24-2 September 1749* 



is very doubtful whether it will ever have 

 his equal here. As foon as he got the place 

 of governor-general, he began to take thofe 

 meafures for getting information in natural 

 hiftory, which I have mentioned before. 

 When he faw people, who had for fome 

 time been in a fettled place of the country, 

 efpecially in the more remote parts, or had 

 travelled in thofe parts, he always quef- 

 tioned ihem about the trees, plants, earths, 

 flones, ores, animals, &;c. of the place. He 

 iikewife enquired what ufe the inhabitants 

 made of theie things ; in what liate their 

 hufbandry was ; what lakes, rivers, and 

 paflages there ate; and a number of other 

 particulars. Thofe who feemed to have 

 clearer notions than the reft, Vv^ere obliged 

 to give him circumftantial defrriptions of 

 what they had feen. He himfeif w^ote 

 down all the accounts he received ; and by 

 this great application, fo uncommon among 

 perfons of his rank, he foon acquired a 

 knowledge of the moft diftant parts of 

 America. The priefts, commandants of 

 forts, and of feveral diftant places, are of- 

 ten furprized by his queftions, and wonder 

 at his knowledge, when they come to ^e- 

 bee to pay their vifits to him ; for he often 

 tells them that near iuch a mountain, or on 

 fuch a fhore, &c. where they often went a 



hunting, 

 6 



