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Show EMIGRANT'S GUIDE. will be noticed when treating on each part of the country in detaiL- . There exists but two routes from New Orleans to Opelousas and Attacapas, the upper by Plaquemine, and the lower by Lafourche and Teche. The former is the common channel of commerce. The prouu. e of the country , and merchandise, are tran·sported in large harges, from twenty to fifty tons burden. . . It is only when the Mississippi is high, that any communication bY' water with the interior exists by Plaquemine. The latter stream IS merely a small outlet of the Mississippi, into whi~h ~va~er ceases to be discharged, when the river fa lls about ten feet w 1th!n ats .uanks. The Mit:sissippi has annually two floods; the first, ·~ ordmary sea~ sons, abou t New-year. There are but few years Without a swell, about the furegoing ~eason, sufficient to permit boats to pass Plaquemi ne. This first flood is almost uniformly succeeded by a depres .. sian previous to the great spring inundation. The banks of Plaquemine are extremely fertile, but gradually depress in reced 'ncr from the Mississ ippi. It is fiftt>en miles, i~llowing the stream frorr~ its effiux, to the discharge of Plaquemine into the Atchafalaya. Only the left shore of Plaquemine is inhabited; the right bank is too low, and in addition to that defect, is exposeJ to the incumbent waters of the Mississippi. There arc some excellent farms on this stream, the general produce, cotton and lumber. The Atchafalaya, as has bto.en noticed, is strictly the continuation, of ReJ river: it leaYes the M is~·issippi two miles below the mouth ol the tormer, and flows with extreme rapidity, when the Mississippi is at its greatest height. At times of low water no current enters .Atchafalaya ; the river becomes stagnant in all its length. Though some settlements have been attempted on its banks, there is very little land on Atchafalaya fit tor culture. The soil is, indeed, excellent, but mostly exposed to inunda tion. . A narrow strip of high land skirts the stream on its left shore, foe about six mi,Jes from its efflux. Some small spots of high land occur on the right bank;below the Bayou de Glaize, which falls in from the west, five miles from the Mississippi. Cam~ formerly grew 'upon this· land, but is now mostly destroyed by the settlers. Descending farther down the river, some small points of excellent land occur; but the banks and adjacent country are mostly submerged annually ; and about twenty miles from its effiux all possibility of settlement ceases. This river exhibits the singular phenomenon of being choked with timber, brought by the floods from the Mississippi. Some ex~ traordinary tales have been published respecting this mass of timber; such as being sufficiently co'mpact to admit of horses and men pass· ing, as on a bridge; of having large trees growing upon it, and final~ ly, of having been p?·ssed unperceived. The falsity of all this; the author can aver from his own personal observation, having su rveyet the right bapk of the river, on all the parts where tlJe rafts are Jodgeu. ~en may pass in many places, but in none without difficulty an ti danger. The timber rises and falls with the water ; is ~ontinualty shifting; lies in. all directions, leaving large enterstices open, and frc ~ qucntly moves m a body, frQ:n the weight of the incumbent mass. tMIGRANT~s GUIDE. It' is about twenty miles from the upper to the lower extremity of the raft; ten miles only of this is actually choked with timber. Five miles below the lower large raft, the Courtableau river comes. in from Opelousas. Thus far, the AtchafaJaya pursues a south course, distant in a direct Jine from the Mississippi thirty-eight miles. On~-half mile below the entrance of Courtableau, the navigation of Atchafalaya io~ ag~in interrupted by a small raft of timber. The inhabitants of Opelousas have been at great expense and trouble to open a passage through the latter raft. It has been cut several times, but by the shifting of the timber has again closed: a channel is now opep, but as no effectual means have been taken to prevent the residue of the timber to float into the passage, its remaining open for any length of time is precarious. . Twt>nty miles, by direct course, below the mouth of Courtabl~au, is the heaJ of Cow-Island ; the intermediate space the river flows a little east of south ; the .. adjacent country annually overflowed. Cow· Island is about five miles in length, the river dividing into a number of channels, mostly flowing towards lake Chetimaches. Below Cow· Island the river turns east fifteen miles, and, as has been noticed, re ceives the PlaCJ.uemine. The junction of these two streams may be considered as the centre of departure to the various points in Attaca-pas and Opelousas. . Several persuns, who are residents on Plaquemine, are provided with convenient boats, by which m~m and horses are transported to tht>ir uestination. The expense car1not be easily estimateJ, so much depends ~1pon the emergency of the occasion. Travellers have sel ~ uom to wait long for a passage, though frequently compelled to pay :.1mply for prompt conveyance. There are three principal routes that diverge from the junction of Plaquemine ; by the Atcbafalaya, in de5cending to the junction of that river and the Teche ; by an outlet to lake Chetimaches, which leads to St. Martinsville and New Iberia*', and by the Atchafalaya io nsccnding to Opelousas. From the last route another diverges, leading to the upper settlements on Teche and Vermiliou. t Ten miles below the ju nction of the Atchafalaya and Plaquemine., is the lower raft in tbe latter river. An outlet leaves the river from its left shore, which leading into lake Nat chez, conducts the navigator into tlie main stream by another water-course connecting tbe lake and river, at the lower extremity of the former. Twenty miles below lake N atcbez, the Atcbafalaya joins lake Chetimacbes, and three mile,s lower down receives the Teche river. Twenty miles below the mouth of the Teche, the Atchafalaya falls into the gulf ()f Mexico. If the various rafts were renroved out of the Atchafalaya, its channel would afford v~ry /great commercial facilities ; but there are few rivers whose banks are of less value in an agricultural point of view. Except a short di tance near the Mississippi, a few small spots above the great raft, some very cunfined points between the eourtableau and Plaquemine, the protrusion near the mouth of Teche~ " See ronte No. 15 & 16 · S e route r-;o. 11. |
