248 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



of the mountains hereabout. The banks are 20-30 ft. 

 high above the water ; but this deep channel fills in the 

 spring and autumn, and at times the river overflows. 

 At such times, it is said, a frigate of 20 guns can pass 

 clear of all obstacles down the river, which then has 

 a depth of nearly 25 ft. throughout ; the swiftness of 

 the current is such that boats can descend about 100 

 miles in a day. There are so far but two wells, 35 ft. 

 in depth, at this place, and they are often short of 

 water. The bed of both rivers at one time lay much 

 higher, over what is now dry and cultivated land. 

 Two or three points of land may be observed rising 

 one above the other, of precisely the shape and direc- 

 tion of the point at this time washed by the rivers. Of 

 these, Grant's-hill is the hindmost, half a mile off from 

 the river. And so there may be distinguished very 

 clearly the gradations of the originally higher-lying 

 channels. Both streams were at this time so shallow 

 that at many places one could ride through them. 



The lowness of the water and our brief stay pre- 

 vented me from seeing anything of the fishes of the 

 region. It is said, and with great probability, that the 

 streams rising on the west side of the mountains, and 

 through the Mississippi associated with the Gulf of 

 Mexico, have but few species of fishes in common with 

 the rivers which flow from the east side into the ocean. 

 They have a sort of sturgeons or horn-fish which is 

 described as different from that seen in the Delaware 

 and the Hudson.* I was told of large trouts and pikes 

 which are similar to others of that kind. The yellow 

 perch is said to be found here. A sort of cat-fish, very 



* See Carver's Travels. 



