NORTH AMERICA. 
4^7 
feafon is dry, and its bed twelve or fifteen feet above 
the furface of the Mifliflippi ; but in the winter 
and fpring has a great depth of water, and a very 
rapid ftream which flows into the Amite, thence 
d;. wn through the lakes into the bay of Pearls to 
the ocean. 
Having recommendations to the inhabitants of 
Batonrouge, now called New-Richmond, more than 
forty miles higher up the river, one of thefe gentle- 
men being prefent at Manchac, gave me a friendly 
and polite invitadon to accompany him on his re- 
turn home. A pleafant morning ; we fat off after 
breakfaft, well accommodated in a handfome con- 
venient boat, rowed by three blacks. Tv/o rqiles 
above Manchac we put into fhore at Alabama: this 
Indian village is delightfully fituared on ieveral 
fwefiing green hills, gradually afcending from the 
verge of the river : the people are a remnant of 
the ancient Alabama nation, who inhabited the 
Eaft arm of the great Mobile river, which bears 
their name to this day, now polfefled by the Creeks 
or Mufcogulges, who conquered the former. 
My friend having purchafed feme bafkets and 
earthen ware, the manufactures of the people, we 
left the village, and proceeding twelve miles higher 
up the river, landed again at a very large and well 
cultivated plantation, where we lodged all night. 
Obferved growing in a fpacious garden adjacent to 
the houfe, many ufeful as well as curious exotics, 
particularly the delicate and fweet Tube-rofe (Poly- 
anthus tuberofa) : it grows here in the open garden ; 
the flowers were very large and abundant on the 
Items, which were five, fix or feven feet high, but 
I faw none here having double flowers. In one cor- 
ner of the garden was a pond or marfh, round about 
which 
