﻿220 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  [Sect. 
  

  

  is 
  on 
  the 
  sea-coast. 
  The 
  others 
  range 
  from 
  an 
  eighth 
  of 
  a 
  mile,, 
  

   in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  central 
  elevation, 
  to 
  at 
  least 
  eight 
  miles 
  in 
  the 
  

   case 
  of 
  the 
  one 
  at 
  the 
  extreme 
  northwest 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  series. 
  All 
  

   face 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  at 
  least, 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  a 
  bayou 
  or 
  lake. 
  

  

  Surrounding 
  country. 
  — 
  The 
  lower 
  four 
  are 
  entirely 
  surrounded 
  

   by 
  a 
  great 
  sea 
  marsh, 
  much 
  of 
  which 
  during 
  extremely 
  high 
  

   tides, 
  occasioned 
  by 
  strong 
  south 
  winds, 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  water. 
  

   The 
  upper 
  one 
  rises 
  abruptly 
  from 
  a 
  very 
  level 
  prairie. 
  In 
  

   order, 
  from 
  the 
  most 
  southeastern, 
  thev 
  are 
  Belle 
  Isle, 
  C6te 
  

   Blanche, 
  Grand 
  Cote, 
  Petite 
  Anse 
  and 
  Cote 
  Carline. 
  

  

  General 
  Topography 
  

  

  Island-like 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  hills. 
  — 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  readily 
  seen 
  that 
  

   in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  sense 
  these 
  are 
  not 
  islands, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  very 
  lit- 
  

   tle 
  difficulty 
  in 
  seeing 
  why 
  the 
  lower 
  four 
  were 
  called 
  such. 
  

   The 
  isolated, 
  island-like 
  character 
  of 
  these 
  groups 
  of 
  hills 
  ; 
  their 
  

   separation 
  from 
  the 
  main 
  land 
  by 
  impassible 
  sea 
  marsh 
  and 
  

   cypress 
  swamp 
  ; 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  offer 
  to 
  man 
  a 
  place 
  for 
  

   houses 
  and 
  fields 
  and 
  the 
  surrounding 
  land 
  does 
  not 
  ; 
  all 
  tend 
  to 
  

   make 
  the 
  resemblance 
  of 
  these 
  isolated 
  clusters 
  of 
  hills 
  to 
  

   ordinary 
  islands 
  very 
  marked 
  indeed. 
  The 
  term 
  would 
  then 
  

   naturally 
  attach 
  itself 
  to 
  the 
  analogous 
  group 
  of 
  hills, 
  C6te 
  Car- 
  

   line, 
  rising 
  abruptly 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  prairie. 
  

  

  Area. 
  — 
  The 
  largest 
  island, 
  Grande 
  Cote, 
  is 
  an 
  irregular 
  circle 
  

   a 
  trifle 
  over 
  two 
  miles 
  in 
  diameter 
  ; 
  the 
  longest, 
  Petite 
  Anse, 
  has 
  

   an 
  extreme 
  length 
  of 
  about 
  two 
  and 
  three-eighths 
  miles. 
  The 
  

   former 
  has 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  than 
  2,000 
  acres 
  ; 
  Cote 
  Carline, 
  

   the 
  smallest, 
  has 
  only 
  about 
  300 
  acres.* 
  

  

  Elevation. 
  — 
  While 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  75 
  feet, 
  the 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  

   highest 
  hill 
  on 
  Cote 
  Carline, 
  or 
  even 
  twice 
  as 
  much, 
  the 
  eleva- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  Prospect 
  hill 
  Petite 
  Anse, 
  in 
  some 
  regions 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  

   insignificant 
  feature 
  indeed, 
  hills 
  of 
  this 
  size 
  rising 
  abruptly 
  out 
  

   of 
  the 
  perfectly 
  flat 
  sea 
  marsh 
  attract 
  attention 
  at 
  once.f 
  

  

  * 
  Lucas. 
  Am. 
  Manuf., 
  voL 
  63, 
  p. 
  910. 
  1898. 
  

  

  t 
  Both 
  the 
  areas 
  and 
  the 
  altitudes 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  subjects 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  variety 
  

   of 
  statements, 
  by 
  different 
  authors. 
  Many 
  are 
  merely 
  estimates. 
  Some, 
  in 
  

   the 
  case 
  of 
  land 
  areas, 
  are 
  based 
  upon 
  deeds 
  which 
  describe 
  land 
  situated 
  

   not 
  onl}' 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  surrounding 
  marshes. 
  Thus 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  

  

  