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The foil where this laft is begun is very good, 

 but it mull be built a quarter of a league from the 

 river, behind a cyprefs wood, where the bottom is 

 marlhy, which may be employed in raifing rice or 

 garden-duff. Two leagues farther within the 

 woods is a lake two leagues in circuit, the banks 

 of which are covered with game, and which per- 

 haps would alfo furnilh abundance of fifli, were 

 the alligators with which it fwarms at prefent, de- 

 ftroyed. At this place I learned fome fecrets which 

 I (hall communicate to your Grace at the price 

 they coft me ; for I have not had time to make 

 trial of them. 



The male cyprefs in this country bears a fort of 

 of hufk, which, as they fay, muft be gathered 

 green, and yields a balm which is fovereign to the 

 cure of cuts or wounds. The tree from which 

 the copalm diftills, has, among other virtues, 

 that of curing the dropfy. The roots of thofe 

 large cotton trees, which I have already fpoken of, 

 and which are found all along the road tr >m lake 

 Ontario, are a certain remedy ior ail kinds of burns; 

 the interior pellicle muft be boiled in water, the 

 wound fomented with this warer, and afterwards 

 the afhes of the pellicle itfelf laid upon k. 



On the firft day of the new year we faid rnafs $ 

 about three leagues from the habitation of Ma- 

 dam de Mezieres, in a grant belonging to M. Di- 

 ron d'Aftaguette infpector- general of the troops of 

 Louisiana. We had here a monftruous large tor* 

 toife brought us ; and we were told that thefe ani- 

 mals had juft broke through a large bar of iron $ 

 if the fact is true* and to believe it I fhould have 

 leen it, the fpittle of thefe animals muft be a ftrong 

 diffolvent i I fhould not, indeed, chafe to truft 



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