LOUISIANA. 269 



The Sieur Godeau^ chief furgeon and keeper 

 of the magazine at the fort of AUihamons^ had al- 

 ready before me pradlifed phyfic in the prefence 

 of the Indians, who were looking at a little 

 phial full of mercury *, after looking at it with 

 attention, they told him they wilhed to have it. 

 He faid he would give it them, but that he 

 wanted the phial ; he poured out the quickfilver 

 immediately on the ground, and bid them take 

 it up ; they could never do it, for it rolled 

 away on all fides ; the aftonifhed favages called 

 it a fpirit which divided itfelf into feveral parts, 

 which being colleded together formed only one 

 body •, but their aftonifhment v/as much greater 

 when the Sieur Gcdeau took up all the mercury 

 with a card, and put in the phial again, in their 

 prefence, which none of them had been able to 

 do. This furgeon did more, he poured aqua^ 

 fortis upon it, which difTolved it, and made I't 

 difappear entirely ; fmce that time the Indians 

 have revered him as a great dodor. 



M. de Month eraut has put the command of the 

 fort of the AlUbamons into the hstnds 6f M. Ail- 

 hert^ who is adjutant of the fort Mobile. I take 

 the liberty to write to the governor, in order to 

 reprefent it to him with all refpedb, that being 

 the fenior officer of that gentleman, I could not 



ftand 



