NORTH AMERICA, 
229 
we entered the grand fountain, the expanfive cir- 
cular bafon, the fource of which arifes from under 
the bafes of the high woodland hills, nearly half en- 
circling it. The ebullition is aftonifhing, and conti- 
nual, though its greateft force of fury intermits, re- 
gularly, for the fpace of thirty feconds of time : the 
waters appear of a lucid fea green colour, in fome 
meafure owing to the refledtion of the leaves above : 
the ebullition is perpendicular upwards, from a vaft 
ragged orifice through a bed of rocks, a great 
depth below the common furface of the bafon, throw- 
ing up fmail particles or pieces of white (hells, 
which fubfide with the waters at the moment of 
intermifilon, gently fettling down round about the 
orifice, forming a vaft funnel. At thofe moments* 
when the waters rufh upwards, the furface of the 
bafon immediately over the orifice is greatly fwolien 
or raifed a confiderable height ; and then it is 
impofiible to keep the boat or any other floating 
vdlel over the fountain 1 but the ebullition quickly 
fubfid.es ; yet, before the furface becomes quite even, 
the fountain vorpits up the waters again, and fo op 
perpetually, The bafon is generally circular, about 
fifty yards over ; and the perpetual ftream from it 
Into the river is twelve or fifteen yards wide, and 
ten or twelve feet in depth $ the bafon and ftream 
continually peopled with prodigious numbers and 
variety of fifh and other animals ; as the alligator, 
and the manate * or fea cow, in the winter feafon* 
Part of a fkeleton of one, which the Indians had killed 
laft winter, lay upon the banks of the fpring : the 
grinding teeth were about an inch in diameter ; the 
ribs eighteen inches in length, and two inches add an 
half in thicknefs, bending with a gentle curve. This 
bone is efteemed equal to ivory. The fiefh of this 
'* Trichccus man at us, Sea cow, 
Qg 3 creature. 
