick, and cracked here and there j . ^ wood is fomewhat of the colour of cinnamon, and has an agreeable fmell. It will not burn in the fire without the mixture of other wood, and even in the lire, if it ihould be fepa- rated from the flaming wood, it is immediately extinguifli- ed as if ii' were dipped in water. The'maple grows upon declivities in cold climates, and is much more plentiful in the northern than fouthern parts of OF LOUISIANA. 14* of the colony., fiy boring it they draw from it a fweet fy- rup which I have drunk of, and whidi they alledge is an excellent flomachic. The myrtle wax- tree is one of the greateft blefHngs with* which nature has enriched Louiflana, as in this country the bees lodge their honey in the earth to fave it from the ravages of the bears, who are very fond of it, and do not value their flings. One would be apt to take it at firft fight, both from its bark and its height, for that kind of laurel ufed in the kitchens. Itrifes in feveral ilems from the root; its leaf is like that of the laurel, but not fp thick nor of fuch a lively green. It bears its fruit in bun* ches like a nofegay, rifmg from the fame place in various ftalks about two inches long : at the end of each of thofe ftalks is a little pea, containing a kernel in a nut, which laft is wholly covered with wax. The fruit, which is very plentiful, is eafily gathered, as the ihrub is very ' flexible. The tree thrives as well in the ihade of other trees as in the open air } in watry places and cold countries, as well as in dry grounds and hot climates ; for I have been told that fome of them have been found in Canada, a country a? cold as Denmark. This tree yields two kinds of wax, orie a whitifh yel- low, and the other greerl. It was a long time before they learned to feparate them, and they prepared the wax at firft in the following manner. They threw the grains and the flalks into a large kettle of boiling water, and when the wax was detached from them, they fcummed off the , grains. When the water cooled the wax floated in z cake at the top, and being cut fmall, bleached in a fhorter time than bees .wax. They now prepare it in this manner j they throw boiling water upon the flalks and grains till they are entirely floated, and when they have flood thus a few minutes, they pour off the water, which carries the finefl wax with it. This wax when cold is of a pale yellow colour, and may be bleached in fix or feven R days. 242 THE HISTORY days. Having feparated the beft wax, they pour thtf water again upon the ftalks anc^ grains, and boil all to- gether till they think they have feparated all the wax. Both kinds are exported to our fugar iflands, where the firft is fold for a hundred fols the pound, and the fecond for forty. This w^x is fo brittle and dry that if it falls it breaks into feveral pieces ^ on this account however it lafts longer than that of France, and is preferred to it in our fugar iflands, where the latter is foftened by the great heatS) and confumes like tallow. I would advife thofe who prepare this wax to feparate the grain from the (hort ftalk before they boil it, as the flalk is greener than the grain, and (eems to part eafily with its colour. The water which fervcs to meltahd feparite the wax is far from being ufe- lefs. l^he fruit communicates to it fucfa an aftringent virtue, as to harden the tallow that is melted in it to fuch a degree, that the candles made of that tallow are as firm as the wax candles of France. This aftringent quality likewifb renders it an admirable fpecific againft a dy- fentery or loofenefs. From what I have faid of the myrtle wax-tree, it may well be believed that the French of Louifiana cultivate it carefully, and miake plantations of it. The cotton-tree (a poplar) is a large tre6 which no wife d^ferves the name it bears, unlefs for fome beards that it throws out. Its fruit which contains the grain is about , the fiie of a walnut, and of no ufe ; its wood is yellow, fmooth, fomewhat hard, of a fine grain, and very proper for cabinet work. The bark of its root is a fovereign re- medy for cuts, and fo red that it may even ferve to dye that colour. The acacia (locuft) is the fame in Louifiana as in France, much more common, and lefe freight. The na- tives call it by a name that fignifies hard wood, «and they make their bows of it becaufe it id vfery tt[&\ They looic 2 upon, OF tOUISIANA. 243 upon it as aa incorruptible wood, which induced the French fettlers to build their houfes of it The pofts fixed in the earth muft be entirely ftripped of their bark, for notwithftanding their hardncfs, if the leail bark be left upon them thej will take root. The holm-oak grows to a furprifing bulk and height in this country ; i have leen of them a foot and a half diameter, «od about 30 feet from the ground to the kmeft branches. The mangrove is very common all over America. It grows in Lomiiana near the fea, even to the bounds of low water mark. It is more prejudicial than ufeful, in- afmuch as it occupies a great deal of good land, prevents failors from Uiulifig, aod affords flicker to the hOk from the iiihermen. ' Oak-trees abovnd in Louifiana ; there are fomt rec}, fome white, and fome ever-green. A (btp-buitder of St. Maloes afTured me that the red is as good as the ever-green upon which we fet fo high a value in France, i 1 he ever- green oak is moft common toward the fea-coafts, and near the banks of rivers, coniequently may be tranfported with great eafe, and become a great refource for the navy of France *. I forgot to mention a fourth kind of oak, namely the black oak, fo called from the colour of its bade. Its wood is very hard, and of a deep red* It grows upon the declivities of hiUs and in the favannahs. Happening after a fkower of rain to examine one of thefe whicii I cut down, I obferved fome water to come from it as red as blood, wiiieb made me think that it might be ufed for dying. R 2 ' The • Eleven leagues above the mouth of the Miflifippl, on the weft fidr, flMre It greit plenty of evcNgrecn oaks, the wood of vrhich i* vcry-proper for the tiinben xf ihips, «a it dees oot tot in mutt. Dumont, 1. & 50. According}/ Vhe b«ft ihips buik i? America are well known to be tbflfe that have their timbers of ever-grwa oak, anxl their plank of ci^ar, pf both which there are great plenty on all the coafts of Looiriana. 244 THE HISTORY The afl) is very common in this country ; but more and better upon the fea-coafts than in the inland parts. As it is eafy to be had, and is hafder than the elm, the wheel-wrights make ufe of it for wheels, which it is need- lefstoring with iron in a country where there are neither ftones nor gravel. The elm, beech, lime, and hornbeam, are exa^ly the fame in Louifianaas in France; the laft of thefe trees is very common here. The baric of the lime-tree of this country is equally proper for the making of ropes, as the bark of the common lime j but its leaf is twice as large, and (haped like an oblong trefoil leaf with the point cutofF. The white woods are the afpen, willow, alder and liart. This laft grows very large, its wood is white and light, and its fibres are interwoVen; It is very flexible and is eafily cut, on which account they make their large petty augres 'of it. ^ CHAP. IV. Of Shrubs and Excrefiences, THE ayac, or ftinking-wood, is ufually a fmall tree, feldom exceeding the thicknefs of a man's leg ; its leaf is of a yellowiih gr^n, glofly, and of an oval form, being about three inches in length. The wood is yellow, and yields a water of the fame colour, when it is cut in the fap : but'both the wood and the water that comes from it have a difagreeable fmell. The natives ufe the wood for dying ; they cut it into fmall bits, pound them, and then boil them in water. Having drained this water, they dip the feathers and hair into it, which it is their cuftom to dye firft yellow, and then red. When they intend to ufe it for the yellow dye, they take care to cut the wjud in the ' OF LOUrSIANA. 245 the winter, but if they want only a flight colour they never mind, the feafon of cutting it. ' . The machonchi, or vinegar-tree, is a flirub with' leaves, fomewhat refembling thofe of the afh; but the foot-ftalk from which the leaves hang is much longer. When the leaves are dry the natives mix them with their tobacco to weaken it a little, for they do not love ftrong tobacco for fmoaking. The wood is of an aftringent nature, and if put into vinegar makes it ftronger. The caffine, or yapon, is a fhrub which neVcr grows higher than 15 feet; its bark is very fmooth, and the wood flexible. Its leaf is very much indented, and when lifed as tea is reckoned good for the ftomach. The natives make an intoxicating liquor from it, by boiling it in water till great part of the liquor evaporate. The toothach-tree does not grow higher than 10 or jt feet. The trunk, which is not very large, is wholly co- vered over with fhort thick prickles, which are eafily rub- bed off. The pith of this flirub is almoft as large as that of the elder, and the form of the leaf is almoft the fame in both. It has two barks, the outer almoft black, and the inner white, with fomewhat of, a pale reddifh hue. This inner bark has the property of curing the tooth-ach. The .patient rolls it up to the fize of a bean, puts it jupoii the aching tooth, and chews it till the pain ceafes. Sailors and other fuch people powder it, and ufe it as pepper. r The paflion-thorn does not rife above the height of a ihrub ; but its trunk is rather thick for its height. This flirub is in great efteem among the Natches ; but I never could learn for what reafon. Its leaf refembles that of the black thorn ; and its wood while it is green is not very hard. Its prickles are at leaft two inches long, and gre very hard and piercing; within half an inch of their root two other fmall prickles grow out from them fJo as to form R 3 N acrofs. 246 THE HISTORY a cmfs. The wh^le trunk is covered with thefe prk" kles, fo that you muft be very wary how you approach it^ or cut it. The ddar-tree i« ex»Et\j like tha^ of France, only that its leaf is a Htde more indented. The juice of its leaves mixed with hog's lard is a fpeciftc againft the hflB(ndrj4ioids. The palmetto has its leaves in the form of an open fan, fcolloped at the end of each of its folds. Its bark is more rough and knotty than that of the palm-tree. Althbugh ft is tefs than that of the £aft Indies, it may however fcTve to the fame purpofes. Its wood is not harder than that of a cabbage^ and its trunk is £b ibft that the leaA wind overturns it, (b that i never &w any but what were lying on the ground. It is very common in Iit)wer [Louifiana, where there are no wild oxen y for thofe ani- mals who love it dearly, and ^re greatly fattened by it, devour it wherever they can find it. The Spanifli women inake hats of its leaves that do not weigh an ounce, riding-* hoods, and othec curious works. The birch-tree is the fame with that of France. Ia the north they make canoes of its bark large enough to hold eight perfons* When the fap rifes they ftrip off the hark from the tree in one piece with wedges, after whkh they few up the two ends of it to f^rve for flem and ftern^i and anoint the whole with gum. I make not the lead: doubt but that there are great num- bers, of other trees in the forefts of Louifiana thatdeferve to be particularly defcribed j but I know of none, nof have I heard of any, but what I have already fpoken of. For our travellers, from whom alone we can get any in- telligence of thofe things, are more intent upon di(cover- ing game which they ftand in need of for their fubfiftence, than in obferving the productions of nature in the vegeta* hie kingdom. To what I have fatd of ti-ees, I ihaU only ■ add. ^ OF LOUISIANA. 247 add, from my own knowledge, an account of two lingular excrefcencesk The firft Is a kind of agaric or mu(hroom, which grows from the root of the walnut-tree, efpecially when it is felled. The natives, whq are very careful in the choice of their food, gather it with great attention, boil ir in water, and eat it with their gruel. I had the curiofity to tafle of it, and found it very delicate, but rather inftpid, which might eafily be corrected with a little feafbning. The other excrefcence is commonly found upon trees near the banks of rivers and lakes. It is called Spanifh beard, which name was given it by the natives, who, when the Spaniards firft appeared in their country about 240 years ago, were greatly furpriAsd at their muftachios and beards. This excrefcence appears like a bunch of hait hanging from the large branches of trees, and might at firft be eafily miftaken for an old perruque, efpecially when it is dancing with the wind. As the firft fcitlers of Louifiana ufed only mud walls for their houfes, they commonly mixed it with the mud for ftrengtbening the building. WKen gathered it is of a grey colour, but when it is dry its bark falls ofF, and difcovers black iila- ments as long and as ftrong as th.e hairs of a horfe^s tail. I dreffed feme of it for ftuffing a mattrafs, by firft laying it up in a heap to viake it part with the bark, and after- wards beating it to take ofF fome fmall branches that re* jfemble fo many little hooks. It is afiirmed by fome to be incorruptible : I inyfelf have Ceen of it under old rotteti treeg that was jpcrfedlly frelh and ftrong. R* G H A P. a48 THE HISTORY C H A P. V. , Of Creeping Planti, THE great fertility of Louifiana renders the creeping plants extremely confimon, which, exclufive of the ivy, are all different from thofe which we have in France. 1 fhall only mention the moft remarkable. The bearded-creeper is fo called from having its whole ftalk covered with a beard about an inch long, hooked at the end, and fomewhat thicker than a horfe*s hair. There is no tree which it loves to cling to fo much as to the fweet gum j apd fo great is its fympathy, if I may be allowed the expreffion, for that tree, that if it grow bc^ tween it and'any other tree, it turns folely towards the fweet gum, although it (hould be at the greateft diftance from it. This is likewfife the tree upon which it thrives ^eft. It ha$ the fame virtue with its balm of being a fe- brifuge, and this I affirm after a great number of proofs. The phyficians among the natives ufe this f^mple in the followhig manner. They take a piece of it, above the length of the finger, which they fplit into as many threads as poffible ; thefe they boil in a quart of water, till one third of the deco6tion evaporate, and the remainder is Arained clear. They then purge the patient, and the next day, upon the approach of the fit, they give a third of the decoction to drink. If the patient be not cured with the firfl dofe, he is. again purged and drinks anotheir third, which feldom fails of having the wifhed-for efFeii. This medicine is indeed very bitter, but it ftrengthens the ftomach; a flngular advantage it has over the Jefuits bark, which is accufed of having a contrary efFea. There i$ another creeper very like falfaparilla, only that it bears its leaves by threes. It bears a fruit fmooth OF LOUISIANA. 249 on one fide like a filbert, and on the other as rough as the ' little fhells which ferve formoney on the Guinea coaft. I (hall not fpeak of its properties ; they are but too well known by the women of Louifiana, efpecially the girls, who very often have recourfe to it. Another creeper is called by the native phyHcians the remedy againft ^ifoned arrows. It b large and verf beautiful} its leaves are pretty long, and the pods it bears are narrow, about an inch broad, and eight in- ches long. The falfaparilla grows naturally in Louifiana, and it it not inferior in its qualities to that of Mexico. It is £> well known that it is needlefs to enlarge upon it. The efquine partly refembles a creeper and partly a bramble. It is furnifhed with hard fpikes like prickles, and its oblong leaves are like thofe of the common creeper (lianej) its ftalk is ilraight, long, (hining, and hard, and it runs up along the reeds : its root is fpungy, and fometimes as large as one's head, but mort long than round. Befides the fudorific virtue which the efquine poflefles in common with the falfaparilla, it has the pro- perty of making the hair grow, and the women among the natives ufe it fuccefsfuUy with this view. They cut the root into fmall bits, boil them in water, and wafli their heads with the decdftion. I have feen feveral of them^ whofe hair came down below their knees, and one particularly whofe hair came lower than the ankle bones. Hops ^row naturally in the gullies in the high lands. Maiden>hair grows in Louifiana more beautiful, at leaft as good as that of Canada, which is in fo great repute. It grows in gullies upon the fides of hills, in places that areabfolutely impenetrable to the moll ardent rays of the Cuo. It feldom rifes above a foot, and it bears a thick fliaggy 350 THE HISTORY Ihaggy head. The native phyAcIans know more of its virtues than we do in France. ' The canei or ree^s which I have mentioned fo often may be divided into two kinds. One kind grows in moift places to the height of eighteen feet, and the thicknefs of the wrift. The natives makes matts, fttves, fmall boxes, and other works of it. Thofe that grow in dry places are neither fo high nor fo thick, but are fo hard, that before the arrival of the French, the natives ufed fplits of thofe canes to cut their visuals with. After a certain number of years, the large canea bear a great abundance of grain, which is fomewhat like oats, but about three times as large. The natives OarefuUy gather thefe grains anJ make bread or gruel of them. This ilour fwells as much as that of wheat. When the reeds have yielded the grain they die, and none appear for a long time after in the fame place, efpecially if fire has been fet to the old ones. The flat-root receives its name from the form of its root, which is thin, flat, pretty often ini^ented, and fometimes even pierced through ; it is a line or fometimed two lines in thicknefs, and its breadth is commonly a foot and a half. From this large root h^g feveral other fmall ftraight roots, which draw the nourishment from thiP earth. This plant, which grows in meadows that are' not very rich, fends up from the fame root feveral ftraight ftalks about eighteen inches high, which are as hard as wood, and on the top of the ftalks it bears fmall purplifli flowers, in their figure greatly refembling thofe of heath ; ' its feed is contained in a deep cup clofed at the head, and in a manner crowned. Its leaves are about an inch broad, and about two long, without any indenting, of a ^ark green, inclining to a brown. It is fo ftrong a fuSori- fic, that the natives never ufe any other for promoting fweating, although they are perfectly acquainted with iaflafras, falfaparilla, the efquine and others. The i. OF LOUISIANA. a5t The rattle-fnake-herb has a bulbous root, like that of the tuberofe, but twice as large. The leaves of both have the fame Ihape and the fame colour, and on the under fide have feme flame- coloured fpots ; but thofe of the rattle-fnake plant are twice as large srs the others, end in a very firm point, and are armed with very hard prickles on both ftdes. Its ftalk grows to the height of about three feet, and from the head rife five or fix fprigs in different directions, each of which bears a purple flower an inch broad, with five leaves in the form of a cup. After thefe leaves are fhed there remains a head About the fixe of a fmall nut, but fhaped like the head of a poppy. This head is feparated into four divifions, each of which contains four black feeds, equally thick through- out, and about the fize of a large lentil. When the head is ripe, it will, when (haken, give the fame found as the tail of a rattle-fnake, which feems to indicate the property of the plant.; for it is the fpecific remedy againft the bite of that dangerous reptile. The perfon wlio has been bit ought immediately to take a root, bite off part of it, chew it for ibme time, and apply it to the wound. In five or fix hours it will extraiSl the whole prnfon, and no bad confe- quences need be apprehended. GroUnd-ivy is faid by the natives to pofTeis many more virtues than are known to our botanifts. It is faid to eife women in labour when drank in a decodion ; to cure ulcers, if bruifed and laid upon the ulcered part; to bea fo- vereign remedy for the head-ach ; a confiderable quantity of its leaves bruifed, and laid as a cataplafm upon the head, tquickly removes the pain. As this is an inconvenient ap • plication to a perfon that wears his hair, I thought of taking the GdU of the plant, and I gave fome of them in vulnerary viratcr to a friend of mine who was often attacked with the head-ach, advifing him likewi/e to draw up fome drops by the nofe : be feldom prat^ifed this but he was re- lieved a few moments after. *. The %S% THE HISTORY . The Achechy is only to be found in the (hade of a wood, and never grows higher than fix or feven inchea. It ba^ a fmall (lalk, and its leaves are not above three lines long. Its root conAfts of a great many fprigs a line in diameter, full of red juice like chickens blood. Hav«i ing tranfplantcd this plant from an overlhadowed place into my garden, I expe(fled to fee it greatly improved } but it was not above an inch taller, and its head was only a little buibier than ufual. It is with the juice of this plant that the natives dye their red colour. Having firft dyed their feathers or hair yellow or a beautiful citron colour with the ayac wood, they boil the roots of the achechy in water, then fqueeze them with all their force, and the ex> prefTed liquor ferves for the red dye. That which was na- turally white before it was dyed yellow, takes a beautiful icarlet ; that which was brown, fuch as buffalo's bair, which is of a chefnut colour, becomes a rcddifh brown. I (ball not enlarge upoii the ftrawberries, which arc of an excellent flavour, and fo plentiful, that from the be- ginning of April the favannahs of meadows appear quite xed with them. I (hall alfo only juft mention the tobacco^ which I refefve for the article of agriculture ; but I ought not to omit to take notice, that hemp grows naturally on the lands adjoining to the lakes on the weft of the MifH- fippi. The ftalks are as thick as one's finger, and about fix feet long. They are quite like ours both in the wood, «the leaf, and the rind. The flax which was fown in this country rofe three feet high, I cannot affirm from my own knowledge that the foU in this province produces either white mufhrooms or truf- fles. But morelles in their feafon are to' be found in the greateft abundance, and round mufiirooms in the autumn. When I confider the mild temperature of this climate, I am p^rfuaded that all our flowers would fucceed ex- tremely well in it. The country has flowers peculiar to itfelf. OF LOUISIANA. 153 itfelf, and in fuch abundance, that from the month of May till the end of fummer, you can hardly fee the graft in thie meadows } and of fuch various hues that one is at a loft which to admire moft and declare to be the mod beautiful. The number an<1 diverfity of thofe flowers quite enchant the Aght. I will nut however attempt to give a particu- lar account of th^m, a. ^ am not qualified on this head to fotify the dcfireg of tfi* cariou., from my having neglected to confider tl>< various iiowers themfelves. I have feea fingle and fmall /'/es without i/iy fmell; and another kind of rofe with fout white petals, which in its fmelJ, chives, and pointal, differed in nothing from our damafk rofes. But of all the flowers of this country, that which ilruck me moi^, as it is both very common and lafls ii longtime, is the flower called Lion's^Iouth. The flow- ers which decorate its ftalk, its fhady colours, its blowing for more than three months, juftly entitle it to the pre- ference before all other flowers. It forms of itfelf an agreeable nofegay ; and in my opinion, it deferves to be ranked with the finefl flowers, and to be cultivated with attention in the gardens of our kings. As to cotton and indigo, I defer fpeaking of them till I come to the chapter of agriculture. » i CHAP. S54 THE HISTORY CHAP. VI. nfthe ^adrupedis, BEFORE I fpeak of the animals whidi the firft fettkrs found in Louifiana, it is proper to obferve, that aH tadk which were brought hither from France, or from New Spain and Carolina, fuch as horfes^ oxen, fhee^ goats, dogs, cats, and others, have multipli«d and thriven perfoflly well. However it ought to be remarked, that in Lower Louifiana, where the ground ie motft and much covered with wood, they can neither be i« good nor fo beautiful as in Higher Lourfiana, where the foil is dry, . where there are mbft extenlive meadows, and wiiere the fun warms the earth to a much greater degree. The buffalo is about the fize of one of our largefl: oxen, but hs appears rather bigger, on account of his long curled wool, which makes him appear to the eye much larger than he really is. This wool is very fine and very thick, !<; of a dark chefnut colour, as are like- wife his brii.uy hairs, which are alfo curled, and fo long, that thc^ bufli betwieen his horns often fails over his eyes, and hinders him from feeing before him ; but his fenfe of hearing and fmelling is fo exquifite as in fome meafure to fupply the want of the other. A pretty large bunch rifes 6n his (houlders in the place where they join to the neck. His horns are thick, (hort, and black; and his hoof is alfo black. The cows of this fpecies hav^ fmall udders like thofe of a mare. This buffalo is the chief food of the natives, and of the French alfo for a long time pafl } the beft piece is the bunch on the (houlders, the tafte of which is extremely delicate. They hunt this animal in the winter } for which purpofe they leave Lower Louifiana, and the river Mifli- fippi, as he cannot penetrate thither on account of the thicknefs of the woods; and befides loves to feed on long grafs. A>.^ OF LOUISIANA. ayj grBfs, which is only to be found in the meadows of the high lands* In order to get near enough to fire upon him, they go againft the wind, and they take aim at the hollow of the flioulder, that they may bring htm to the ground at once, for if he is only flightly wounded, he runs againft his enemy. The natives when hunting fel- dom choofe to kill any but the cows, having experienced that the flelh of the male fmells rank; but this they might eafily prevent, if they did but cut ofF the tefticles from the beaft as foon as he is dead, as they do from ftags and wild boars. By killing the males there is lefs hazard of dimini(hing th"; fpecles than by killing the females; and beAdes, the males have much more taJlow, and their (kins are the largeft and beft. Thefe (kins are an obje£): of no fmall confideration. The natives drefs them with their wool on, to fuch great perfection, as to render them more pliable than our buff. They dye them different colours, and death themfelves therewith. To the French they fupply the place of the beft blankets, being at the fame time very warm and very light. - The flag is entirely the fame with that of France, only he is a little larger. They are only to be found in Upper Louifiana, where the woods are much thinner than in Lower liOuifiana, and the chefnuts vrhich the ftag gveatly loves arc very common. The deer is very frequent in this province^ notwith* (landing the great numbers of them that are killed by the natives. According to the hunters, he partly refembles the ftag, the rein-deer, and the roe^buck. As to myfelf, I can only fay what I have feen ; that he is about four feet high, has large horns bending forwards, and dtco" rated with feveral antlers, the ends of which arc formed fomewhat like a rofe ; that his fk(h is dry like that of ours, and when he is fat taftes like mutton. They feed in herds, and are not in the leaft of a fierce nature. They are as^ THE HISTORY are exceffively capricious, hardly remain a moment in on6 pFace, but are coming and going continually. The nati^^c;s drefs the (kin extremely well, like buff, and after- wards baint iti Thofe (kins that are brought ta France are , often called does (kins. The natives hunt the deer fometimes in companfes, and fbmetimes alonb. The hunter who goes out alone, fur- nifhes himfelf with the dried head of a deer, with part of the fkin of the neck faftened to it, and this (kin is ftretch- ed out with feveral hoops made of fplit cane, which arc kept in their places by other fplits placed along the infidel of the fkin, fo that the hands and arms may be eafily put within the neck. Being thus provided, he goes in queft of the deer, and takes ail neceifary precautions not to be difcovered by that animal : when he fees one, he ap- proaches it as gently as poifible, hiding himfelf behind a bufh which he carries in his hand, till he be within (hot of it. But if, before he can come near enough, the buck fiiakes its head, which is a fign that he is going to make fome capers and run away, the hunter immediately coun- terfeits the cries of thofe animals when they call • each dther, in which cafe the buck frequently comes up towards hfttn. He then ihews the head which he holds in his hand, andiby lowering and lifting his arm by turns, it makes the appearance of a buck feeding, and lifting his head from time to time to graze. 