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Additionally, the gearorphology of the Mississippi Gulf Ccest would have posed a real problem for any east-^est trail along the coast. 'The Bay of St.Louis, Biloxi Bay, I^scagoula Bay, and the Pascagoula and Escatawpa Rivers would have virtually precluded any inter-regional transportation without rather sophisticated ferriage facilities. All observations on the Mississippi Gulf Coast during the 18th century and the early 19th century strongly suggest that it was somewhat off the beaten path with the population consisting of only a few hundred scattered Frenchmen largely engaged in raising cattle and hunting with a few engaged in agriculture (Carter 1937 : 322—326; Ri Pratz 1975:50; Hutchins 1968:63-64; 1811 report of Dr. Flood as reprinted in Claiborne 1978:306-307). There is nothing to suggest that ferriage vas available on a regular basis for crossing the bays. Indeed, in 1777 William Bartram related having traveled with a French planter who was returning to his Pearl River farm from Mobile (Van Doren 1940:334). The trip was accomplished by boat I
Perhaps the most revealing source is a letter from one Isaac Briggs to Thanas Jefferson, dated October 29, 1805, in which Briggs described his trip on horseback frcm Mobile to New Orleans (Schwaab and Bull 1973:49):	!
On the 29th ult. (October), we left Tcmbigbee, passing through the town of Mobile, we crossed Pascagoula River near its mouth, passed round the bays of Biloxi and St. Louis, to Pearl River, about ten miles above its mouth; from thence we passed dwn Pearl River, through the Rigolets and Lake (Pontchartrain) to New Orleans.
On this part of our route (a distance of about 200 miles) we were 25 days.
To give sane idea of the difficulties we have encountered, besides the insurmountable delays of transporting our horses over rivers several miles wide, where there are no ferries (my emphasis). I will mention the progress we made in one fatiguing , industrious, and laborious day’s travelling, when entangled among impassably boggy drains, which are very frequent, and of considerable length, we encamped at night about three miles from our encampment on the preceding night.
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Yet these obstacles might be easily overcome by a little labour, and a road, in my opinion, may be made on the routo which we have contemplated, with nucli less expense, and far superior to the best gravelled turnpike In Uve middle Stoles.
The implication, then is that in 1805, there was neither'an established road nor ferriage available between Mobile and New Orleans. Presumably traffic between the two places was largely by boat.
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