4C S TRAVELS IN 
French, as there appear vefliges of a rampart and 
other traces of a fortrefs ; perhaps fort Louis de la 
Mobile ; but in all probability it will not remain 
long vifible, the dream of the river making daily 
encroachments on it, by carrying away the land on 
which it flood. 
Obferved here amongft other vegetable produc- 
tions, a new fpecies^ or at leafl a variety, of Hale- 
fia diptera : thefe trees are of the fize and figure of 
ordinary Mulberry trees, their flems fhort, and 
tops regular and fpreading, and the leaves large 
and broad, in fize and figure refembling thofe of 
cur common wild Mulberry. 
Oppofite this bluff, on the other fide of the river, 
is a diftrict of fwamp or low land, the richefl I ever 
faw, or perhaps any where to be feen : as for the 
trees I mall forbear to defcribe them, becaufe it 
would appear incredible ; let it fuffice to mention, 
that the Cyprus, Afh, Platanus, Populus, Liquid- 
ambar, and others, are by far the tailefl, flraightefl 
and every way the mofl enormous that ! have feen or 
heard of. And as a proof of the extraordinary fer- 
tility of the foil, the reeds or canes ( Ar undo gigantea) 
grow here thirty or forty feet high, and as thick as 
a man's arm, or three or four inches in diameter ; 
I fuppofe one joint of fome of them would contain 
above a quart of water ; and thefe reeds ferve very 
well for letting poles, or inafts for barks and canoes. 
Continued yet afcending this fine river, palling 
by the mofl delightful and fertile lituations : ob* 
ferved frequently, on bluffs of high land, deferred 
plantations, the houfes always burnt down to the 
ground, and ancient Indian villages. But perceiv- 
ing little variation in the natural vegetable pro- 
du£Uons 3 the current of the river preffing down 
w ith 