7 he hunter ft ill keeps him- felf behind the bu^, till the buck comes near enough to him, and the moment he turns his fide, he fires at the hollow of his (houlder, and lays him dead. When the natives want to make the dance of the deer ; or if they want toexercife thcmfelves merrily ; or if it fhould happen that the Great Sun inclines to fuch fport, they go about an hundred of them in a company to the hunting of this animal, which they muft bring home alive. As it is a diverting exercife, many young men are generally of the party, who difperfe themfelves in the meadows among the thickets OF LOUISIANA. ^57 thickeb in order to difcbver the deer. They no foonei" perceive one than they advance towards him in a wide; crefcent, one point of which may be about a quarter of a league from the other. Part of the crefcent draws near to him, which frightens him away to another point ; that part like wife advancing, he immediately ftie$ back to the other ffdCi H"; is kept thus running from oiie fide to aii« other -a confiderable time, on purpofe to exercife the young menf arid afford diverfion to the Great Sun, or to another Little Sun, who is' nominated to fupply his place. The deer fometimes attempts to get out and efcape by the open- ings, of the crefcent, in which cafe thofe who are at the {Joints run forwards, and oblige him to go back* The creffrent then gradually forms a circle; and when they perceive the deer beginning to be tired, part of thena iioop almod to the ground, and remain in that pofture till he approaches them^ vvhen they rife and ihout : he inftantly flies off to the other fide, where they do the fame ; by which means he is at length fo exhaufted, that he is no longer able to ftaiid on his legs, dild iu^ers him- felf to be taken like a lamb. Sometimes, however, he defeiids himfelf on the ground with his antlers and fore-» feet; they therefore ufe the precaution to felze . upon him behind, and even in that cafe they are fometimes wounded. . The hunters having fcized the deer prefent it to the Great Sun, or in his abfence, to the perfon whom hefent to reprefent him. If he fays, welly the roe-buck is im- mediately opened, and its four quarters carried to the hut of the Great Sun, who gives portions of them to the chief men among the hunters. The wolf is not above fifteen inches high, and of a proportionable length. He is notfo brown as our wolves, nor fo fierce and dangerous ; he is therefore more like a dog tha^i a wolf, efpecially the dog of the natives, who differs from him in nothing, but that he barks. The S wol£ 2sn THE HISTORY wolf is vary common in the hunting countries ; ^nd vfhttt the hunter makes a hut for himfelf in the evening upon the bank of a river, if he fees the wolf^ he may be confi- dent that the buffaloes are not at a very great diftance. It is faid, that this animal, not daring to attack the bufFalo when in a herd, will come and give notice to the hunter that he may kiH him, in hopes of coming in for the offals. The wolves are a£bually (o familiar, that they come and go on all fides when looking for fomething to eat, with- out minding in the leaft whether they be near or at si diftance from the habitations of men. In my time two very large black wolves were feen in Louifiana. The oldeft inhabitants, and thofe who travel to the remoteft parts of the colony, declared that they had never before feen any fuch ; fVom whence it was concluded, that they were foreign wolves which had loft their way. Fortunately thc^ killed them both; for one of them was a fhe-v/olf big with young. The bear appears In Louifiana in winter, as the fnows, which then cover the northern climates, hinder him from procuring a fubfiftence there, and force him fouthwards. If fome few are feen in the fummer time, they are only the flow young bears, that have not been ftrong enough to follow the herd northwards. The bear li^es upon roots and fruits^ particularly, acorns ; but his moft deli- cate food is honey and milk. When he meets with either of thefe laft, be will rather fiifFer himfelf to be killed than quit his prize. Our colonifts have fometimes diverted themfelves by burving a fmall pail with fome milk in it almoft up to the edge in the ground, and fetting two young bears to it. The conteft then was which of the two ihould hinder the other from tafting the milk, and both of them fo tore the earth with their paws, and pulled at the pail, that they generally overturned the milk, be- fore either of them had tailed of it. U ViU OF LOUISIANA. 259 In 6pp6fitidn to the general opinion, wKlch fup'pofes the bear 'i tafhivorous khimkl, I affirm, with all the in. hJibitahts of this colony, and the neighbouring countries, thw he iievcr feeds upon ftefli. It is indeed to be lamented that thfe Tft^ travelfers had the impudence to publffll to the World k thoufand falfe ftbries, which werfe 'eafily be- lievied hcats of Americss though very O F L O U I S I A N A. 261 ,vtry difFerent from thofc of Europe, hayc however the /ame gppeti^e for mice when they are tamed. It is the fame with other fpecies, naturally inclined to live upon other animals ; and the bears of America, if fle(h-eatert, would not quit the countries covered with fnow^ where they would find men and other animals in abundance, to come fo far in fearch of fruits and roots ; which kind of nouriibment carnivorous animals refufe to tafte **. fiears are feen very frequently in Louifiana in the win- ter time, and they are fo little dreaded, that the people fometimes make it a diverfion to hunt them. When they are f;^t, that is about the end of Decenvber, they cannot run fo faft as a man; therefore the hunters are in no danger if they fhould turn upon them. The (he-bears are tolerably fat when they are big with young } but after they have littered they quickly become lean. The bears ufually arrive in Louifiana towards the end of autumn ; and then they are very lean, as th^y do not leave the north till the earth be wholly covered with fnow, and find often but a very fcanty fubfiftence in their way fouth^ wards.. I faid ^ibove, that thofe animals feldom go to any great diftance from the fjhcr ; and on both banks travel- lers meet with fuch a beaten path in winter, that to thofe who are not acquainted with it, it appears like the track of men. I myfclf, the firft time I obferved it, was de- ceived by it. I was then near two hundred miles from any human dwelling, yet the path at firft appeared to me as if it had been made by thoufands of men, who had walked that way bare-footed. Upon^a narrower infpeq- tion however, I obferved, that the prints of the feet were (borter than that of a man, and that there was the im- prefHon of a claw at the end of each toe. It is proper to 33 obferve * Since I wrote the above account of the bean, I have been certainly informed, that in the mountains of Stvoy theie are two forts of bears. The one black, like that of Louifiana, and not carnivorous ) the other red, and no lefs carnivorous than the wolves. Both forts turn upon their |nim/ when wounded. \ 262 THE HISTORY obferve that in thofe paths the bear does not pique himfelf upon po^tcnefs, and will yield the way to nobody ; there- fore it is prudent in a traveller not to fall out with him for fuch a tricing affair. The bears, after they have been a fhort time in the country, and found abundance of fruits, liwn fat and lazy, and it is then the natives go out to hunt them. The bear, when he is fat, huts himfelf, that is, retires into the hollow trunk of fbme rotten tree that has died on end. The natives, when they meet with any of thofe trees, which they fufpedl contains a bear in it, give two or three ftrong blovirs againft the trunk, and immediately run be- hind the next tree oppofite tpthe loweft breach. If there be a bear within, he appears in a few minutes at the breach, to look out and fpy the occafion of the difturbance j but upon obferving nothing likely to annoy him, he goci down again to the bpttppi of his caftle. The natives having once feen their prey, gather a heap of dried canes, which they bruife with their feet, that they may burn the eafier, and one of them mounting upon a tree adjoining to that in which the bear is, fets fiile to the, reeds, and darts them Sks after another into the breach ; the other hunters having planted themfelves in ambufcade upon other trees. The bear is quickly burned out of his habitation, and he no fooner appears on the outftde, than they let fly their arrows at him, and often kill him before he gets to the bottom of the tree. He is no fooner dead than fome of the hunters are dif- patched to look for d deer, and they feldoni fail of bring- ing in one or two. When a deer is brought, they cut off the head, and then take off the (kin whofe, beginning at, the neck,*and rolling it down, as they cut it, like a ftock- ihg. The legs they cut off at the knee-joints, and having cleaned and wafl^ed the fkin, they, fipp all the holes except the neck, with a kind of pafle made of the fat of the deer mixed with afhes, over which ^ they tie feveral OF LOUISIANA. 263 fevcral bindings with the hark of the lime-tree. Having thus provided a kind of calk, they fill it with the oil of the bear, which they prepare by boiling the flefli and fat together. This Deer of Oil, as it is called, they fell to the French for a gun, a yard of cloth, or any other thing of that value. The French, before they ufe it, purify it, by putting >t into a large kettle, with a handful of laurel leaves ; and fprinkling it when it begins to be hot with iome water, in which they have diflblved a large quantity of fait. The fmoke that riies upon this fprinkling carries off with it any bad fmell the fat may have ; they next pour it off into a veiTel, and eight days after there is found on the top of it a clear oil which ferves all the purpofesof olive oil ; what remains below is a fine kind of lard, proper for the kitchen, and a fov^reign remedy for all kinds of p^ins. I myfelf was cured of the rheamatifm in my iboulder by it. The Tiger is not above a foot and a half high, and long in proportion : his hair is fomewhat of a bright bay colour, and he is brifk as all tigers naturally are. His flefh wheii boiled taftes like veal, only it is not ib infipid. There are very few of them to be feen ; I never faw- but two near my fettlement ; and I have great reafon to think that it was the fame beafl J faw both times. The firfttime he laid hold of my dog, who barked and howled; but upon my running towards him, , the tiger left him. The next time he feized a pig ; but this Llikewife refcued, and his claws had gone no deeper than the fat. This animal is not more carnivorous than fearful ; he flies at the fight of a man, and makes off with greater fpeed, if you fhout and halloo as he runs. The Cat-a-mount is a kind of wild cat, as high as the tiger, but not fo thick, and his fkin is extremely beauti- ful. He is a great deilroyer of poultry, but fortunately \ik fpeciesr is rare. Sf Foxe« ^4 THE HISTORY Foxes arc To numerous, that uprMi the woody height! pu frequently fr« nothing but their holcii. As the woodi jifforH ihcm plenty; of gimc, they do not molcfl the poultryi which lire alw«y« Allowed to run at large. The hxtB are cxadlly Hmpcd Ijkc ours but their (kin is much more |t»cftutiful. Their hair is fine flnd thick, of a deep brown ' colour, and over this rife fevcrul long filver-coloured hairs, which have a fine c^c(^» The Wild Cat has been lmprop»^r1y fo called by the firft French Icttlcrs in Louifianat for it has nothing of the cat but its nimble n«Slivlty, and rather refcmbles a monkey. It is not above eight or fen Indies l»igh, and about fifteen long. Its head ismkc that of a fox ; it has long toes, but vcr)* (hort cUws, not made for fei*inggair»ei accordingly it lives upon fruit, bread, and other fuch things. This pnimni may be tamed, and then becomes very froUck- fomc and full of tricks. The hair of thofe that r»rt tame • is grey j but of the wild Is roddifli \ neither of rjiem is fo )bcaullfi|l as that of the fox i It grows very fatv nnd Its flcfti Is good to cat. I (hall not dcfcribe the real wild cat, fts It Is entirely like ours. \ The Rabbit is extremely common over all Louifiana i it is particular in this, that its pile is like that of the hare, •nd it never burrows. Its flefh is w^^ae and delicate, and has the ufual tafte, without any ranknef?. There Is no other kind of rabbit or hare, If yuu pleafc to call it, in •II the colony, than that above dcfcrlbed. The Wood-Rat ha^ the head and tail of a common rat, but ha? the bulk and length y}( a cat. Its legs arc (hort. Its -paws long, and its toes arc armed with claws : its tail is almoft without hair, which ferves for hooking Itfclf to any thing \ for when you take hold of It by that part, it . immediately twifts itfelf round your fingeV. Its pile Is grey, and though very fine, yet is never fmooth. The women among the natives fpin It and dye it red. It hunts by night, and makes war upon the poultry, only fucking J' OF LOUISIANA. i6| Tucking their blood and leaving their fleOi. It Ii very rtre 10 fi'O any creature wulk fo flow ) and I have often catched them when walking my ordinary pace. When he feet himrdf upon the point of being caught, Inftindl prompts him to counterfeit being dead i and in this he pcrfeverei with fuch conftancy, that though laid on a hot gridiron, he will not make the leaft ftgn of life. He never movei, unlefs the perfon go to a diflance or hide himfelf, in which . cafe he Chdeavoura as faft ai poflible to efcape into foms hole or buOi. When the fhc-one ia about to litter, fhe choofcs a place !n the thick bufhcs at the foot of a tree, after which flie and the male crop a great deal of fine dry grufs, which ii loaded upon her belly, and then the male drags her and her burden by the tail to the litteriiig-place. She never quits her young a moment ) but when (he is obliged to change her lodging, carries them with her in a pouch or double fkin that wraps round her belly, and there they may flecp or fuck at their eafc. The two fides of this pouch lap fo clofc that the joining can hardly be ob- i'crved } nor can they be feparated without tearing the (kin. If the fhc-one be caught carrying her young thus with her, fhe will fufFer herfelf to be roafted alive, with- Qut the lead fign of life, rather than open the pouch and expofe her young ones. The flefh of this animal is very good, and taflcs fomcwhat like that of a fucking pig, when it is f^rft broiled, and afterwards roafled on the fplt. ' The Pole-cat or Skunk Is about the fizc of a kitten eight months old. The male is of a beautiful black, but the female has rings of white intermixed with the black. Its ear and its paw nre like that of a moufe, and it has a very lively eye. I fuppofe it lives upon fruits and feeds. j.t is mofi juflly called the Stinking Beaft, for its odour is fo ftrong, that it may be purfued upon the track twenty- foi^r hours after it has palTcd. It goes very flow, and ^hcti the hunter approaches it, it fquirts out far and wide * 266 THEHISTORY Aich a (linking urine, that neither man nor beaft can hardly approach it. A drop of this creature's blood, and probably fome of its urine, having one day fallen upon niy coat when I was hunting, I was obliged as fad as pof- fible to go home' and change my c(oaths j and before I couM uie my coat, it was fcoured and expofed for feveral days to the dew. '^he Squirrels of Louifiana. are like thofe of France, excepting one kind, which are called Flying-Squirrels, becaufe they leap from one tree to another, though the diftance between them be twenty- five or thirty feet. It ia ^bout the fize of a rat, and of a deep aih-colour. Its two fore-legs are joined to its two hind-legs by two menv branes, Co that when it leaps it feems to fly, though it always leaps fomewhat downwards. This animal may be very eafily tamed ; but even then it is beft to chain it. There is another fort, not much bigger than a moufe, and of a bright bay-colour. Thefe are fo familiar that they will come out of the woods, will enter the houfes, and fit within two yards of the people of the houfe, if they do not make any motion ; and there they will feed on any maiz within their reach. I never was fo well diver;ted in my life with the frolics of any aoinnal). as I have been with the vivacity and attitudes of thi& little fquirrel. Thp Porcupine is largie apd fine of his kind ; butra,» he lives only upon fruit, and loves cold, is moft common about the river Illinois, where thei climate is fomewhat cold, and. there is plenty of wild fruits. The flcin, when ilripped of the quills, is white and brown. The natives dye part of the white, yellow and red, and the brown they dye biaclc. They have likewife the art of fplitting the, fkin, ar^d applying it to many curious works, particu- larly to trim the edges of their deer-ikin, and to line fmall hark-boxjps, which are very neat. Th9 OF LOUISIANA. 267 The Hcat were new hatched. The fnialleil I ever met with, which I conqli^ded to be about tl^ec; months old, was as long as a middle-fized eel, and' an inch and a half thipk. . I have killed one nineteen ft;et Ipng, and three feet and a half in its greateii: 4^rj^4>b. A frifnd of mj^f. killed one twenty-two feet long, 268 THE HISTORY long, and the legs of both thefe, which on land feemed to move with great difficulty, were not above a foot in length. But however fluggifh they be on land, iti the water they move with great agility. , This animal has his body always covered with flime, which is the caf^ with all fiflies that live in. muddy waters. When he comes on 0)ore his track is covered with that flimc, as his belly trails on the ground, and this renders the earth very flippery in that part, efpecially as heretu«'ns by the fame path to the water. He never hunts the iiih upon which he fubdfts j but places himfelf in ambufcade, and catches them as they pafs. For that purpofe he digs - a hole in the bank of the rivtr, below the furface of the water, where the current is ftrong, having a fmall en- trance, but large enough within to t rn himfelf round in. The fifl], which are fatigued with the ftrong cur- rent, arc glad to get into the fmooth water in that corner, and there they are immediately feized by the crocodile. I (hall not contradidl the accounts of venerable anti- quity about the crocodiles of the Nile, who fall upon inen and devour them \ who crofs the roads, and make a flippery path upon them to trip paflengers, and make them Aide into the river ; who counterfeit the vpice of an infant, to draw children into their fnares ; neither fhall I contradidl the travellers whr. have confirmed thofe (lories from mere hearfays. But as I profefs to fpeak the truth, and to advance nothing but what I am certain of from my own knowledge, I may fafely affirm that the croco- diles of Louifiana are doubtlefs of another fpecies than thofe of other countries. In fad, I never heard them imitate the cries of an infant, nor is it at all probable that' they can counterfeit them. Their voice is as ftrong as that of a bull. It is true they attack men in the water, but never on land, where they are not at all formi- dable. Befides, there are nations that in great part fubfift upon this animal, which is hunted out by the fathef^ OF LOUISIAI^A. a69 fathers ^nd mothers, and killed by the children^ What can we then believe of thofe ftorics that have been told us of the crocodile ? I myfelf killed all that ever I met of them ; and they ar« fo much the lefs to be dreaded, in that they can neither run nor rife up againft a man. In the water indeed, which is their favourite element, they are dangerous ; but in that cafe it is eafy to guard againft them. The largeft of all the reptiles of Louifiana, is the Rattle-Snake: fome of them have been feen fifteen inches thick, and long in proportion ; but this fpecies is naturally fhorter in proportion to their thicknefs than the other kinds of ferpents. This ferpent gets its name from feveral hollow knots at its tail, very thin and dry, which make a rattling noife. Thefe knots, though inferred into each other, are yet quite detached, and only the firft of them is faftened to the flcin. The number of the knots, it is faid, marks the age of the ferpent, and I am much inclined to believe it ; for as I have killed a great number of them, I always obferved, that the longer and thicker the ferpent was, it had the more knots. Its (kin is almoil black } but the lower part of its belly is ftriped black and white. As foon as it hears or fees a man, it roufes itfelf by (baking its tail, which makes a rattling noife that may be heard at feveral paces diftance, and gives warning to the traveller to be upon his guard. It is much to be dreaded when it coils itfelf up in a fpiral line, for then it may eafily dart upon a man. It (huns the habitations of men, and by a fingular providence, wherever it retirco to, there the herb which cures its bite, is likewife to be found. There are feveral other kinds of ferpents to be feen here, fome of which refemble thofe of France, and at- tempt to flip into the hen-houfes to devour the eggs and new-hatched chickens. Others are green, about two feet long, and not thicker thaji a gooil-quill 3 they frequent , the A70 THE Hist on Y the tn^adowi^ niitl nmy \jk (km\ Running bver th« Tptrett of grtHi) fuch is their lightnef^ ah^ tiliftblcneni. Vi[5 mldiUeof ins throAt ; Ahd ihc Iktn which cbVeri !t \i fa {lietvhed lb l« leittAin ml, wh4t*vcr colour the rtft of the body lie. H« fttvfet do«» my hurt^ and tl^Stys run; aw«y when obferrcd. CHAP. OF LOUISIANA. 271 • CHAP. VII. 1 Of Birdi^ andjiyihg hfefJt* BIRDS arc fo vofy tiui^ei >\ii in Louinana, th^t If all the different kinds of th^m Were known^ which )• far from being the cafe at prefcnt, the defcrijjtion of them alone would require an entire volume. I only undertake the defcription of all thofe which have come within my knowledge, the number of which, I am perfuadcd, will be fullicient to fatisfy the curious reader. The Eagle, the king of birds, is fmaller than th eR^tc which he had in the neighbourhood of that city, he had the curiofity to go and fee a white eagle which was then brought from Ame- rica. After he had entered the houlb a wren was brought, and let fly in the hall where the eagle was feeding, 'i he wren perched upon a beam, and was no fooner perceived by the eagle, than he left off feeding, flew into a corner, and hung down his head. The little bird, on the other hand, began to chirp and appear angry, and a moment after flew upon the neck of the eagle, and pecked him 4 with 171 TMt HISTORY with the grcateft fury, the eagle all the while hang-* ing his head in a cowardly manner, between his feet. The wren, after fatiafying its animoftty, returned to the beam* The Falcon, the Hawk, and the Taflcl are the famt as in France ^ but the falcons are much more beautiful than ours. The Carrioh-Crow, or Turky Duftard, is of the fiae and (hape of a Turky>cock i his head is covered with red flefli, and his plumage is black : he has a hooked beak, but his toes are armed with very fmall talons, and arc therefore very improper for feizing live game, which in- deed he does not chufe to attack, as his want of agility prevents him from darting upon it with the rapidity of a bird of prey. Accordingly he lives only upon the dead beads that he happens to meet with, and yet notwithflanding this kind of food he fmclls of mufk. Several people main, tain, that the Carrion-Crow, or Carancro, is the fanic with our Vulture. The Spaniards forbid the killing of it under pain of corporal punilhment j for as they do not life the whole carcafe of the buffaloes which they kill, thofe birds eat what they leave, which othcrwife, by rotting on the ground, would, according to them, infcdt the air. The Cormorant is flianed very much like a duck, but its plumage is different and much more beautiful. This bird frequents the fhores of the fea and of lakes, but rarely appears in rivers. Its ufual food is fifli; but as it is very voracious, it likewife eats dead fleih } and this it can tear to pieces by means of a notch in its bill, which is about the fize of that of a duck. The Swan of Louifiana are like thofe of France, only they are larger. However, notwithftanding their bulk and their weight, they often rife fo high in the air, that they cannot be diflinguilhed but by their ihrill cry. Their flefh is very good to eat, and their fat is a fpecific againft cold humours. The natives ftt a great value upon OF LOUISIANA. 273 upon the fetcheri of the Svran. Of the large onei they make the diademi of their fovereigni, hats, and other or- namenti ) and they weave the fmall ones as the peruke- makers weave hair, and make coverings of them for their noble women. The young people of both lexes make tippets of the (kin, without, ftripping it of its down. The CamLda-Ooofe is a water-fowl, of the fliape of a gobfe I but twice as large and heavy. Its plumage is afli- coloured ) its eyes are covered with a black fpot ^ its cries are different from thofe of a goofe, and flirillerj its flefli is excellen :. The Pelican is fo called from its large head, its large bill, and above all for its large pouch, which hangs from ita neckf and has neither feather nor down . It fills this pouch with fifh, which it afterwards difgorges for the nouriih- ment of k» young. It never removes from the (hores of the fea^ and is often killed by failors for the fake of the pouch, which when diied ferves them as a purfe for their tobacco. The Geefe are the fan>e with the wild geefe of France. They abound upon the (bores of the fea and of lakes, but are rarely feen in rivers. In this country there are three kinds of Ducks ; firft, the Indian Ducks, fo called becaufe they came originally from that country. Thefe are almoft entirely white, having but a very few grey feathers. On each flde of their h^ad they have fle(h of a more lively red than that of the Turky-cock, and they are larger than our tame ducks. They are as tame as thofe of Europe, and their flefh when young is delicate, and of a fine flavour. The Wild Ducks are fatter, more delicate, and of better taile than thofe of France } but in other refpedls they are entirely the fame. For one you fee in France you may here count a thoufand^ The Perch ing-Ducks, or Carolina Summer«Ducks, ai^e fomewhat larger than our teals. Their plumage is quite beautiful, and fo changeable that no painting can imitate T it. a74 THE HI ST OR V it. Upon their head they have a beautiful tuf^ of tilt moft lively colours, and their red eyes appear like flames^ l*he natives ornament their calumets or pipes wVlh tbt ikin of their neck. Their flefli is very good, but when it ia too fat it taftes orly. Thefe ducks are to be met with the whole year rou^d j^ithey perch upon cheibranchea of trees, which the ot|i€;rs do not, and it is from thit they have their name. The Teal are found in every fea(bn ; and they differ nothing from thofe of France but in having a finer reliih. The Divers of Lonifiana are the fame wi^ thofe of France : they no iboner fee the fire in the pan, than they dive fo fuddenly *Hat the Ihot cannot touch them, and ^ey are therefore called Lead -Eaters. The Saw-bill has the infide of its beak indented like the edge of a faw : it is faid to live wholly upon ihrips, the fhtlls of which it can eafily break. The Crane is a very common water- fowl ; it is larger than a turkey, very lean, and of an excellent tafte. It cats fomewhat Hke beef, and makes very good loup. The Flamingo has only ^ little down upon its head j it» plumage is grey, and its flfeih good. The Spatula has its name from the form of its bill, which is about feven or eight inches long, an inch broad towards the head, and two inches and a half towards the extremity ; it is not quite fo large as a wild goofe ; its^ thighs and legs are about the height of thofe of a turkey. Its plumage is rofe-coloured, the wings being brighter than any other part. This, is a water-fowl, and its flefli is very good. The Heron of Louiftana is not in the Icaft different £rom that of Europe. The Egret, or White Heronj is fo called from tufts of feathers upon the wings near the body, which hinder it from OF LOUISIANA. 275 ir^ flying high } it ii a water-fowl with white plumage | but its AtCti taftcs very oily. ( The Bec-croche, or Crook-bill, has indeed a crooked bill, with which it feizes the cray-iifli upon which it rub- fids, hi flefli has that tafte, and is red. Its plumage Is a whitifli gfey } and it is about the fize of a capon. The Indian Water-Hen, and the Green-Foot, are the fame as in France. The Hatchet-Bill is fo called on account of its bill, which is red, and formed like the edge of an ax. Its feet fttt alfo of a beautiful red, and it is therefore often called Red-Foot. As it lives upon (hell-filh, it never removes from the fea-coaft, but upon the approach of a ftorm^ which is always fare to follow its retiring into the inland parts. The King'Fiflier excels ours in nothing but in the beauty of its plumage, which is as various as the rainbow. This bird, it is well known, goes always againft the ^ind ; but perhaps few, people know that it preferves the fame property when it is dead. I myfelf hung a dead one by i* Alk thread diretS^Iy over a fea-compafs, and I can declare it as a fa£l;, that the bill was always turned to« wards the wind. The Sea-Lark and §ea-Snipe never qifit the fea } their jlefh may be eat, as it has very little of the oily tafte. . The Frigate-Bird is a large bird, which in . the day- time keeps itfelf in the air above the fhore of the fea.^ Ic pften rifes very high, probably for exercife} for it feeds upon fiih, and every night retires to the coaft. It appears larger than it really is, as it is covered with a great many fea- thers of a grey colour. Its wings are very long, its tail forked, and it cuts the air with great fwiftnefs. The Draught-Bird is a large bird, not much unlike the Frigate-Bird, as light, but not fo fwift. The under-part of its plumage is chequered brown and white, but the upper-partis of greyift) brown. T 2 TTic 276 THEHISTORY The Fool is of a yellowifli colour, and about the fixe of a htn i it is fo calied, becaufe it will fuflfer a man to approach it fo near as to feize it with his hand : but even then it is tdo foon to cry vi^ory ; for if the perfon who feizes it does not take the greateft precaution, it will fnap off his finger at one bite. * When thofe three laft birds are obferved to hover very low over the (hore, we may moft certainly expert an ap- proaching ftorm. On the other hand, when the failora fee the Halcyons behind their veflfel, they expert and gene- rally meet with fine weather for fome days. : Since I have mentioned the Halcyon, I (hall here de^ fcrtbe it. It is a fmall bird, about the fize of a fwallow, but its beak is longer, and its plumage is violet-coloured. It has two flreaks of a yellowiih brown at the end of the feathers of its wings, which when it fits appear upon its back. When we left Louifiana, near ah hundred hal- cyons followed our veflel for near three days : they kept at the diftance of about a ftone>caft, and Teemed to fwim, yet I could never difcover that their feet were webbed, and was therefore greatly furprifed. They probably live upon the fmall infers that drop from the outfide of the vefTel when failing ; for they now-a:id'then dived, and came up in the fame place. I have fome fufpicion that, by keep-* ing in the wake of the fhip, they float after it without fwimming j for when they happened to be out of the wake of the (hip, they were obliged to fly, in order to come up with the (hip again. This bird is (aid to build its nefl of the glutinous froth of the fea clofe upon the fhore, and to launch it when a land breeze arifes, raiflng one of its wings in the form of a fail, which receiving the wind, helps to carry it out to fea. I fhall now proceed to fpeak of the fowls which fre- " quent the woods, and fhall begin with the Wild-Turky, which is very common all over the coiony. It is finer» larger, and better than that in France. The feathers of OF LOUISIANA. 377 of the turky are of a dufkifh grey, edged, with a fireak of gold colour, near half an in^h broad. In the fmall feathers the gold-coloured (Ireak *s not above one tenth of an inch broad. The natives make fans of the tail, and of four tails joined together, the French make an umbrella. The women among the natives weave the fea- thers as our peruke-makers weave their hair, and faften them to an old covering of bark, which they likewife line with them, fo that it has down on both ftdes. It» fleih is more delicate, fatter, and more juicy than that of ours. They go in flocks, and with a dog one may kill a great inany qf them. I never could procure any of the turky's eggs, to try to hatch them, and difcover whether they were^as difficult to bring up in this country as in France, fince the climate of both countries is almoft the fame. My flave told me, that in his nation they brought up the young tujrkies as /eafily as we do chickens. The Pheafant is the moft beautiful bird that can be painted, and in every refpe^t entirely like that of Europe. Their rarity, in my opinion, makes them more efteemed than they deferve. 