_After Monsieur_ de la Sale _had discover’d that vast Continent, which is a Part of_ North America, _from_ Canada, _by the Way of_ Montreal, _going up the River of St._ Laurence, _then through the Country of the_ Iroquois, _the_ Islinois _and others, all which he call’d_ Louisiana, _his Design was to find a shorter and a safer Way, than that he had Travell’d by Land_. _For this Reason it was, that having upon his first Discovery found the great River, call’d by the Barbarians_ Missisipi _or_ Mechasipi, _according to Father_ Hennepin, _and to which he gave the Name of_ Colbert, _guessing by its Course that it fell into the Bay of_ Mexico, _he resolved with himself to find out the Mouth of it_. _In short, he ran down that River, with more Danger and Toil than can be imagin’d, found it parted into two Streams and follow’d that which was most to the Northward, to the Place where it is lost in the Sea. He took the Latitude that Mouth lay in, and found it was between 28 and 29 Degrees North, as Monsieur_ Joutel _affirms he heard him say. He left Marks there, return’d the same Way to_ Canada _and thence into_ France, _well pleased with his Discovery, which would have been very glorious, had he succeeded in his second Voyage_. _But whether he did not take his Measures right, when he made his Observations ashore, or whether that River disgorges it self at a flat Coast, and only leaves some inconsiderable Mark of its Channel for such as come by Sea; it is most certain, that when he came into the Bay of_ Mexico, _he sought for the same Mouth in Vain, during the Space of three Weeks, and was oblig’d to go ashore to the S. W. of the Place, where it really was_. _Monsieur_ Tonty, _in his Book, Fol. 192, tells us, that he was present when Monsieur_ de la Sale _took the Latitude of the Mouth of the_ Missisipi, _at his first Voyage, and says it was between twenty two and twenty three Degrees North; but that is a Mistake, which must be assigned either to the Printer, or Transcriber, for in the Map the said Monsieur_ Tonty _has added to his Book, he places the said Mouth in about twenty six Degrees and a Half of North Latitude, and there is Reason to believe he errs in that too_.