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Show S4 \ \ \ I I \ EMIGRANT'S GUIDE. .r .. - ··- ........ .t .. . _ _ __ ~ ....... .. u uu~rry gams m colour aud solidity in advancing to the sontbv, ard, but the fruit !'ather deteriot·ates. . . . . t This ele o-;o~nt and majestic tree does not abound 10 the basm of Mobtle., ~ul. IS extremely pYeutiful, anu grows to a.o irumense.size upon the hills near MISS1SS1P' pi, and upon some of the watet·s ot West Florida and Opelousas • • , EMIGRANT'S GUIDE. 35 The cypress ir; U!~ed for ship· building, and it has been said that, except. n::~ils. c~ble~ and :-tnchors, a whole ship of any size coult f>,. formed fw1n the c1'f1res~ timber. If it is not the Jargest tree in gi ·t · , it is certainly he most e •: ':, teu in North America. l have mystll .~een cypress (•es more tha·n a foot in diameter, upwards of 100 feet ~ uove the t; round. The live oak does not abound in any place, but is totally unknown in the l·>rl sin of the Mobile above 31° N. Jat. The existence of this h'Pe as high as 30° 50' N. lat. on Mobile bay, is a proof of the greater temperature of this region, than that near or west of the Mississippi. It will be seen, in the sequel of this work, that 30° 20' is about the northern limit of the live oak, in the vicinity of the delta of the Mississippi. The pitch pine covers more than two-tbirds of the country. The soil upon which this tree vegetates has been consiuered as condemned to irreclaimable sterility. There are many reasons to justify doubts, of the correctness of these conclu~ions. ln the pine forests the earth is every where covered with succulent grass, that affords excellent and abundant range for cattle. There are also found growing spontaneously several species of the papiiionaceous flowering vegetables. Whilst the fertile alJuvion of the navigable rivers remains unlocated, we can hardly hope that the lands included in the pine forests will re. ceive a fair trial of their capability of improvement; but that this extensive species of soil has been too hastily condemned, we have many sound reasons to believe. Whether an attention to the production of wine in the UniteJ States is desirable or politic at this time, cannot be easily determined ; but that the vine, if ever cultivated on a large scale in the United States, must be planted upon the warm sandy slopes of pine hills, we haza rd nothing in assuming as correct. From the picture given in this treatt~ e of the wine Ji stricts of other countries, any person who hod ever seen the bills of Amite, Pearl, Poscagoula, Tombiguee and AJabama, would at once perceive the analo!!Y· Those pine tracts are also the seats of pure air, pure water and health. The asperities of the soil are more than compensated uy the absence of bilious and cbronic diseases. If the inhabitant earns his breau wi1h the sweat of his brow, he can eat and digest it with a vi. gorous stomach. Of the towns that have been begun in tne va1Jey of the Mobile, the most important are, .Mobile, Blakely, Fort St. Stephens, Fort Claiborne, and Alabama. l\10BILE stands upon the west side of the bay of that name, in 30°. ~0' N. lat. This town , though amongst the first established in Lomstana by the French, is yet of but little consequence. It is built upou a high bank of the bay ; the Rite is dry , nd commandi ng, iJu t the approach of the harbour, for vessels drawing more ll.an eight feet wat~~r? i? difficult and circuitous. The annexed plan of the bay will exhtbJt tts position more clearly th;.m could be done by any v~rbal t:_l escription. Vessels can be brought very near the shore, and the bar· |