1 would at any time prefer a flice off the fillet of a buffalo to any phsafant. The Partridges of Louif'^na are not larger than a wood- pigeon. Their plumage is exadly the fame with that of our grey partridges ; they have alfo the horfe^ihoe upon the breaft j they perch upon trees, and are feldom feen in flocks. Their cry confifts only of twoftrong notes, fomewhat refembling the name given them by the natives, who call them Ho-ouy. Their fiefh is white and delicate, but, like all the oth^r game in this country, it has no fumeU And only excels in the fine tafte. The Woodcock is very rare, becaufe it is only to be met with in inhabited countries. It is like, that of France ; its flefh is white, but rather plumper and more delicate than that of ours, which is owing to the plenty and good- nefs of its fruit. ~ Tj The fjS THE HISTQRY 7'he Snipe it much more common than the woodcockt , and in this coun^yy is far from being fhy. Its fleO^ U., white, and of a much better reliih than that of ours. I am of opinion that the Quail is very rare ii^ Loul- fiana; I have fometimes heard it, hu% n^y^ (f^v|f,it»,n)^ know any Frenchman that ever did. ' '- • • . , Some of our colonifts have thought proper to give the ii;»me of Ortolan to a fmall bird which has the (unt plumage, but in every other xcCpeik does not in the Icoft refemblcit. ^tr: K The Corbijeau is as large as the wooddock, and very common. Its plumage is varied with feveral fhady colours, and is different from that of the woodcock } its feet and beak are alfo longer, which laft is crooked and of a red-, difh yellow colour } its ilefh is likewife firmer and better tafteJ. The Parroquet of Louifiana is not quite fo large as thofe that are ufually brought to France. Its plumage is ufually of a fine fea-green, with a pale rofe-col6ured fpot upon the crown, which brightens into red towards the beak, and fades off into green towards the body. It is with difHculty that it learns to fpeak, and everi then it rarely pra6tifes it, refembling in this the natives theih- felves, who fpeak little. As a filent parrot would never make its fortune among our French ladies, it is doubdefs on this account that we fee fo few of thefe in France. The Turtle-Dove is the fame with thai of Eurbpe, but few of them are f6en here. The Wood- Pigeons are feen in fuch prodigious numbers, that I do not fear to exaggerate, when I affirm that tliey foiijetimes cloud the fun. One day on the banks of the MifTifippi I met with a flock of them which was fo large, that before they all pafled, I had leifure to fire With the fati^e piece four times at them. But the rapidity of their ffight was fo great, that though I do not fire ill,, with mv four (hots I brought down but two. , TJjefc OF LOUISIANA. 279 Thefe birds come to Louifiana only in th« winter, ani remain in Canada during the fuinmer, where they devour the corn, it they eat the acorns- in Louifiana. The Cana- dians have ufed every art to hinder them from doing (0 much mirchief, but withoujt fuccel^. But if the inhabi- tants of thofe colonies were, to go afowlins for thofe birds t in the manner that I have done, they would infenfibly d|B- flroy them. When they^ walk ahiong the high foreft trees, they ought to remark under what trees the largeft quantity 6f dung is to be feen. Thofe itets being once difeovered, the huhicrs ought to go oiit when it begins to grow dark,' and carry with them a quantityof brimftone which theylnuft fet fire to in To many earthen plates phccd at regular di-' fiances under the trees. In a very ihort time tbey. !vi^jil.bear aihower of wood-pigeons falling to the ground, whiph, by^ the light of fome dried canesr, t^ey m9>y gathers inti^Ctcks^t as foon as the brimftone is e:|ctinguiihed. , , ,,:^-^,^, ^ , . I fhall here give an inftance that prove^ not ^i^y thcK prodigious number of thofe tpi/ds, but al/b ^hfjif .iji^gulaf ' inftindl. In one of my journeys at land, when I happened to be upon the bank of the riV6r, I lieard aconfjiiied noife whieh feemed 'to come a(long the river from a conj(iderable diftance below us. A,Sthe^ fduhd continued uniformly t eitibarked, ^ faft as I could, pti board the pettyaugre, with four either men, and jflefii'ed'ciown the river, keepings in the middle, that I might go to any fide thaVbeft fuited' me. Bt^t hb*^' great was my (lirprife wheii I approached' the place Irdm whence the noife came, an4 obferyed i| to proceed froni a* thick fllort pillar on the bank of thi river,. When I drtfw' ftill riearer to it, T perceived that it was formed by a lejgion of wood-pigeons, who kept continu- ally fly iiig ' upland down fucciefflvely among th^ bi-anchc$ of an ever-green oak, in order to beat dowii the acorpf with their 'wings. Every noW Artd; then^lbftiearfghted to ' eat the acoms which they thehifelves or thfe others had beat dawn ^ for they 9II a£ted in conimon, and eat' iii'conimon ; ■ T 4 • ' •■ ^-' -' • no' aSo THE HISTORY no avarice nor private tntereft appearing aniong them, but each labouring at much for the reft as for himfelf. Crows are common in Louifiana, and as they eat no carrion their flefli is better tafted than that of the crows of France. Whatever their appetite may be, they dare not for the carrion crow approach any carcafs. I never faw any Ravens in tbia country, and if there be any they muft be very rare«v The Owls are larger and whiter than in France, and their cry is much more frightful. The Little Owl is the fame wi^h ours, but much more rare. Thefe two birds kre more comnaon in Lower Louifiana than in the higher. The Magpye refembles thofe of Europe in nothing but its cry (it is more delicate, is quite black, has a different manner of flying, and chiefly frequents the coafts. ' *' The Blackbirds are black all over, not excepting their bills rjoi^ their feet, and are almoft as large again as ours. Their notes are different, and thei)rfle(h is hard. "'^ There aire two forts of Starlings in this country.} one grey and fpotted, and the other black. In both the tip of the itboulder is of a bright red. They are only to be feen in winter } and then they are fo numerous, that up- wards of three hundred of them have been taken at once in a net. A beaten path is made near a wood, and after it is cleaned and fmoothed, it is ftrewed wjth rice. On each fide of this path is fhetched a long narrpvv filken net, with, very fmall mefhes, and made to turn over at once by firings faftened to the ftick that ftretches the end of it. The ftarlings no fooner alight to pick up the grain, than the fowler, who lies concealed with the (brings in his haindy pulls the net over them. , • ■ , • f, ■ The Wood-pecker is much the fame as in France ; but here there are two kinds of them } one has grey feathers fpotted with Mack ; the other has the he^d and the neck of a bright red, and the reft of the body as the former. Thi? OF LOUISIANA. 281 Thb bird Hvtt upon the worms which it finds in rotten wood, tnd not upon ants, as a modern author would have us believe, for want of having confidered the nature of the things which he relates. The bird, when looking for its food, examines the trunks of trees that have loft their bark $ it clafps by its feet with its belly clofe to the tree, and hearkens if it can hear a worm eating the wood ; in this manner it leaps from place to place upon the trunk till it hears a worm, then it pierces the wood in that part, pricks the worm with its hard and pointed tongue, and draws it out. The arms which nature has furnrfhed it with are veiy proper for this kind of hunting} its dawa are hard and very (harp; its beak is formed like si little ax,, and is very h^rd ; its neck is long and flexible, to give proper play to its besdc i and its hard tongue, which it can extend three or four inches, has a moil iharp point with feveral beards that help to hold the prey. ' The Swallows of this country have that part yellow which ours have white, and they, as well as the martins, live in the woods. ... The Nightingale differs in nothing from ours in refpe^ to its fliape or plumage, unlefs that it has the bill a little lon- ger. But in this it is particular that it is not fhy, and fings through the whole year, though rarely. Is is very eafy to entice them to your roof, where it is imppflible for the cats to reach them, by laying fomething for them to eat upon a lath, with a piece of the fhell of a gourd which ferves to hold their neft. You may in that cafe depend upon their not changing their habitation. The Pope is a bird that has a red and black plumage. It has got that name perhaps becaufe its colour makes it look fomewhat old, and none but old men are promoted to that dignity; or becaufe its notes arefoft, feeble, and rare; or laftly, becaufe they wanted a bird of that name in the colony^ having two other kinds named cardinals and ^iihops. The Iff THE ffia.TJQRT Tk^ Qardiual owes ksnstmtfi Ithf brigi>thW4(o£|be|bt-" thcrs, aa4 tQ a< Uttl,? cpwl QH the hind pyi^f fhs bead», iRftktch retobles tb&t of th« biAiQp*s crwHn«iM;» jc»Ued a CMnail. It! i»as large a«,a b]a<;l& ftfj^g^ and biaoli* Itnotot ; are Jq ilroog and piercing that they ire elnl3riagceejib^e irii t1^ woQds. If is remarkable , for hy'inf^ up its wiiltev prm* vi^n inthefununeT) and near a Pavis bwfl^l of maJOLbaSi beei^ found in its fetreat^ s^rtfiUJy covered, Bxtk withdeavte ^ and then with fmall branches,,: with only a little opening fi^ t^Kf^di^felfta enter. . i . • )i ' tIc Bifhop is abird ffnaller than the linflfet ; lbs t>}ttmage'' 19 a vtoleti>co)oured blue, and its wings, which fen^e it for acope,' areentirely violM-colouri Its noted -are fo fWcet, fo variable^ and tender^ that tboife whoi have bqcr htaid it^ < ^treap^ taabate in their praiics of the ni^tiii^ide; " I had = fuch great pleafure in heariiig t^ cl)amaing.bit)d^ that I l^t aij p^ ftanding very m^XJfxy a]^ajrtinent,,.iipjpii» which he ufed to con^e and percb^.thoug^h I very well IcpeviV' that the tree, which ftood iingle, might be overturned by a blaft of wind, ahd fall uppn my houfe tp n(iy great Thel|umming-6ird is not lar^r even with its fishers tban, a^lacge beetle. The cplo^r of its feat)ifr% i§i yj^riable, according, to the light they areexpofed m j in the (m» they appear )ikc enamel upon a gold grou,nd, which delights (ha €fts*, The longeft feathers of the wings of this, bird are not i^ucb more than half ai|. inch long ; its bjU i^ abcrtit the iame length, and pointed like an awl} and its tof>gue> re« fembles a fQwing needle ; it$ feet are like thofeof a large fiy. Notwithftanding its little fize, its flight is fo rapid, that it is always heard before it be feen. Although like the bee it fucks the fiowers^ it never refts upon, them, but fupports itfelf upon its wings, and pad^s from one flower to another with the rapidity of ligbtenjiig. It isa rsre thing to catch a humming-bird alive ^ one of my I fKende 0|P -LOUISIANA, ajj^ friends howfjver hgd thiQ bappinoTft to oatch otiet He;h%di obferved it enter the flower of a convolvubjs, and a»lt bant) quite b.uried^itfplf to get at tho bottono, he n^n forvtrardsy il^iit the flo\yer, cut it fropi the i^all^, a^d carried off i^p. bird a prifoner. He could not hQW^y^r jprevail uponijCto, eat, and it died four days after. The Troniou is a fmall bird about thcii^e Qf ^ fptj-t^^^v its phimage is> lilce;wire the fame j but i(s beak is Qfi^^^^, Its notes feem to exprefs its name, ., The French fettl^rs raife in this provlnqe turkl^of tjbe fam^ kind with thole of France, fowls, capons./&c» of , an excellent taf^e. The pigeons for their fine flavour agd delicacy arepreTerred b^ Eurqpe^s to^thofeof a|7y ^ptlier. country. Inie 'Ouin<^ ^<^v^ i^ here deli<;ious. ^^, , r. ;. •, ' ..^•..tt! -, ., . , i.},j\'i-J 7J'-.' ' .>nw .K»f In Louifiana we have two kinds' of Silk- worms ; om^rj w^s. brought froni France, th^ qthf r Isn^tMr^l ^o th^ coun- try . I iha^l enlarge upon thei^ tender the article of agrj^- cj^iture. ^^^^.^,^^.- ., . • _ -.,H -jo v^ifi .. o:; cuT The Tobacco-worm isa caterpillar of the fize and i^gurf< of a filk-worm. It is of a Hne fea-gre^n colo^ur, with rings of a filver colour ; on its rump it has a fting n^ a quarter of an inc)^ Ibhg* Thefe infers quickly do a great deal of mifchief, th^fore care is taken every day, while the tobacco is rifing, to pick them o^T and kill theVh., ', ' la fumtnef ,C^;»t(erpiI)lar9 a^c fonietiipes found upon t^e plants, but thefc infers are very wr^ In .^he cplopy, Qlov^r Mforms are her^ the (ame as in I'rance. Butterflies are^ not near fo cpnuifion as. in France; th% confequenc^ ^ there bjeing fi^wer caterpillars ; but they.^ are of incomparable beauty, and have the moft brilliaiiC cplours. 1(1 the meadows are to be feen black gifalhop- pcrs, which almoft always walk, rarely leap, andftillfeU domer fly, T|iey are about the fi^ of a finger or thumh^^ |ind their head is (haped fomewhat like that of a horfe^^ , Th«ir a«%* THE HISTORY^ Their four rmall wings ini of « mod beautiful purplffi"*' Cam »rt very fond of gra(hopperft, ••'.>, ' The fieeti of Louiflftrtfi Wge in the eArth, to fecure their h6n):y fh^m the nvngti of the bean. $oitie few indeed budd their combs rn the trunki of trees, as in Europe } but by far the greatcft number in the earth in t\\t iotiy forefts, where the bean feldom go* ' The Fifes are of two kinds, one a yetlowiih brown^ a^ in France, and the other black. '^'' ' ' "' *' ^ The Wafps in this country take up ^heir abode near the h^iMdet where they rmetl visuals. Several' French fettlera chd mVoured to root them out of their neighbourhood ; but I a^ed otherwife ; for rcAeAing, that no JUiei are to be feen where the wafps frequent, 1 invite^ them by hanging «p « piece of fleih iri the atri ^ ^w mmhi l ' The Qutck-ftingeris a long and yelldWifhfly, ^ndit re^eti^es its namein-om {tii Ringing the moment it lights. The common flies of France are very common alfo in tbttMiana.' >■'-''-■-'". > -/r < ,^h^ Cantharidet, or Spanifli flies, are very numeroui/ and larger than in Europe ^ they are of fuch an acid na- t^lfe, that if they butHightly touch the Iniin as they pats, a^pretty la^rge blifter in(|tantly ri(et. Thefe flies live upon the leaves of the oak. . - • , TheGreen-flies appeal^ Only every other year, and the natWes fuperftitioufly look upon their appearance as a prti*^^ fage of a good crop. It is a pity that the cattle are fb grditly moleftcd by them, that they cannot remain in the fields ) for they are extremely beautiful, and twice as large as bees. ^ -^'i^inqi-:,-: ■ . / Fine flies are very common ; when the rirgh^ is ferene thty are fo very numerous, that if the tight they dart out were con(hint, one might fee 'as clearly ai in fine moon- fliine. The Fly-'antSt which we fee attach themfelves to the flower of the acacia, and which difappear when that flower. OF LOUISIANA. 285 flower 11 gone, do not proceed from the common anti. The fly antiy though ihaped like the other kind, are however longer and larger. They have a fquare head } their colour it a brownilh red bordered with black » they have four red and grey wings, and fly like common flies, which the other ants do not even when they have wiiigs. The DragoH'-flies are pretty numerous t they do not want to deftr<^ them becaufe they feed upon moflcitos, which ii one of the moft troublefome kind of infects. The Moflcitos are famous all over America, for their multitude, the troublefomenefs of their buzzing, and the venom of their ftings, which occafion an infupports^ble itching, and often form fo many ulcers, if the perfon (lung does not immediately put fome fpittle on the wound. In open places they are Icfs tormenting } but ftill they arc troublefome ( and the befl: way of driving them out of the houfes is to burn a little brimftone in the morn- ings and evenings. The fmoke of this infallibly kills them, and the fmell keeps others away for feveral days. An hour after the brimftone has been burnt, the apart- ments may be fafely entered into by men. By thic fame means we may rid ourfelves of the flies and moflcitos, whofe fling is fo painful and fo frequent during the fliort time they fly about } for they do not rife till about fun-fet, and they retire at night. This. is not the cafe with the Burning-fly. Thefe, though not much larger than the point of a pin, areinfupportable to the people who labour in the fields. They fly from fun-rifing to fun* fetting, and the wounds they give burn like fire. The Lavertis an infetS); about an inch and aquarterlong, a little more than a quarter broad, and but a tenth part of an inch thick. It enters the houfes by the fmall- eft crevices, and in the night-time it falls upon difhei that are even covered with a plate, which renders it very troublefome to thofe whofe houfes are only built of wood. But they are fo relifhing to the cats, that thefe lad quit every tViry thing t6 fall up6h th^hi whct^r thtfyi^tfXlifeiiS^, Witeh la new ktt\dc}izi once cltSlt^'tYih ^rouAd ^bbut his Itdttfc, "aiKd is ^t f»ine diftahce firom the w^^ he is qulclc- iy frttd fr6m them. ^ ; . ., In Louifiana there are white ants,- which feem to love dead wood. Perfons who have been in the Eaft- Indies hav* alTared m^, that they are quite like tHoie which in that country are c^kd taHcarlay aiid ^aft they wbutd eat throtfgh glaft, which 1 hev^r had ^e experience b^. There are in LoufUiana^ as in France, i«d, black, and ifly^ ftiigants. .,..'■:. ' ■ :'.;p ■' ■ C H A P.^ VIII. Of Fijhes and Shell'Fi/b. THOUGH there is an incredible quantity of fiibea in this country, I (hall however be very concife in my account of them; becaufe during my abode in the country they were npt fufficiently known j and the peo- ple were not experienced enough in the art o( catching them. The rnoft of the rivers being very deep, and the Miffifippi, as I have mentioned, being between thirty- eight and forty fathbihs, from its mouth to the fall of St, Anthony, it Aiay be eafily conceived that the inftrumehta ttfed for fifhing in France, Cannot be of any ufe in Loui- fiana, becaufe they cannot go to the bottom of the rivers, or at leaft fo dee^ as tb prevent the fifh from efcaping. The line therfeforccah be tonlyufed, and it is with It they catch ail the fiih that are eaten by the ibttlers upon the ri- ver. I proceed to an account of thofe fifh. The fiarbel is of two ibrts, the lai-gfc and the fmall. The firft is about four feet lohg, and the fmalleft of this fort that is ever feen is two feet long, the young ones doubt- lefs keeping at the bottom of the water. This kind has a very large head, aild a rouiid body, which gradually \kU fens 01!' LOUIS^IAMA, j«^ fens t6\^i:^ tke tail; The filh has no fcales, nor any bones, ^a^epting that of the middle: its flefli is very good anil delicate, hut m a (Vnall degree very infiptd^ t^teh is eaidly remedied } in other refpefls it eats very like the freih cod of the country. The 'finalt is from a foot to two in length. Its head is fliaped Hke that of the other kind ; hut its body k not lb rounds «or ib pointed at the tail. .i.^ The Carp of the river Miffifippi is monftbus. Nonft are feeh uiider two fe^t long ; and many are met witti three and four feet in length. 'I'he carps are not fo very good in the lower part of the river ; but the higher one 1^ the ftner they are, on account of the plenty of fand in thofe parts. A great number of carps are carried mto the lakes l!hac are filled by llie overflowing of the river, and in thofe lakes diey are found of all fizes, in great abuit* d^nce, and, of a better relifii than thoie of the river. , The Bti]rgo-Break«i< is an excellent fifli ; it is ufually % fbot aiid a fbot and a half long : it is round, with gold** coloured fcales. In its throat it has two bones with m furface like that of a file to break the ihell-fifli named Burgo. Though delicate, it is neverthelefs very^rm. it is beft when not much boiled. 't'he Ring-Skate is fouhd in the river up as far as Nc\y Orleans, but no higher. It is very good, and no way tough. In other refpe£ts it is exatSlly like that of France. The Spatula is fo called, becaufe from its fnout a fub' fiance extends about a foot in length, in the form of an apothecary's fpatula. This fiih, which is about two feet in length, is neither round or flat, but fquare, having ac its fides and in the under part bones that form an angle like thofe of the back. Np Pikes are caught above a foot and a half long. As this is a voracious fifli, perhaps the Armed-fiih purfues it, both from jeafoufy and appetite. The pike, befyJes being ihiall, is very rare, ' The M THE HISTORY The Choupic is a very beautiful fifh ; many' people miftake it for the trout» as it takes a fly in the fame man- ner. But it is very different from the trout, as it prefert muddy and dead water to a clear ftream, and its flefli is ibi foft that it is only good when fried. ThiQ Sardine or fmall Pilchard of the river ^iffifippi^ is about three or four fingers in breadth, and between fi^ and feven inches long ; it is good and delicate. One year 1 falted about the quantity of forty pints of them, and all the French who eat of them acknowledged them to be Sardines from their flefh, their bones, and .their tafte. They appear only for a (hort feafon, and are caught by the natives, when fwimming againft the ftrongeft current, with nets made for that purpofe only. The Patafla, fo called by the natives for its flatnefs, it the roach or freih-water mullet of this country. The Armed>Fiih has its name from its arms, and its fcaly mail. Its arms are its very fliarp teeth, about the tenth of an inch in diameter, and as much diftant from each other, and n^ar half an inch bng. .The interval or the larger teeth is filled with fliorter teeth. Thefe arms are a proof of its voracity. Its mail is nothing but itt fcales, which are white, as hard as ivory, and about the tenth of an inqh in thicknefs^ They are near an inch long, about half as much in breadth, end in a point, and have two cutting fides. There are two ranges of them down the back, ihaped exactly like the head of a fpontoon, and oppofite to the point of the fcale has a lit- tle (hank, about three tenths of an inch long, which the natives infert into the end of their arrows, making the fcale ferve for a head. The flefh of thi$ fifh is hard and not relKhing. There are a great number of Eels in the river Miflifippi, and very large ones are found in all the rivers and creeks. The whole lower part of the river abounds in Cray- fifli. Upon my firft arrival in the colony the ground waa covered OF LOUISIANA. 2S9 covtnd with little hillocks, about fix or fe\^en inches fiigh, which the crayfiih had made for taking the air out of the water j but fmce dikes have been raifed for keep- ing off the river from the low grounds, they no longer ihew themfelves. Whenever they are wanted, they fi(h for them with the leg of a frog, and in a few moments they will catch a large dilh of them. - The Shrimps are diminutive crayfifh ; they are ufually about three inches long, and** of the fize of the little finger. Although in other countries they are generally found in the fea only, yet in Louifiana you will meet with great numbers of them more than an hundred leagues up the river. In the lake St. Louis, about two leagues from New Orleans, the waters of which, having a communica* tion with the fea, are fomewhat brackifh, axe founvl feve- ral forts both of fea fifb, and frefh water fiih. As the bottom of the lake is very level, they fifh in it with large nets lately brought from France. - Near the lalfe, when we pafs by the outlets to the fea, and continue along the coafls, we meet with fmall oyfters in great abundance, that are very well tailed. On the other hand, when we quit the lake by another lake that communicates with one of the mouths of the river, we «ieet with oyfters four or five inch.^s broad, and fix or feven long. Thefe large oyfters eat beft fried, having hardly any faltnefs, but in other refpeds are large and delicate. Having fpoken of the oyfters of Louifiana, I (hall take fome notice of the oyfters that are found on the trees at St. Domingo. When I arrived at the harbour of Cape Francois in my way to Louifiana, I was much furprized to fee oyfters hanging to the branches of fome fhrubs ; but M. Chaineau, who was our fecond captain, explained the phaenomenon to me. According to him, the twigs of the ihrubs are bent down at high water, to the very bottom of th^ (hore, whenever the fea is any v/ays agitated. U ^ The ^90 THE HISTORY The pyfters in thAt place 110 fooner feel the t\yigs ihaA they lay hold of thera, and wh^n the Tea rfstires tl^ey 1^- pear fufpended upon then). . Towards the mouths of the river we meet with mufliela fto falter than the large oyfters above mentioned ; and this is owing to the water being only J)racki£h in thofe parftA* as the river there empties ttielf by three large mouths^ and Hve other fmall ones, befides feveral (hort creeks, which all together throw at once an immenfe quantity of water into the fea } the whole marfhy ground occupies aa extent of ten or twelve leagues. There are likewtfe excellent muflels upon the northern 0iorc of the lake St. Louis, efpecially in the rivef of Pearls i they may be about fix or feven inches long, and fometimes contain pretty large pearls., but of no grea( value.' . The largeft of the Aell-fifli on the ooaft is the Biirj^ well known in France. There is another fiflimuch fmaller and of a di£Ferent £bape. Ijcs hollow ihell is ^ong and dutiful, and the flat one is gene^^ally black ; fome l^ue ones are €bun4, and are mu jh efteemed. TJieie ibellt J^ave long b^n in requeft for t^Hacco- boxes. THE [ ^91] T HE H I S T O R Y OF .Uiv/J f LOUISIANA MwiM B O O |C IV. «««M*4w«»a^-v< ' MH ' I 'I . C H A p. I. 7^ Origin rf tht Ammctn9» THE remarkable differehce I obfervcd behireea the Natchez, including in that name the nationsr whom they treat as brethren, and the other. peoplvi of Louiiaana, made me extremely defirous to know whence both of th^m might origioaJiiy cqme. We had not then that full information which we have fince received from^ the voyages and difcoveries of M* De Lille in the eaftern^ paF(9 of the Ruffian empire. I therefore applie^.myrelf one day to put the keeper of the temple in good humour^ and having fucceeded in that without inuch diftculty, I then told him* that from the little reifemblance lob- fcrved between the Natchez and the neighbouring nations^' I w^ inclined to believe that they, were not originally of th« country which they then inhabited ; 4ind that if* the ancient ipeech taught him any thing on that Aibjeft, hr fTouB do me a great pleafure to inform me pf it. At U 2 thefe 19* THE HISTORY thefe words he leaned his head on his two hands, with ^ich he covered his eyes, and having remaiiied in that pofture about a quarter of an hour, as if to recoiled! him- fclf, he anfwered to the following tffe& : *< Before we came into this land we lived yonder under the fun, (pointing with his finger nearly fouth-weft, hy which I underftood that he meant Mexico i) we lived in a fine country where the earth is always pleafant ; there our Suns had their abode, «nd our nation maintained it- felf for a long time againft the ancients of the country, who conquered fome of our villages in the plains, but never could force us from thie mountains. Our nation extended itfelf^ along the great water where this large river lofes itfelf i but as our enemies were become very nume- rous, and very wicked, our Suns fent fome of their fub- je&a who lived near this river, to examine whether we could retire into the country through which it flowed. The country on the eaft fidfi of the river being found extremely pleafant, the Great Sun, upon the return of thofe who had exs^nined it, ordered all his fubjedts who lived in the plains, and who ftill defended themfehres againft the antients • of the country, to remove into this land, here to build a temple, and to preferve the eter- nal fire.'- -''o^n: :.■■..■ .'....,....,,.. *< A gr#at part of oui* nation accordingly fettled here, where they lived in peace and abundance for feveral gene- rations. The Great Sun, anil thofe who had rertiiined with him, njever thought of joining us, being tempted to con- tinue where they were by the pleafantnefs of the countryj which was very warm, and by the weaknefs of their ene- mies, who had fallen intd civil dfffentions, in confequencc of the ambition of one of their chiefs, who wanted to rkife himfelf from a ftate of equality with the other chiefs of the vijla^^', and to treat all the peofde of his nation .'as flavesi' During thofe difcords among our enemies, fome of them even entered into an alliance with the Great ' gun, who ftill remained in our old country^ that^ he might J conve- OF LOUISIANA. 293 conveniently a/fift our other brethren who had fettled oa; the banks of the Great Water to the eaft of the large ri- ver, and extended themfelves fo far on the coaft and among the iflet, that the Great Sun did not hear of them fometimes for five or fix years together. ** It was not till after many generations that the Great ' Suns came and joined us in this country,' where, ftom the fine climate, and the peace we had enjoyed, we had mul- tiplied like the leaves of the trees. Warriors of fire, who made the earth to tremble, had arrived in our old coun- try, and having entered into an alliance with our bre* thren, conquered our ancient enemies } but attempting afterwards to make flaves of our Suns, they, rather than ' fubmit to them, left our brethren who refufed to follow them, and c^me hither attended only with their flaves.'* Upon my aflcing him who thofe warriors of fire were, he replied, that they were bearded white men, fomewhac of a brown i(h colour, who carried arms that darted out fire with a great noife, and killed at a great diftance; that they had likewife heavy arms which killed a great many men at once, and like thunder made the earth tremble; and that they came from the Ain-rifing in floating villages. The antients of the country he faid were very nume- rous, and inhabited from the weftern coaft of the great water to the northern countries on this fide the fun, and very far upon the fame coaft beyond the fun. They had a great number of lar^e zn^ fmall villages, which were all built of ftone, and in which there were houfes large enough to lodgtf 9 whole village. Their temples were built with great liabour and art, and they made beautiful works of all kinds of materials. But ye yourfelves, faid I, whence are ye come? The ancient fpeech, he replied, does not fay from what land we came; all that we know is, that our fathers, to come hither, followed the fun, and came with him from the place where he rifes ; that they were a long time on their U 3 journey, r j|94r THE HISTORY JDumcy, wferc all on the point of perilhing, and were brought into this country without fecking it. To thii account of tfie keeper of the temple, which Wa^ afterwards confirmed to me by the Great Sun, I (hall add the following paflage of Diodorus Siculus, which feemi to confirm the opinion of thofe who think the eaftern Americans are defcended from the Europeans, who may have been driven by the winds upon the coafts of Guiana or firaill. ^< To the weft of Africa, he fays, lies a very large* ifland, diftant many days fail from that part of our con- tinent. Its fertile foil is partly plain, and partly moun- uinous. The plain country is moft fweet and pleafant, being watered every where with rivulets, and navigable rivers;} it is beautified with many gardens, wlych are planted with all kinds of trees, and the orchards parti- cularly are watered with pleafant ftreams. The villages are adorned with houfes built in a magnificent tafte, hav- ing parterres ornamented with arbours covered with flow- ers. Hither the inhabitants retire during the fummer tO; enjoy the fruits which the country furniihes them within, the greateft abundance. The mountainous part is cover- ed with large woods, and all manner of fruit trees, and in the vallies, which are watered with rivulets, the inha- bitants meet with every thing that can render life agree- able. In a word, the whole ifland, by its fertility and the abundance of its fprings, furniihes the inhabitants not only with every thing that may flatter their wifhes» but with what may alfo contribute to their health and firength of body. Hunting furniflies them with fuch an infinite number of animals, that in their feafts they have nothing to wifh.for in regard either to plenty or delicacy. Befides, the Tea, which furrounds the ifland, fupplies them plentifully with all kinds of fiih, dnd indeed the Tea in general is very abundant. The air of this ifland is fo temperate that the trees bear leaves and fruit almoft the ^^''■■^ ■ ' "- whole. ,'m- ;:. ■ ■ / • ' OF LOUISIANA. tgi whole year round. In a word» this iflaiid is (6 deliciouVi that h feemi rather the abode of the goda than of men. •' *' AfKtently, on aceonnt of its remote fituatlon, it wa« SItoeether unknown ; hut afterwarda it was difcovercd by iecfdefit. It H Well known, that from the earlieft agei
