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commiflary in chief, and prefident of the coun- 

 cil in Louifiana-, and the other to the company, 

 who have fent work- men thither from Clerac, in 

 order to make tobacco. Thefe two grants are fi- 

 tuated in fuch a manner, as to form a perfect tri- 

 angle with the fort, the diftance of one angle from 

 the other being one league. Half way between the 

 two grants lies the great village of the Natchez. 

 I have carefully vifited all thefe places, and here 

 follows what I have obferved moft remarkable in 

 them. 



The grant of the Maloins is well fituated, and 

 nothing is wanting to make it turn out to advan- 

 tage but Negroes, or hired fervants. I mould ra- 

 ther chufe to employ the latter, becaufe, the time 

 of their fervice being expired, they become inha- 

 bitants, and increafe the number of the king's na- 

 tural fubjects ; whereas the former always continue 

 aliens: and who can be certain but that, by being 

 multiplied in our colonies, they may not one day 

 become our moft formidable enemies ! Can we de- 

 pend upon (laves who are only attached to us by 

 fear, and who never can have the pleafure of call- 

 ing the place in which they are born by the en- 

 dearing name of their native country ? 



The firft night I lay in this fettlement, there 

 happened a great alarm about nine o'clock in the 

 evening ; upon afking the reafon of it, I was told 

 there was, in the neighbourhood, a bead of an un- 

 known fpecies, of an extraordinary bulk, and 

 whofe cry did not in the lead referable that of any 

 known animal. Nobody however could fay he had 

 feen it, and they formed a judgment of its fizeen- 

 tirelyJrom its flrength : it had already carried off 

 fome fheep and calves, and worried fome cows. I 



told 



