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the evening of the 23d, we quitted the fhallop 

 which had carried us to this place, and emba ked 

 on board a brigantine, in which we lay by during 

 the whole night. On the morrow at break of day 

 we found we had pafled a new turn in the river, 

 called le detour am Piakimines, or the reach of the 

 Piakimines. 



We found ourfelves foon after among the paf- 

 fes of the Miftiffippi ; here one mud fail with 

 abundance of precaution, for fear of being drawn 

 into one from whence it would be next to impof- 

 fible to extricate one's felf. Mod of them are 

 only fmall dreams, and fome are feparated only by 

 fhallows almoft level with the water. The bar of 

 the MifMippi is what has multiplied thefe paffes 

 to fuch a degree, it being eafy to conceive, by the 

 way in which I faid new lands are formed, how 

 the river endeavouring after a paffage where there 

 is the leaft refiftance, opens one, fometimes on one 

 fide, fometimes on another ; from whence it might 

 happen, without great care to prevent it, that all 

 the paries might become impaflable to fhips. In 

 the evening of the 24th, we call anchor without 

 the bar, oppofite the Ifland Balife. 



The contrary wind flill detaining us, we refolved 

 to make fome ufe of this delay, Yeflerday being 

 the 25th, I began by finging grand rnafs in the 

 ifland called de la Balife^ or the Buoy Ifland, on 

 account of a buoy ereded upon it for the conve- 

 nience of (hipping. Afterwards I blefled it, gave 

 it the name of the ifland fbouloufe, and then lung 

 Te Deum. This ifland together with another, 

 which is feparated from it by a creek where there 

 is always water, is not more than half a league in 

 U 3 circumference. 



