TRAVELS IN 
dj- 2^. 
from the muddy bottom to its furface minute air 
bladders or bubbles : in inort, thefe dark loathfome 
waters, from every appearance, feem to be a ftrong 
extracl or tindture of the leaves of the trees, herbs 
and reeds, arifing from the fhores, and which almoft 
overfpread them, and float on the furface, infomuch 
that a great part of thefe ftagnate rivers, during the 
fummer and autumnal feafons, are conflrained to 
pafs under a load of grafs and weeds ; which are 
continually vegetating and fpreading over the fur- 
face from the banks, until the rifing floods of win- 
ter and Ipring, rufhing down from the main, fweep 
them away, and purify the waters. Late in the 
evening we difcovered a narrow ridge of land clofe 
to the river bank, high and dry enough to fuffer us 
to kindle a fire, and fpace fufficient to fpread our 
bedding on. But here, fire and fmoke were infuf- 
ficient to expel the holts of mufquitoes that invelled 
our camp, and kept us awake during the long and 
tedious night, fo that the alligators had no chance 
of taking us napping. We were glad to rife early 
in the morning, proceeding up the Amite. The 
land now gradually rifes, the banks become higher, 
the foil drier and firmer four or five feet above the 
furface of the river ; the trees are of an incredible 
magnitude, particularly Platanus occidentalis, Frax- 
inus, Ulmus, Quercus hemlfpherica, &c. The 
Canna Indica grows here in furprifing luxuriance, 
prefenting a glorious fhow ; the llem rifes fix, feven 
and nine feet high, terminating upwards with fpikes 
of fcarlet flowers. 
Now having advanced near thirty miles up the 
Amite, we arrived at a very large plantation, the 
property of a Scotch gentleman, who received me 
with 
, t & _ * 
