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Show 130 E.MLGRAN'r'S GUIDE. c.:ept so far as relates to the third section thereof, w?ich shall tak0 cfiect and be in force from and after the p<l s. nge of thts act. Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, T'hat C~ll person1 who ~hall Le iu oilice ' within the territor.y bercby establi shed, when the said con~ vcntion shall have fon11cJ a constitution ami '-tate government as 3 fore s<~ id, shall continue to holu and exercise their uilices, in all re~ spects as if this act ba l nev r been made ; ancl. the governor ~nd se cretary of the Miss issippi territory, for t ~1e ~tme, :.. l~ :.t ll contmue t_o exe rcise the duties of their respective office., Ill r latJOn to the tern~ tory hereby cstab li hed, until a gove rnor and secretary shall be ap~ pointeJ therefor, in pursua nce of this a~t. . . . . Sec. 7. Anu be it furth er enacteu, That all Jmhctal process 111 the said territory of Alabama, shall be isgued anu bear test as heretofore ~ nor shall any suit be eli continueJ, or the proceedings of any cause stayed, or in any \vise affected by any tbing contained in this act, or in the act, entitled " An act to enable the people of the western part of the Mis issippi territory to form a constitution and stale government, and for the admission of such state into the lJ nion on an equal fooling with the original states." .Sec. 8. AnJ be it further enacted, That the town of St. Stephens shrdl be the seat of government for the said Alabama territory, until it shaH be otherwise orJered by the legi slature thereof. Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, 'fhat whatever balance may ren arn i~ the trea sury of the Mississippi territory, at the time when the convention authorized to form a con stitution and state government for the same, shall be diviJed. between the new st01te and territory 1 acco rding to the nmount wbich may have been paid into said trea s u~ ry , from tbe counties lying within the limits of such s!nte and terri to~ ry respP-cti \Tely. Approved, .March 31, 1817. Tbe Alabama territory lies betwee_n 30° 12' anJ 35° N. lat. Its greatest length from Daupbin Island to the southern line of Tennessee is three hundred and thirty miles ; its greate~t breadth about one hundred and fif'ty miles ; the whole extending over 45,500 square miles, or 29,120,000 acres. . The Alabama possesses a very great diversity of soil, climate, an <l natural , vegetable, ~~ nd mineral productions. Occupying the valley. of the Mob.le and its tributary streams, together with a fine body ot lanu upon both bauks of the Tennessee river, its position in an agri~ cultural and commercial point of view is extremely advantageous. From the circumstance of so much of the area i·ncluded within its limits, having been purchased from the savae:es at the time of the creation of this terril ory, its political birth j~ extremely auspicious. And by an accumulation o( benefits, the moment is very favourable for an instant anu great influx of inhabitants\ Ten years can scarceJy elapse, before the Alabama must assume hj:!r rank among~ t the states of the American Union and close the column of republics from the Canadian lakes to the ~ulf of Mexico~ and from the Atlantic ocean to the Sabine river. Having the finest river to its length in all North America, and exten" EMIGRANT'S GUIDE. 131 sive superficies of excellent soil, the Alauoma presents a most Jesira4 ble field for youthful enterprise. The counties in the Alabama territory, arc, 1\'Iadison, Elk, Blount, Shelby, Clarke, \tVashington, Baldwin, Jackson, Mobile, Moutgomery, Monroe. Of the above c(mnties, only Mobile, Montgomery, :Monroe, Baldwin, Washington, Clarke, and part of Shelby and Jackson, are inc lu lled in our map. J ackson county i3 cut b.v the provisional divi:,ion line between the ~t a t e of .Mississippi and Alabama territory. Shelby, lying north of Clarke, extends to the highlands between the Tennessee and Tornbi ~bce rivers. :Mobile occupies uoth banks of the river of that name, beiug part ~f the late West Florida. 'fhc population is no doubt every where in thEse counties augmented since 18 10; but to Clarke, Monroe, Sbelby, and Muntgomery, almost all the inhabitants have removed within the last six years, and into the three lat ter, since 1815. . ( t wou.IJ be useless to extend our geograpbical notice Leyond the limits of our own map. The N. E. pa rt of tbe territory is y et in the Indian country; of course neither wtll known or in! cresting at thjs time . The following sl<etch of this country .appeareJ in the pulJlic prints a short lin'le past. It appeJrs to give more ample and correct information of the country upon the Coosa, Tallapoosa, and Alabama, than any aceount y et made public. We nev er extended our own persoual observations e:~st of the 'I'ombigbee. We have consiucred this de scription supe rior in point of authenticity to any other .inform ation we couJJ procure. It is, therefore, inserted entire, with our acknowledgments to the author. "At the. pre~:e nt p~riod, when the spirit of emigrati on to the lately cede~ te.rrt t<?9' prevails to a very great extent, a correct topographical desc npt10n of any part of it cannot fail to be acceptable . "!Javing ?een engaged for a consiuerable time pa. t in sui·veying publtc land m 5everal parts of the late Creek cc.-;;ion, the account her~ offered is chiefly the res1,.1l t of actual observation, aiJeJ by information derived from other surveyors. " The Alabama is known t(\ be the r;}rinci ()al river runnin(T tl1rou (Th h. I' :0 :::> t ts country. Its gene ral course from its head, or junction of Coosa and Tallapoosa, to its junction with H;e Tombigbee river, is nearly southwest ; but in its course thither, it makes one remal'kable bend anu two others of less note. " From the junction of Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers to the mouth o_f Cahaba, a Jistance by );md of about 60 miles, the river runs but a ltttle south of west-thence to the Alabam ~ hei<Thts or Fort Claiborne, by land : of 60 or 7 0 miles, its course is but ; litfle west of south~thence to its junction with ':.fombigbee, ~bout GO miles further, .J..ts course is nearly southwest. Prom this point to Mobile, distant ab?ut 40 miles, the river runs nearly so~tb again. Fort Claiborne rs at the head of schooner navigation. Large boats ascend from thence up to Fort Jackson, by the Coosa river. 'The distance _to Fort Jack.son, by the TallapoQsa river, is fiv~ miles less than by |