to TRAVELS THUoucft 



In the firft days of April we perceived the 

 fort Balife at the mouth of the MiJJiftppi, Mr. 

 le Moine d' Iberville^ a Canada gentleman, difco^ 

 vered, in 1698 *, this mouth of the river^ 

 which M. de la Salle miffed in 1684. Our vef- 

 fel ftruck upon the bar ; we fired a gun to call 

 the pilot, and at the fame time the captain dif- 

 embarked the artillery of the fhip, and the two 

 hundred regular troops which were on board for 

 the fervice of the colony of Louifiana ; which 

 made the veiTel fo much lighter, that {he came 

 afloat again. 



On the 4th of April, we fet on Ihore eighteen 

 officers at Fort Balife -^^ where M. de Santilly 

 commanded : this officer treated us to the beil 

 of his power, while we ftayed at his poft, which 

 is entirely furrounded with marffies full of fer- 

 pents and crocodiles. 



The Marquis de VaudrcuiU .governor of Loui^ 

 fianay being informed of our arrival, fent feveral 



boats 



* Mr. d^Iber'ville, governor of LotiiJIpna, conduced the 

 firfl colofiy thither in 1699 : after his death the country had 

 no governor for a long while : the fecond was M. dela Motie 

 Cadillac ; and the third, M. de Bien-vilki youngell brother' 

 of the firfl. 



<. 



f They reckon thirty, leagues from this place to AVxy Or' 

 kans^ on account of the bendings in the river. 



