﻿HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  31 
  

  

  this 
  plantation 
  as 
  being 
  ^^ 
  screened 
  on 
  all 
  tlie 
  hach 
  parts 
  hy 
  

   a 
  magnificent 
  cypress 
  forest 
  ^ 
  

  

  The 
  village 
  of 
  the 
  Natchez 
  he 
  represents 
  as 
  reduced 
  to 
  

   a 
  very 
  few 
  cabins 
  ; 
  the 
  more 
  populous 
  towns 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  

   being 
  at 
  some 
  distance, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   reach 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Chief, 
  or 
  Sun, 
  who 
  had 
  a 
  rig]it 
  to 
  take 
  

   from 
  his 
  subjects 
  anything 
  they 
  possessed. 
  

  

  The 
  Tloux, 
  allies 
  of 
  the 
  Natchez, 
  had 
  a 
  village 
  in 
  the 
  

   neighborhood. 
  

  

  Charlevoix 
  regarded 
  the 
  country 
  about 
  Natchez 
  the 
  

   finest 
  and 
  most 
  fertile 
  in 
  all 
  Louisiana. 
  

  

  In 
  January, 
  1723, 
  Laharpe, 
  on 
  his 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  Arkan- 
  

   sas, 
  touched 
  at 
  Natchez, 
  and 
  found 
  Fort 
  Rosalie 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  

   of 
  ruinous 
  decay. 
  Maneval, 
  who 
  commanded 
  it, 
  having 
  

   only 
  eighteen 
  soldiers. 
  Ascending 
  the 
  Yazoo 
  River 
  at 
  

   the 
  distance 
  of 
  nine 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  mouth, 
  he 
  reached 
  

   the 
  settlement 
  called 
  Fort 
  St. 
  Peter, 
  commanded 
  by 
  De 
  

   Grave. 
  According 
  to 
  his 
  statement, 
  there 
  was 
  not 
  more 
  

   than 
  thirty 
  acres 
  of 
  arable 
  land 
  surrounding 
  the 
  fort, 
  

   which 
  was 
  hemmed 
  in 
  by 
  stony 
  hills. 
  The 
  site 
  of 
  this 
  

   fort 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  place 
  now 
  known 
  as 
  Hayne's 
  Bluff, 
  where 
  

   the 
  limestone 
  is 
  seen 
  cropping 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  hills. 
  

   A 
  group 
  of 
  mounds, 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  of 
  considerable 
  size, 
  and 
  

   about 
  thirty 
  feet 
  high, 
  is 
  situated 
  near 
  the 
  spot. 
  

  

  At 
  that 
  period, 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  still 
  flowed 
  through 
  

   what 
  is 
  now 
  known 
  as 
  Old 
  River 
  ; 
  the 
  cut-off, 
  or 
  present 
  

   channel 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  according 
  to 
  Charlevoix, 
  having 
  

   been 
  recently 
  formed, 
  was 
  not 
  passable 
  for 
  boats, 
  except 
  

   at 
  a 
  high 
  stage 
  of 
  water. 
  

  

  In 
  May, 
  the 
  copper 
  coinage 
  provided 
  for 
  the 
  colony 
  

   arrived 
  at. 
  Baluxi. 
  It 
  was 
  ordered 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  pay- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  the 
  troops, 
  and 
  was 
  made 
  a 
  lawful 
  tender 
  in 
  the 
  

   company's 
  stores. 
  Specimens 
  of 
  this 
  coin 
  have 
  been 
  

   found 
  at 
  St. 
  Peter's, 
  and 
  at 
  several 
  other 
  points 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  