Travels in North Jmerîcâé 363 



Two Leagues higher, on the River of the North Weft, there 

 Of the A ala ^ Village of Apalaches ; and in the Lands 

 ches ^ ~ to the Weft, at a League and half from the 



Fort, there is a fécond. This Nation for- 

 merly very numerous, and which, divided into feveral Cantons, 

 poflelTed a very large Country, is at prefent reduced to be very 

 inconfiderable. It embraced Chriftianity long ago, yet the 

 Spaniards do not truft them, and they do right : For befides 

 that thefe Chriftians^ being deftitute of aU fpiritual Aids for a 

 great Number of Years, are no longer fuch but in Name, their 

 Conquerors treated them at firft with fo much Severity, that they 

 ought always to look upon them as Enemies not well recon- 

 ciled. It is difficult to make good Chrijiians of People, to 

 whom their firft Treatment rendered Chrijiia^iity odious. 



They told us at St, Mark, that a Refolution was taken to 

 re-eftablilh this Poft in its firft State, and that they expedted here 

 five thoufand Families : This is much more than the Spaniards 

 of Florida can raife.— — The Country is fine, well wooded, well 

 watered, and they fay that the farther you advance into the 

 Country, the more fruitful it grows. They confirmed to us at 

 this Fort, what the Spa?iiards whom we met had told us al- 

 ready, that the Savages of the Martyrs, and their King Don Diego, 

 were a bad Sort of People, and that if we had not kept a good 

 Guard, they would have done us fome Injury. They told 

 us farther, that a Spanijh Brigantine being lately wrecked 

 near the Place were we met four Savages in a Pettiaugre, 

 all the Crew had been empaled, and eaten by thefe Barba- 

 rians. 



St, Mark is dependent on St Auguftin for Military and Civil 

 Affairs, and on the Ha^annah in Spirituals. Notwithftanding, 

 it is the Convent of the Cordeliers of St. Auguftin that fends a 

 Chaplain hither : I found one here, who was a ver/ amiable Per- 

 fon, and who did us a very great Service. He informed us, that 

 the Commandant of St, Mark wanted to detain us till he had 

 given Advice of our Arrival to the Governor of St, Auguftin^ 

 and had received his Orders. I defired him to alk this Officer 

 if he was in a Condition to fupport us all the Time that we 

 Ihould be here, iince what Provifions we had left, were fcarce 

 fufficient to carry us to Louijiana, 



He acquitte,d himfelf very well of his Commiftion, and his- 

 Difcourfe, accompanied with fome Prefents, which he hinted 

 to us that we ought to make the Governor, had all the Ef- 

 fed: which we expeéled from it. ' This Officer granted us, 

 with a very good Grace, fome Guides, which we defired 

 ef him for St. Jojeph^ which is thirty Leagues from St, 

 A a a 2 * Mark ; 



