I 



r ( 297 ) 



of the year. It is bounded on the left by a feries 

 of fmall lakes, lying at the end of the lake Che- 

 timachas, and on the right by the ijles de la Chan- 

 deleur, or the Candlemas iflands •, it is believed that 

 there is a channel for veflels of the greateft bur- 

 then, and that it would be very eafy to make a 

 very fine harbour among thefe iflands. Large 

 barks can get up from the fea to lake Chetima- 

 chas, and the fineft oaks in the world might 

 be cut there, the whole coaft being covered with 

 them. 



I am likewife of opinion, that all the channels 

 in the river ought to be ftopt up, excepting the 

 principal one, which would be extremely eafy, no- 

 thing more being required, than to introduce into 

 them thofe floating trees with which the river is al- 

 ways covered. The confequence of which would 

 be, in the firft place, that the river would be no lon- 

 ger acceflible to barks and canoes, but upon one 

 fide, which would put the colony out of all dan- 

 ger of being furprized ; and, in the fecond place, 

 the whole force of the current being united, the 

 only opening, which the river would then have, 

 would grow deeper as well as the bar. I ground 

 this conjecture upon what has already happened at 

 at the two cut points, of which I have already 

 fpoken. In this cafe there would be no more to 

 do than to keep up one channel, and to prevent 

 the floating trees from flopping in it, which, as ap- 

 pears to me, would be no difficult affair. 



The breadth of the river between the channels, 

 that is to fay, for the fpace of four leagues from 

 the Ifland of Thouloufe to the fouth-weft channel, 

 is never more than fifty fathoms. But imme- 

 diately above this channel, the Mifliflippi infenfibly 



refumes 



