[up to 4 and a half feet long. Very large in its species, appearing short, with a monstrous head, this fish is found throughout the coast and rivers of the country.] It has a flesh that one would mistake for meat, mainly veal. It is of unparalleled excellence.We cut it into slices and prepare it like veal and any other meat. We lard it like beef. This is one of the most common and best. It seems that it could be marinated like tuna. There are plaice all the time along the entire coast and in the rivers to a certain extent. This fish is shaped like a limande or plie and comes in all sizes, from 9 to 10 inches to almost 2 feet. It is about two thirds of its length wide. It?s a fish that would be priceless in France. For its quality, it still surpasses all others and could be presented to a king as a delicacy. There are still burgos that have scales of almost the same shape. It is still one of the best fish you can find. It's not quite that big, or that strong.There are sometimes real hake or cod there, but rarely like those that we fish along the coast and in the rivers and that we do not fish offshore like everywhere else. It is presumed that there are a very large number of unknown fish which usually never come to the coast.There are monstrous carp in the rivers, not the best, but somewhat passable. There are also eels in different places as good as those of Europe. There are two species of river fish that are usually called big mouths and big ears. These two kinds of fish would be priceless in France for their taste and goodness. In Mobile, there are a very large number of brochelansin in swamps, which makes one believe that they could be found everywhere else. There is also a species of small fish called patassar, up to 7 to 8 inches long, mostly less than that. It is still a very exquisite and very excellent fish. There are crayfish and shrimp in very large quantities. There are sardines not in the shape of those from France. They are much larger and wider, but they have the same taste and goodness. There is such a large quantity that we find whole shoals of them, and in its season, all the rivers are filled with them. We salt it. There are French people in the country who trade it with other inhabitants. The whole country, that is to say, the coast and the river, are full of very large cancres which are better than in Europe. We are not aware of any salmon there. We are only talking here about the coast in general up to 10 or 12 leagues in the rivers. The beaver is found in the upper parts of rivers. We did not see any seals, nor any sea ox or sea calf of this species. No whale has ever been seen in the country. There are no turtles like in Madagascar and Bourbon Island. There are small land turtles like at the Cape of Good Hope. There are also a lot of sea turtles on different banks and islets almost all the time, except during very cold weather. They lay eggs there during two seasons, in March-April and September-October. There?s no [?]
