Ch.VII. south AMERICA. 379 



bay, with a narrow entrance like that of Louif- 

 boiirg, and Cabaru bay : but thefe are all uninhabited, 

 the French having confined their views to the forti- 

 fying of Loiiiibourg; as by means of it they hoped to 

 maintain thcmlelves in the poíTeíTion of the whole idandj 

 which being fo very woody, that on whatever part the 

 enemy íhould make a defccnt, there was no accefs to 

 it by land i and experience has demonftrated that they 

 thought very juilly, it being impoíTible, without taking 

 the fort, to become mailers of the ifland ; nor had this 

 fort ever been taken, if luccoured in due timej or 

 if, from the opinion of its being impregnable, proper 

 precautions had not been omitted. 



Most of the trees, of which the thick forefls of this 

 iiland confiil, are pines, though not of the dame nature 

 with thofe of Europe. They are of two kinds : one very 

 fit for boards and fuch like ufes ; the other, being ihort 

 and knotty, is ufed for fuel or making fnort rafters j 

 and this is called pr-jciie. A decoólion of the fpiigs, 

 being mixed with a little moloíTes, and fermented, 

 makes the ale generally drank at table ; the water it- 

 felf being of lb light and penetrating a nature, that 

 the drinking of it always caufes dylcnteries : but thus 

 correéled and turned into pruche oriprufs beer, is fouad 

 very wholelome, and of no difagreeable taite. 



Thus the French of theie parts live in the greateft 

 tranquillity and comfort; and their happint-fs might 

 have itill continued had they themfclves not occafioned 

 the interruption of it. For though the two crowns of 

 France and England were at war, and fome o^ the fub- 

 ftantial inhabitants here, as well as the EngüOi at Boil 

 ton, had fitted out privateers, the hoftihties were never 

 carried beyond the a6t of privateering, without any 

 thoughts at that time of higher enterprizes. h mult 

 be oblcrved, that before the war betwixt the two 

 powers, at the beginning of this century, France 

 was poiTeffed of that pcninuila and the lands called 

 Acadia, v/eit of Hue Royale: but by the treaty of 



peace. 



