NORTH AMERICA. 
417 
Inquiry, my affociate informed me they were for 
the purpofe of boiling tar to pitch, there being 
yaft fore firs of Pine trees in the vicinity of this place«> 
In Carolina the inhabitants purfue a different me- 
thod ; when they defign to make pitch, they 
dig large holes in the ground, near the tar 
kiln, which they line with a thick coat of good 
clay, into which they condu6l a fufficient quantity 
of tar, and fet it on fire, differing it to flame and 
evaporate a length of time fufficient to convert it 
into pitch, and when cool, lade it into barrels* 
and fo on until they have confumed all the tar, or 
made a fufficient quantity of pitch for their purpofe. 
After re-imbarking, and leaving this bluff a few 
miles, we put in to fliore again, and came to a 
farm houfe, a little diftance from the water, where 
v/e fupplied ourfelves with Com meal, Batatas, 
bacon, &c. The French gentleman (proprietor of 
the plantation) was near eighty years old, his hair 
almoft white with age, yet he appeared aftive, 
ftrong and mufcular ; and his mother who was p re- 
lent, was one hundred and five years old, adtive 
and cheerful, her eyes feemed as bride and fpark- 
ling as youth, but flie was of a diminutive fize, not 
half the ftature and weight of her fon : it was now 
above fifty years fince fine came into America from 
old France. 
I embarked again, proceeding down the bay, 
and in the evening doubled the weft point or cape of 
the bay, being a promontory of the main, between 
which and Dauphin ifland, we entered the channel 
Oleron. From this time, until we arrived at this gen- 
tleman’s habitation on Pearl river, I was incapable 
of making any obfervations, for my eyes could not 
bear the light, as the leaft ray admitted feemed 
E e as 
