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Show 252 EMlGRANrf'S GUIDE. miles; 16,500 in Pennsylvania, and 26,7G8 in Virginia:)(. "Ve hat . included the entire superficies under one bead. though furminrr part of t\vo st~tes. The natural conocx ipn being so st rong as to render a description of the products of one part nearly correct when applied to the othrr. Natttral Geography-M inerals.-lt has been shown that the Alegil · ny mountains Jo not serve to separate the waters that flow into the basin , from those that pursue their course towards the Atlantic ocean ; and what is perhaps more remarkable, is, that the natural form ations pursue a line of separation tlifterent from both the rivers and mountain s. The mountains of \iVest Pennsylvania, are Laurel Hill, anl] Chest-nut riJge; tho ·e of West Virgini::~ are, the Blue ridge, Aleghan-. mountains, and Cumberland mountain. Of th._:y~ collateral chains, the Jl.lcghany is the principaJ, and i11 some measure tht> spine of the whole system to which it belongs. This mountain is not however a continuous riuge, being cut by several rivers, and hearing loc al nar.nes betw~ n the various streams. This circumstance has introduced considerC:ILle confusion between the various maps that hare been published <)f this part of the United States. The Ale.ghany ridge enters the south boundary of Virginia~ be-tweP. n the sources of the Great Ke11hawa and Ttmnessee rivers, ran~es N. E. towards Evans~-1am, where it is interrupted by the valley of the Great Keuhowa. In Montgomery it again re-appears and continue~ north, tht.: southwest .corner of Maryland, where it i ,again bruken by the Potomac. From the Kenhawa to the Potom(lc, the Ale~bany is the Jcmarkation between the waters of the Ohio and tho~ . of thf' Atlautic. ln the state of Maryland , this mountain separates the sources of the Pot(Jll!ac and Yougbiogheny, and tben entering Pennsylvania, is, at about 40° l b' N. lat.~ aaflin cut by the Susquehanah. Beyond the ~atter_s h f·am, adv:mcing north, th L; chain bt·comes more broken, less Identified, and gra Jually depre sse~ into table land near Utica, in the state of 1 ew- York ; · t is, however, no doubt, the same continuous ridge th at forms tbe mountains WP.!-it of Lake Georae and Lalce Cbam· plain, anJ is ultimate ly lost in Canada, uetween th~ St. Lawrence and Richl ieu rivers. Cumberland J\11 omLtoin, by the v, rio us local names of Lflurel hill, ~bestnut ridae, ond Cumberland mountain, fHOperly so called. This ndge l c~vp:-, the llll :b b umliuy of Tc1 nessce lJ tween the source~ of Cumberranu an Clmch nvers; than in a northea t by cast dJrcc!l~11 oi (J il t· hundred rnile&, fonns ti1e Jim'' betwec·n t 1e states of VirgmJa and K•: ntr ~c· ~y , m lo the bt:•ad of Big J "'r1dy, wiJE·re the moun.tain ~nte~ s V 1r~10 1 a, anJ t urn ~ lo ne arly uortb ~i-1 ~1, ~ hich cour~' 1i m 1. 11 • tr.'ns 1hr~>ugh the residue of Vjrginia cmd f•n tirP ly aero.~ Pennsylvanra, fiua\ly (lJ!'?.!Jpears u ·ar Angehca iu tbc Hate ot N <·w· York. BPsHie tbese two chains ot mou uta ins 1he reaion in review pos- ' 0 *See tn.Lle t:a~P 187, in which it ought to he noteril, is omilted to be included a small tl'act ot ('.~0 s41 at'c miles in .Ma1·yland. I ' I EMIGRANT'S GUIDE. 253 !S~s~es a very d~stinctive range of hill s, which though less e1evate tl th.~n the mountau1s, f~rms a very prominent feature in the geography ot the _coun try. Thrs range of hills branches from Cumberland rnountam , at the head of the Elk brancl.r of Great Kenhawa, and the ~ources of the Monongaht:da, and pur. uing a course very nendy north ue twe~n tbe waters. of the Jatter tream and those (!)f Ohio, enter PennsyJvama, aml pas: mg by Waynesborough and vVashington, is cut thr~ugh by tl~e Ohw .five miles below Pittsuurg. Beyond the latter nver, ~he ndge cont•oue. north between the waters of the Aleghany and B1g Beaver rivers, is only termina ted by the southeast side of Lake Erie. Th(> ~eculi~r c?nfo.rmation of this region accoun{c; for the cu :·ious m~nner HI wh1ch 1ts rrvers flow; the prin ... ipal of which are, Ohio, J!'g Beaver, Aleghany, Me~wngnhela, Yougl1iogheny, Cbellt, Tiger Valley, Great Kenhawa, Ltltle Kenhawa Ei(r Santly Cl inch an ·1 rl' ' c ' , U cnnessee. The Oh£o is formed at the city of Pittsburg by the conflu en ce of the Ale~hany and Mon<mgahela rivers. 'The stream is about 1000 ~ards w1de at its cummP.ncement, wilh a genlle cu rrent. The Ohio ~rst flows northwest, thirty rni.le':l, to the mouth of Big Beaver, where It wests ten or twelve miles; p(lsses the liu of del l.'Hkation between Pennsylvania anti the ~tr:tte of Ohio, in <.1 short di 1ance within the latter state, a~J assumes nearly a south cour. e, wbkh it pre5erves to the m.outh of FJsbJ_ng crtek, which falls in from Virginia. Be low ~ i hinr; creek, the Oh10 tums southwest, and flows in thal direction to the mouth of Big Sa11dy, wbl ~ re it leaves the state of Virgini:1. ~.,he be~~ty anti vari~ty of the ban.ks of this nobl.e river hRs been noticed. 1 he scen~ry JS mon" bold m P nnsylvaltl(l, and opposite to the no rl~ el ~nga tJ Oil of Virgi nia than fa rther down ·n rentucky an ~l the st~te of Obr.o.. One ban~ above Fishing ere k i ·· gPn rally bold, l5~melJmes prec1prtous ; the opposite always au ext ewely rich, allu· VJal bottom. Cultivati?nof tiw soil, and other improvements, have aJvanced , nnLl are a.dv::mc~n g with a raf idity that can sc:1rce cl~im creJit. UnJrr ,. ~ rev1e~ of the towns, this progrcs~ive sta te of socie ty will be noti ct• m detatl. f!-ig !Jeaver rises partly in Pennsylv' nia, and partly in the state of O~uo; IS a sb.ort but im ort nt river. It is iule rru pted by fa lls seven Imles above 1ts mouth; above the falls thi stream · ~ naviuable 50 or tiO n11· 1 es 1· nto 1u o b states. ou of whi('h it drnws 'L water b. . The falls afford a Gne SNt t fur machinel'y, wbich has be: :1 mue 1 unproved. Sume s&w mills, gri st mill s, a fum:-~ce, forcrc oil mi l ~]}' '}J 'I-' 1:"> ' , u ~ng m~ , wool and cotton carding m ~-~ c bines, hl1\'e Le ,n erected:':· Th1s place admits of inJ efi nite improv(•awnt. The mass of W ~lt r i sucl.l, aud heigbl .of tb r. _fa lls, as to penni he erection of 3liY .. nppose ~l lluu,lJer of machrnes w1t any p<I\Yer that cc ulJ be J mandeu. i .,~ ff-ghuny ri-r:er. This. is a vc.ry .imp r.taJ t stream , and may, at no J tant day, form one o1 the pnnctpal lllll's betwe n the countrit:~ * Ohio nnd Mississir )i Navigat I'; pRge 73. |
