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Show 140 a quicks~nd. . Ten quarts of th.is \Vater pro~uced,'. by ev. . l Pol··..1 t 1on , six' ounces of a sahne tnass, whtch, hom taste, ,, as principally marine salt; to the taste, 1.10\V-ever it ~hewed an admixture of soda, and munated mc.1g;1e~i: , but the 1narine salt greatly preponderated. Th~ ~pe~.:ioc gravity was about 1.076, probably weakened fi om the rain which had fallen the day before. The ascent of the ri \ cr bec01nes more troublesome, from the rapids and currvnts, p~rticnl~rly at the "is~e du bayau des Roche~" (Rocky creek Island) ~here ~t required great exertion~, a~1d. was a~tendcd With some haz.ird to pass them. flus Island IS thrt:.~ fourths of a mile in length. The river presents a scnes of shoals, rapid:,, and small cataracts; and they pas!,ed several points of high land,. full of rocks and stones,. much harder and tnore ~ohd than they Lad yC't met wtth. ,.fhe rocks ''"ere all silicious, with their fissures penetraterl by sparry mc..ttcr. lndjcations of iron \rcre frequent, and fragmFnts of poor ore were co1~mon, but no rich ore of that, or any other metal, was fot~nd. Some of the hills appear \Yell adapted to the cul~Ivation of the vine; the soil being a ~andy loam, With. a considerable proportion of gravel, and a superficial covering of good veo-etable black earth. The nat ural 5 productions are, several varieties .of oakr ' pm. e, c1o g-wood, holly, &;c. with a scattcnng UJJckrgro:\·th of whortleLerry, hawthorn, china briar, a11d a vancty of small vines. Above the Isle de Mallon, the country wears another prospect, high lands and rocks frequently approach the river. The rocks in grain, resemble ft:ee stone, and are hard enough to be used as hand r~ull sto,ncs, to ·which purpose they arc frequently apphec~. fhe quality of the lands improves, the strat~nn of vegetable earth being from six to twelve inches, of a darkbrown color, with an admixture of loa1n and sand. Below Deer Island they passed a stratmn of ~ree stone, fifty feet thick, under which is a quarry of Imperfect slate in perpendicular layers. About a league 141 from tl~e river, anc~ a little above the slate quarry, is a co~l,::.Id~rabl~ phun, culled " Prairie de Champig4 nole, often frequented by buffitloe. Son1e salt licks are fo_un~l near it, .:md in many situations on both sides of th1s nvcr, there are said to be salines which may hereafter be rendered very producti vc, and frotn which the future scttk1nc:nts 1nay be abundantly supplied. Abm.~t four 1111lcs below .the " chuttes," (falls) they, ft om a good observatwn, found the latitude 34° 21' 25''.5. 'fhe land on either hand continues to improve in quality, with a suHident stratum of dark earth of a brownish color. liills li·equently rise out or the level country, full 0~ rocks and stones, hard and flu:ty,. and often rcscmblmg 'fur key oil stones. Of this kmd was a prmnontory which came in from the right hand, a little below the chuttes; at a distance it J~rese~tted the appearan~e of ruined buildings and fortificatwns~ and several Insulated masses of rock, conveyed the Idea of redoubts and out-works. This effect \YaS heightened by the rising of a flock of swans which had taken their station in the water, at the foot of these \valls. ~s the voyagers approached, the birds floated abou~ majestically on the gldssy surface of the water, and m tremulous accents scetned to consult upon means of salety. 'rhe whole was a sublime picture. In the afternoon of the third ofDecen1bcr, they reached the .chuttcs, and found the falls to be occasioned by a cham of rocks of the smne hard substance seen below extending in the direction of north-east and south: west, quite acro~s the river. The water passes through a number of ~ra~1ches worn by the impetuosity of the torrent whcr:e 1t fonus so many cascades. The chain of rock o.r lull on the left, appears to have been cut do\rn to Its present level by the abrasion of the waters. By great exer~ion, an.d lighteJting the boat, they passed the chuttes th1s evemng, ancl encamped just above the raturacts, and within the hcarinp· of thrir incessant roar. '' |