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Show 128 . thus far; at noon, on the 11th ?f N O• ~nded thel nver d d the voyage, and In the r procee e on . B t vember, t 1e) d at the plantation of Baron as rop. evening encampe 1 ton the vVashita, and som~ of This sm~l~ ~ett .erne~ contains not n1ore than five the creeks falhn? n;,t~ll~, es and sexes. It is reported, hundred persons, 0 a. g t quantit)' of excellent h t there IS a grea ' · however, t a ~ ks and that the settlement 1s land upon these cree '· and may be expected, bl f reat extensiOn, f1 u capa e o g . ... ulation, to become very o • with an accession ofhpop erchants settled at the post, rishing. There are t ree nbl"tant,I)rices the inhabitants who su-pp1 Y ' at ver.) ' exor 1 ' · t vo 1 ·e with the garnson, ' with their necessanes; td1es 'ar1 ot· two constitute the small planters, and a tf'l eSlTI ' · L . ortion of the inhabitants 11 A o-reat prop . 1 · present VI age. o . f hunting dunng t 1e wm .. continue the old practlcclo tlleJ·I. 'peltry for neces .. ter season, and t 11 ey exc 1tsa nge · 'lt a low rate. Dun~g saries., with the Inerc~an , t~nt theinselves wjth raisthe summer these peol~ e co;1 br~ad during the year. b . 1)' sufficient 10r · 1 . ing corn, ate l 'a ' S remain extreme y poor . In this manner they a "' )~red that habit of indolence, some few who have conque of tne Indian mode '\\ihich is always the con:~quenc; live more comfort .. of life, and attend to agticulturts' of civilized life. ably' and taste a little th~ swe~)ove the post, are l~ot pfhe lands along the :lver . '1 and covered wtth very m· vi· t·m g, being a th.m l pootrh seo l~ e' t't lements on the Pl.ne wood. To the ng lt, . "d to be rich land. · d s·· ·d are Sal bayau Barthelet?I an Iat '. rteenth, they passed an On the mornmg of ~he thi arrived at a little settleisland and a stron.g rapid,.~nd ~hich cross the channel ment below a cham of roc s, ' . l 1 called Roque . l d and the mmn anc' between an IS an . d h" f; mily settled here, ap· Raw. The Spaniard an IS a l' 'mi·serably. The Pear from 1 · · d lence to 1 ve · · t 1elr In o ' . al)l)earance, bemg river' acqui. res h ei· e a more. spacidO us ·de In the af ter-about one hundred and fifty y~a~t~:le~i on the right, noon they passed the bayau d b t twelve com.P.uted above the last settlen1ents, an a ou 1.29 leagues from the post. Here com1nences Baron Bastrops great grant of land from the Spanish govern. ment, being a square of twelve leagues on each side, a little exceeding<..-.: a million of French acres. 'fhe banks of the river continue about thirty feet high, of which eighteen feet from the water are a clayey Ioazn of a pale ash color, upon which the water has deposited twelve feet of light sandy soil, apparently fertile, and of a dark brown color. This description of land is of small breadth, not exceeding half a m ilc on each side the river, and may be called the valley of the Washita, beyond which there is high land covered with pines. The soil of the " Bay au des Buttes," continues thin, with a growth of stnall timber. ,.fhis creek is named from a number of Indian mounts discovered by the hunters along its course. The margin of the river begins to be covered with such timber as usually grows on inundated land, particularly a species of white oak, vulgarly called the over-cup oak; its timber is remarkably hard, solid, ponderous and durable, and it produces a large acorn in great abundance, upon which the bear feeds, and which is very llattCring to hogs. In lat. 32° 50' 811 N. they passed a long and narrow island. The face of the country begins to change; the banks are low and steep; the river deeper and more con. tracted, from thirty to fifty yards in width. The soil in the neighborhood of the river is a very sandy loam, and covered with such vegetables as are found on the inundated lands of the Mississippi. The tract presents the appearance of a new soil, very different from \Vhat they passed below. This alluvial trac:t may be supposed the site of a great lake, drained by a natural channel, from the abrasion of the waters: since Which period the annual inundations have deposited the superior soil; eighteen or twenty feet is wanting to render it habitable for man. It appears, nevertheless, well stocked with the beasts of the forest, several of which were seen. 17 |
