NORTH AMERICA. 
43 1 
of our way, in purfuit of a bear eroding from the 
main, but he out-fwam us, reached the ifland, 
and made a fafe retreat in the forefts entangled 
with vines ; we however purfued him on Ihore, 
but to no purpofe. After refdng a while, we re- 
embarked and continued on our voyage, coafting 
the Ead fhore of the ifland to the upper end ; here 
we landed again, on an extended projecting point, 
of clean fand and Debbies, where were to be feeti 
pieces of coal (licking in the gravel and fand, to- 
gether with other fragments of the foil'll king- 
dom, brought down by inundations and lodged 
there. We obferved a large kind of mufcle in the 
land ; the fhell of an oval form, having horns or 
protuberances near half an inch in length and as 
thick as a crow quill, which I fuppofe ferve the 
purpofe of grapnels to hold their ground againft 
the violence of the current. FI ere were great num- 
bers of wild fowl wading in the fhoal water that 
covers the fandy points, to a vail didance from 
the (Fores : they were geefe, brant, gannet, and 
the great and beautiful whooping crane (grus al- 
ber). Embarked again, doubled the point of the 
iiland and arrived at Point Coupe in the evening. 
We made our vifit to a French gentleman, an 
ancient man and wealthy planter, who, according 
to the hiftory he favoured us with of his own life 
and adventures, mud have been very aged ; his 
hair was of a filky white, yet his complexion was 
florid and conftitution athletic. He (aid that foon 
after he came to America, with many families of 
his countrymen, they afcended the river to the 
Cliffs of the Natches, where they fat down, being 
entertained by the natives ; and under cover of a 
ftrong* fortrefs and garrifon, eftablifhed a fettle - 
meat, and by cultivating the land and forming 
plan- 
