T ravels in Nhrth America. 



As for the high Grounds, and others, which are not expofed to 

 the Inundations of the River, they are very fit at prefent to 

 bear Wheat, and if the Trials which they have made ' in fome 

 Places have not fucceeded, becaufe the Grain grew fmutty, it 

 was becaufe the Country not being open enough, the Air is too 

 much confined to difperfe the Mills that breed the Smut. The 

 Proof of this is, that among the ///^W/V, where there are more 

 Meadows than Woods, Wheat grows up and ripens as well 

 as in France, 



The 13th, after a very hot Night, we went about three 

 Leagues in Spite of a South Wind, which was continually blow- 

 ing Wronger and ftronger, and which became at lail fo violent, 

 that it obliged us to flop. A great Rain made it fall in .the 

 Evening, and about Midnight there arofe a North Weft Wind, 

 which began the extreme Cold I have mentioned. To com- 

 pleat our ill Luck, an Accident ftopt us all the next Day, tho' 

 it was not fafe for us to remain where we were. It is not long 

 jfince that the Cherokees killed forty Frenchmen here, at whofe 

 Head was a Son of M. de Ramezaiy Governor of Montr ealy and 

 one of the Baron de LongueuiPs^ the King's Lieutenant for the 

 fame Town. Befides thefe Savages, who are not yet reconciled 

 to us, the Outagamisy the SiouXy and the Chicachasy kept us in 

 great Uneafinefs, and I had with me only three Men. 



The 15th, the Wind changed to the North, and the Cold en- 

 Ri^er Ouaba ^^^^f^^' We went four Leagues to the 

 , / W b h "I * South, then we found that the River turned 

 ^ ^ ^ four Leagues to the North. Immediately 



after this Reach, we pafied on the Left by the fine River Ouabache 

 (Wabache)y by which one may go quite up to the Iroquois^ 

 when the Waters are high. Its Entrance into the Mijfijjlppi is 

 little lefs than a Quarter of a League wide. There is no Place 

 in Louijiana more fit, in my Opinion, for a Settlement than this, 

 nor where it is of more Confequence to have one. All the 

 Country that is watered by the Ouabache^ and by the Ohio that 

 runs into it, is very fruitful : It conflfts of vaft Meadows, well 

 watered, where the wild BuiFaloes feed by Thouifands. Fur- 

 thermore, the Communication with Cajiada is as eafy as by 

 the River of the IUi?toisy and the Way much Ihorter. A Fort, 

 with a good Garrifon, v/ould keep the Savages in Awe, efpe- 

 cially the Cherokees, who are at prefent the moll num.erous Na- 

 tion of this Continent, 



Six Leagues belov/ the Mouth of the Ouabache, we find on 

 Ir n Mines fame Side a very high Coaft, on which 



ron ines, ^-^^^ thejpe are Iron Mines. W^e went a 



great Way this Day, which #as the îôth; but we faffered 



much 



