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Show - ·~2 EMIGRANT'S GUIDE. It would ,be useless to designate particularly the counties in tlJe sec~ _ tion of country we have been describing; a general sameness prevails. Some difference of climate exists between the northern nnd southern part ; !.JUt not of sufficient extent to merit notic~ i~ a ~tatistical point of review. The same vege~ables come to pertect10n Ill the counties of Wilkinson and Warren, w b1ch occupy the extremes. The three species of soil, Mississippi bottom, bluff. and pine woods, are to be found in Claiborne aud Jc!Ierson. In Adams there is little or no pine woods, as the pine ridge, thou~h producing the pine tree, has a soil ~ery different from that found in P.in~ ~oo?s, pr~p «:!rly so called. W1lkinson possesses, lo~ards t_he ~JSSJSst.ppl, a s01l extremely similar to that of Adams; but m tbe mtenor, pme occurs. Franklin being detached from the Mississippi, affords less lertile soil in proportion to its extent thari any preceding counties, having more pine woods than €ither. , The whole of thi::; section of the state of Mississippi, is amongst the most valuable and productive in the United States in proportion to its extent. Few spots in the world wi!J admit a greater variety of ''egetable p~oJucts ; there are 11one where the natural trees of the forest offer a greater number of species. ,.rhe list annexed to this article, exhibits a part only of the most remarkable timber trees anci underwood. The neighbourhood of N a.tchez is peculiarly rich in its botanical productions. Superadded to the species given in the list as growing upon, and near the uluffs, is tbe variety offered by the bottoms of the Mississippi. We have, however, in treatin~ of Louisiana, given in ample detail tile trees most commonly found upon the rich alluvion of the Mississippi, so that a further notice in this pJace would be useless repetition. The geological structure of this region presents some very striking phenomena. The mns es of breccia that open to the day at the bottorn of the bluffs. have beeu noticed. There can be no reasonable doubt, but that this species of rock forms the basis of the whole country. Digging wells frequeutly exposes large masses of loose silicious pebble and sand. Wells are seldom <.lug of sufficient depth to meet the breccia. The stone itself is of vtry different deurees of connex- . . . . . 0 Jon; It _Is m some. mstances capable of forming mill-stones; but in general 1ts texture Js Joose, and the parts separate easil.y. The earthCJUakf~ of 1812 was sensibly felt at Natch~z, affor<ding a str<;>ng evidence that the mass of secondary rock found further to the north, extends under the superstratum far be.yontl where it is ever visible. /?n ~-be we?~ side of tbe Mississippi, the rapids at the west end of Stelly 1sland IS the nearest place to the forruf'r river, where the schistus s~n~stone has been di_sco_vered. The rock in Ouachitta is perfectly similar to th?t found m Red, Calcasiu, and Sabine, and ii the gray sandstone of the fl~tz tor~ation of Werner. The Joose pebble a,nd masses of sand m many Instances form its incumbent strata, and ar~ a.lway: found in the vicinity and above the schist. East of the MJSSISS1Pl ·•, there are many reasons to consider the interior s!ructure of earth the same as to the west. It will be seen when treating of the topograp~y of the Alabama territory, that the southern part of that c6untry 1s founded upon schistus limestone. • £MIGRANT'S GUIDE. 128 ' There is a remarkable difference in one respect, between countrie.s whose base is calcarious, from those resting upon argillaceous materials · the latter are as noted for the quantity and excellence of their s;rings of fresh water, ~s t~e forme~· is for be_in~ deficient in both respects. This distinctiOn 1s not ~n1form, but Jt 1~ very gene· ral; many striking examples could be c1ted. There are many plac~s in America of secondary formation, where the decumbent stratum IS carbonate of lime, where it is difficult or impossible to procure water, either from springs or wells ; but there are few or 11one where the stratified argillaceous schiit prevails; but wher~ fresh water ab~unds, and if not flowing from fountains, can be procured from weJ1s, Without any very great difriculty. · . The S. E. section, compri5ing the counties of Amite, P1ke, Lawrence, Marion, Wayne, Greene, Hancock, and Jackson, have so much resemblance to \Vest Florida, that little can be added respect9 ing the former, that has not been anticipated when describing the lat. ter country. The S. E. sectio.n contains the only sea-coa~t embraced in the l\'lis· sissippi. Except a very small extent epst of Pearl, this sea-coast is high, dry land ;, the pine forest reaching the gulf of Mexico. Three beautiful bays indent the shore-St. Louis, Biloxi, and Pascagoula ; only the latter ever can be of any great consequence In a commercial point of view. The islands of Malheureux, Marianne, and Cat-Island, are included in the bounds assigned to both the states of Louisiana and Mississippi. There must have been some oversight in framing the re· spective acts, which marked the possessions of each state. The islands are in themselves of no great consequence ; they are mere banks of sand, decorated with sea myrtle and a few pine trees. There are two good harbours contiguous to Cat-Island, but its position will render them in a great measure useless to navigation, except as a temporary shelter to vessels approaching the coast. The chain of islands extending from the Rigolets to Mobile bay, produces a very safe and commodious navigation between New Orleans and Mubile, for vessels of a uranght not exceeding eight feet. 'This cornmerce passing in front of the state of Mississippi, will be of little benefit to its inhabitants, except ~pose residing upon Pearl and Pascagoula rivers. The country incluued in the S. E. section is yet but thinly populated; and from the general aspect of the country, it may be safely concluded, that the comparative numbers on the two sec;tions will remain nearly as they are now. In addition to a great superiority of soil, the N. W. section has many other advantages, that can never be extended to that of the S. E. Taking a comparative vie"' of all the territory included in this state, there are a lew other states that possess :m equally favourable position. rrhe difference of soil and climate is the greatest, Georgia excepted, that can be shown by any state in the Union. Fronting on the Mississippi, apd occupying the thoroughfare from New Orleans to the northern states, the state of Mississippi will ever be resp~cta ble beyond its mere nominal population. |