travels in North America. 311 



Among a great Number of particular Grants, which are al« 

 ready in a Condition of producing fomething, there are two of 

 the lirft Magnitude ; that is to fay, four Leagues fquare : One 

 belongs to a Society of St. Malo, who bought it of M. Hubert, 

 governing CommifTary, and Prefident of the Council of Louiji" 

 ana : The other belongs to the Company, who have fent hither 

 fome Workmen from Clerac to make Tobacco here. Thefe two 

 Grants are fo fituated, that they make an exa6l Triangle with 

 the Fort, and the Diftance of one Angle from the other is a 

 League. Half Way between the two Grants, is the great Vil- 

 ^iage of the Natchez, I have carefully vifited all thefe Places : 

 ^^And here follows an Account of what I found moft remarkable. 



The Grant of the Maloins is well fituated ; it wants nothing to 

 make an Improvement of the Land but Negroes, or hired Servants, 

 I Ihould prefer the laft : When the Time of their Service is ex- 

 pired, they become Inhabitants, and encreafe the Number of the 

 King's natural Subjeds ; whereas the firft are always Strangers : 

 And who can be afiiired^ that by continually encreailng in our 

 Colonies, they will not one Day become formidable Enemies ! 

 Can we depend upon Slaves, who are only attached to us by 

 Fear, and for whom the very Land where they are born has not 

 the dear Name of Mother Country ? 



The firft Night I lay in this Habitation, there was a great 

 Alarm about Nine at Night. I enquired the Caufe of it, and 

 they told me that there was in the Neighbourhood a Beaft of an 

 unknown Species, of a monftrous Size, and the Cry of which 

 refembled no Animal that we knew. However, no Perfon af- 

 firmed that he had feen it, and they only guefted at its Size by 

 its Strength. It had already carried oiF fome Sheep and Calves,, 

 and killed fome Cows. I faid to thofe who told me this Story, 

 that a mad Wolf might have done all this ; and as to the Cry, 

 People were miftaken every Day. I could bring no Body to be 

 of my Opinion ; they would have it, that it v/as a monftrous 

 Beaft : They had juft then heard it, and they ran out armed with 

 the firft Thing they could find, but all to no Purpofe. 



The Grant of the Company is ftill more advantageoufly fitu- 



Succefs of To- ^^^^ ^ ^^^^ Makins, The fame 



uccejs oj 0' ]^jyej. ^^'aters both, and afterwards difcharees 



baCCO tn this Lan- -^riC - . T^/r-rrm . t 



itlelf into the MiJJiJfippi, two Leagues from 

 the Grant of the Mahins, to which a, mag- 

 nificent Cyprefs Wood, of fix Leagues Extent, makes a Screen, 

 that covers all the back Parts, Tobacco has fucceeded very well 

 here, but the Workmen of Clerac are almoft all returned to 

 France^ 



O ' 1 faw 



