359 



charged its waters, as the Atchafalaya now does, must 

 have been entirely effaced by alluvial deposes, but 

 which is not the case ; on the contrary, the Atchafalnya 

 bay is, at least, represented to be, as before, fifty feet 

 in depth, in some parts of it. 



Another circumstance of no small importance, must 

 be taken into view in this case. If the Mississippi 

 river had ever followed the course of the Atchafalaya 

 river, or that of Lafourche, to which the same reason- 

 ing will apply to a certain extent, we should still be 

 able to trace its channel in both instances > throughout 

 its whole course ; for it is next to impossible, that a 

 river so deep, and of such uncommon magnitude as that 

 of the Mississippi, should, by any cause whatever, as- 

 sume a new channel, and relinquish entirely the old or 

 primitive one, without leaving traces never to be ef- 

 faced. Of this, we have ample and unquestionable 

 proof, in a number of instances, on the Mississippi 

 river, where, at some period of time, it has cut across a 

 neck of land, and left its original channel which, in all 

 probability, will never be entirely obliterated. In- 

 stance the Fausse Riviere, Lake Concordia, Lake St. 

 John, Lake St. Joseph, Lake Providence, and Grand 

 Lake, all of which were, without doubt, the ancient 

 channels of the river, and all within the Mississippi 

 territory. 



If these are not sufficient proof, we have only to 

 look to the ancient bed of the Nile, which runs along 

 at the foot of the Lybian range. This channel, al- 

 though deserted for some thousand years, and subject- 



