NORTH AMERICA* 4CJ 
Repeated heavy fhowers of rain, from morning until 
evening. 
Not having an immediate opportunity from 
hence to Manchac, a Britifh fettlement on the Mif- 
fifTipi* I endeavoured to procure a light canoe, with 
which I defigned to purfue my travels along fhor@ 
to the fettlements about Pearl river, 
Augufl 5 th, fet off from Mobile up the river in 
a trading boat, and was landed at Taenfa bluff, the 
feat of Major Farmer* to make good my engage- 
ments, in confequence of an invitation from that 
worthy gentleman, to fpend fome days in his fa- 
mily t here 1 obtained the ufe of a light canoe to 
continue my voyage up the riveft The fettlement 
of Taenfa is on the fite of an ancient town of a 
tribe of Indians of that name, which is apparent 
from many artificial mounds of earth and other 
ruins. Befides Mr. Farmer’s dwellings, there are 
many others inhabited by French families, who 
are chiefly his tenants* It is a mofl delightful fitua- 
tion, commanding a fpacious profpect up and down 
the river, and the low lands of his extenfive planta- 
tions on the oppofite fhore* In my excurfions about 
this place, I obferved many curious vegetable pro- 
ductions, particularly a fpecies of Myrica (Myrica 
inodora) : this very beautiful evergreen fbrub, which 
the French inhabitants call the Wax tree, grows in 
wet fandy ground about the edges of fwamps \ if; 
rifes erect nine or ten feet, dividing itfelf into a 
multitude of nearly erect branches, which are gar- 
nished with many fhining deep green entire leaves 
of a lanceolate figure * the branches produce abun- 
dance of large round berries, nearly the fize of bird 
cherries, which are covered with a fcale or coat of 
white wax 3 no part of this plant poffefles any de~ 
D d 2 gr -Qt 
