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Detail of Beilin's 1764 General Map of the Coast of Louisiana and Florida, f A )Note the following features $oing from iht top right hand corner toward the bottom left hand corner: (l)Iaux \1sseaux-‘This is Ship Island from which Iberville departed to find an entrance :o the Mississippi. <2)Note the extensive land mass extending east and south from lake Borgne to the Chandeleur Islands. (3)Tne entrances to what is now Hasten and Barctiaria Bays are denoted as Rivers indicating their active outflows of waters from the Mississippi. (4)The extensive land masses between Bas’en River and the River of des Chetis (now Bayou Lafourche) and between ike River des Chetis and Bay des Chetis (now Atchafalaya Bay). These formerly extensive land masses are now largely open waters. (8/Above River Barataria note the depiction nf a forest ah)ng the northern regions of lower Barataria Bay. From other maps and authorities we know that these were forests of majestic live oaks. fC)At the northern regions of this forest note that the embryonic New Orleans lies on the northern side of the Mississippi's East Fork. (D)In the top left hand comer note the Iberville River. This is the stream Iberville will take from the Mississippi to return to his gunboats at Ship Island. This river will later be called Bayou Manchac.
making them subjects of the King of France and France’s allies against the English and Spanish Kings. He knows there is little time- the colonial forces of Europe are finally and irreversibly focused on the Mississippi. He has recently learned that the English have sent two ships to find the mouths of the Mississippi and the Spanish are sure to defend their claims to the region.
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Iberville arrives at what is presently Ship Island, Mississippi. He tells us, “We came in under shelter of an island where we are protected from winds. We put our animals ashore and I am making ready to discover che Mississippi.”
By this time Iberville has explored the northwestern coast of Florida, the entrance to Mobile Bay, and the coastal islands from Mobile Bay to Ship Island. He has found the area beautiful, fuil of white sandy beaches, lofty
longleaf pine forests, prairies where bison are wintering. But he knows he has not found the Mississippi. The bays are too salty, or the entrances too wide, or the outflows too little.
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Iberville sees signs of Native Americans: “a column of smoke to the northeast”. He crosses Mississippi Sound and lands near what is presently Biloxi. Following ;itwo trails of Indians" along the coast, Iberville tells us “We are seeing many plum trees in bloom; tracks of turkeys; partridges, which are no bigger than quails; hares like the ones in France; some rather good oysters.’’
Iberville has incredible luck. He meets and befriends the chief of the Bayogoula. The chief is on a hunting expedition from his village on the Mississippi. During this encounter Iberville learns that the Mississippi is to his west and
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