Journal of a Voyage Upriver from New Orleans to Natchez

              1792, July 19 - August 6
JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE UPRIVER FROM NEW OR-
LEANS TO NATCHEZ, BY PIERRE-JOSEPH FAVROT.
ADS. 4 pp. French. Richmond.
Journal of my trip to Natchez in which I mention the
crossings, the points, and false points up to the said place.
Departed in a barge on Thursday at 3 o'clock in the afternoon,
this 19th of July, to take command of the troops of said fort. Slept
at the house of M. Monplaisir. Made 2 leagues.
20th.  Departed.  Crossed the river.  Arrived at the
second crossing at the plantation of M. de Cabarait. Dined there,
and slept at the home of Mme Charbonnetat Bustard Bend
(l'Anse aux outardes). Made 6 leagues.
21st. Departed for the third crossing. Ate breakfast at
the home of M. [Charles-Fr6d6ric] d'Arensbourg at 10 o'clock
and stopped there for two hours on account of rain. Left there
and arrived for dinner at Bonne Can-6, at the home of M. Petavin.
Made the fourth crossing and slept opposite the church. Made
6 leagues.
[End page 1]

22nd. Had breakfast after making two leagues. Com-
pleted the fifth crossing, opposite M. Antiocope's. Made the
sixth crossing and then reached M. Laram~e's. Made the seventh
crossing.  In time reached M. Cantrelle's.  Rain and contrary
wind. Departed. Slept one league from the church. Made 6
leagues.
23rd.  Departed.  Made the eighth crossing above M.
Cantrelle's, and had breakfast at the plantation of his brother.
Made the ninth crossing and dined at the home of M. Bringier.
Left at 3 o'clock and made the tenth crossing. Slept at the house
of M. Molaire. Made 5 1/2 leagues.
24th. Departed for the eleventh crossing, and ate break-
fast opposite Bayou Lafourche. Completed the twelfth crossing
below the bend at M. Judice's at noon. Met a boat at the point.
Slept at the house of M. Belly. Made 6 leagues. J
25th. Departed from the house of M. Belly for the thir-
teenth crossing. Passed Bayou Goula and ate breakfast at the
house of M. Verbois. Departed and made the fourteenth cross-
ing above the church. Made the fifteenth crossing at the point
of Manchac and slept there. Made 7 leagues.
26th. Departed and made the sixteenth crossing, above
the said point, and the seventeenth crossing to reach Baton
Rouge. Slept one league above, at the house of [Armand Allard]
Duplantier. Made the eighteenth crossing. Made 5 leagues.
27th.  Departed.  Made the nineteenth crossing two
leagues from the house of Duplantier, at Bayou Baton Rouge.
Made the twentieth crossing at Devil's Cypress Grove (la
Cypriere du diable). Made the twenty-first crossing. Reached
Bienville Island and slept at the channel pass. Made 4 leagues.
28th. Left for the twenty-second crossing. Reached the
great eddy of the Bayou des ecores {accores}. Made the twenty-
third crossing. Arrived at the house of Mme Le Blond, and slept
at the home ofM. [Jean-Francois] Allain, fifty-two leagues from
New Orleans. Made 4 leagues.
29th. Sunday. Passed the day at Allain's, giving the crew
a day of rest.
30th. Departed. Passed half a day at the home of M. Le
Blanc. Then made the twenty-fourth crossing. Arrived above
Pointe Coupee, at the house of M. Mayeux. Spent the night one
long league and a half further up. Made 5 leagues.
31st. Began the twenty-fifth crossing opposite the maple
grove above the Tunica village, and made the bend where there
is an obstruction, which increases the current.  Dined above
Long Island. Made a distance of three leagues. Had dinner op-
posite the old Tunica village, where there is a long, open view
and a large eddy at the bend of the Avoyelles. 
[End of page 2]
Opposite there is
awide batture extending more than half the width of the river on
the left side, going up. Slept at the beginning of the batture of
Racoursie. Made 6 leagues.
Wednesday, 1st of August. Made the point and the half
bend on the starboard side. Dined at the end of Datrenache Is-
land. Made four leagues during the morning. Made the twenty-
sixth crossing, reaching Three Channels Island (l'fle de trois
chenaux). Made three leagues. Slept at the end of the point.
Made 7 leagues.
2nd. Made a false bend and a false point, which has a long
batture at the end. Made the twenty-seventh crossing in view of
the Atchafalaya, on the point leading to Red River. Breakfasted
at this batture in front of said river. Towed the barge by a rope
for about one league. Passed a false bend and a false point and
made the twenty-eighth crossing above the point that leads to
Roche B Davion {later. Fort Adams]. Made the twenty-ninth
crossing and slept at the entrance of Bayou Tunica.  Made 6
leagues.
3rd. Departed. Made the point and false bend leading to
Roche B Davion. Had breakfast and dinner at the home of Mr.
dark, having been stopped by rain. Left at 4 o'clock. Passed
Roche U Davion, after which we found a large eddy. Made the
point. Slept above the open view of Roche g Davion and of the
bayou. Made 5 leagues. _
[end of page 3]

4th. Departed. Made one point of two leagues. Made
the thirtieth crossing to the left side going up. Made a point.
Made the thirty-first crossing to the starboard side. Slept below
a false bend at a distance of three leagues from Three Channels
Island. Made 5 leagues.
5th. Passed the false point and the false bend, crossing
for the thirty-second time. Reached the lower side of Three
Channels Island, and had breakfast at the entrance to the chan-
nel. Dined two leagues further up.  Made White Bluffs Bend
(l'Anse des ecores {accores] blancs), where we made the thirty-
third crossing. Slept at the entrance to Bayou Sainte-Catherine.
Made 5 leagues.
6th. Passed a large point, a false bend, and breakfasted
above Bienville Island. Made the thirty-fourth crossing on the
point opposite the old fort of Natchez on the left side going up,
and arrived at the thirty-fifth crossing, at Fort Panmure of
Natchez, ending the trip safely. Thanks to God and to all the
Saints. Made 5 leagues.
Carefully estimated total: 96 leagues. Natchez, Monday,
this 6th of August 1792, took command of the troops of the regi-
ment of Louisiana.
PEDRO [Pierre-Joseph] FAVROT