% their (kerii- ficest their buildings, their form of government, and their manner of making war, all denote a |ieo)de who have tranHnigrated in a body, and bmught with them thp arts, the fciences, and tlte cufVoma of their countryt Thoft^ peo(de had the art of writing, and alib of paint- ing. Their archives conAlVhl of cloths of cottoUi whereon they had paiiued or drawn all thofe tranfa^ions which they thought worthy of being tranfinitted toporterity. It were greatly to be wlfhed that the firft conquerors of thii new \wrld had piefeivevl to us the figures of thofe draw- ings I for by compAring them with the chara^lers uled by other * The tuiKAr mi|ht h«t« mcntUncd • Anguliir ruanm, in which hotH nttioni tfrec { A)t \t •|sp««ti fV»m f»^iai, I I. c. fl. thtt ih« C|iHha||ini» C^f tout I IAN A. i^ •ther iiAtldnit wt might tf«rh«tii have dlftsovtrtoil th^urigift of tha iHhAbltintit The knowltdgti which w hsve tt tH« ChiHeRi chflrtiSlerii which ira ri^ther irrrguUi' drnw- Ihii thin charflAten, would prbhubly h«y6 r«Qillt«t«d Aj6h tt difbovet-y t attd perh«pi thnlb af }ipM would have he«K f^iutid greatly tn have reOimbled the Mfrxitati t ht 1 am ilrongly uf opihioii that the Mexicans are defcended ftom one of thuib two natleni . tn faAt where It the irtipoinhilltyi thdt fbme prince In one of thoHi cnuntri«8< upon Falling in an attempt to raifli himniir tn the fhvereign power, Ihould leave his natl¥t country with all hli partitant, and lotik For (boiei ne# landi where, after he had eitablKhed himft^lf, he mighf drop all foreign correl^inndence i The (£«iy navigation (if the Routh Hea renderi the thlhg probable i and the tte# map of the eaftern boundi of Afla, and the we(l«rn df North Ameriiai tttelypubiifhed by Mr. De Lille, make* it fllll mure likely. Thli map makes it plainly appear/ that between the illands of Japan, or northern coa/li of China, and tholb of AmeHca, there are other lahds| which to this day have remained unknown » and who wUl take upon him to fliy there is no land, becaulk it hai never yet been dlfbovered f I have therefbre good groutidi to believe^ that the McMlcans came originally from Chltitt or Japan* ef^utially when I confider their referved and uncommunicative dllpofltion, which t| this dav prevaill among the people of the eailern parts of AHa. The great antiquity of the ''hinel^ nation likewife makes It podRbk that a colony nti^ht have gone from thence to AmeriiSa early enough tn be Inoked upon as tht Anthnh «f the c9un^ Ityt by the flill of the Phenicians who could be fuppofed to arrive there. As a further corroboration of my coO'' )e£tures, I was informed by a man of learning in I7)l» that in the king's library there is a Chinefe manufcript, which pofttively afflrmi that America was peopled by the Inhabitants of Corea^ When ft|ft THX HISTOIIV When tht NiMhts ittifttl to thil |Hirt •{ Amettott wliert I faw th^itti ihtf)r t)i«r« rmmd fevtntl nitibiwi m imW the rtntdtM bf ianttA fHMlottKi ftmit on tK« iftft^ «(li«ls on tht #eft of thte Mifllfi^i^ ^Mt nH thtf peo» ipit #Ko iN dii^ingyifliH Mtidttg the nttiVei hf tht itli^tf «r Kifed Men i And theit- 6rif in (s (b much the mortf ^* §bK^n ii they have not Td diUlntA a traditbn, iii th« Matches, nor arts and fciences tike tht Mvxicanft, rrom wience we nii|i;ht draw feme fatiafaiSlorjr inferenceii. All ilMt I could team from tht m wa^i ihai th^y came from letween the north and the lun-fetting i And this acc^oiint they uniformly aidhfrad to whenever they gave any aeeouni i^ their origin. This lame tradition no ways fatiefying the deftre I I*ad to be informed on this point, t madt gl^at inquiries to know if there was any wile old ma* ftmong the neighbouring r - !i> <( After tKw exipedition I thoii^ 9f nothii^ liwtpro- «9iBding on my journey, ai»4 wUh fha^ deTign-Ui^t, (}if Red Men return home, and joined myfelf to tMe wiN> inhahited more weftward on the icoa(i^ with whom I ^ih Yelled aUng tihe (hove of the Gieat Water, which bund* direi611y hetwiMt the north And the {Tun^fctfeing. When 2 arrived at the villages of nay feUoW'traveUerj^, whoif I liaund the daya viery long and ^e nightt very flicwt^ I waa Advifed by the old men to ^veover.aU thoiig^ta.iiyr continuing my journey. They told me that the lao^ extended ftill a long way in a dire&ion heftwcen the floclih and fun-fetting, after which it ran dire£ily weft, and at length wascut by the "Great Water from north to fowtu One of them added, that wh^n ,he was young, he knew a very old man who had feen that diftant land before it was eat away by the Great Water, and th^t v/kua the Great Water was low, many rocks ftill appeared in tbofs parts. Finding it theiiefore impn^icable to proceed much further, oo account Qf the feverity of the climate^ and the want of game, I returned by the fame route by which I had fct out J and reducing my whole travels weftward to days journeys, I compute that they would have employed me thirty-ilx moon^j but on account of my frequent delays, it was iive years before I returned to.my.relatioof among the Yazous." Moncacht-ap£, after giving me an account of has tra»* rVelsj fpent four or five .days, vifiting among the Natoh^z, and then returned to take leave of qne, when I n)ade him a prefect of feyeral wares of no great vsdue, amon^ whi<;h was a. concave mirror about two inches and a halC diame- ter, which had coft me about three halfpenceo As this ipa^niiiqd th^ (ace 'to fo^r M |«M»« ^ • ' was 304 THt HISTORY WMi wonderfully deligkfed with it, and vrould n6t htftf exchange it with ^he ^beft mirror in France. After ex^ pfdBng his regret at parting with me, he leturned highly iatiffied to his own nation. ^^-'1 ' - Moncacht-tfp6'8 account of the jun£Hon bf America with the eaftern parts of Afia (eems confirmed from the following remarkable fai&. Some years ago the (keletona of two large elephants and two fmaU ones were difcovered hi a marfl^ near the rim Ohio ; and as they were not much confumed, it is fuppoied that the elephants came from Afift not many years before. If war alfo confider the farm of government, and the manner of living among tiie' northern nations of America, there '^ill appear « great refemblance betwixt them and- the Tartars in the nortb>eaft parts of Afia. • -^p «PT* C H A P. II. jtn Aetoittii $f thifnurd Natutu of Indians in Louifiaaa. - . ; .•■) SEC T. I. Of thi Nations inhabiting an the kaft of the Mi^fippi. IF to the hiftory of the dticoveries and c6nquefts of the Spaniards we join the tradition of all the nations of America, we (hall be fully perfuaded, that this quarter of the world, before it was difcovered by Chriftop^er Co- lumbus, was very populous, not only on the continent, but alfo in the iflands. However, by an incompreheniible fatality, the arrival of the Spaniards iif this new world feems to have been the unhappy epoch of the deftru£(ion of all the nations of America, not only by war, but by nature itfelf. As it is but too well known how many millions of natives were deftroyed by the Spaftiih fword, 1 (hall not therefoit pt v fent ,0 F L O U I S I A N A. 305 feht my readers with that hdrrible detail ; but perhaps many people do not know that an innumerable multitude of the natives of Mexico and Peru voluntarily put an end to their own lives, fome by facrificing themfelves to the manes of their (bvereighs who had been cut off, and whofe born victims they, according to their deteftable cuftoms, looked upon themfelves to be ; and others, to avoid falling under the fubje«Stion of the Spaniards, think- ing death a lefs evil by far than flavery. The fame efFe£^ has been produced among the people of North America by two or three warlike nations of the natives. The Chicafaws have not only cut ofF a great many nations who were adjoining to them, but have even carried their fury as far as New Mexico, near fix hundred miles from the place of their refidence, to root out a nation that had removed at that diftance from them, in a firm expectation that their enemies would not come fo far in fearch of them. They were however deceived an(^ cut off*. The Iroquois have done the fame in the eaft partsi: of Louifiana ; and the Padbucas and others have aAed in the fame manner to the nations in the weft of the colony.' We mayrhere obferve, that thofe nations could- not fuc- ceed againft their enemies without coiiiiderable lofs to themfelves, and that they have therefore greatly leflened their own numbers by their many warlike expeditions. 'I mentioned that nature had contributed no lefs than war to the deftru£Hon of thefe people. Two diftempers, that are not very fatal Jn other parts of the world, make dreadful ravages among them ; I mean the fmall-poxand a cold, which bafRe all the art of their phyficians, who in other refpe£ts are very (kilful. When a nation is attacked by the fmall-pox, it quickly makes great havock i for as a whole family is crowded into a fmall hut, which has nor communication with the external air, but by a door about^ two feet wide and four feet high, the diftemper, if it feize9>' one, is quickly communicated to all. The aged die in- , 1.1 .' X confeqtiencc^ 3oe T n i: H 1 8 1* O R Y roii(Vduvnc« of their tdviiicttl /•an ind (he hud qui^lU/ of thtir iuml I «iitl the young, If they in not iltM\f Witch" V(1, defttoy themA»lvei, rroiti an abhorrtitceof thtf blutohei iit their (kin. If they can but cfcnpe fbm thtir hut| they nni out aht) bath* thcmfdvei in the river, which ti cettdit death in that dil^emper. The Chatkai* beiitg naturally not very handfume, art; not To apt to regret thtlofii of thel( beauty i cnn(bquently luHcr Ufii Mtd are much mort numi- roui than the other nationi. Colds, which art very common In tht winter, likowiic deflroy great numbiera of tht natives. In that featbn thiy Keep firci in tkietr huta day and night t md af tkere ia no other opeulng^but the door, the air within tha hut ii kept cxccllive wi^rm Without any fret circulation ) fo that whca Ihcy have occalion, to gp out, the culd l^iiaea them, and ihc conlequcncfif of It art a^oft alwayi fatal* The ftrft nafeirma. thik the French wert acqaainttil witti In thia part of KortK Amarica, wara thofa on tht ea(t of tht colony I for tlit Arft ftnlamtttt wt madt ihtrt was at Fort Louia on tht rivtr Mobilfe. t (hall thercfert begin t)w account of tht difttmnt nationa of Indiana on (hit Tidt of tht colonyi and |iroccfid wcftwards in tht faint order aa thty art fituatadi Rut httwfvef eeatoua t may be in dl(l)laying not nnTy the btautiea, bUt tht rlchea and advantagea 6f Loulfiana, yet t am notitt all inclined to attribute to it what it dooa not pttfltfai theivlbft t wte^n my readtr not to bt furprifed, if I make mention of. a few nationi in thia colony, in com*i> parifon of tttt great number, which ht may perhapa hav# (ten in tlw &r(l mapii of this country. Thoie mapa wtr«< made from ntcmoira ftntby different travellera, who noted' down a\l tht names they heard mmtioned, apd then flxttl upmi a fpot for, their retidcnce ) fo that a map appeared ililcd with tha name* of natiom, niany of whom ware dc(lroy Proceeding ftill northwards along the bay, we meet with the nation of the Mobiliens, near the mouth of the river Mobile, in the hay of that name. The true name of this nation is Moiivill, which the French have turned into Mobile, calling the river and the bay from the nation that inhabited near them. All thefe fmall nations were living in peace upon the arrival of the French, and Hill continue fo } the nations on the eaft of the Mobile ferving as a bar- rier to them againft the incuriions of the Iroquois. Be- fides, the Chicafaws look upon them as their brethren, as both they, and their neighbours on the eaft of the Mobile, fpealc a language which is nearly the fame with that of the Chicafaws. Returning towards the fea, on the weft of the Mobile, we find the fmall nation of the Pacha-Ogoulas, that is. Nation of Bread, fttuated upon the bay of the fame name. This nation confifts only of one village of about thirty huts. Some French Canadians have fettled in their' neighbourhood, and they live together like brethren, as the Canadians, who arc naturally of a peaceable difpofi- tion, know the character of the natives, and have the art of Living with the nations of America. But what chiefly renders the harmony betwixt them durable, is the abfence of foldiers, who never appear in this nation. Further northwards, near the river Pacha-Ogoulas, is fituated the great nation of the Chatkas, or Flat-heads. I call them the great nation, for I have not known or- heard of any other near fo numerous. They reckon in this nation twenty-five thoufand warriors. There may perhaps be fuel) a number of men among them, who take that name; but I am far from thinking that all thcfe have a title to the character of warriors. According 810 THE HISTORY According to the tradition ot the natives, thii nation arrived fo fuddenlyr, and pa/Ted fo rapidly through the (cr- ritories of others, that when I aflced them, whence came ^hf Chatl^as I they anfwered me, tM they fpirung out of the ground i hy which they meant to exprefi th^jr gr«at (urpri^Q at reeing tj^em appear fo fud(|en)y* Tl^tir gre^t fiumbers awed tqe ni^tivei near whom tf^ey pi^^^ i their chara£ter being but little inclined to war, dic| npt infpir^ them with ihe fury of conquei^i ; thus they 9,t length arrived in an uninhabited coMntry which nobody disputed with them. They have fince lived without any diCputei with their neighbours) who on the other hand hav^ never d^rcd to try whether they were brave or not. It is doubt- UU owing to this that they have incrcafed to their prefent They are called Flat-heads } but I do not know why that name has been givcp to them more than to others, £nce all the nations of Louiftana have their heads as flat, or nearly fo. They are fituated about two hundred and ^(ty tildes north from th^ ft^a, and extend nnoif^ ffpin ^4(| IP weft than from fouth to north. Thofe who travel from the Chatkas to the Chicafaws, feldom go by the (Korteft road, which extends about one hundred and eighty miles, and is very woody and moun- tnilnous. They choofe rather to go along the river Mobile, which is both the eafieft and moft pleafant route. The nation of the Chicafaws is very warlike. The men have vfiry rtgular features, are large, well-ihaped, and neatly drefled » they are tierce, and have a high opinion ofthem- felvei. They feem to be the remains of a populous nation, whofe warlike difpofition had prompted them to invade feveral nations, whom they have indeed deflroyeJ, but not without diminiihing theifown numbers by thofe expe- dition's. What induces me to believe that this nation has been formerly very confiderable, is that the nations who border upon them, and whom I have juft mentioned, fpeak OF LOUISIANA. 311 i^ak the Chicafa^v language, though fomtwhat cor- ni|>tted; and tholb who fpeak it heft value themfelyea upon it I ought perhaps to except out of thia number the Tacnfas, who being a branch of the Natchex, have dill prcferved their peculiar language ; but even thefe fpeak, }|) general, the corrupted Chicafaw language, v/hich our French fettlera call the Mobilian language. Af to the Chaikas, I fuppofe, that being very numeroui, they have been able to preferve their own language in a great mea- furc } and have only adopted fome worda of the Chica- faw language. They always fpo!;.e to me in the Chicafaw tongup. In returning towards the coaft next the river Miil^rippi, we meet with a ftnall nation of about twenty huts, named Aquclou-Piifat, that is, MtM who unditjtand dnd fte. This nation formerly lived within three or four miles of the place where New Orleans is built j but' they are fur- ther north at prefent, and not far from the lake St. Lewi^, or Pontchartrain. They ()>eak a language fomewhat ap- proaching to that of the Chicafaws. We have never had great dealings with them. Being now arrived at the river Miflifippi, I {hall proceed' upwards along its banks as far as to themc'^ diftant nations tWt are known to us. The ftrft nation that F meet with is the Oumas, wtiicll' itgnifiee the Red Nation. They are fltuatcd about twenty leagues from New Orleans, where I law fome of tiicm upon; my arrival in this province. Up6n the firn cibblini- ment of the colony, fome Frcikh Weilt alid fettled near them ; and they have been very fata! neigfih'clurs, by fur- niihing them with brandy^ which they' drink to great excefs. Crofling the Red River, and proceeding ftill upwards, we firitl the remains of tl^c nation of the I'orticas, who X A. have > . 312 THE HISTORY have always been very much attached to the French, ao^^. have even been our auxiliariec in lyar. The Chief of. this nation was out very zealous friend ; and as he was full of courage, and always ready to make war on the enemies of the French, the king fent him a brevet of bri-. gadicr of the red armies, and a blue ribbon, from whence hung a filver medal, which on one fide rcprefented the marriage of the king, and on the reverfe had the city of Paris. He likewife fent him a gold-heaut.J cane ; and the Indian Chief was not a little proud of wearing thofe honourable diftin6lions, which were certainly well be- flowed. .This nation fpcaks a language fo far different from that of their neighbours, in that they pronounce the letter R, which the others have not. They have likewife* different cuftoms. The Natchez in former times appear to have been one of the mod rcfpeiflablc nations in the colony, not only from their own tradition, but from that of the other nations, in whom their greatncfs and civilized cuftoms' raifed no lefs jealoufy than admiration. I could fill a volume with what relates to this people alone; but as I' am now giving a con<:ife account of the people of Lour-' fiana, I Ihall fpeak of them as of the re{V, only en- larging a little upon feme important tranfa6lions conceru* ing them. ,^ . ij When I arrived in 1720 among the Natchez, that' nation was fituated upon a fmall river of the fame name ^ the chief village where the Grc.it Sun refided was built along the banks of the river, and the other villages were planted round it. They were two leagues above the con-ti iluence of the ri^r* r, which joins the Miflifippi at the foot of the great precipices of the Natchez. From thence are ib'ur leagues to its fourcc, and as many to fort Rofalie, jind they were fituated within a league of the fort. Two fmall nations lived a« refugees among the Natchez. The moft ancient of thcie adopted nations vytre the Gri- OF LOUISIANA. 3^^ grU) who Teem to have received that name from the French, becaufe when talking with one another thejr' often pronounce thofe two fyllables, which makes them be remarked as ftrangers among the Natchez, who, as well as the Chicafaws, and all the nations that fpeak the ChicaLw language, cannot pronounce the letter R. The other fmall nation adopted by the Natchez, are the Thioux, who have alfo the letter R in their language. Thefe were the weak remains of the Thioux nation, for- merly one of the ftrongeft in the country. However, according to the account of the other nations, being of a turbulent difpofition, they drew upon themfelves the re- fentment of the ChicalWs, which was the occaflon of their ruin ; for by their many engagements they were at length fo weakened that they durft not face their enemy, and confequently were obliged to take refuge among the Natchez. 'The Natchez, the Grigras, and the Thioux, may to- gether raife about twelve hundred warriors ; which is but a fmall force in comparifon of what the Natchez could formerly have raifed alone ; for according to their tradi- tions they were the moft powerful nation of all North America, and were looked upon by the other nations as their fuperiors, and on that account refpecSled by them. To give an idea of their power, I (hall only mention, that formerly they extended from the river Manchac, or Iberville, which is about fifty leagues from the fea, to the river Wabafli, which is diftant from the fea about four hundred and fixty leagues ; and that they had about five hundred Suns or princes. From thefe fads we may judge how populous this nation formerly has been ; but the pride of their Great Suns, or fovereigns, and likewife of their inferior Suns, joined to the prejudices of the people, has made greater havock among them, and contributed more to their deftrudion, than long and bloody wars >vould have done. At ^ T»B HISTORY 4U ^Mr (ovoreigaii immb dofpotic,. they bad fbr • Itmg tip9ff ft^l fftal^liflniBd ti>0 following inhiMnMi and impoKtie cifftflm» thai w^fn anjr of th«m died, n great nvmber off t^ ^iul4e^ both man and women, OottM Ulicwiiie bo pi^ tp death. A proportioaAble niunbar of ttkh^i&i wMt likewifi; liiM upon the dciatfa of any of tbo inferior Suni^^ 9fid thj? people on thr other band had' imbibed a b^eC thfkt zVi thofe who followed their princes into the other worI<}, to ferve them there, would be eternall j b;^ppy. It iseafy to conceive hqw niii^Mis fuch sin Jinht^qian cufton» would be among a nat^ who had (o many p^iiikces aa tlnr Natche;^. |t, wpuld Asofp that fome of the SmM, more hmnane th^ the refl:, had difapproved of this barbarous arftom^ an4 hf>4 theieforia setircd to places at » remote dtftaince fcqm th^centre^ theif na^ti. For we have two branohies of this great nation fettled in other parts of the colony, who have preferved the greateft part^f the cufioms of the iCs^chez. One of thefe branches is the nation of the Xaenfas on the banks of the Mobile, whb preferve the eternal fire, and ieveral other ufages of the nation from whomi they are defceuded. The other branch is the nation cf the Chitimachas, whom the Natchez have alwayt looked upon as their brethren*^ Forty leagMfs narth from the Natohex is* the rivep Vaious, which runs into the Miffifippi, and is fo called iiaon a nation of the (ame name who had about a hundred buts^ on its banks. Near the Yazous, on the fame river, lived theCoroais, 2 nation conii'iling of about forty huts. Thefe two nations pronounce the letter R. Upon the fame river Hkewife lived the Chacchi-Oumas, m^came which figniffes red Cray-fjh, Thefe people bad nor above fifty huts. Ncar^ OF LOU I 91 AH A. 31$ Kear iht fame river dwelt die Oufe-P|ou1as, or the Nation o^ the Dog, which night have Sbout fyttj huts.' " ''"^'■»'' ■ ■ ^ ' .oo...; :::/* The Tapwlla? Ijkewii^ in)i^bi$ed wppfj % Jp^^jf* of this river^ and had not above twenty-Uve huts. Thefe three laft nations do not pronounce the letter R, and feem to be branches of the Chicafaws, efjiecially as they fpeak their laiigui^ge. $in(:e the praafl^cre of the French fm^prs at the Natchez, thefe ^ve fmall nations, who had joined in th^ confpir^(^ againft us, have all rqtire^ ampn^ ^e Ch|<- cafaws, and make now but, one nation with th^. ' To thf north of th^ Chip, r\^ far from thf \m^ of tjie Miffif\^^ ii^habit tl^f lllinpis, vfhp h^vc g|vw» thwf Uam^tQ^f tlv^TQfi th«; b;»n|^ pf whi^h t^ h^y^ l<^ tJ?4. Thcjf ar^^ divide4 i^to Ipv^ral vijls^ge^, (mcIi 9H th9 Tamaroas^ the Calkaquias, the Caouquias, %hfi Pimitl^n ouis, and fon^e Qth^rSd Near the village of the T^iBa- rpas is a French ppft, wher(p feveral French C^a^i?^ have fettlej. ^ This if oi;ie of tjie; mq^ ^ qtifidf rable po(l$ in all Loui* f^ana, wh>9M ^.IU appc;ar no^ at all furprillng, whcsn wft confider that the Illinois were one J the firft nationa vfhQn^ we.difcovered in tjie 9olon,y, s^nd that they h^ve always ren^ained. mod faithful ^\}'m of the French : aa advantage whjch is, in a ^reat ndeafure owing to the pro^ p^r mnnner of livine with th^ nafiye^ of America,, which the Cana|lians have always obfervetl* Xt is not thejr^ "^ant o^ coura^ tha^ ren4ei;s then^ fp peaceable, for their valour is well kinowj^. The letter R is pronounced by the Illinpi^. Proceeding further northwards, yfe mee( with a pretty, large nation, kpown by the name, of the Fqx^s, with whom we haye beqn at war ne^r thefe forty ye^f?paft, yet- Ihave not heard that vy^e have, had any b],Qyf$ w^th theoj^ for a lonj^ time. From 31$ i e >: ; H I S T O R Y Fron^ the Foxes to the- Fall of St. Anthony, we meet with no nation, nor any above the Fall for near an hun- dred leagues. About that diftance north of the Fall, the Sioux are fettled, and are faid to inhabit feveral fc^ttcred villages both on the eaft and weft of the Mi/liflppi, , ■ ' .It S EG T. n. Of the Nations inhabiting oti iblt Weft of the Mifl'^fippi. HAVING defcribed as exa(£lly as poffible all th<; nations on the eafl of the Miflifippi, as well thofe who are included within the bounds of the colony, as thofe who are adjoining to it, and have fome connection with the others ; ? fhall now proceed to give an account of thofe who inhabit on the weft of the river, from thq fea northwards. Between the river Miffiflppi, and thofe lakes which are filled b^ Its waters upon their overflowing, is a fmall nation named Chaouchas, or Ouachas, who inhabit fome little villages, but are of fo little confequcnce that they are no otherwife, known to our colonifts but by their name. ■ ■ ■■ ;^-;*;-. In th *. neighbourhood of the lakes abovementioncd live the Chi imachas. Thefe are the remains of a nation which w; s formerly pretty conAderable ; but we have deftroyed ^>art of them by exciting our allies to attach them. I have already obferved that they were a branch of the Natchez, and upon my Hrft fettling among thefe, I found feveral Chitimachas, who had taken refuge among them to avoid the calamities of the war which had been made upon them near the lakes. Since the peace that was concluded with them |n 17 19, they have not only remained quiet, but kept themftlves {q prudently retiied, that, rather than have any intercourfe with the French, or traffic with them for what they look upon OF LOUISIANA. 317 upon as fuperfluities, they choofe to live i^ the manner they did an hundred years ago. * Along the weft coaft, not far from the fea, inhabit the nation named Attcapas, tfa%t is. Man-eaters, bdng fo called by the other nations on account of their detellable cuftom of eating their enemies, or fuch as they believe to be their enemies. In this vaft country there are no other cannibalar to be met with befides the Atacapas ; and fmce the French, have gone among them, they have raifed, in them fo great an horror pi i(hat abominabje praiSjtice of devoudf]^ crea«, tures of their own fpecies, that they have..pif^mi/ed tOr leave it o^;^ and accordingly for a long time paft we ^av«. heard of 110 fucl> barbarity among them. , ^ ,..,, .,j^ The Bayouc-Ogoulas were .formerly fituated in the country that ftill bears, their name. This nation is now Cpnfounded witlH't,^c others tow.^o^it is joined,, ;f. ;,- ' . The O^ue-lxMifljis are a;inaall nation, fitua'ted north- weft from the Cut Point. They live on the banks 6f two fmall lakes, th6. waters of which appear black by I'eafon of the greair number of leaves which cover the bottom of. them, and liave given name. to. the. nation^ Oque«Lou(faS' in their hnguagc figriifying Black Water. >Hi.*qHi^'y» " d mi& fgi^M ktnehes mkh IJx^iiif iteiy vHd%. Thfe pWiIWi «* Welf M t«t Na(ihl^tt>^, tirf6 a Ifftb^dlr lah^gcfafge; hdim^fy ^t^U Mti Mz^4 mtHmdrihUmmii, n^indl^ th z'tifAUm of LoaT.' Ifehiir, i^hdrd there are nbt fOihfc #)rd cah Q)&k d^^ Cllidir'i faw language, whJdfi h ciHIitfd th^d V\ilgaf tbh^tie, aftif i^ thfe fame htfm ai th« liin^sFranca iir iii the Let^iint. ' 1 Rt#e«i!i ihfe Red Ri^i" ind tl^(^ Attslh^s' tttlsr^ i^ at* prefent no liathuf. PbyMrly the Oddtehic^ iivtd Mptxi tht Bhck River, and giive their namtt to \t ( b\it afl this time iher^ are no remaiiis of that nation f the GMtiillwv bavfng deftfoyled great pkrt of th notwIthftandiMg any fiiperiority tlkat ohe MUkm may hwt oi«r anothtr tHrhlf whom they are at war^ or oven over thoiifc peo|^ amon^g;' whom their enemies take reArg;s« For example, a nitibii of two thoufand warriors maket war upon, and violbAtlj^ purfuca another naiion of five htitldred WMtion, WHor rr- tire among a. nati^ inal^aiUe wiili tlleir enettffe^.' If thtt laft nation adopt the five hundred, tlie fii>ft iMtidh, though two thottfaiid in number^ i^mnedist^ly hfibv/nt their arms, and inftead of coatinuing hoftillties, tet^hiHtl' th^ Adopted nation among the nambtfr of their allfeii Befides the Atkanfas, fome authors place other Actions Upo» their riveri I cannot take upon me ib fay tliktilkrt never were any*, but I can pofitively affirm, fi^om my own obfervation upon the fpot, that no other nation is to '^.. met with at prefent on this river, or even^ as hlr as ^6 Mtfiburi. . ^ [ , . ISTot far fie6iil the river MiflbuH is fituated die nation o^ the Ofages, upon a fmall river of the fame name. ThisK nation is Hiid to have been ptetty confidirable fQrnterly,r but at pr6(«ht they can neither, be faid to be ^eat hqr imaii* > , rtf^cTj ■ifi'j iff^t i The nation of theMi(fi>uris is very contideraliJe, Mdi has. given its name to the large river that empties itf^lf inttt- the Miflifippi. It is the firft nation we meet with ffom. the confluence of the two rivers, and yet it is fituated above forty leagues up the Miflburi. 