CATARACTS, AND INUNDATIONS. 41 



Mexico, and taking the benefit of the current, which constantly 

 sets in to the northward through the Bahama straits, arrive at their 

 destined port on the eastern coast of North America, with greater 

 celerity and safety. One material impediment, however, to this 

 navigation on the Ohio, is a considerable fall, about the latitude of 

 38 north. Its descent, however, is gradual, but continued for 

 half a league : the breadth of the river in that part is a mile and 

 a quarter. The level of the river by this fall is not sunk more than 

 twenty feet. There is a considerable variation in the quantity of 

 water which fills the bed of this river at different seasons of the 

 vcar, and when the river becomes shallow, the depth of water at 

 this fall is on-ly sufficient to convey light boats down the stream. 



The ISLE OF ORLEANS, at the mouth of the Mississippi, in 29* 

 58' latitude, and 89 59' west longitude from Greenwich, is a very 

 beautiful and fertile spot of ground, on which the French had a con* 

 siderable city, named New Orleans, which is the capital, and indeed 

 the only city of Louisiana. It is fortified in a regular manner, and 

 according to some French authors, has about six hundred handsome 

 houses, and five parish churches, with straight and handsome streets, 

 that cross each other at right angles, but the buildings are chiefly 

 of wood, and not remarkable for their beauty. 



This town owed its rise to the delusions which were practised by 

 the celebrated projector Law upon the French nation. The immense 

 wealth which was supposed to be contained in the mines of St. Barbe, 

 in Louisiana, caused a company to be formed in France, and a na. 

 tional phrenzy long prevailing, vast numbers embarked for the pur- 

 pose of settling on the banks of the Mississippi. They were landed 

 at Biloxi, in West Florida, where the far greater number perished 

 by want and misfortunes. Five years afterwards, the survivors 

 were removed to the island on which the town of New Orleans was 

 built, and so named after the regent of France. The Abbe Raynal 

 asserts that upwards of a million sterling was sunk in this disastrous 

 scheme. 



The source of the ST. LAWRENCE, the great river of Canada, 

 has never been traced, though it is known to have a communicciliott 

 with the lakes into the interior country to a vast extent. Carver, in- 

 deed, asserts, that the four capital rivers on the continent of North 

 America^ viz. the St. Lazcrence, Mississippi, ;>oitrbon, and Ore- 

 gan, or river of the west, have their sources very near each other: 

 those of ilie three former being within thirty miles, the latter some. 



