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Show EMIGRANT'S GUIDE. who, aJ<led to 31 ,30G, would have made a mass of 36,30(~. Tbe increment in the la~t seven years c.annot be less tl:an 2000 annually, which would swell tbe present popul ation to near 50,000 people. The real number rathet exceeds than fZil Is short of tb :tt estimate. BesiJes an inJefinite number of sm::!ller riv ers and creel<~, t.he Mis- 5issippi state is watered by the Mis~i .. si ppi, Pe;H 1, Pa s cr;lgoul~, Yaz'( m, Big-black, Tennessee, and the west~rn. streams of Tu~b1gbee . The Mississippi river forms the west ltm1t of the ~tate, fron~ the ~no to the 35° N. Jat or in a direct line a!Jout two hundred ;md e1ghty miles · but follow in ()' the windin!!; of the stream near seven hunJred ruile3.' The difl'ere~ce between the direct and river distance, exhibits the excessive winding course of tbe Mis~issippi. Of this di s t~mce two hundred is in fl'ont of the counties of Warren, Claiborne, Jefferson, Adams, and Wilkinson. That margin of the 1\'Ii :;!'issippi that is contained in the new state, parh\ k~s of the gen~ral <:haracter of the bnds of that river, but less favourably situated for selllement than the right or west border. The hills approach towardi the river, anJ .conGning the water, render the east side more liable to be inundated than the ·west. The hills reach the river, in many places forming bluff~, as at \Valnut bills, Grand anJ Petite gulf, Natchez, White cliffs. and Loftus' heights. The high lands pursue nearly a direct course, whilst the river is extremely serpentine. Bet w(··en the hills and the curves of the river, is included all the lands in the state that can be correctly considered recent alluvion. Many excellent settlements are formed along the river, the soil producing in abundance. The '"' iJth of soil that can Le reclaimed from inundation varies so much that no medium can be formed. The general timber found near the Mjssissippi, is composed of populus angulata (colton wood,) salix nigra (black willow,) acer neguudo (box alder,) celtis crassifolia (Lack berry,) juglans amara (bitter-nut hickory,) lilJUiJ ambar styraciflua (sweet gum,) platanus f8ccidentaiis (sycamore,) fra xinus aquatica (water ash,) and ulmus aquatica (water elm.) At a distance from the banks, cypress swamps are almost every where found, and freCJuently reach the margin of the river. The cypress; swamps generally occupy the low Jands, !Jet ween the base of the hills and the high banks of the river. The cypress ~eldom comes in contact with the stream where the shores are convex. Many islands intersperse the Missi~sippi, between the mouth of the Yazoo· and the 3! 0 N. lat., but are mostly too lo\v to admit cultivation. The soil 0f these ishnds is indeecl extremely fertile; but no means existing to defenu their surface from immersiou in the spring and summer flooJs, tbe lands upon them cannot be of any considerable value, except for timber. The Yazoo river rises ,in the Chickesaw country, nearly as far north as the south bounclary of Tennessee. Interlocking with the ·h_e·ad streams of the Tombigbee, the Yazoo pursues a course of a little west by south, falls into the Mississippi twelves miles above the Walnut hills, form_ing the north boundary of the county of Warren f~r about twelve or fifteen miles above its mouth. The Yazoo consh .. tutes here also the present demarkation between the Indian country ahd that part of the. state to which the. Indian title is extinct. EMIGRANT'S GUIDE. ll .S Some excc'llcnt land lies upon the margin of the Yazoo river, but the banks arc rnPstly ~ubj ect to overt1ow; and in the interior of the country ui stan t from the river tbe soil is thin, and timbered chiefly \Yilh pinf'. The Y ozoo is n:w ie;:t hle for n considerable distance from its mouth; but the gre::~te s t part. of its course uei ng within lhe Indian country, Jittfe is' l<nown with accuracy respecting its general ft!atures. The Big-black ent er.~ the Mississippi above the Grand gulf, form ing from the Indian line toils mouth, tl:e uounda ry between Warreu and Clairbornc counties. This river b.Js its ource between the head Wrtters of the Yazoo ;mu Pe(lrl ri vers; it.~ general course being oearly southwest about one hunJred anJ sevt: nty miles in len~th. Like ~ 11 other streams whicb J rain the high table land between the lVIississippi and Tombigbee rivers, the l:md upon the head waters of the llig-Lbck is steri le pine · woods. The banks of the river melior::~te, and approxim<l te in soil to those of the .Mississippi, as the two streams approJcu their junction. Following the windings of the river, about thirty miles of the Big-black is within the S!-!ttlerncnts, and affords much excellent soil. The country adj acent to tht~ stream, however, for many miles above its mouth, :1ssumes the common qualties and varieties of that upon the Missi ssippi. Between the mouths of the Big-black and 1:-Iomochitto riv~rs, Bayou .Pierre, Cole's creek, Fairchild"s creek, and St. Catherine creek, enter the Mississippi fi·um the left or cast bank of that ri\·er. Twothirds of Claiburnc and one-third of J etferson counties, are WO;ltered by the Bayou Pierre. Cole's creek, and Fairchild's both enter the Mississippi, in Jefferson county. St. Catherine creek rises near Seltzertown, on the northern borJer of Adams county, within which is its eHtire water; this creek falls into the Mississippi at tbe higher extremity of the \Vhite cliffs. Homochitto river rises in the Indian country, near the N. E. part of Amite county. lVIany of its tributary creeks flow out of Jefferson county, and crossing Franklin county, enter the principal stream in nearly an eastern direction from Nat chez. The general course of the Homochitto river is S. W. about seventy miles in comparative 1ength; and before entering the IV!ississippi, flows into a lake, which once formed part of the latter stream. Some of the most .wealthy :ettle_ments in the state of Mississippi are upon the Homoch1tto and 1ts tnbutary creeks. This river forms the limit betwef!n the counties of Amite and Franklin, and between Adams and Wilkin:;on. For about fifteen miles from its mouth, the banks of the Homochilto are annually overflowed, and unfit J(>r settle· ment. Four or five miles below the mouth of Second creek, the arable high land commences, and continues with partial interruptions to the source of the river. All the varieties of soil in the state of Mississippi may be seen on this stream ; and almost every species Q[ forest tree growing in Louisiana may be founJ in its w0ods. The river Buffalo rises in Amite county, flows through Will<inson c?unty in ne~rly a western direction, and f~lls .into the Mi sissippi nver, two miles aoove..F~ort Adal,lls at Loftus' hel~hts. The soil, ere. ~ |