L O U I S I A N A. 3^7 



America: he obferves, that the fhips which an- 

 nually go from the Philippines to Mexico:, are ob- 

 liged to fteer to the northward, in order to meet 

 with favourable winds, thofe which rife between 

 the tropics being always contrary to tiiem. He 

 adds, that after pafling forty-two degrees of 

 north latitude, failors often meet with fands and 

 fhallows, which feem to indicate that they are 

 near fome coafts. He imagines, that thefe coafts 

 might well be fome continent unknown to Euro- 

 peans, and uniting California with Japan •, but 

 fhould they not rather be the coafts of Kamtchat- 

 ka^ or of that new country to the eaft difcovered 

 by Captain Bering T 



To thefe obfervations I fliall add an abftra£l 

 of a relation, publifhed in the Mercure Galant 

 for November 171 1. I (hall quote the fa6tj 

 without making any refledtions to confirm or con- 

 tradict it ; the author pretends to have got it out 

 of a manufcript found in Canada* 



Ten men refolved tc> go out upon difcoveries^ 

 with a view to get riches ^ they embarked in 

 three canoes, and went up the river Mijftfippi. 

 After a long voyage, they found another river 

 which flowed to the fouth-fouth-weft j they car- 

 ried their canoes to it, and continued their na- 

 C c 2 vigation; 





