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The French in this place live pretty much at 

 their eafe ; a Fleming, who was a domeftic of the 

 jefuits, has taught the n to fow wheat which fuc- 

 ceeds very weil. They, have black cattle and 

 poultry. The Illinois on their part manure the 

 ground after their fafhion, and are very laborious. 

 They likewife bring up poultry, which they fell 

 to the French. Their women are very neat-hand- 

 ed and induftrious. They fpin the wool of the 

 buffaloe, which they make as fine as that of the 

 Englifh fheep ; nay fometimes it might even be 

 miltaken for (ilk. Of this they manufacture {tuffs 

 which are dyed black, yellow, or a deep red. Of 

 thefe (luffs they make robes which they few with 

 thread made of the finews of the roe-buck. The 

 manner of making this thread is very fimple. Af- 

 ter (tripping the flefli from the finews of the roe- 

 buck, they expofe them to the fun for the fpace of 

 two days ; after they are dry they beat them* 

 and then without difficulty draw out a thread as 

 white and as fine as that of Mechlin, but much 

 ftronger. 



The French canton is bounded on the north by 

 a river, the banks of which are extremely high, fo 

 that though the waters fometimes rife five and 

 twenty feet, they feldom overflow their channel. 

 All this country is open confifting of vail meadows 

 to the extent of five and twenty leagues, which are 

 interfperfed with fmall copfes of very valuable 

 wood. White mulberries efpecially are very com- 

 mon here ; but I am furprized that the imhabitants 

 Ihould be fuffered to cut them down for the build- 

 ing of their houfes, efpecially, as there is a fuffici- 

 ent quantity of other trees equally proper for that 

 purpofe. 



The 



