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NEW ORLEANS TO NEW YORK xi

sengers obliging and friendly. Manners are not so distant or
stately as at the North ; and it is much easier to become ac-
quainted with your fellow passengers. A trip up the Missis-
sippi at the proper season of the year is delightful."

The vicinity of New Orleans is not interesting, and the roads
and drives but few, owing to the swamp in which it is placed.
We went in a carriage to lake Ponchartrain, about three miles
distant, where we procured a few interesting fresh-water
shells ; but, in general, the subjects of natural history, which
I had lately seen, had not much novelty to recommend them.

I must not omit stating, that, in one of my rambles, in a
small street, near the steam-boat landing, I saw on a sign, in
large letters, "Big Bone Museum." This excited my curiosity,
and I expected to see mammoth-bones, as the banks, past which
the water of this river rolls, had produced a great number of
those surprising remains. I therefore entered, and was indeed
astonished at the sight, not of the remains of a mammoth, but
what are believed to be those of a stupendous crocodile, and
which, indeed, are likely to prove so, intimating the former
existence of a lizard, at least 150 feet long ; for I measured
the right side of the under jaw, which I found to be 21 feet
along the curve, and 4 feet 6 inches wide ; the others con-
sisted of numerous vertebrae, ribs, femoral bones, and toes, all
corresponding in size to the jaw ; there were also some teeth,
these, however, were not of proportionate magnitude ; but the
person who found them (W. S. Schofield), assured me that he
had also discovered another tooth, similar to the rest, but con-
siderably larger, which had been clandestinely taken from his
exhibition-room. These remains were discovered, a short time
since, in the swamp near Fort Philip, and the other parts of
the mighty skeleton, are, it is said, in the same part of the
swamp.

On my hinting the probability that these bones might have
belonged to a species of whale, Mr. S. gave me such reasons,
on the authority of an intelligent zoologist, and comparative
anatomist, who was preparing to give the world a description
of them, as convinced me, that my conjecture was without
foundation. I offered a considerable sum for these immense
remains, but the proprietor refused to part with them, assuring
me that it was his intention to procure the remainder of them,
and then take them to Europe.

On the 3rd of April we left New Orleans, in the beautiful