66 
TRAVELS Ilf 
ray, are infatiable cannibals, and very troublefome 
to the fifhermen. The bays and lagoons are dored 
with oyders, and a variety of other fhell-fifh, crabs,, 
ihrimp, &c. The clams, in particular* are large* 
their meat white,, tender and delicate. 
There is a large fpace betwixt this chain of Tea- 
coadd Hands and the main, land, perhaps generally 
near three leagues in breadth; but all this fpace is 
not covered with water: I edimate nearly two- 
thirds of it to confld of low fait plains, which pro- 
duce Barilla, Sedge, Rudies* &c^ and which border 
on the main land, and the wedern coads of the iflands. 
The call Tides of thefe iflands are, for the mod part* 
dean, hard, Tandy beaches, expofed to the wafh of 
the ocean. Between thefe iflands are the mouths 
or entrance of fome rivers, which run down from 
the continent winding about through thefe low fait: 
marfhes, and delivering their waters into the founds* 
which are very extenfive capacious harbours, from 
three to five and fix to eight miles over, and com- 
municate with each, other by parallel fait rivers, or 
paffes, that flow into the found : they afford an ex- 
tensive and fecure inland navigation for moft craft* 
fuch as large fchooners, floops, pettiaugers, boats, 
and canoes, and. this inland communication of wa- 
ters extends along the Tea coaft with but few and 
fhort interruptions, from the bay of Chefapeak, in 
Virginia, to the Mifiifippi, and how much farther I 
know not, perhaps as far as Vera Cruz. Whether 
this chain of fea-coad-iflands is a dep, or advance, 
which this part of our continent is now making on 
the Atlantic ocean, we mud leave to future ages ta 
determine. But it feems evident, even to demon- 
dration, that thofe fait marfhes adjoining the coaft 
©T the main, and the reedy and grafly iflands and 
marfhes- 