1 he French had a fettle* 2 mcDfi ^so THE HIST OR VO itttnt pretty netr thif nation^ at the time when M. tie Bourgmont was commandant in thofe parts } but fooir ^ler iie left them, tl^e in|||||;!Jt{Uito mafliiaei} the French g^arcifon* . ; nV r ■ < The Spaniards, as. well as our other Heig^ibours, being qontinuaUy jealous of our Tuperiority over them, formed a defign of eftabli(bing:themfdves among the MiflburisV tJbout forty leagues frooii the Illinois, in order to limit our. boundaries weftwwr^,': They judged it neceflary, fot^ tjie fecurity of thehr icojony,- entirely to cut ofF the MifL' fouris, and for that purpofe .they courted the friendihip of the Ofages, whole aiB^n^e they thought would be of iervice to them ii) th^ir enterprize, and who were gene-, n^lly ^t enmity with, tl>e..JVI)ireMris. A company of Spa^ niards^.men, wome|i» and foldi^s, accordingly fet out from Santa Fe, haviAg a Dominican for their chaplain, anid an iiogincer for: their guide and commander. The; caravan Was' furdiflied with horfes, and all other kinds of bea^s ne^cei&ry ; for it is one of their prudent maxims, to fend 0ff. all thdfe things together. By a 6»tal miftake the Sp^iards arrived firft among the Miilpuris, whom theyroiflook for the Ofages, and imprudet^tly difcovering l^eir hoi^ile intentions* they were themfelves (urprifed and cut off by thofe whom they intended for .deftru£tion. ThiB Miin>uris fome time afterwards dreflfed themfelves with the ornaments of the chapel ; and carried them in a l^ind of triumphant proceilion to the French commandant amdng the Illinois. Along with the ornaments they Brought a Spanifh map, which feefned to me to be a better draught of the weft part of our colony, towards them,' than of the countries we are moft concerned with. From this map it appears, that we ought to bend the Red River, end that of the Arkanfas, fomewhat more, and place the fource of the Mifitdppi more wefterJy than our geographers do. »'5w«i Si.c- The OF LOUISIANA. 311 The principal nations who. inhabit upon the banki, or in the neighbourhood of the Miflburt, are, befidet thofe already mentioned, tlie Canzas, the Otbouef, the White Panis, the Black Panis, the Panimachas, the Aiouez, and the Padoucas. The moft nunoerous of all tliofe nations are the Padoucas, the rmalleft arc the Aiouez, the Othoues, and the Ofages } the others are pfetty con- fiderable. • To the north of all thofe nations, and near the river Miflifippi, it is pretended that a part of the nation of the Sioux have their refidence. Some affirm that they inhabit now on one fide of the river, now on another^ From what I could learn from travellers, lam inclined to think, that they occupy at the fame time both fides of the Miififlppi, and their fettlements, as I have elfe- where obferved, are more than an hundred leagues above the ^all of St. Anthony. But we need not yet difquiet ourfelves about the advantages which might refult to us from thofe very remote countries. Many ages muft pafs t>efore we can penetrate into the northern parts of LouL* fiana* CHAP, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.25 ■iilM 125 1^ Itt 12.2 Its u ■ 4.0 1^ iS. I 1.4 *^ ^ HiotograiAic Sdaices Corporation •^ •SJ ''V c\ A.^\ '^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716)872-4503 '^ 322 .THE H I S T O R Y > ' V CHAP. III. .r.m- ■"•■' ! yf Defcription of the natives of Louifiana ; of their mminers and cufiomsy particularly thoft of the Natchez : of their "' language y their religion, ceremoniesy Ruhrs or Suns, fea/lsy- ** marriages, &c. '*ai SECT, I. jf defcription of the natives \ the different employments of the two f exes', aud their manner of bringing up their children, IN the concife hiftory which I have given of the people of Louifiana, and in feveral other places where I have happened to mention them, the reader may have obferved that thefe nations have not all the fame character, altho' they live adjoining to each other. He therefore ought not to expe6t a perfect uniformity in their manners, or that I fliould defcribe all the different ufages that prevail in different parts, which would create a difagreeable medley, and tend only to confound his ideas which cannot be too clear. My defign is only to fhew in general , froijl the character of thofe people, what cOurfe we ought to ob- ferve, in order to draw advantage from our intercourfc with them. I (hall however be more full in fpealcing of the Natchez, a populous nation, among whom I lived the fpace of eight years, and whofe fovereign, the chief of war, and the chief of the keepers of the temple, were among my moft intirr.atc friends. Befides, their manners were more civilized, their manner of thinking morcjuft and fuller of fentiment, their cufloms more reafonable, and their ceremonies more natural and ferious ; on all which accounts they were eminently diftinguiflied above the other nations. All the natives of America in general are extremely well made ; very few of them are to be feen under five feet and a half, and very many of them above that^ their OF LOUISIANA. 313 , leg feems as if it was fafhioned in a mould ; it is nervous, and the calf is firm; they are long waifted.; their head is upright and fomewhat flat in the upper part, and their features are regular; they have black eyes, and thick black hair without curls. If we fee none that are extremely fat and purfy, neither do we meet with any that are fo lean as if they were in a confumption. The men in general are better made than the women ; they are more nervous, and the women more plump and flefhy ; the men are almoft all large, and the women of a middle fize. I have always ^been inclined to think, that the care they take of their children in their infancy contributes greatly to their fine fhapes, tho' the climate has alfo its (hare in that, for the French born in Louifiana are all large, well (haped, and of good flefh and blood. When any of the women of the natives is delivered, (he goes immediately to the water and waflies herfelf and the infant ; fbe then comes home and lies down, after having difpofed her infant in the cradle, which is about ,two feet and a half long, nine inches broad, and half a foot deep, being formed of ftraight pieces of cane bent up at one end, to ferve for a foot or ftay. Betwixt the cahes and the infant is a kind of matrafs of the tufted herb called Spanifh Beard, and under its H^ad is a little (kin cufhion, fluffed with the fame herb. The infant is laid on its back in the cradle, and faflened to it by the fhoulders, the arms, the legs, the thighs, and the hips ; and over its forehead are laid two bands of deer-fkin which keeps its head to the '^ cufhion, and renders that part flat. As the cradle does not weigh much above two pounds, it generally lies on the mother's bed, who fuckles the infant occafionally. The infant is rocked not fide- ways but end-ways, and wheh it is a month old they put under its knees garters made of buflFalo*s wool which is very foft, and above the ankle bones they bind the legs with threads of th»/ame wool for the breadth of three or four inches. And thefc ligatures the child wears till it be four or five years old. Y2 The 324 THE HISTORY fi The infants of the nati\ es are white when they arehorit, but they fopn turn brown, as they are rubbed with bear's oil and expofed to the fun. They rub them with oil, both to render their nerves more flexible, and alfo to prevent the flies from ftlnging them, as they fufFer them to roll about naked upon all fours, before they arc able to walk upright. They never put them upon their legs till they are a year old, and they fuffer them to fuck as long as they pleafe, unlefs the mother prove with child, in which cafe {he ceafes to fuckle. *' When the boys are about twelve years of age, they give them a bow and arrows proportioned to their ftrength", and in order to exercife them they tie feme hay, about twice as large as the Rflr, to the end of a pole about ten feet high. He who brings down the hay receives the prize from an old man who is always prefent : the beft (hooter is called the young warrior, the next heft is called the ap- prentice warrior, and fo on of the others, who are prompted to excel more by fentiments of honour than by blows. t As they are threatened from their moft tender infancy with the refentment of the old man, if they are any ways refrailory or do any mifchievous tricks, which is very rare, they fear and refpe£l him above every one el fe. This old mai\ is frequently the great-grandfather, or the great- great-grandfather of the family, for thofe natives live to a very great age. I have feen fome of them not able to walk, without having any other diftemper or infirmity than old age, fothat when the neceffities of nature required it, or they wanted to take the air, they were obliged to be carried out of their hut, an afliftance which i& always readily offered to the old men. The refpedl paid to them by their family is fo great, th^t they are looked upon as thcjudges of all differences, and their counfels are decrees. An old man vvhp is the head of a family is called father, even by his grand-children, and great-grand-children, who to diftinguiih their immediate father call him their true father. If » •: f OF LOUISIANA. 325 If any of their young people happen to fight, which I never faw nor heard of during the whole time I refided in their neighbourhood, they threaten to put them in a hut at a great diftance from their nation, as perfons unworthy to live among others ; and this is repeated to them fo often, that if they happen to have had a battle, they take care never to have another. 1 have already obferved that I (ludied them a confiderable number of years ; and I ne-,, ver could learn that there ever were any difputes or box- ing matches among either their boys or men. . , As the children grow up, the fathers and mothers take care each to accuftom thofe of their own fex to the labours and exefeiie&Tuited to them, and they have no great trou- ble to keep them employed ; but it muft be confefled that the girls and the women work more than the men and the boys. Thefe lad go a hunting and fi(hing, cut the wood, the fmalleft bits of which are carried home by the women ; they clear the fields for corn, and hoe it ; and on days when they cannot go abroad they jimufe themfelves with making, after their fafliion, pick-?.xes, oars, paddles, and. other inftruments, which once made laft a long while. The women on the other hand have their children to bring up, have to pound the maiz for the fubfiftence of the fa- mily, have to keep up the fire, and to make a great many utenfils, which require a good deal of work, and laft but a fhort time, fuch as their earthen ware, their matts, their clothes, and a thoufand other things of that kind. When the children are about ten or twelve years of age they accuftom them by degrees to carry fmall l.:)ads, which they increafe with their years. The boys are from time to time exercifed in running ; but they never fufFer them to exhaufl themfelves by the length of the rac^, left they fiiould overheat themfelves. The more nimble at that, eiercife fometimes fportfully challenges thofe who are more flow and heavy j but the old man who prefides hinders the raillery from being carried to any excefs, carc- '^' Y 3 fully 3a6 THE HISTORY fully avoiding all rubje6Vs of quarrel and difpute, on which account doubtlefs ic is that they will never fuffer them to wrcftlc. Both boys and girls are early accudomed to bathe every morning, in order to ftrengthen the nerves, and harden them againft cold and fatigue, and likewife to teach them to fwim, that they may avoid or purfue an enemy, even acrofs a river. The boys and girls, from the time they are three years of age, are called out every morning by an old man, to go to the river ; and here is fome more em- ployment for the mothers who accompany them thither to teach them to fwim. Thofe who can fwim tolerably well, make a great noife in winter by beating the water in order to frighten away the crocodiles, and keep them« fclves warm. The reader will have obfcrved that moft of the labour and fatigue falls to the (hare of the women ; but I can declare that I never heard them complain of their fatigues, unlefs of the trouble their children gave them, which com- plaint arofe as much from maternal atfctSiion, as from tny , attention that the children required. The girls from their ' infancy have itinllilled into them, that if they are fluttifli or unhandy they will have none but a dull aukward fel- low for their hu(band ; 1 obferved in all the nations I vifitcd, that this threatning was never loft upon the young girls. I would not have it thought however, that the young men are altogether idle. Their occupations indeed are not of fuch a long continuance ; but they ore much more laborious. As the men have occafion for more ftrength, reafon requires that they Ihould not exhauft themfelves Jn their youth } but at the fame time they are not exempted from thofe exercifes that fit them for war and hunting. The children arc educated ■-vjthout blows} and the body is left at full liberty to grow, and to form and ftrengthen itfdf with their years. The youths accompany the men in t I O F L O U I S I A N A. * 327 in hunting, in order to learn the wiles and tricks ncccflary tobc pradlifed in the field, and acpudom themfelves to fuffcring and patience^ When they arc full grown men, they drcfs the field or wade land, and prepare it to receive the feed ; they go to war or hunting, drcfs the fkins, cut the wood, make their bows and arrows, and aflift each other in building their huts. '^, They have flill I allow a great deal of more fparc time than the women ; but this is not all thrown away. As thcfe people have not the affiftance of writing, they are ' obliged to have recourfe to tradition, in order to preferve the remembrance of any remarkable tranfacStions ; and this tradition cannot be learned but by frequent repetitions, confequcntly many of the youths are often employed in hearing the old men narrate the hiftory of their anceflorsj which is thus tranfmittedfrom generation to generation. In order to preferve their traditions pure and uncorrupt^ they are careful not to deliver them indifferently to all their young people, but teach them only to thofe young men of whom they have the beft opinion. SEC T. II. Of the kmguagty government ^ religion^ ceremonies, and feajis of the natives. DURING my refidence among the Natchez T con-, trailed an intimate friendihip, not only with the chiefs or guardians of the temple, but with the Great Sun, or the fovereign of the nation, and his brother the Stung^ Serpent, the chief of the warriors j and by my great iflti». macy with them, and the refpe6l I acquired among the people,,.! eafily learned the peculiar language of the, nation. ' This language is eafy in the pronunciation, and ex- pref&ve in the terms. The natives, like the Orientals, Y 4 . Ipeak 328 THE HISTORY fpeak much in a figurative f^ile, the Natchez in particular more than any other people of Louiftana. They have two languages, that of the nobjcs and that of the people, and both are very copious. I will give two or three ex- amples to Oiew the difference of thefe two langui^gcs. When I call one of the common people, I f^jiy to hitn aquenan^ that is, hark ye : if, on the other hand, I want to fpeak to a Sun, or one of their nobles, I fay to him, magani^ which fignifies, hark yt. If one of the common people call at my houfe, I fay to him, tachte-cahanq^et ttrt you there, or I am glad to fee you, which ic equiva- lent to our good-morrow. I exprefs the fame thing to a Bun by the yfotA apapegouaiche. Again, according to their cuftom, I fay to one or the common people, petchl,/tt you siown 'f but to a Sun, when I dcfire him to fit down, I fay, taham* The two languages are nearly the fame in all other )efpe6ts ; for the difference of exprcflion feems only to t;ike place in matters relating to the perfons of the Suns and nobles, in diftindlion from thofe of the people. "Tho'thc women fpeak the fame language with the men, yet, in their manner of pronunciation, they foften ■ ^nd (J3|ooth the words, whereas the fpeech of the men is more grave and ferious. The French, by chiefly frequent- ing the women, contracted their manner of fpeaking, which was ridicule^ as an effeminacy by the wonpen, as, well as the men, among thp natives* From my converfations with the chief of the guardian^ of the temple, I difcQvered that they acki;iowledg^d | fupreme being, whom they, called Coyococop-Chill, or Great Spirit. The SpiiHf infinite^ IT"'^'* ^^. ^^^ ^pii'if hy way of excellence. 'Thn, word c^///^ in their la^iguage,^ fignifiea th^ moft fup<|rktive degree of perfection, and,is ad^ed by them to the word which fignifies /r^, whcij th^y want- to mehtion the Sun j thus OuaUfre, and Oua-chiit is the fupreme fire^ or the Sun i therefore, by the word Coyeiop^ ^ ■ :..: .::.■■ • ^ ; ' ■" ' ■•-■ ' " ChiU :v hi OF LOUISIANA. 329 CJjill they mean a fpirit that furpafles other fpirits as much as the fun docs common fire. " God," according to the definition of the guardian of the temple, ** was fo great and powerful, that, in compart- ion with him, all other things were as nothing ; he had made ail that we fee, all that wc can fee, and all that we cannot fee ; he was fo good, that he eould not do ill to any one, even if he had a mind to it. They believe that God had mudc all things by his will j that neverthelefs the little fpirits, who are his fervants, might, by his orders, have made many excellent works in the univerfc, which we admire ; but that God himfelf had formed man with his own hands." The guardian added, that they named thofe little fpirits, Coyocop-techouj that is, a free fervant, but as fubmiffive and as refpe6tful as a flave ; that thofe fpirits were always prefent before God, ready to execute his pleafure with an extreme diligence; that the air was filled with other fpirits, fome good fome wicked; and that the latter had a chief, who was more wicked than them all ; that God had found him fo wicked, that he had bound him for ever, fo that the other fpirits of the air no longer did fo much harm, efpecially when they were by prayers entreated not to do it ; for it is one of the religious cufloms of thofe people to invoke the fpirits of the air for rain or fine weather, ac- cording as each is needed. I have feen the Great 3un faft for nine days together, eating nothing but maiz-corn« without meat or fifh, drinking nothing ^' " water, and abftaining from the company of his wives d^ ' ' ^ the whole time. He underwent this rigorous fafl out of complaifance tofom? Frenchmen, who had been complaining that it had not rainpd for a long time. Thofe inconfiderate people had npt remarked, that notwithflanding the want of rain, the fruits of the earth had not fufFered, as the dew is fo plenti- ful, in fummer as fully to fupply that deficiency. JMi , The 330 THEHISTORY The guarJjan of the temple having told me that God had made man with his own hands, I afkcd him if he knew how that was done. He anfwercd, ** that God had kneaded Tome clay, fuch as that which potters ufe, and had made it into a little man ; and that after examining it, and finding it well formed, he blew up his work, and forthwith that littlctnan had life, grew, a£l.'d, wa'Ved, and found himfclf a man perfectly well flinpcd.'* As he made no mention of the woman, I afked him how he believed ibe was made ; he told me, ** that probably in the fame manner as the man i that their antirnf fpeech made no men- tion of any difference, only told them that the man was made fiift, and was the flrongeftand moft courageous, bc- caufe he was to be the head and fupport of the woman, who was made to be his companion/* Here I did not omit to re^ify his notions on the fubjefts' wchad been talking about, and togivehim thofc jufl ideas which Kligion teaches us, and the facred writings have uanfmiited to us. He hearkened to me with great atten- tion, and promifcd to repeat all that I had told him to the old oncn of his nation, who certainly would not forget it ;, adding, that we were very happy in being able to retain the knowledge of fuch fine things by means of the fpeak- ing cloih, fo they name books and manufcripts. I next proceeded tbaikhim, who had taught them to build a temple; whence had they their eternal fire, which they prefcrved with fo much care; and who w^s the pcrfon that iirft inftituted (heir feads ? He replied, ** The charge I am entvufted with obliges^ me to know all thefe things you ' aik of me ; I will therefore fatisfy you : hearken t^ me. A great number of years ago ther^ appeared among us a man and his wife, who came down from the fun. Not that we believe that the fun had a wife who bore him children, or that thcfe were the defcendants of the fun j but when they firft appeared' among us they v^^re fo bright and luminous- that we had nodifficulty to believe that they came down from the fan. This man tok us, that having feeu from on high thac •■/ OF LOUISIANA. 331 that we did not govern ourfcl ves well ^ that wc had no maftcr \ that each of us hoH prefumption enough to think hlmfelf capable of governing others, while he could not even con- duct hlmfelf} he had thought fit to come down among us to teach us to live better. •* He moreover told us, that in order to live in peace among ourfelves, and to plcafc the fupremc Spirit, we muft inriifpcnfably obfcrve the following points i we muft never kill anyone but in defence of our own lives; we muft never know any other woman befidcs our own j wc muft never take any thing that belongs to another ; we muft ne- , vcr lye nor get drunk ; we muft not be avaricious, but muft give liberally, and with joy, part of what we have to others who are in want, and generoufly ftiare our fubfiftencc with thofe who are in need of it." .,«* The words of this man deeply afFe£lcd us, for he fpoke them with authority, and he procured the refpeiSt; even of the old men themfelves, tho' he reprehended them as freely as the reft. Next day we offered to acknowledge him as our fovereign. He at firft rcfufcd, faying that he fhould not be obeyed, and that the difobedient would in- fallibly die ; but at length he accepted the offer that was made him on the following condition : *' That we would go and inhabit another country, bet- ter than that in which we were, which he would fliew us ; that we would afterwards live conformable to the inftruc-. • tions he had given us ', that we would promife never to ac- knowledge any other fovereigns but him and his defcen- dants } that the nobility ft)ould be perpetuated by the wo- men after this manner ; if I, faid he, have male and fe- male children, they being brothers and fifters cannot marry together ; the eldeft boy may chufe a wife from among the- people, but his fons ftiall be only nobles ; the children of the eldeft girl, on the other hand, ftiall be princes and ' princeiTes, and her eldeft Ton be fovereign } but her eldeft daughter be the mother of the next fovereign, even tho* 1J1 r rt r rt i n v n n v fllr llnMlltl MllUVtHtr of tlir rodUlloM pruplr » i»t)»l, ill ffr^ f»'«*A 111 till' vU\k'{\ ilwtnUUti (hi- i\fHi Uv\,\h' IflilfloM Ut lhi*j»»'»rnM M'Igiiing ih\]\ lit* »!»•• Miotlirr ui fin- fiiliiir Tm- Vr»ri(»ni thf loMn Ml ihr (ovriri^n mmiI mliurp Ihrtll loltf Ihfit iunk, tint the ilr1llfil»l»»i Ihidi pn-lirvr »hfi».niil tliut il any ol Ihnu Irtlh-tl in U hp (hmiM hr put to »hinh. lit- llkt \vil« •Hiirm! ttnotluM tpmpio to \\v huilt in rt ifirtmit pttrl «tf oiif iiAtlon, vvhUh vtAK thn\ vnv pfiptilons rtnd the rliMnrtl Cut* U» ^0 krpt thpti* nllo, thrti lit crtii' it (lunthl hr rjitinj>ni(tnit ih tht» otvi» it tnl^ht lir hitnifvht \\\m\ th«» othf r j In whiih ril>» till ! nil tht* pro* \At \\t hwiight Oown tUf file tioiii the dm, upon fiMiie wrHvl iof thf Wrtlnnt-tner which hphml pirprticil, which fiie WAS df iH>(\tf he InSltuted iHiv tt»titt« l\ioh «» ytui iWthem/* * Tho Nirttchpt. h*ve neither fitcrlRcen, lllvittlnnn, nor offer- ings : their whole wo»rt\ip conhrtu In pielei ving the eternal fie, tt»<^ this the Uir;U Sun wntchen over with « peculiar tittemicn. I he Sun, who lelgncti when I wns in thecouii*, t*yi WAS fxtt^inely (v>licitx>u» about it, aui) vlfueil tht tcm*/ |4« m»» yntn \it'(nf h^fl h^pp^mi^ )fl till* tiMMitiy, rtful Wrtfl lo«»k»«l miimh ji^ «n rKfrnMrfllfitt)^ rvrnf, till* rtir li»iM|ir |j>cMfri»lly riear nw\ fft^tif In fhut rli- tiiKti*. li tdtlisit (iiiMitiity /IkmiM hr JMlncil tliM>NfifiOiort ttl the rtcMiiil litP, lit* WMt iipprclif iilivr ilieir whoir nitiori wiiul«l tie (Jeilmycd. Ofi*' f»fti rnl\ fn w^f!# Hill) nuil-*" thrtti (ilhrii frmri roiifh tri tuitfh. Wr rfe'It^nf^ llil-tl (jMO K«iMi, nfid yoii mny j»i'1(jf hy tfmt whrtf Wni (h« nMfiitirr nf the fi(iM**i, ftf tlif ^HipifMif f«nk,Fiii(l fh**forti« nUMi pHijtlf. Nmw ill tllTir^ pni} \t h;»p(»rhr«l, iHflt ofi«? r»f tll»' twr> (i;«i itt1lrtii«», wHm wrff ilpnii ftiify Iti fhp frrnpit^, Irft M in|r to light, hii pipe, nnd with thnt ho lenrwed the Ptprn^l lirn. Hin fraM(j|/rf0}ofl wan hy that iiiraiiii toiicraled ) hut a drradful ninrf jility im-* nirdiatrly rhHird, and lagcd for four yram, during which< many Huns nmt an infinite numhcr uf the pfropleditd« The guardian til length fickenrd, and found him felf dy- ing, upon whirh he fent for the (JrratSun, and confcfferf the heinoui crime he had hern guilty of. Tho old men were Inimedintoly allbmblcd, and, hy their advice, fire lic- ingfnfltt'hed from the other temple, and brought intothi^, the mortality quirkly ceafed." Upon tny afking him what he meant hy •• fnati hing the fire," he replied, ** that it fnufl alwayi be brought away hy violence, and that fomo blood muft be filed, unlrl's fomc tree on the road was fet on firft by lightnings and then the fire might be brought from thence J 334 TttE HIST6rY thence; but that the fire of the fun was always pre* ^ferable. It is impoffible to cxprefs his aftoni^ment when I told him, that it was a trifling matter to bring down fire from the fun, and that I had it in my power to do it whenever I pleafed. As he was extremely defirous to fee me perform that feemjng miracle, I took the fmalleft of two burning glafles which I had brought from France, and placing fome dry punk (or agaric) upon a chip of wood, I drew the focus of the glafs upon it, and witb a -tone of authority pro- nounced the word Caheuch, that is, come^ as tho' I had been commanding the fire to come down. The punk imme- diately fmoking, I blew a little and made it flame to the utter aftoniihment of the Great Sun and his whole retinue, fome of whom ftood trembling; with amazement and reli- gious awe. The prince himfelf could not help exclaiming, ** Ah, what an extraordinary thing is here !" I confirmed - him in his ideas by telling him, that I greatly loved and eileemed that ufeful inftrument, as it was moft valuable, and was given to me by my grand-father, who was a very learned m»n. Upon his alkingme, if another man could do thf fzmt thing with that inftrument that he had feen me do, . told him that every man might do it, and I encouraged hi \to make the experiment himfeif. I accordingly put the gla in his hand, and leading it with mine over another piec of^ agaric, I defired him to pronounce the word Cah 'ch^ which he did, but with a very faint and diffident tone ,; ae> verthelefs, to his great amazement, hefaw the agaric bw^iv to fmoke, which io confounded him that he dropt both the chip on which< it was laid and the glafs out of hia bands, crying out, " Ah, what a miracle !" Their curiofity being now fully raifed, they held a con- fultation in ijiy y^fd, and refolvtd to piirchale at any rate my wonderful glafs, which would prevent any future mor* tality in their nation, in confequence of the ext nction of • the OF LOUISIANA. 335 the eternal fire. I, in the ipean time, had gone out; to my field, as if about fome budnefs; but in reality to have & hearty laugh at the comical fcene which I had juft occa- iloned. Upon my return the Great Sun entered my apart- ment with me, and laying his l>and upon mine, told qijc, that tho' he loved all the French, he was more my friend than of any of the reft, becaufe moft of the French car* ried all their undcrftanding upon their tongue, but that t carried mine in my whole head and my whole body. After this preamble he offered to bargain for my glafs,and deflred me to fet what value I pieafed upon it, adding that he woul4 not only caufe the price to be paid by all the families of the nation, but would declare to them that they lay under an ob^ ligation to me for giving up to them a thing which. faved them from ageneral mortality. I replied, that tho' I bore his whole nation in my heart, yet nothing made me part with my glafs, but my afFedtion for him and his brother ; that, befides, I aflced nothing in return but things neceflary for my fubGftencc, fuch as corn, fowls, game, and filh,. when they brought. him any of thefe. He offered me twenty barrels of maiz, of 150 pounds each, twenty fowls, twenty tuxkies, and told me thajt he would fend me game and fiih every time his warriws brought him any, and his promife was punctually fulfilled. He engaged likewife not to fpeak any thing about it to the Frenchmen, left they ihould be angry with me for parting with an inflrument of fo great a value. Next day the glafs was tried before a general alTembly of all the Suns, both men and women, the nobles^ and the men of rank, who all met together at the temple; and the fame effeifl being produced as the day before, the bargain was ratified ; but it was refolved not to mention^ the affair to the common people, who, from their curiofity to know the fecrets of their court, were afTembied in great mimbers not far from the temple, but only to tell them, that the whole nation of the Natchez were under great ob- ligations to me. The 316 THE HI St OR V The Natchez arc brought up in a moft pcrfeft fubmif- iiem to their ibvereign } the authority which their princes nctrcifeover them isabfolutely defpbticj and can be com- piared to nothing but tliat of the firft Ottoman emperors. Likethefe, the Great Sun is abfohtte mafter of the lives and eftates of his fubjeds, which he dfifpofes of at his pleafnre, his will being the only law ; but he has this finrgular advantage over the Ottoman princes, that he has lio occafion to fear any fedittous tumults, or any confpi- racy againft his perfon. If he orders a man guilty of a capital crime to be put tb death, the criminal neither fup- plicaties, nor procures interceffion to be made for his life, nor attempts to run away. The order of the fovereign i» ^ecuted on the fpor, a:nd nobody murmurs. But how- <:ver abfdute the authority of the Great Sun may be, zndl although a number of warriors and others attach them- fcJves t6 him, to ferve him, M follow him wherever he goes, and to hunt for him, yet he raifes no ftated impofi- tions ;• and what he receives from thofe people appears^ given, not fo much as a right due, as 'a voluntary ho- ihage, and a teftimony of their love and gratitude. The Natchez begin their year in the month of March, as was the pradice a long time in Europe, and divide it into thirteen moons. At every new moon they celebrate a feaft, which takes its name from the principal fruits' leaped in the preceding moon, or from animals that are* then ufually hunted. I fhall give an account of one of fwo of thefe feafts as conciiely as I can. The firft moon is called that of the Deer, and begins their new year, which is celebrated by them with uni- verfal joy, and is at the fame time: an anniverfary. memo- rial of one of the moft interefting events in their hiftory. In former times a Great Sun, upon hearing a fudden tumult in his village, had left his hut in a great hurry, in order to appcafe it, and fell into the hands of his ene- mies ; but was quickly after refcued by his warriors, who repaired the invaders, and put them to flight. In order to 1^ OF LOUISIANA. 