Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/320

 308 An Account of the Choktah Nation.

playing-, which is a very (harp exercife, and requires great ftrength and exertion. In this manly exercife, no perfons are knov/n to be equal to them, or in running on level ground, to which they are chiefly ufed from their infancy, on account of the fituation of their country, which hath plenty of hills, but no mountains, thefe lie at a confiderable diftance be tween them and the Mufkohge. On the furvey of a prodigious fpace of fertile land up the Miflifippi, and its numberlefs fine branches, we found the mountains full three hundred miles from that great winding mafs of waters.

Though the lands of Weft-Florida, for a confiderable diftance from the fea-fhore, are very low, four, wet, and unhealthy, yet it abounds with valuable timber for (hip-building, which could not well be ex pended in the long fpace of many centuries. This is a very material article to fo great a maritime power, as Great Britain, efpecially as it can be got with little expence and trouble. The French were faid to deal pretty much that way ; and the Spaniards, it is likely, will now refume it, as the bounty of our late miniftry has allowed the French to transfer New-Orleans to them, and by that means they are able to dif- turb the Britim colonies at pleafure. It cannot fail of proving a conftant bone of contention : a few troops could foon have taken it during the late war, for it was incapable of making any confiderable refiftance ; and even French effrontery could not have prefumed to withhold the giving it up, if the makers of our laft memorable peace had not been fo extremely modeft, or liberal to them. If it be allowed that the firft difcoverers and pofleflbrs of a foreign wafte country, have a juft title to it, the French by giving up New Orleans to Great Britain, would have only ceded to her, poffeflions, which they had no right to keep ; for Col. Wood was the firft difcoverer of the Miflifippi, who ftands on public record, and the chief part of ten years he employed in fearching its courfe. This fpirited attempt he began in the year 1654, and ended 1664. Capt. Bolton made the like attempt, in the year 1670. Doclor Cox of New Jerfey fent two fhips Anno 1698, which djfcovered the mouth of if, and having failed a hundred miles up, he took poffefTion of the whole country, and called it Carojana : whereas the French did not difcover it till the year 1699, when they gave it the name of Col- bert's-river, in honour of their favourite minifter, and the whole country they called Loifinana, which may foon be exchanged for Philippiana till the Americans give it another and more defirable name.

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