3^ to prcfervc the rcmcmbrahcc of this honourable exploit, the warriors divide themfelves into two bodies, diftin- guiflied from each other by thfe colour of their feathers. One of thefe bodies reprefents the invaders, and aftet raifing loud Aiouts and cries, feize the Great Sun, who comes out of his hut undreft, and rUbbihg his eyes, as though he were juft awake. The Great Sun defends him- felf intrepidly with a wooden tomahawk, and lays a great many of his enemies upon the ground, without however giving them a fingle blow, for he only feems to touch them with his weapon. In the mean time the other party come out of their ambufcade, attack the invaders, and, after fighting with them for fome time, refcue their prince, and drive theny into a wood, which is reprefented by an arbour made of canes. During the whole time of the Ikirmiih, the parties keep up the war-cry, or the cry of terror, as each of them feem to be victors or vanquifhed*. The Great Sun is brought back to his hut in a trium-: phant manner ; and the old nen, women, and children, who were fpe£^ators of the engagement, rend the iky with their joyful acclamations. The Great Sun conti- nues in his hut about half an hour, to repofe himfelf after his great fatigues, which are fuch that an a£lor of thirty years of age would with difficulty have fupported them, and he however, when I faw this feaft, was above ninety. He then makes his appearance again to the peo- ple, who falute him with loud acclamations, which ceafe upon his proceeding towards the temple. When he is arrived in the middle of the court before the temple, he makes feveral gefticulations, then ftretches out his arms horizontally, and remains in that pofture motionlefs as a ftatue for half an hour. He is then relieved by the mafter of the ceremonies, who places himfelf in the fame atti- tude, and half an hour after is relieved by the great chief of war, who remains as long in the fame poflure. When this ceremony is over, the Great Sun, who, when he was relieved, had returned to his hut, appears again before the Z people 33t THE HISTORV people in the ornaments of his dignity, is placed upon htff- throne, which ii a large ftool with four feet cut out of one piece of wood, has a fine buffalo's fkin thrown over his ihoUlders, and feveral furs laid upon his feet, and re- ceives various prefents from the women, who all the while continue to exprefs their joy by their ihouts and acclamations. Strangers are then invited to dine with the Great Sun, and in the evening there is a dance in his hut, which is about thirty feet fquare, and twenty feet high, and like the temple is built upon a mount of earth, about eight feet high, and fixty feet over on the furface. The fecond moon, which anfwers to our April, is called the Strawberry moon, as that fruit abounds then in great quantities. The third moon is that of the Small Corn. This moon is often impatiently looked for, their crop of large corn never fufHcing to nouriih them, from one harveft to an- other. The fourth is that of Water-melons, and anfwers to our June. The fifth moon is that of the Fiflies : in this month alfo they gather grapes, if the birds have fuifered them to ripen. The fixth, which anfwers to our Auguft, is that of the Mulberries. At this feaft they likcwife carry fowls to the Great Sun. The feventh, which is that of Maiz, or Great Corn. This feaft is beyond difpute the moft folemn of all. It principally confifts in eating in common, and in a religi- ous manner, of new corn, which had been fown exprefsly with that defign, with fuitable ceremonies. This corn is fown upon a fpot of ground never before cultivated ; which ground is drefled and prepared by the warriors alone, who alfo are the only perfons that few the corn, weed it, reap it, and gather it. When this corn is near ripe, the warriors fix on a place proper for the general feaft. 9 rs it a OF LOUISIANA. 33^ feaft» and clofe adjoining to that they form a round granary, the bottom and fides of which are of cane ; this they fill with the corn, and when they have finifhed the harveft, and covered the granary, they acquaint the Great Sun, who appoints the day for the general feaft. Some days before the feaft, they build huts for the Great Sun, and for all the other families, round the granary, that of the Great Sun being raifed upon a mount 6f earth about two feet high. On the feaft-day the whole nation fet out from their village at fun-rifmg, leaving behind only the aged and infirm that are not able to travel, and a few warriors, who are to carry the Great Sun on a litter upon their (houlders. The feat of this litter is covered with feveral deer (kins, and to its four fides are faftened four bars which crofs each other, and are fupported by eight men, who at every hundred paces transfer their burden to eight other men, and thus fucceifively tranfport it to the place where the feaft is celebrated, which may be near two miles from the village. About nine o'clock the Great' Sun comes out of his hut dreiled in the ornaments of his dignity, and being placed in his littei;, which has a canopy at the head formed of flowers, he is carried in a few minutes to the facred granary, ihouts of joy re-echoing on all fides. Before he alights he makes the tour of the whole place deliberately, and when he comes before the corn, he falutes it thrice with the words, hooy hooy ho$^ lengthened and pronounced refpe(Jtfully. The falutation is repeated by the whole nation, who pronounce the word hoo nine times di(lin£lly, and at the ninth time he alights and places himfelf on his throne. Immediately after they light a fire by rubbing two pieces of wood violently againft each other, and when every thing is prepared for dreffing the corn, the chief of war, accompanied by the warriors belonging to each family, prefents himfelf before the throne, and addrelFes the Sun in thefe words, ** fpeak, for I hear thee.'* The fovcreijn then rifes up, bows towards the four quarters of Z 2 the 340 THE HISTORY the world, and advancing to the granary, lifts his cyeft manner he can, not what he has done, but what he intends to do ; and if his difcourfe merits approbation, he is anfwered by a general hoo i if not, the warriors hang down their heads and are filent. This great folemnity is concluded with a general dance by torch-light. Upwards of two hundred torches of dried canes, each of the thicknefs of a child, are lighted round the place, where the men and women often conti- nue dancing till day-light} and the following is the difpo- fition of their dance. A man places himfelf on the ground with a pot covered with a deer-fkin, in the man- ner of a drum, to beat time to the dancers; round him the women form themfelves into a circle, not joining hands, but at ibme dillance from each other ; and they are inclofed by the men in another circle, who have in each hand a chichicois, or calabaih, with a ftick thruft through it to ferve for a handle. When the dance begins, the OF LOUISIANA. 341 the women move round the men in the centre, from left to fight, and the men contrariwife from right to left, and they fometimcs narrow and fometimes widen their circles. In this manner the dance continues without intermiiTion the whole night, new performers fucceflively taking the place of thofe who are wearied and fatigued. Next morning no perfon is feen abroad before the Great Sun comes out of his hut, which is generally about nine o'clock, and then upon a fignal made by the drum, the warriors make their appearance diflinguiihed into two troops, by the feathers which they wear on their heads. One of thcfe troops is headed by the Great Sun, and the other by the chief of war, who begin a new divcrfion by tofling a ball of deer-(kin (luffed with Spanifh beard from the one to the other. The warriors quickly take part in the fport, and a violent conteft enfues which of the two parties (hall drive the ball to the hut of the oppofite chief. The diverfion generally lafts two hours, and the viftors are allowed to wear the feathers of fuperiority till the follow-^ ing year, or till the next time they play at the ball. Aftec this the warriors perform the war dance ; and laft of all they go and bathe j an '"xercife which they are very fond of when they are heated or fatigued. The rcfl: of that day is employed a$ the preceding ; foi^ the feafl; holds as long as any of the corn remains. When it is all eat up, the Great Sun is carried back in bis litter, and they all return to the village, after which he fends the warriors to hunt both for therofelves and him. The eighth moon is that of Turkics, and anfwers to, our OiSlober. The ninth moon is that of the Buffalo ; and it is then they go to hunt that animal. Having difcovered where' abouts the herd feeds, they go out in a body to hunt them. Young and old, girls and married women, except thofe who are with child, are all of the party, for there is generally work for them all. Some nations are a little Z 3 - later 342 ' THE HISTORY later in going out to this hunting, that they may find the cows fatter, and the herds more numerous. The tenth moon is that of Bears i at this timeof hunt^ ing tiic feafts are not To grand and folemn, bccaufe great part of the nations are accompanying the hunters in theif expeditions. The eleventh anfwers to our January, and is named the Cold-mcal Moon. The twelfth is that of Chefnuts. That fruit has been gathered long before, neverthelcfs ic gives its name to this moon. Viafliy, the thirteenth is that of Walnuts, and it is added to compleat the year. It is then they break the nuts to make bfead of them by mixing with them the flour of Maiz. The fcafts which I faw celebrated in the chief village of the Natchez, which is the refidencc of the Great Sun, are celebrated in the fame manner in all the villages of the nation, which are each governed by a Sun, who is fubordinate to the Great Sun, and acknowledge his abfo- lute authority. . It is not to be* conceived how cxa(El thcfc people are in affigning the pre-eminence to the men. In every aflcmbly, whether of the whole nation in general, or of^ feveral families together, or of one fmgle family, the youngeft boys have the preference to the women of the moft ad- vanced age J and at their meals, when their food is diftri- buted, none is prefented to the women, till all the males have received their (hare, fo that a boy of two yearii pld is fcrvcd before his mother. The women being always employed, without ever be- ing diverted from their duty, or feduced by the gallantries of lovers, never think of objecSting to the propriety of a cuftom, in which they have been conflantly brought up. Never having ken ariy example that contradicted it, they }iave i)ot ^he lead idea of varying ffom it. Thus being fubmiflivp OF LOUISIANA. 343 fubmiflive from habit, as well as from rcafon, they, by their docility, maintain that pc^cc in their families, which they find edablifhed upon entering them. SECT. III. . Of their Marriages, and DiJiin£lion of Ranis* PATERNAL authority, as I have elfcwhcrc obfcrved, is not Icfs facred and inviolable than the pre-eminence of the men. It ftili fubfifts among the Natchez, fuch at it was in the firft ages of the world. I'he children be- long to the father, and while he lives they are under h\i power. They live with him, they, their wives, and their children ', the fame hut contains, the whole family. The pld man alone commands there, and nothing but death puts an end to his empire. As thefe people have feldom or rather never any differences among them, the paternal authority appears in nothing more confpicuous than in the marriages. When the boys and girls arrive at the perfcft age of puberty, they vifit each other familiarly, and are fuffered ib to do. The girls, fenfible that they will be no longer miftrelTes of their heart, when once they are married, know how to difpofe of it to advantage, and form their wardrobe by the fale of their favours ; for there, as well as in other countries, nothing for nothing. The lover, far from having any thing to object to this, on the con- trary, rates the merit of his future {poufe, in proportion to the fruits (he has produced. But when they are mar- ried they have no longer any intrigues, neither the huf- band nor the wife, becaufe their heart is no longer their own. They may divorce their wives; it is, however, fo rare to fee the man and wife part, that during the eight years I lived in their neighbourhood, I knew but one ex<»' ample of it, and then each took with them the children of t;))(jjr own fex. , . . . , . 2^4 If 344 TIIR HISTORY It M yming m«it hni ohtnihril a itirr* confoiit, nnd thfjf delirt* (o inmiyt it In not Iht Ir frithori, mul iniiih IcCm thrir nuitliriK, of ituiltf or fcmiiltf ivIiitionN who t^kr u|MMt (hrin to loiK'Nulo the mutch i it in the hctulu of the (wo rMmilittt nhMiCi whi) tiiT ul\iiiliy itrmtKiitiuHtithriiii nml (oiiirthitri molt*. Thrlf two oUi iitrii huve mt iittcivlrw, in whii h* M(\ri th« yuung iitnit htm luiiimtly inmlit m drnuuul oi th« l^ii), they fMiinMnr iC thnr Ite tiny rrltttioii ix twrrii rho two |)»riii«iii *nd if nny, whiu tlrgire it Im i for thry do not iiuiny within the (hitd drgret. Notwithitundin^ (iiii lnt«i-vi«W( And the two |D«rt!«R lin lotnid not within tlia pioltibitod dogrri!*, yvt if iht propolcd wilt* lt« ililti^ivvithlv to tho Ituitci, ({irthdliithci*, iic. ol' (lie hulhaiul, the nmtilt i» ntivur lonvludmh On tho •(her hmul, nnihition, Nva^ licQt iiml tltd othei' pHdionut (o ioiiintc;) with uii« n«ver IliHe in the bfoitn of thi* lutheiM (hole dii^UteH of nrtdire, wliicli mukr ui d«'(ii» to (vo ouiH^lveii perpfft\iM(ed In our (vif(ipnng« 1)01' ioHiivnctt (hem (o thwtiit their thildiert impiopvily, and much Uih to |'uri-*e dteir inelintuionii. My un ttdiniiaMe hrtimony, vciy woKJiy oC our imltntinni ihcy only nmny tiiole who love ojiv anotlivi, imd t)u>lo who love onr unothei* Aieonly marrivd wltrn their pKrontt (fgicc to it. It j« rait} tor young nt«n (o iiwtny hel'orc thoyr \k nvt<^and-twonty. Till they urrivo tit that nge they uro l0okrd u|K^t us too woAk» without undcrAanding iin4 fXp«riciK:t» When the mArriA));e-d{iy \n nnrc fixed, prepurntlons uro mAdf for it hoih hy the men and women ) the men go n huntmg, and thti women pirpuiv the mtil/, And deck out the younp; mun's cftbin to the hert- of (heir power. On the wttlvling-dny the old m«n on (he part of the girl IravCvS his hut, and condu*5>!< the hride to (he hut of tho bridegroom i his whtdc fauiily follow him in order and filence \ thofe who ait; incltned to Inugh or be merryi in* dulging themftlvei only in a fmile. He finds before the other hut all the relations of the bridcgix)om| who receive aiul falutc him with their iifual cxproflioii O F T. O IT I 8 I A N A. 34} fKpumoit (if tnii^rutultttidii, iinitKly, hoo, hoo^ rrprntrJ ftfvi'ittl tiiitiri. Wliuii hfl onttm (hr Imr, iltci old mmi on lilt* \m\. (t| llic l)|iilr^r(l(>llt h)n t«» Itiin In titrir lillt{(Ul^P, nn pit thnt¥ to wliii li lin Nii(svrrii, y//. Ilr U nrxt dfi- firrd to ill down, luid ihrn not m word itHflM (or iirtir trii ntlnntri, it \)m\\\^ onr ol thrir prudrnt (iidoinN to TufFer « K«iiH to irU hinili'ir M littln nftrr liin MnivMl, liclort they hrgin m cMnvrir»ition i nnd ttrfidrn, tliry look ii|Hin the time (pntt In tompllittcntN nn thi«»wn Mwtiy, Aricr both the tdd men nic full/ lofh^l, thry rife, and X\w liildr^riiom nnd hrldc u|iprMiin|^ l)r(ora ihcntf they nflc thrni, if thry lovn ruch othn } uiid iC they Mrn willing to tNko onr nnother for mnn nnd wifr } ohft'i vinfj; to thrm ut thr fnmo time, thiir t^iry v\\%\\t not to tnnrry nnlcCrt thry propoltf to live itmicrthly together \ thnf nobody foriTt thrni, nnd thnt tui thry arc rmh othrr'n frrc rhnirr, they will hr thini^ out of the fMmily if thry do not livr irt pence. After thin rcmonftrnnce thr father of the bride- groom dellvrrn thr prefent which bin fon \n to mnkr into bin hnndii, thr brldo'H fRthrr ut thr fume tintr pbiciii)^ him« fclf by hor fido. 'I'hc bridagrooni then ttddr«llb the bride 1 ** Will you imva mo for yutir huiliund V Shi.* an- ** fwcriii ** Moil willingly, nnd it given me joy i love me, UH well Ml 1 Ipve you \ for I love, and ever will love none but yuu." At thcfo worda the bridegroom cover* the bend of the biide with the prcfcnt which bo rcioivcd from bis futhcr, nnd fnyi tu her, ** I love yon, und bnvo thcccforo taken yon for my wife, nnd thin I give to your purentN, tu purchufo you." tic then givci the prefent to the bridc'it futhcr. Tho hun)Hnd weart n tuft of feathcm fuflcnod to hli hnir, which in in the form of a cue, nnd \\\\\\g% over hit left enr, to which in fnftonud n fprig of oak with the leavei on, and in bis left hand he Ueari a bow and arrows. The young wife beara in her left band a fmall branch of laurel, iind in her right a (talk of maiz, which wai delivered to hor by her mothc|f at the tiino (he received tho prcfent^ from It >». t|5 I'll!' IIIS'rORY fu«m hrr hun»'.iMtl. 'V\un llnllc Ihr |»»rl«MU.M I" hn fuifl'iinrf, m*tt(i {i\Vrn it Worn lui with hi^ t'^Ui hniiil, unit Iiivn ** I iiin vo»n ImllMnl i" fhr rtnlvvrM, ninl •• \ urn y«Mii wilr.'* Vfuy <^it* rtirtkr hrtml^ H'ripioj idly with rtn h niluiN tr« l«lion'« I nnrr whiih l\r KiMh hci l«»vvnuli i\\v IumI, nnd f«yi, " I'luMc In «nir Wil, k»rp It tight ^** whii.li in a* tnuilt tts td lay* (to not defile llu- iiup(iu) bnt. The m.iiiinge icKin»H\y luiHj; iIum tontliMlnl, it«r ImIiNhmmmm i\\\\\ ll»v' hnilc, witit thfli lliriuts, lit liiuvn tn A irptllt, >uvl in tl\« rvcnin^; tliey begin iticli »tnMLCJ«,v\lut>li romituic otun lilt ilay- light. 'I'ltc MJttiim ''i thr Nntcl»r/. in coinpofird of uotMlily ftiivl rouinuni pooplr. The voinmoti prople mv numiul iit tlu'li- la»>jjua|.»;ff /i/ii/y •tT divided inivt Sums, tiobliH, mtd mctt ul rauk. The vSut^s nr»* the dolVendrintn of the itlrtn niul womnn wh« \M*otci\d Among thooihrf Irtwn thry {»tnr to the Natchez, they (mtitined th.u ihcff rtice ihonM rtUnys he dKlinguiflird fVom the bulk of th<^ MJition, and that i^^'^m* of thtMn (hould cve» be put lt> Jc'flth upon nnv ncoonnt. Tliey efhvblUhed likewiCe «n- txhfr utjigti which Is tomtd rtntonjj no other people, except it nsuion oC Sivthlnns tnentioned by Heiixlotus. They «^«^^rtuvd that nobility IhouM only be tl"«nl>«itted by the women. Their mule and Kemrtlc children wtw cquntly n;ttt\ovl Sun;(, (\nd re||:mt«d as f\ich« but with thin dil- IvreuAV, that the nuvles enjoyed thijl privilege only In their own perlon, rtnd during tlwir own live*. 'I'hcir children )idl only the title «>t nobles and; the male thitdrcn of Ihole rtoble.1 wvre t>nly men of rank. Thole men of rrtnk, lH»tever« if they diltini^uKhcd thcmfelves by their war- like e.xploiti^« might raUc thonfclvcii agiiin ta the rank of nobles i O F I. C) in 8 I A N A. "jiy iulilr^ I ttiit thrir ()iiltlirit birfimr only tticn nf rnnkf uftd tlic c'liililn'ii of thulb iiini «)f titiik, n^ well ni (if ihe otltrm, wrrr roniiiUMtioii with the (-(iiitnt(*n pi?nptr, nii4 ilMliril rtfiHHiir '>•'• BtinkHriU. 'riuiN ii*i ilicle' pcnpli* nra vury lonp, -livtul, ami npjuinitly foe tlic ft»iirtli p;t'Mrrnti(»ii, it ollrn huppfH'' ♦•'"t « ■" ''ii Ccei Omip of his poUcrlfy uiminp the .SfinkuuU , hut they nrr nt grcnt pnihn to rnri- iTjil ihindp^nnl.i'inM of thdf r«in, tlpriiiilly from llrrtn(j;e?in, iiiul ttlttioft t«»tnlly li r»iwii thole }/m rtt-gnmd t hildrfii \ for whru th«!y fpeiik of them thry only Hty, tliry are denr to them. It in olhcrwifc with ihr frinnlc pof^frity of the Slim, for thfy totitlmie through iiil g( ii'r.ui»Mi'< to Piijoy their rrtnk, The defrciidiiMts of the 8imm hr|ii|r pretty nimicroim, it mi(j;ht he tv peeled thnt thole who jirc out of the prohlhited dcgrr^ei itiight intermnrry, rather thait nlly with the Stinktirdi \ luit a moft hnrbnrons nillom oldi[rcii them lo their mif-allljtiirt!^. When rtiiy of the Sump, either m»de or female, die, their law ordaimi that the hiiftiand or wife of that Still (hall he put to death on the day of the iMtermeoi cif the dccealbd : now hh an»»thcr law prohi- bits the iltlie of the Sunn from hc'iiig put to death, it ii thercf»»itiih) (bi- hKi t)HUghi»t, that t iiti^ht hav« ii in itty powvi to i ivi!i»t) thuir nation hy HholinnMy thviv inhuit\Hn vuOoniH, »n(l intro^iuvin^ tliuii; of ihts Vrenvh. Ait 1 torfiaw t)\e lian^jm of i\nh un alliani:^, whivh would bf oppoiy hy tht? wln»ln nation ut tliy Nat-i rhw, ami at the im\e tinte wa» (WnHbli ihai th« ivltnt^ invnt of a itig)tte\l won^an in very Uiitn)ivlal)i«t t letiunei) h«( i\iK.\\ an aniWiM h» n\i^ht (Uhw nty |i«at hM^ip^I lor Iter «U^vg)u^r, m^ pievvnt hri IVoni making th« t^nie H|i|ili. %\\\\m to i'oHi« Urainl»i1i Knfnihinant who, by attejuiu^ thr (vHvi, might t^a^wih tK» Kittmh (Htiemmit to [\\\\\» ijiti^Omnn t^v«nt. I tti)tt \\h that hvi iiauufhteii- was hantt- IvNmf » and plwaii^d nir n\m h, a» 0\t> had a gmni iuart, and » w*»ll t\nn«d mind \ >'v»t lh9 lawn we ruttlved tVnm tht IfK^at Hintitf tot hud un to mavry women w)u) did Ufti l.rfy I and that t\io(fe f rem hmt^n who \\\fn\ with their daught«'i« tooH thi'in < ,)r a iim« i bni it wan not |iio-» l»vt that ihe daughter t . ihi? Uii^ai Snit (hould ht dti^toiy \\\ in that n\annvr, Thv tit^hM aifiui^li'od in iity i^oaOniii ^\it wht'n thfy look tht-ir leave I pprv'ntv«»l jdainly that ihi ^anghttr wa« iai tVoHv being (atifHed, ) Ufvi^t (aw hei iuww that day ioi waivli i and I h«ard i\\9 wa« Inon afi^r ttvairiied to anothei, f u>m thi» t^lathw thip rfadff may |w»t^eiv^ that there \\^\h nothit^g h\\\ prtidvnce an4 gooii (i^itfb tn peiAiade »hot*' \^^^^\W' to what i» reaton^Hle, and to |Mehprve their futndlhiu witho\it iiii^M nation* W^ may fahly attrm tha\ the ditV«tTnv:ea wo hav(> haid wtth the«n have hten moAv owtn^ to the KtYuvh than to them. Whe» they ii« ivftitc^ infoUiitly or o^i«Aively« th^ have no \vk iiMt^ it^«)«ty t^l ii\inii«« than other*. U thof0 who have ovcatioii to \\v\t s^nvM^g th«w, wilt but have (eiitimeiita ot humanityi ^kn'y wiM in thv lu n)«ft wilh m.«iu SEC T, OK I. OU III ANA. 8 l£ C r, IV. m 0/ th Tmtplei^ Tmh, fhrialit 0*td Pther rtlijihui CiN* mtuhi 9/ th Pt9ph »/ LouiiUna. Ifihnll imw (trrit eed (n uive iVitiin aci'nunt of the Diiftnmt th«t |ilev«il III geiintal amiing «ll the iirttiniiD nf North Ainf^rioA I «iul (hnfVi have a great reffcmhlaiue to eaoll iithrr, ai therB ii hardly any illftVreiice hi the mRiiner n( Ihhtking Hiul aiding aiiimig the (bverai nations. Theflu |n'oplH havt) no rtligtoii nNprtinhi by any HMleniHl woiniip* 'Vhu (Irongt'ft pvlilenres that wb Hill (iver of their having any r«*llgion at all, mv thfir fefiipleu, and the t^ietnal flra ♦herein kept np hy { imv «ii lliem. Home of them indeefl tlo not kcBp up the f ternat Are, And have turned (httir tfUiplffl Into tdiarnel-houfbf. Ilowpvcr, all tholfe pertptn, vy^lthout pjcreptlon, arknow- If'dge a Hupr^nte lining, hut thi-y nevpr on any arcount tiddreOi their prayers to him, from their Jut belief that (Jod, whiiui they call the Cheat Hpirir, U fo good, that he rannot do evil, whatever piovoiafinn he may have. '1 hey believe thfi f^xillence of two (Jieat Hpirits, a jjnod and a had. '1 hey do not, aa ) have iaid« Invoke Iha iSood 8plrit 1 hut they jnay to the bad, in order to avert fVom their perfons and poirf^fllona the»viU whiih he might Inflidt upon them. T hey pray to thn evil fplrlt, not be- caule they think him ulndghty \ for it is the (2uod Spirit whom they believe To | but becaufb, according to them, he governs the air, the ieafnna, the rain, tha fine weather, etui all that may beniHt or hurt the prudud^iona of th9 varth. They are very fuperftitloui in refpe^l to the flight of birdi, and the pailage of fume animals theit aie ftddom feen in their country. They are much im lined to he«r and believe dlvintia, efpeciaily in regard to difcovering things to come ) and they are kept in their isrrora by the Junji^louisi, who find their account in them. The 33<> THE HISTORT The natives have all the fame manner of bringing up their children, and are in general well (haped, and their limbs are juftly proportioned. The Chicafaws are the moft fierce and arrogant, which they undoubted!/ owe to their frequent mtercourfe with the Englifh of Carolina. They are brave j a difpofuion they may have inherited as the remains of that martial fpirit that prompted them to invade their neighbouring nations, by which they themfelves were at length greatly weakened. All the nations on the north of the colony are likewife brave, but they are more humane than the Chicafaws, and have not their high-fpirited pride. All thefe nations of the north, and all thofe of Louifiana, have been inviolably at- tached to us ever fmce our eftablifliment in this colony. The misfortune of the Natchez, who, without difpute, were the fineft of all thofe nations, and who loved us, ought not in the leaft to leflen our fentiments of thofe people, who are in general dlftlnguifhed for their natural goodnefs of character. All thofe nations are prudent, and fpeak little ; they are fober in their diet, but they are paflionately fond of brandy, though they are Angular in never tailing any wine, and neither know nor care to learn any compofition of liquors* In their meals they content themfelves with maiz prepared various ways, and fome- times they ufe fifli and flefli. The meat that they eat is chiefly recommended to them for being wholefome ; and therefore I have conje^ured that dog's fleih, for which we have fuch an averfion, muft however be as good as it is beautiful, fmce they rate it fo highly as to ufe it by way of preference in their feafts of ceremony. They eat no young game, as they find plenty of the largeft fize, and do not think delicacy of tafte alone any recommendation; and therefore, in general, they would not tafte our ragouts, but, condemning them as unwholefome, prefer to them gruel made of maiz, called in the colony Sagamlty. The Cha«5laws are the only ugly people among all the nations in Louifiana ; which is chiefly owing to the fat , with 4 OF LOU I SI AUT A. jjt with which they rub their Ikin and their hair, and tx) their manner of defending themfelves againft the mofkitos, which they keep off by lighting fires of Ar-wood, and fianding in the fmoke. Although all the people of Louisiana have nearly the fame ufages and cuftoms, yet as any nation is more or lefs po- pulous, it has proportionally more or fewer ceremonies. Thus when the French firft arrived in the colony, fevcral nations kept up the eternal fire, and obferved other reli- gious ceremonies, which they have now difufed, fuicc their numbers have been af^atly diminished. Many of them ftill continue to have cKnplcs, but the common peo- ple never enter thcfe, nor ftrangers, unlefs peculiarly favoured by the nation. As I was an intimate friend of the fovereign of the Natchez, he (hewed me their temple, which is about thirty feet fquare, and {lands upon an artificial mount about eight feet high, by the fide of a fmall river. The mount flopes infenfibly from the main front, which is northwards, but on the other fides it is fomewhat fteeper. The four corners of the tqmple confift of four polls, about a foot and an half diameter, and ten feet high, each made of the heart of the cyprcfs tree, which is incorruptible. The fide- pofls are of the fame wood, but only about a foot fquare ; and the walls are of mud, about nine inches thick } fo that in the infide diere is a hollow between every poft. The inner fpace is di- vided from eafl to weft into two apartments, one of which is twice as large as the other. In the largeft apartment the eternal fire is kept, and there is likewife a table or altar in it, about four feet high, fix long, and two broad^ ;Upon this table lie the bones of the late Great Sun in a coffin of canes very neatly made. In the inner apartment, which is very dark, as it receives no light but from the' door of communication, I could meet with nothing bu*^ two boards, on which were placed fome things like fmall toys, which I had not light to perufe. The roof is in the form of a pavilion, and very neat both within and with- out, 3SZ THE HISTORY oiit^ and on the top of it are placed thi-ee wooden bird^, twice as large as a goofe, with their heads turnied towards the eaft. The corner and flde-pofts, as has been men- tioned, rife above the earth ten kct high, and it is faid they are as much funk under ground ; it cannot therefore but iappear furprifing how the natives could tranrport fuch large beams, faibion them, and raife them upright, when we know of no machines they had for that purpofe. fie- fides the eight guardians of the temple, two of whom are always on watch, and the chief of thofe guardians, there alfo belongs to the fervice oLthe temple a mailer of the ceremonies, who is alfo miner of the myfterie^ ; fince, according to them, he converfes very ^miliarly with the Spirit. Above all thefe perfons is the Great Sun, who is at the fame time chief prieft and fovereign of the nation. The temples of fome of the nations of Louifiana are very mean, and one Would often be apt to milkake them for the huts of private perfons; but to thofe, who are acquainted with their manners, they are eafily diftingui(hable, as they have always before the door two pods formed like the ancient Termini, that is, having the upper part cut into the (hape of a man*s head. The door of the temple, which is pretty weighty, is placed between the wall and thofe two pofts, fo that children may not be able to remove it, to go and play in the temple. The private huts have alfo pofts before their doors, but thefe are never formed like Termini. None of the nations of Louisiana are acquainted with the cuftom of burning their dead, which was praflifed by the Greeks and Roitians ; tcr with that of the Egyptians, who ftudied to preferve them to perpetuity. The difFerent American nations have a moft Higious attention for their dead, and each have fome peculiar cuftoms in refpec^ to thdm i but all of them either inter them, or place them in tombs^ and carefully carry victuals to them for fome time. Thtfe tombs are either within their temples, or clofe ad- joining to themj or ki their neighbourhood. They are raifcd OF Louisiana. jjj raifed about three feet above the earth, and reft upon four pillars, which are forked ftakes fixed faft in the ground. The tomb, or rather bier, is about eight feet long, and a foot and a half broad } and after the body is placed upon it, a kind of bafket-work of twigs is wove round it, and covered with mud, an opening being left at the head for placing the victuals that are prefented to the dead perfon. When the body is all rotted but the bones, thefe are taken out of the tomb, and placed in a box of canes, which is depofited in the temple. They ufually weep and lament for their dead three days ; but for thofe who are killed in war, they make a much longer and a more grievous la- mentation. Among the Natchez the death of any of their Suns, as I have before obferved, is a moft fatal event ; for it is fure to be attended with the deftru6lion of a great number of people of both fexes. Early in the fpring 1725, the Stung Serpent, who was the brother of the Great Sun, and my intimate friend, was feized with a mortal diftem- per, which filled the whole nation of the Natchez with the greatcft confternation and terror 5 for the tu'o brothers had mutually engaged to follow each other to the Kind of fpirits ; and if the Great Sun fhould kill himfelf for the fake of his brother, very many people would likewife be put to death. When the Stung Serpent was defpaired of, the chief of the guardians of the temple came to me in the greateft confufion, and acquainting me with the mutual engagements of the two brothers, begged of m ; to intereft myfclf in preferving the Great Sun, and conf - quently a great part of the nation. He. made the fame requeft to the commander of the fort. Accordingly we were no fooner informed of the dea,th erf" the Stung Serpent, than the commander,^ fome of the principal Frenchmen, and I, went in a body to the hut of the Great Sun. We found him in defpair j but, after fome time, he feemed to be influenced by the arguments I ufed to difTuade him from putting himfelf to death. The A a death 354 T Ml! HISTORY ilenth of the Stung Serpent wns ptiMiflird by the fnlng of two mufketa, which were «tWWtted hy ihc other vlllagei> thd immediAteiy crie« nnd Inttientittlohii were hem-d oo nil ftdc«. 'I'he Ciieat Sun, In the mcnit time, reitirtlned In*. eonrtddhie, tind fAt hritt forwurdl, with hid eyt^n towai-dii the gi-oumh In the evt'ninft, while wc were (till In his hut* he mrtde * fign to his frtvoiirite wife \ who In conft;- qiience of thnt threw « pailful nf wAter on the fire, tttwl ektlng>»l(hcd It. This was A fignnl for extlngulflilng ell the fihM of the nation, and filled every one with terrible ulamin, an It dtMioted that the Great Sni was ftlll refi^ilved to put hinidlf to drathi t gently chldcd him for altering his forn\er rrfi)luiion, but he alVuicd me he had not, and dcfircd \\H to po and fiecp Itrurely. We accordingly left him, pretending to rely on the afiurance he had given usi Init wc took up our lodging in the hut of his chief ftfr- vantp, and rtatloned a fiddler at the door of his hut, whom we »>rdrred to give us notice of whatever happened. There was no need tt) fear our being betrHyed by the wife of the Cireiit Sun, or any others about him i for none of «hen\ had the leail inclination to die, if they could help it. 0\\ the contrary, they all exprefled the grcatelt thanklulnels and gratitude to tia for our endeavours to •vert the threatened calamity front their nation. Bel«»-e we went to o\ir lodgings we entered the hut of ihe derv;ifed| and fbund him on his bed of ftatei di^flei! in hU finell cloaths, his Face painted with vermilion, (hod M if t'or A journey, with Ins feather^crown on hii hertd. To his bed Were fattened his arms, which Con- lilted of A double-barifled gun, a ptftol, a bow, a qulv«r full of arrows^ and a ttmiihawk. Round his bed were placed all the calumets of peace he had received during his lift^, And on a pole, planted in the ground near It, hung A chain of «my fix rings of cane painted rtdv to e\pix?rs the number of eneoncji h^ had flain» All his Jouicrtkks were i*o\>nd him, and titey prefcntcd victuals to him at the ufual hours, as if he were alive. Thcc ir* pan/ or LOUISIANA. 351 psttiy ill liti hut were compoftd of his rAvotirtte wire, nf a iecuntl wife, which he kept in minther village, and viiitet( when his favourite was with child ) of hit chantellor, hia phyflciaii, his chief domeftic, his pipe.btarer« and fome old women, who were all to be Aranglcd at hit Intcrmttif. To ther« viiSlinia a noble woman voluntarily joined her- felf, reiblving, from her friendfhip to the Stung Serpent, t« go and live with him in the country of fplriti. 1 r«<- gretted her on many accounts, but particularly aa (he wis intimately acquainted with the virtues of flmplea, had by her (kill faved many of our people's livesi and given me many ufefut inftru^lions. After we had fatiifled ourcurf- oHty in the hut of the decealbd, we retired to our hut, where we fpent the night. But at day^bfeak we weC* fuddenly awaked, and told that it was with difficulty the Great Sun was kept from killing himfetf. We haftened to his hut, and upon entering it t remarked difmay anil terror painted tipon the countenances of all who Were prcfcnt. The Great Sun held his gun by the butt-end, and iVumed enraged that the other Suns had feitoed upoh it, to prevent him from executing his purpoAi I addreii^ fed myfelf to himt and after opening the pan«»f the Idck, to let the priming fall out, t chided him gently for his not fldUng according to his former refolutioni Me pretended at ftrS not to lee me ) but, after fome time, he let go his hold of the mu(ket, and (hook hands with me without fpeaking a word. 1 then went towards his wife, who alJ this while had appearci in the utmoft agony and terror, and t iifked her if Oie was ill. She anfwered me, *• Yes, very 111^" and added, ** if you leave us, my hufband is it dead man, and all the Natchez will die ) flay then, for he opens his ears only to your words, which have the (harp^ mfs and ftrength of nrrows. You are his true friend, nnd do not laugh when you fpeak, like moit: of the French* men." The GrcAt Sun'at length confonted to order hia Hrc to be agiiin lightei), which was the fignal fvr lighting A a a th« 35<^ THK HISTORY th(* other firci of the ^mtioiii and dirpellcd all their npprc« hcnnoiiB. Soon artei^ the nativei begun the dance of death* and prepahed for the funeral of the Htung Serpdntt Orders were given to put none to death on that occaflon) but thofe who were in the hut of the dcceafed. A child ho\^« ,tVer had been already ftrangled by iti father and mother, which ranfoined their lives upon tht death of the Great Sun* and raifiid them from the rank of Stinkards to that of Nohlta. I'hofe who wtro appointed to die were con- dui^editwioe a day, and placed in two rows before the temple), where they adled oVcr the ftcnc of their death, each aocompanied hy eight of th\irty warttot^ brought in a pfifoner, who ,ha\i formerly been married to a female Sun ; but, upon iher death, ihfhad of fubmitting to die with her, had fled Co New Orlconi^ and offered to become the hunter and 4lave of ctur* commander in ehief» The eommander ac- cepting his offer t and granting him hid proCei^ion, he often vifited his countrymen, who, out of complaifanco to the commander, never offered to apprehend him: but that officer being now returned >td France, and the runaway ttpiiearing in theheighbourhood, he was now apprehended, and numbered mnong the other vidims. Finding himfctf thus unexpectedly, trapped, he began to cry bitterly ; but three old Women, who were his relations, officring to die ii\ his ffead, he was not only again exempted from death, but ratfed to the dignity of a man of rank. Upon this he afterwards became infolcnt, and profiting by what he had fecn and learned at New Orleans, he eafily, on many .occaftons, made his fcllow-tountrymen his dupes. . . «. On OP LOUISIANA. J57 On the day of the interment, the wife of the deceafcd made a very moving fpecch to the French who were pre- fcnt, recommending her children, to whom ftic alfo nd« ilreflcd herfclf, to their friendftiip, and advifing n perpe- tu{^l union between the two nation*. Soon after the madcr of the ceremonies appeared in a red-feathered croWHf which half encircled his head, having a red ftafF in hit hand in the form of a croft, at the end of which hung i\ garland of black feathers. All the upper part of his bod/ \vaft painted red, excepting his arms, and from his girdle to his knees hung a fringe of feathers, the rows of which were alternately white and red, When he came before the hut of tjie deceafcd, he falutcd him with a great hoo^ and then began the cry of death, in which he was fol- lowed by the whole people. Immediately after the Stung Serpent was brought out on his bed of jftate, and was plrtccd on a litter, which fix of the guardirtn« of the tem- ple bore on their ftiot^ders. The proccfTion then began, the mafter of the ceremonies walking fnfl:, and afrcr him the oldcft warrior, holding in one hand the pole with th« rings of canes, and in the other the pipe of war, a mark of the dignity of the deceafcd. Next followed thccorpfc, after which came thofe who were to die at the interment. The whole procefllon went three times round the hut of the deceafcd, and then thofo who carried the corpfe pro- ceeded in a circiil.ir kind of march, every turn interfedling the former, until they came to the Knnple. At every turn the dead child was thrown by its parents before the bear- ers of the corpfe, ihut they might walk over it } and when the corpfe was placed in the temple the vi«Stim8 wne im- mediately flrangled. The Stung Serpent and hin two wives were buried in the fame grave v>'ithin the temple ; jtbe other vidlims were interred In different parts, and after the ceremony they burnt, according to cuftom, the hut ^f the dcccafed, , ^ A -3 SEC T. 35«^ THE HISTORY S E C T. V. Of tht Arts and ManUfaSlurts of thi Nativeh THE arts and manufadlures of the natives are fo in^ fignificant, when compared with ours, that I (hould not have thought of treating of them, if fome pcrfons of diftindion had not defired me to fay fomething of them, in order to fhew the induftry of thofe people, and how far invention could carry them, in fupplying thofe wants which human nature is continually expofed to. As they would have frequent occafion for fire, the manner of lighting it at pleafure muft have been one of the firft things that they invented. Not having thofe means which we ufe, they bethought themfelves of an- other ingenious method which they generally pra£tife. They talce a dry dead flick from a tree, about the thick- i^efs of their finger, and preffing one end againfl another dry piece of wood, they turn it round as fwiftly as they can till they fee the fmoke appear, then blowing gently foon make the wood flame. Cutting inftruments are almoft continually wanted ; but as they had no iron, which, of all metals, is the mofl ufeful in human fociety, they were j^iliged, with infinite pains, to form hatchets out of large flints, by (harpening their thin edge, and making a hole through them for receiving the handle. To cut down trees with thefe axes would have been almofl an impradlicable work j^ they were therefore obliged to light fires round the rootsi of them, and to cut away the charcoal as the fire eat into the tree. They fupplied the want of knives for cutting their viduals with thin fplits of a hard cane, which they could eafily renew as they wore out. They made their bows of acacia wood, which is hard; and eaftiy cleft; and at firfl their bowftrings were made of the bark of the wood, but now they make them of th^ OF LOUISIANA. 35^ the thonirs of hides. Their arrows are made of a fhrub that fends out long ftraight (hoots ; but they make fome of fmall hard reeds : thofe that are intended for war, or agninft the buffalo, the deer, or large carp, are pointed with the (harp fcale of the armed tifh, which is neatly faftened to the head of the arro.w with fplits of cane and li(h-g]ue. The fkins of the beafts which they killed in hunting naturally prefented themfclves for their covering} but they muft be drefled however before they could be pro- perly ufed. After much praAice they at length difcovered that the brain of any animal fuffices to drefs it^ fkin. To few thofe (kins they ufe the tendons of animals beat and fplit into threads, and to pierce the (Icins they apply the bone of a heron's leg, (harpened like an awl. To defend themfelvcs againft the inclemencies of the weather, they built huts of wood, which were clofe and ftrong enough to refift the impetuofity of the wind. Thefe huts are each a perfect fquare ; none of them are lefs than fifteeii feet fquare, and fome of them are more than thirty feet in each of their fronts. They eredl thefe huts in the following manner : they bring from the woods feveral young walnut-trees, about four inches in dia- meter, and thirteen or twenty feet high j they plant the pronged of thefe in the four corners, and the others fifteen inches from each other in ftraight lines, for the fides of the building ; a pole is then laid horizontally along the fides in the inflde, and all the poles are ftrongly faftened to it by fplit canes. Then the four corner poles are bent inwards till they all meet in the centre, where they are ftrongly faftened together ; the fide-poles are then bent in the fame direftion, and bound down to the others ; after which they make a mortar of tnHd mixed with Spani(h beard, with which they fill up all the chinksy leaving no opening but the door, and the mud they cover ^oth outfide and infide with mats m^de of the fplits of A a 4 cane. 36o THE HISTORY C4ne. The roof ii thatched with turf and Araw inteKt mixed, and over all is laid a mat of cane^, which ii faf- tened to the topi of the walls by the creeping plant. Thcfc huts will lafl; twenty years without any repairs. The natives having once built for themfelvci Axed habitations, would next apply themfelves to the culti- vation of the ground. Accordingly, near all their ha* bitations, they have fields of maiz, and of another nou« ri(hing giain called Choupichoul, which grows without culture. For dreiTing their fields they invented hoes, which are formed in the (hape of an L, having the lower part flat and (harp; and tota|(e the huOcfrom their corn they made large wooden mof tars, by holloy/ing the trunks of trees with fire. To prepare their mai« for food, and likcwife their ve- nifoii and game, there was a neccfTity for drcHing them over the fire, and for this purpofc they bethought them- felves of earthen ware, which is made by the women, who not only form the vefTcl, but dig up and mix the clay. In this they are tolerable artifts ) they make kettles of an extraordinary Aze, pitchers with a (mall opening, gallon bottles with long necks, pots or pitchers for their bear oil, which will hold forty pints ; laflly, large and fmall plates in the French fafhion ; I had fome made out of curiofity upon the model of my del f- ware, which •were a very pretty red. For fifting the flour of their maiz, and for other ufes, the natives make fievcs of va- rious finencfTes of the fplits of cane. To fupply them- felves with fifti they make nets of the bark of the lime- tree j but the lar^e filh they Ihoot v/Ith arrows. The beds of the natives are placed round the fides of their hutvS, about a foot and a half from the ground, and arc formed in this manner. Six' forked (lakes fupport two poles, which are crofied by three others, over, which canes are laid fo clofc as to form an even furface, and upon thefc arc laid fevcral bear fkins, which ferve for the ' bed or LOUISIANA. 361 V«d furniture ) a buffalo's (kin is the coverlet, and n fack >urt wirh Spanifh beard ii the buUlcr. The women lometimeR add to this furniture of the bed mats wove of canes, dyed of three colours, which colours in the weaving are formed into various figures. Thcfe mats render the bottom of the bed ft ill fmoothcr, and in hot weather they remove the bear /kins and lie upon them. Their fe.its or ftools, which they fcldom ufc, arc about fix or feven inches high, and the feat and feet are made of the fame piece. The women likewifc make a kind of hampers to carry corn, flefh, fifli, or any other thing which they want to tranfport from one place to another } they arc round, deeper than broad, and of all fizes. Here, as well as In other countries, the women take fpccial care to lay up fecurely all their trinkets and finery. They make balkets with long lids that rol) doubly over them, and in thefe they place their ear-rings and pendants, their bracc- l^M* garters, their ribbands for tiicir huir, and their vermilion for painting themfelvcs, if they have any, but when they have no vermilion they boil ochre, and, paint themfelves with that. The women alfo make the mens girdles and garters, and the collars for carrying their burdens. ThcTc collars are formed of two belts of the breadth of the hand of bear*s fkin, drclFcd fo as to foftcn it, and thcfc belts are joined together by long crofs rtraps of the (atnc leather, ihat ferve to tie the bundles, which are oftcncr carried by the women than the men. One of the broad belts goes over their (boulders, and the other acrofs their fore- head, fo that thofc two parts mutually eafc each other. The women alfo make fcvcral works in embroidery with the (kin of the porcupine, which is black and while, and is cut by them into thin threads, which ihcy dye of cjifFcrent colours. Their defigns greatly refembic tljofc which we meet with on gothic atchitcclurc ; they are (oiiiicd 362 THE h I S T O R Y^ Formed of ftraight lines, which when they meet atwayy crofs each other, or turn off at i«[uare angles. J^ The convcniencics for pafling rivers woul.d (bon be fuggeftcd to them by the floating of wood upon the water. Accordingly one of their methods of croffing rivers is upon floats of canes, which are called by them Cajeu, 9nd are formed in this manner: They cut a great numbex: \of canes, which they tie up into faggots, part of which they faften together fide ways, and over thefe they lay a row crofsways, binding all clofe together, and then launch- ing it into the water. For carrying a great number of men with their ncceffary baggage, they foon found it neceffary to have other conveniencies j and nothing ap- peared fo proper for this as fome of their large trees hol- lowed ; of thefe they accordingly made their petty ugrcs, which as I mentioned above are fomecimes fo large as to carry ten or twelve ton weight. Thefe pettyaugres are condu(Sted by ihort oars, called Pagaies, about itx feet long, with broad points, which are not faftened to the veiTel, but managed by the rowei^ like (hovels. SECT. VI. Of the Attire and Diver/tons of the Natives : Of their Meals and Faftings. TH E natives g OF LOUISIANA. j$j During the heats the women wear only half a yahl o^' liflibourg ftuff about their middle^ which covers them down to the knees ; or in place of that they ufe dee^ ikin ; and the reft of the body both in men und women ia naked. Many of the women wear cloaks of the bark of the mulberry- tree, or of the feathers of fwans^ turkies, or India ducks. The bark they take from young mulberry ihoots that rife from the roots of trees that have been cut down ; after it is dried in the fun they beat it to make all the woody part fall off, and they give the threads that remain a fecond beating, after which they bleach them by expoftng them to the dew. When they are well whiten- ed they fpin them about the coarfenefs of pack-thread, and weave them in the following manner : they plant two flakes in the ground about a yard and a half afunder, and having ilretched a cord from the one to the other, thef faften their threads of bark double to this cord, and then interweave them in « curious manner into a cloak of about a yard fquare with a wrought border round the edges. The young boys and girls go quite naked; but die girls at the age of eight or ten put on a little petticoat, which IS a kind of fringe made of threads of mulberry bark. The boys do not wear any covering till they are twelve or thirteen years pf age. Some women even in hot weather have a fmall cloak wrapt round like a waiftcoat ; but when the cold fets in, they wear a fecond, the middle of which pafles under the right arm, and the two ends are faftened over the left Oioulder, fo that the two arms are at liberty, and one of the breads is covered. They wear nothing on their heads ; their hair is fuffered to grow to its full length, except in the fore-part, and it is tied in a cue behind in a kind of net made of mulberry threads. They carefully pick out all the hairs that grow upon any part of their body. J The 364 ' THE HISTORY t The {hoes of the men and women are of the fame fa(hion, but they rare|y wear any but when they travel.- They are made of deer-fkin, the fole and upper-leather of the fame piece, which is fewed together on the lipper part of the foot; they are cut about three inches longei;;- than the foot, and are folded over the toes ; the quarters are about nine; inches high, and faften round the leg like ^z bufkin. Xh? womens ear- rings are made of the center part pf a targe fhell, called burgo, which is about the. thicl^nefii of one*s little Anger, and there is a hole, in the car about that fize for holding it. Their necklaces are compofed of feveral firings of longifli or roundifh kernel- (tones, fomewhat refembling porcelaine j, and with the fmalleft of thef<; k^rn^l-ftones they ornament their furs^ garters, &'c. From their early youth the women get a flrep.k pricked crofs their nofe; fome of then^ have a ftr«;ak pricked down the middle of their chin j others in different parts, efpecially the women of the nations who have the R it^ their language. I have feen fome who w^re pricked all over the upper part of the body, not even excepting thq^ breads which are extremely fenlible. In the cold weather the npen cojver themC«lves with afhirt made of two drelTed deer-fkins, which is more like a fur night-gown than a fhirt : they likewife, at the fame time, wear a kind of bieeches, which cover both the thighs end the legs. If the weather be very fevere, they throw over all a buffJo's (kin, which is drefled with the wool ■ on, nirl ihis ihcy keep next tp their body to increafe thd wr.jmth. In the countries v/here they hunt beavers, they Biake robes of fix fkins of thofe animals fewed together. The youths here are. as much taken up about dre{s, and as fond of vying with each other in finery as in other countries ; they paint themfelves with vermilion very often i they deck themfelves with bracelets made of the ribs of deer, which are bent by the means of boiling. water. OF LOUISIANA. 365 v^ter, and when polifhed, look as fine as iv6ry; they wear necklaces like the women, and fometimes have a fan in their hand.; they clip off the hair from the crown of the head, and there place a piece o^ fwan's (kin with the down on .J to. a few hairs that they leave on that part they faften the fineft white feathers that they can meet ^yith ; a part of their hair which is fuffered to grow long, they weave into a cue, which hangs over their* left ear. They likeWife have their nofc pricked, but no other part till they are warriors, and have performed fome brave z&ion, fuch as killing an enemy, and bringing off his fcalp. Thofe who have fignalized themfelves by fome gallant exploit, caufe a tomahawk to be pricked on. their left fhoulder, underneath which is alfo pricked the hieroi glyphic fign of the conquered nation. Whatever figure they intend to prick, is firft traced on the ikin with a bit of charcoal, and having fixed fix needles in a piece of wood in two rows, in fuch a manner that they only flick out about the tenth part of an inch, they prick the (kin all over the mark, and then rub charcoal duft oVer the part, which enters the pu natures, and leaves a mark that can never be effaced. This pricking generally gives a fit of ficknefs to the patient, who is obliged for fome time to live only on boiled maiz. The warriors alfo pierce the lower part of their ears, and make a hole an inch diameter, .which they fill with iron wire, Be(idQ4 thefe ear-rings they have a belt hung round with little bells, if they can purchafe any from the French, fo that they march more like mules than men. When they can get no bells, they faffen to their belts wild gourds with two or three pebbles in each. The chief ornament of the fovereighs, is their crown of feathers j this crown is com-* pofed oi a black bonnet of net work, which is fattened to a red diadem about two inches broad. The diadem is embroidered with white kernel-ftones, and furmoiinteJ with white feathers, which in th^ fore -part are about ^ight 366 THE HISTORY eight inches long, and half as much behind. This crown or feather hat makes a very pleaflng appearance. All nations are not equally ingenious at inventing feafts, ihews, and diverfions, for employing the people agreeably, and filling up the void of their ufual employments. The natives of Louifiana have invented but a very few diver- fions, and thefe perhaps ferve their turn as well as a greatet variety would do. The Warriors pra^life a diverAon which is called the game of the pok, at which only two play together at a time. Each has a pole about eight feet long, refembling a Roman f, and the game confifts in rolling a flat round ftone, about three inches diameter and an inch thick, with the edge fomewhat floping, and throwing the pole at the fame time in fuch a manner, that when the ftone refts, the pole may touch it or be near it. Both antagoniils throw their poles at the fame time, and he whofe pole is neareft the ftone counts one, and has' the right of rolling the ftone. The men fatigue them- felves much at this game, as they run after their poles at every throw; and (ome of them are fo bewitched by it, that they game away one piece of furniture after another. Thefe gamefters however are very rare, and are greatly difcountenanced by the reft of the people. The women play with fmall bits of cane, about eight or nine inches long. Three of thefe they hold toofely in one hand, and knock them to the ground with another; tf two of them fall with the round fide undermoft, fhe that played counts one ; but if only one, fhe counts nothing. They are aihamed to be feen or found playing ; and as far as I could difcover, they never played for any ftake. The young people, efpccially the girls, have hardly any kind of diverfion but that of the ball : this coniifts in toffing a ball from one to the other with the palm of the hand, which they perform with a tolerable addrefs. When the natives meet with a Frenchman whom they know, they fhake hands with him, incline their head a / Utile, .^'^VK^MI^HH^ ' OF LOUISIANA. pf little, and fay m, their own language, ^' Are you there, my friend f" If he has no fertous affair to propofe to them, or if they themfeWes have nothing of con(equencc to fay, they purfue their journey. If they happen to be going the feme way with a French* man, they never go before him, unlefs fomething of con« fequence oblige them. When you enter into their hut| they welcorafe you with the word of falutatton, which fig* nifics ** Are you there, my friend?'* then fhalce hands with you, and pointing to a bed, deftre you tp fit down. A filence of a few minutes then enfues till the ftranget' begins to fpeak, when he is offered fome vidluals, and defired to cat. You liiuft tafte of what they offer yotij^ otherwife they will imagine that you defpife them. v-^»* When the natives ^converfe together, however nume* rous the affembly be, never more than one perfon fpea!c» at once. If one of the company has any thing to fay to another, he fpeaks fo lev/ that none of the reft hear him. l^Iobody is interrupted, even with the chiding of a child ; and if the child be ftubborn', it is removed clfewhere. Ic, the council, when a point is deliberated upon and debated, they keep filence for a ihort time, and then they fpeak in their tarns, no one offering to interrupt another. The natives being habituated to their own prudent cuftom, it is with the utmoft difficulty they can keep from laughing, when, they fee feveral French men or "French women together, ajid always feveral of them fpeakingat the fame time. I had obferved them for two years ftifling "a laugh on thofe occafions, and had often afked the rcafon of it, without receiving any fatisfaftory anfwer. At length I prefTed one of them fo earneftly to fatisfy me, that after fome excufes, he told me in their language, «• Our people fay, that when feveral Frenchmen are to- gether, they fpeak ail at once, like a flock of geefe." All the nations whom I have known, and who inhabit from the fea a^ far as the Illinois, and eyea farther, whicU is THE HISTORY is a rpace of about fifteen hundred miles, carefully culti- vate the maiz corn, which they make their principal fub- fiftence. They make bread of it baked in cakes, another kind baked among the afhes, and another kind in water ; they make of it alfo cold meal, roafted meal, gruel, which jn this country is called Sagamity. This and the cold meal in my opinion are the two beft difhes that are made of it ; the others are only for a change. They eat the Sagamity as we eat foup, with a fpoon made of a buffalo's horn. When they eat flefh or fifh they ufe breads They like- wife ufe two kinds of millet, which they ihell in the man- ner of rice ; one of thefe is called Choupichoul, and the other Widlogouil, and they both grow almoft without any cultivation. In a fcarcity of thefe kinds of corn, they have recourfe to earth-nuts, which they find in the woods j but they never ufe thefe or chefnuts but when neceflSty obliges them. * ■ • ■ ^ The flefti-meats they ufually eat are the buffalo, the deer, the bear, and the dog : they eat of all kind of water-fowl and fifh ; but they have no other way of dref- ling their meat but by roafling or boiling. The following is their manner of roafling their meat when they are in the fields hunting : they plant a flake in the ground floping towards the fire, and on the point of this flake they fpit their meat, which they turn from time to time. To pre- ferve what they do not ufe, they cut it into thin pieces, which they dry, or rather; half-roafl, upon a grate made of canes placed crofs-ways. 7 hey never eat raw flefh, as fo many people have falfely imagined, and they limit themfelves to no fet hours for their meals, but eat when- ever they are hungry j fo that we feldom fee feveral of them eating at once, unlefs at their feafts, when they all eat off the fame plate, except the women, the hoys, and the young girls, who have each a plate to themfelves. Whqn the natives are fick, they neither eat flefh nor fifh, but take Sagamity boiled in th^ broths of meat. Whea 1 |o pre- >ieces, made :{h, as limit whcn.- reral of |:hey all aad iefti nor meat. Whea OP LOUISIANA. 369 When ft man fall« ficki bis wife fleept with the woman in the next bed to him, and the hMiband of that woman goes elfcwhere* The natives, when (hey cat with Frenchmen, tafte of nothing but of pure roaft and boiled : they eat no fallad, and nothing raw but firuit. Their drink is pure water or pure brandy, but thfy diilike wine and all made liquors. Having mentioned their manner of feedings I (hall fay a word or two of their manner of faftiag. When thef want rain, or when they defire hot weather for ripefting thirir corn, they addrefs themfelves tc the old man who has the greateft character for living wifely, and they intreat him to invoke the atrial fpirics, in order to obtain what th^ de- mand. This old man, who never refufes his countrj^men's requeft, prepares to faft for nine days together, i^e orders his wife to withdraw, and during the whole time he eats nothing but a di(b of gruel boiled in water^ without (alt, which js brought him once a day by his wife after fun-fet. They never will accept of aity reward for this fervice, that the fpirits may not be angry with them. ' SEC T. vn^ , Of the Indian Art of Vhxr. I Will now prefefit the reader with their manner of making war, which is ui^formly the fame among all the nations.- When one tpatipn intends to make war upon another in all the fcM:t08, they hokl a council of war, which is compofed of th^oldeft and braveft warriors. It is to be fuppofed that l^is nation has been infulted, that, the other has committed fome hoftilities t^ioft it» or that they have difturbed them in their hun^^g country, coming thither to fteal their gam riors. They likewifc divide our military men into the two clafTes of true warriors and young warriors. By the former they mean the fettlers, of whom the greateft part, upon their arrival, were foldiers, who being now perfecflfy ac- ' quainted with the tricks and wiles of the natives, pradijfe them upon their enemy, whom they do not greatly fearJ The yOung warriors are the foldiers of the regular troops, as the companies are generally compofed of young men, who are ignorant of the ftratagems ufed by the natives in time of war. ^"^ ^' When the war-fpaft is ready the warriors repair to it, painted from head to f^ot with firipes of different colours. They have nothing.on but their belt, from whence hangs their apron, their bells, or their rattling gourds, and their tomahawk. In their right hand they have a bow, and thofe of the north in their left carry a buckler formed of two round pieces of buffalo's hide fewed together. The feaft is kept in a meadow, the grafs of which is mowed to a great extent ; there the difhes, which are of hoUovi^wood, are placed round i a circles of about twelve or fifteen feet diameter, and the number of thofe circuUr i \ ' B b 2 tabl«8 37« THEHISTORY tables is proportioned to the largenels of the siTembly, in the midft of whom is placed the pipe of war upon the end of « pole feven or eight feet high. At the foot of this pole, in the middle of a circle, is placed the chief difli of all, which is a large dog roafled whole i the other plates are ranged circularly by threes j one of thefe contains linaiz boiled in broth lilce gruel, another roafted deer's JdeKh, and the other boiled. They all begin with eating of the dog, to denote their fidelity and attachment to their chief} but before they tafte of any thing, an old warrior, who, on account of his great age, is not able to accom- pany the reft to the war, makes an harangue to the war- riors, and by recounting his own exploits, excites them to a£l with bravery agaihft the enemy. All the warriors then, according to their rank, fmoke in the pipe of wat*, after which they begin their repaft ; but while they dat, they keep walking continually, to fignify that a warrior ought to be always in a£iion and upon his guard. While they are thus employed, one of the young men goes behind a buHi about two hundred paces off, and raifes the cry of death. Inftantly all the warriors feize their arms, and run to the place whence the cry comes ; and when they are near it the young warrior ibews himfelf again, raifes the cry of death, and is anfwered by all the reft, who then return to the feaft, and take up the vi£iuals which in their hurry they had thrown upon the ground. The fame alirm iS glvfen tWo dther tliries, and the war- riors each time a^ ^s at 'flrft. The War drink then goes round, which is a htiiy liquor dt^v^n from the leaves of the Ck&ne after they Hkve bt<6h a I6i1g «i^hile boiled. The feaft being ^nii^^d, thisy all afleihble about fifty piLtts ifrom a large pbft^ wlhich reprefehts the eiiemy j ^nd this each of them in his tlifn f-uhs iip tb, and ftrikes With his tohiahawk, recounting at the farhe time all his former brave exploits, and fohietimies boafting of valorous deeds that he never j^rformed. But they have the compiaiftfi^e to each other to pardbn this gtifi;ofiading« OF LOUISIANA. 37 J All of them haying (ucce{Ryc\y (Iruck the poft, they begin the dance of war with their arms jn tlicir hands ( and this dance and the war feaft are celebrated for three days togi.ihcr, aitcr which thcy Cct out for the war. Th« women fome time before are employed in pirparing victuals for their hitibands, and the old meQ in engraving upon bark tlic liicroglyphic fign of the nation that attacks, and of their numbir of warriors. Thi'ir manner of making war is to attack by furprize ; accordingly, when they draw near to any of the enemy's villages, thcy march only in the night; and that thcjr may not be difcovcred, raife up the grafs over which they trod. One half of the warriors watch, while the other half ficep in the tliickcft and moft unfrequented part of the wood. If any of their fcouts can difcovcr a hut of the enemy detached from the reft, they all furround it about day-breal^, and fome of the warriors entering, endeavour to knock the people Qn the head as they awa)c<:, or take fome man prifoncr. Having fcalpcd the dead, they carry off* the women and children prifoners, and place againft vi tree > near the hut the hieroglyphic picture, before which they plant two arrows with tlieir points crofling each other. Inftantly they retreat into the woods, and make great > turnings to conceal their route. The women and children whom they take prifoners are made flaves. But if they take a man prifoncr the joy is univerfal, and the glory of their nation is at its height. The warriors, when they draw near to their own villager gfter an expedition, raife t;he cry of war three times fuc- ce^vely ; and if they have a man prifoner with them, immediately go and look for three j)oles to torture him lipo|i} which, however weary or hungry they be, muft [^e provided before they t«\ke any refrefhment. When they have provided thofe poles, and tied the prifoner to ,them^ the^y may then go and take fome viduals. The B b 3 polei 374 THE HISTORY poles are about ten feet long; two of them are planted upright in the ground at a proper diftancc, and the other is cut through in the middle, and the two pieces are faft- encd crofs-ways to the other two, fo thnt they form a fquare about five feet every way. The prifoncr being firft fcalpcd by the perfon who took him, is tied to this fquare, his hands to the upper part, and his feet to the lower, in fuch a manner that he forms the figure of a St. Andrcw'a croi's. The young men in the mean time having prepared fcveral bundles of canes, fetfire to them ^ and feveral of the warriors taking thofe flaming canes, burn the prifoner in different parts of his body, while others burn him in other parts with their tobacco-pipes. The patience of prifoneri in thofc mifcrablc circumflanccs is altogether aflonifliing. No cries or lamentations proceed from them ; and fome have been known to fuffcr tortures, and ftng for three days and nights without intermi/Tion. Sometimes it hap- pens that a young woman who has lofl her hufband in the war, a(ks the prifoner to fupply the room of the dc- ceafed, and her requcfl is immediately granted. I mentioned above that when one nation declares war againft another, they leave a picture near one of their viU lagcs. That pidlure is defigned in the following manner. On the top towards the right hand is the hieroglyphic fip;n of the nation that declares war : next is a naked man with a tomahawk in his hano } and then an arrow pointed againfl a woman, who is flying away, her hair floating behind htfr in the air •, immediately before this woman is the proper emblem of the nation againft whom the war is declared. All this is on one line; and below is drawn the figure of the moon, which is followed by one I, or more ; and a man is here reprefented, before whom is a number of arrows which feem to pierce a woman who is running away. By this is denoted, when fdch a moon is fo many days old, the^ will come in great numbers and attack fuch a nation ; but this lower part of the picture does not always carry true intelligence. The nation tha? '■ '■ ' ■ ■' -' ■ ha^ OF LOUISIANA. 375 h^l offered the Infult, or commenced hoftilidcs wrong- fully, rarely finds any allies even among thofe nations who call them brothers. Ill carrying on a war they hav« no Aich thing as pitched battles, or carrying on of ficgcs } all the mifchief they do each other, is by furprife and fleirmilhing, and in thij their courage and addrefs confifts. Among them flight is no ways fhameful ; their bravery lies often in their legs } and to kill a man aflccp or at unawares, is quite at honourable among them, as to gain a fignal viAory after a flout battle. When a nation is too wealc to defend itfelf in the field, they endeavour to protect thcmfclvcs by a fort. This fort is built circularly of two rows of large logs of wood, the logs of the inner row being oppofite to the joining of the logs of the outer row. Thcfe logs arc about fifteen feet long, five feet of which are funk in the ground. The outer logs arc about two feet thick, and the inner about half as much. At every forty paces along the wall a cir- cular tower jets out ; and at the entrance of the fort» which is always next to the river, the two ends of the w^ll pafs beyond each other, and leave a fide opening: In the middle of the fort ilands a tree with its branches lopt off within fix or eight inches of the trunk, and this ferves for a watch-tower. Round this tree are fomc huts, for the prote£lion of the women and children from random arrows ; but notwithftanding all tliefc precautions for defence, if the bcfieged are but hindered from coming out to water, they are foon obliged to retire. When a nation finds itfelf no longer able to oppofc its enemy, th-e diicfs fend a pipe of peace to a neutral nation, and foiicit their mediation, which is generally fuccefsful, the vanquifhed nation fheltering themfelves under the name of the mediators, and for the future making but one ?iation with them. Bb4 Her^ 37^ THE HISTORY K«t k may be obtlffvtd that when they ga to attaelc Mh«r«, it f>>metiitici haptitni thtt they loTft fonia of chttir own warriors. In that caft, they immediately, iC fxiAble, Icalp their deai friends» to hinder the enemy from having that fiibje^l of triumph* Moreover, when they return home^ whether as vi^ora or other wife, the jgreat war- chifif pays to the refpe^live families for thofe whom ht does not bring bacic with him ( which renders the chiefa very parcful of the lives of their warriors* C H A P. IV. SECT. I. Oftht ChtUi »/ Nt^^fotsi 9/ thiir Di/limptrf, and thi Manner if curing tbim* HAVING Hnifhed my account of the natives of Louifiana, I {hall conclude this treatife with ibme obfervations relating to the negroes } who, in th9 lower part of the province efpecially, perform all the la- bours of agriculture. On that account I have thought proper to give fome inftru£lions concerning them, for the benefit of thofe who are inclined to fettle in that pro- vince. The negroes muft be governed differently firom the Europeans { not becaufe they are black, nor becaufe they are fliives ) but becaufi? they think differently from the white men. Firft, they Imbibe a prejudice from their infancy, that the white men buy them for no other purpofe but to drink thcii* blood I which is owing to this, that when the firft negroes faw the Europeans drink claret, they imagined it was OF LOUISIANA. ffj mu blood, ii that wine it of ■ dctp rtd colour i To that nothing hut the ti«5luil fkpcrienoc of th« contrary can tiradkate the fmirc opinion, fiat ai none of thofe flavct who have had (hnt cxpcrienct ever return to thoir own country, the fame prtjudioo continual to iubfiA on the «oaft of Guinea where w« purchafe ilhom. Some who are Arangeri to the manner ojf thinlting that prevails among the iicgroeis, may perhaps think th^t the nbove remark ii of fjo conTequencc, in refpe^ to thofe fl. fote of the feet, then between the toes and between the Angt^rs, in the mouth, in the cars, not excepting even the parts 378 t H E H I S T O R V ) ptrtt naturally concealed^ though then expofed to f iew. You muft afk your examining furgeon if he is acquainted with the diftemper of the yawB» which ii the virus of Guinea, and incurable by a great many French Airgcons, though very fkilfi^ in the management of European diftempert. Be careful not to be deceived in this point j for your furgeon may be deceived himfelf) therefore attend at the examination yourfelf, and obferve carefully over all the body of the negro, whether you can difcovcr any parts of the fltin, which though black like the red, arc however as fmooth as a looking-glafs, without any tumor or rifrng. Such fpots may be eaftly difcovered j for the ikin of a per on who goes naked is ufually all over wrinkles. Wherefore if you fee fuch marks you muil reject the negro, whether man or woman. There arc always experienced furgeons at the fale of new negroes, who purchafe them ) and many of thofe furgeons have made fortunes by that means i but they generally keep their fecret to them^< felves. f t Another mortal diftemper with which many ncgroei from Guinea arc attacked, is the fcurvy. It difcovera itfelf by the gums, but fometimes it is fo i(ivetcrati? as ta appear outwardly, in which cafe it is generally fatal. If any of my readers iball have the misfortune to have a negro attacked with one of thofe diftempers, I will now teach him how to fave him, by putting him in a way of being radi-p cally cured by the furgeons,} for I have no inclination to fall out with thofe gentlemen. I learned this fecret fron^ a negro phyfician, who was upon the king's pli^ntation, when I took the fupcrintcndance of it. > .t You muft never put an iron,jnftrumcnt into the yawj fuch an application would be certain death. In order to open the yaw, you take iron ruft reduced to an impalpa- ble powder, and pafTed through a fme fearch ; you after- wards mix that powder with citron juice till it be of the confiftcncc u( an ointment, which you fprcad, upon a linen cloth grcafed with hog's grcafc, or frefh lard with- out OF LOUISIANA. 3^9 out f«lt, for want of a better. You lay the plaifter upon the yaw, and renew it evening and morning, which will open the yaw in a very (hort time without any incifion. The opening being once made, you take about the bulk of a goofe's egg of hog*i lard without fait, in which you Incorporate about an ounce of good terebinthine ; after which take a quantity of powdered verdigris, and foak it half a day in good vinegar, which you muft then pour ofF gently with all the fcum that floats at top. Drop a cloth all over with the verdigris that rcmaini, and upon that' apply your laft ointment. All thefe operations are por-^ formed without the aflillance of fire. The whole oint- ment being well mixed with a fpatula, you drefs the yaw with it) after that put your negro into a copious fweat, 'and he will be cured. Take fpecial care that your furgeqn uies no mercurial medicine, as I have feen ; for that will occafion the death of the patient. The fcurvy is no lefs to be dreaded than the yaws ; neverthelefs you may get the better of it, by adhering exa£lly to the following prefcription : take fome fcurvy • grafs, if you have any plants of it, fomc ground-ivy, called by fome St. John's wort, fome watcr-crcflcs from a fpring or brook, and for want of that, wild crefTes } take thefe three herbs, or the two laft, if you have no fcurvy- grafs ; pound them, and mix them with citron-juice, to make of them a foft pafte, which the patient muft keep upon both his gums till they be clean, at all times but when he is eating. In the mean while he muft be fufTered to drink nothing but an infufion of the herbs above named* You pound two hnndfuls of them, roots and all, after warning off any eartli that may be upon the roots or leaves } to thefe you join a frcfti citron, cut into flices. Having pounded all together, you then ftccp them in an earthen pan in a pint of pure water of the mcafure of Paris; after that you add about the fize of a walnut of powdered and puriAed faltpetre, and to make it a little rclifliing ]«9 THE HISTORY i«U#iing to the negro, you add hme powfifr Aigar. ABtor tin water has ftood one nj^c, you fqttMse out (he herlgfi prcMy ftrojigly. The whole tp pei;forined cold, or witl^.* ^^t ^re. Such m the dofe for 4 hplUe of wa|:er Pftris •wafurei but a» the patient ought to drio]^ two pints ^ day» you may nake (evejral pints at 1^ time in thp »hpvQ irqpqrtion. • In thefe vmno diflempers the pititACf muft be fulpigtovtccl with good nourift^eat, and made to iweat copiouAy. It would be a miftake to think that they ought to be kept Co a fpan: diet J you muft give them oourifliiiig food, but « little at a time. A ncgno can no more than any other peribn fiijpport remedies upon bad food, and ftilj le^ u^n a fpare diet ; but the qmntity muft be proportioned to tho Aate of the patient, and the nature of the difteanper. Befides, good food makes the beft part of the remedy to thofe who in common ak but pooriy fed. The negco who taught me the(e two remedips, obferv.ing the great care 1 took of both the negro men and negro women* taught mt likewife the cure of all the diftempers to which the women are fubje^ ; for the negro womeh are as liable to difeafes as the white women. : ' ' SEC T. IT. Of the Manntr of governing tbt Negroes, WHEN a negro man or woman comes home to you, it is proper to carels them, to give them fome. thing good to eat, with a glafs of brandy ; it is beft to drefs them the fame day, to give theni fometh.ing to fleep on, and a covering. I fuppofe the others bave been treated in the fame manner ; for thofe marks of humanity fatter them, and attach them to their mafters..' If they ^re fatigued or weakened by a journey, or by any diftem- pers, make them work'little ; but keep them always bufy us 4ong as they are able to do any thing, never fuftering ' , . them OF LOUISIANA. 3gi them to be idle, but when they are at their meals^ Take care of them when they are fick, and give attention both to their remedies and their food, which laft ought then t9 be more nouriihing than what they ufually fubftft upon. It is your intereft fo to do, both for dieir prefervation, 'and to attach them more clofcly to you ; for Uiou^h many Frenchmen fay that negroes are ungrateful, I have expe- rienced that it is very eafy to render them much attached to you by good treatment, and by doing them juftjce, as I ihall mention afterwards. , , ,\ If a negro woman lies-in, caufe her to be taken carertif an evoy thing that her condition makes, neceflary, and let your wife, if you have one, not diAkun to take the im^ mediate care of her herfelf, or at leaft have an eye over A Chriftian ought to take care that the chtklreh be baptifed and inftru^ed, fince they hive an immorul CotA. The mother ought .then to receive half « ration mote then ufual, anda quart of niilk a day, to a^ her to nurie^her child. Prudence requires that your negroes be lodged at « proper diftance, td prevent them from being troublefiMoe tyr ofFenfive } but at the fame time near enough fer your eonveniently obferving^whiat paAs vmong them^ When 'I (by that t^ •ought not to be placed fo near your habi- tation as to be dffenfive, I mean by that the iinell which 4S natural to fome nations of negvoes, fuch as the Congos, the Angolas, the Aradas, and others. On this account it is proper to have in their camp a bathing place formed by thick planks, buried in the earth about a foot or a^foQt and a half at moft, and never more water in it than sdmut that depth, for fear left the children fliould drown tbem- ielves in it ; it ought likewife to have an edge, that the little childisen . ' The negroes tfiathat^e the worft fmell aire thofe that are the leaft black*; and what I have faid of their bad fmell, 'ought to warn you^ to leeepr always 'oii tho^ windward fide of them when you vifit them at their work j never to fuf- /er them to cememearyour childreri, who, excluflve of the' bad fmell, can learn nothing good from them, either isstto morals^ educfljtiony or language. .- ^ r "^'From what Ihare faid, I concludethat a French fkther and his wife are great enemies to their poflerity when they give their children fuch nurfes. Foe the milk being the ^pureil blood of the woman, one mi^fl be. a ,ftep-mother indeed to give her child to a negro nurfe in fuch a country as Louifiana, where the mother has all conveniencies of being ferved, t^ accommodating: and carrying their childfen, who by that means may be always under their ,eyes. The mother then has nothing elfe to do but to give the breafl to her child. I have no inclination to employ my pen in cenfuring the over-delicacy and felfifhnefs of the women. Who thus fa- crifice their children V it may, without further illuf^ration, be eafily perceived how much fociety is interefled in this affair. I (hall only fay, that for any kind of fervice what- ever s^iit the houfe, I would advife no other kind of negroes, either young or old, but Seiiegals, called among themfelvcs Diolaufs» becaufe of all the negroes I have Z known. OF*LOlitSlA>IA*. ^§3 known, thefe have the purtfli M^ ; they lialve more (ide- lity and abetter underilandi)t|fthan the f eJRr,' and ar6 con- fequehtly fiUer for learning a trade, or for hienial fervices. ' It is true they Ire not fo^lrori^ 'as th<^ others for the la> hours of the Add, ahd for bearing -the grejlt heats. The Senegals however are the blackeft, and I never faw any 'jwh6 had a bad ■fmell. They ari^ very grateful j and Jv^eii d)iV' knows h6"(^^ t(> him, they have^een ^d'uhd to facrificfe'tltieTf dwn life to favc that of their mafter. They are good commanders over other negroes, both' onaccoutifof their fidelity and gratitude, and becauib they feem to*^be bomfor commanding. ' As they are high-minded, they may be eafily encouraged to learn a tradej or to ferve in the koufe, by the diftin£):ion they will thereby acquiirfe over' the other negroes, and the neatnefs of drefs whiibh^'ihat condition will entitle them to. -•.';"Mjo:>)»b 6 - • ' When :a fettler wants to make a fortune, and manage his plantation with oeconomy, ' he ought to prefiir his inte- xeft to his pleafure, and onl/- take the lad by fnatches. He ought to be the.6rft up and the laft a-bed, that he may hayeanieye over every thing that palTes ,in his plan- tation., it is certainly his intereft that his negroes labour a good deal;' but it ought to bean equal and moderate labour^ for violent and edntinual labours v ould foon ex- ihauft ^dr ruin, them ; whereas by keeping them always moderately employed, they neither exhauft their flrength nor riiin their conftitution. By this they are kept in good healthy and labour longer, and With more good will : befides, it' muft be allowed that the day is long enough for an aifiduous labourer to defer ve the repofeof theeven- -Ing*.-^ -■•■■' To accuftom' them to labour in this manner I oblerved the following method : I took care to provide one piece of work for them before another was done, and I informed their commander or driver in their preienpe, that they ini^t 3»4 THE HISTORY might not loft time, feoM ipi coming to a(k what thtf were to do« ami otbert in waiting for an anfwer. fieTidot I wfnt feveral times a day to view them» by roads which they did not expeft, pretending to be going a hunting or coming from it. If I obferved them idle^ 1 reprimanded them, and if when they iaw me coming, they wrought too hard, I told them that they fatigued themfelvei, and that they could not continue at fuch hard labour during the whole day, without being harafTcd, which I did not want. When I furprifed them finging at their work* and per- oeived that they bad difeovered me, I foid to them chear* (ally. Courage, my boys, I love to fee you merry at your work I but do not fing fo loud, that you may not fatigue yourfelves, and at night you fliall have a cup of Tafia (or rum) to give you flrength and fpirits. One cannot believe the effc£k fuch a difcourfe would have upon thcur fpirits, which was eafUy difcernible from the chearfulneft upon their countenances, and their ardour at work. If it be ncceiTary not ta paft over any eflfential fault inf the negroes, it is no leis neceflary never to puiiiik them but when they have dcferved it, after a feriout enquiry and examination fupported by an abfolute certainty, ttnk& you happen to catch them in the h£k. But when you are fully convinced of the crime, by no means pardon them upon any aflurances or proteftations of theirs, or upon die folicitations of others ; but puniih them in proportion) to the fault th^y have done, yet always with humanity, that they may themfelvcs be brought to confels that they have dcferved the punifi^ment they have received. A Cbriftian is unworthy of that Jiame when he puniihcswith crueky, as is done to my knowledge in a certain colony, tafiick ft degree that they enteruin their guefta with fuch fpc^la- cles, which have more of barbarity than humanity in ^em. When a negro oomcs from being whippisdy cauie the fkutt pacts to be ivaih^d wkh vinegar iBuxcd with fait, Jamaica ficfide* I which iting or Biandcd irrought et, and ' during did not uid per* I chear- at your i fatigue >f Tafia t cannot ion their irfulneft k. fiuiltiii lib them uiry and r, unUfs I you are on them upon the >rtionta ity, that bey have i^briftian cnickyy tafiicb 1 rpiAa- lanity in 4, cauie vith falty Jamaic» OP LOUISIANA. J9| Jamaica |Mp^r, which grows in the gartiens, attd ev«n ft little gtth|)owder. As ^e kHbvir fi^m b(peti«nc6 that moft tnth bf ft lb#' exthk^iibh, and Without education, Att fubje^ to thieve ih^ in thbir ntcefiltie^ It is not at all furprifihg tb Fee iltegroes thieves, when they Hre in want of every thihgi Ja# I hiave feen many badly M, badly cloithcd, and having rtOthing so lie upon but the ground. I (hall make but onift ^efl«£Hbn. If they ire flaves, it is ttlfo true that they ait iMen, And Capabtb Of bricomin^ Chriftians : befides^ it is your liitehtioh to dral^ adrhntage from them, is it ifOt therefore reafohable to take idl'thb cait of thdm that you efth ? We fee all thofe #ho underftand the goremu nitht of horfes give an extriioidinak-y attention to theni!» Whetlvir they be intfen<3ed for the fMdle or thedraught* In (hteiAdicafyn they ai« widl covered and kept in warm ttiWi. tti tlib luMMKier they iMVe a dolh thrown ot«^ tHmaif VOlteep tbdn from fhediift, and at all times good litter to lie upon. Every morning their dung is carried aWay» and they are well curried and combed. If you alk thOfe maAers, why they bcftow fo much pains upon beads f thiey wUl tell you, that, to make a horfe ierviceable to yoil) you miift take a good deal of care of him, and that it is for the intereft of the pcrlbn to whom a horfe bcIongSt jh to d«. After this example, can one4iope for labour from negroes, who very often are in want of ncceiTaries ? Can ofie expe^ fidelity from a man^ who Is denied what he ftaftds moft in; need of? When one fees a negro, who labours hard and with much affiduity, it is commpn toiay to )iim, by way of encouragement, that they are well {4eafed with hite, and that he is a good. negro. But Wneh any of them, who underftand our language, af e fo com- plimented, they very properly reply, Maffh-y tdhm mgr* he much ,fii% ntgn work much \ whin negrehas good ma^ir^ hHj^fo'i'ipod* If I advile the planters to take great care of ^eik' Begroesi I at the Ifame time flieW (httn that their intereft Cc IS / %U THE HISTORY) it oonnedled in that with their humanity. But I do M left advife them always to diftruft them, without Teeming tp.iearthe^i, becaufe it ia as dangerous to ihew a con- oealpd enemy that you fe;Mr him, as to ^ Kim an injury. Therefore malce it your conftant cuftom to (hut you|; doors fecurely, and not to fulFer any negro tafleep in tho houfe with you, and have.it in their power to open your door. Viiit your negroes from time to time,, at night and on days imd hours when they leaft exped you, ih order to keep, them always in fear of being found abibit from their huts* Endeavour to affign each of them a wife, to keep clear of; debauchery and its bad coniibquences. It is neceflary that- tht negroes have wiVes^ aiiid you ought to kndw that no- ' thing attaches them fo much to a plantation as children*. But above all do not fufier any of them to abandon his. wife, when he has once made choice of oiie in your pre-< iisnce. Prohibit all iighting under pain of the )afl>9 other-, #ife the: women wHl .often raife fquabbles among the tocniis* i?;! jiiWw 51" :. ,. , .noc|ii ^i' (n tw I Do lidtfufFer yOUi* htlgr6es to carry their thildieil to the fidd with them, when thiey begin towiilk^ as they only fpoil the plants and take off the mothers froni their work. If you have a few negto ehtldren, it h better to employ in old negro womaii to keep them in the camp, with whom the mothers may leave fomething for their children to eat. This you will find to be the moft profitable way; Above all do riot fufFer the mothers ever to cari^ them to ftte edge of the water, where there is toomuchto be fearedJ J'or the better fubfiftence of your negroes, you ought, every week to give them a fmall quantity of fait and of Kerbs of your garden, to give a better relifli to their Coufcoii, which is a difh riiade of the irieil of rice oif maiaS foaked in broth. ' ! If you have any old negro, or one in weak health, em-' ploy him in fifhing both for yourfelf and your ni^groeSir Pis labour will be w«jl wo^th his fubfiilence. , 3 Jt •, ( : I do lUr feeming r a con- njury. lut your ep in th0 >ur dooir, d on 4ay9 to keep, eir huti* > clear of iary that that no- children*, ndon his rour pre- b, other- long the •; It:? sn to the ky only :ir work. > employ np, with childrett ble way; them to le feared J )u ought. It and of to their ; 01^ mai^ O^LOtJISIANA. 3«7 It is moreover for your own intereft to give your neg^tiet • fmall piece of wafte ground to improve at the end of your own, and to engage them to cultivate it for their own - profit, that they may be able to drefs a little betteir, by felling the produce of it, which you ought to buy from them upon fair and juft terms. It were better that they ihould employ themfelves in cultivating that field on Sun- days, when they are not Chriftians, than do worfe. In a word, nothing is more to be dreaded than to fee the negroes aflemble together on Sundays, fince, under pre« tence of Calinda or the dance, they fometimes get toge- ther to the number of three or four hundred, and make a kind of Sabbath, which it is always prudent to avoid; fot it is in thofe tumultuous meetings that they fell what they have ftolen to one another, and commit many crimes. In thefe likewife they plot their rebellions. To conclude. One may, by attention -and humanity* eafily manage negroes • and, as an inducement, one has the fatisfa£lion to draw great advantage from their laboun* THE END, Ith, eni-' negroes^ n