xlii 



banks above high water. The left bank from the foot of Island 21 to Hale's 

 Point, and Rucker's Point immediately below. Previously to iSzS- the 

 channel came down, as it does now, to the right of 21, following the bend 

 to about Mrs. Hickman's; thence crossing past the foot of the island into 

 what is now known as Obine lake, and, following it ten miles, came back 

 into the present channel at Wales' Point, crossing what was then known 

 as the Canadian Reach. 



In 1S28 the river cut through the narrow neck, leaving the former bed 

 as a lake, and, as it gradually cut the right-hand point away, it formed a 

 bar across the head of the lake : the lower side was kept open by the Obine 

 river finding its way through into the main river. After the bar formed 

 across the head and the vegetation took root, the action of the wind raised 

 the bank in the old channel above high-water mark. The same effect is 

 shown at Rucker's Point five miles below, where the highest land is found 

 in what was formerly the middle of the river. There are many other 

 places that might be named that show the same eftect, such as Congo's 

 Point behind Big Black towhead, opposite Hardtimes landing, and the 

 point above Rodney. All these places are out of the influence of cut-offs 

 except Congo's Point; and there the Davis' cut-off (of twenty-five miles) 

 being immediately above, as a consequence, raises the water below; still 

 the point is above overflow. 



The combined effect of the wind and cut-ofl" is very conspicuous at 

 Dean's Island (above Devil's Elbow cut-oft", 40 miles above Memphis), at 

 Walnut Point, at Brunswick Point (above Terrapin-neck cut-oft", 30 miles 

 above Vicksburg), and at Ruth's Point (opposite the mouth of Red river). 



Red-river Reach shows the eft"ect of cut-oft"s alone, having Red-river 

 cut-oft" of 12 miles (occurring in 1830) and Raccoussee cut-oft" of 25 miles 

 (occurring in 1S4S) ; the two combined have raised the banks from a 

 low swamp to from two to three feet above high water. 



Dr. Engelmann made the following remarks on the recent hot 

 weather : 



After a rather cool September, 4° below the average, on Saturday, the 

 27th of that month, this hot spell of weather set in, and continued to the 

 16th of October— 20 days. In those 20 days the temperature did not fall 

 below 60° at night, and the daily minimum was sometimes as high as 70° 

 and 71°. The daily maximum was almost always over 80°, and once or 

 twice rose above 90°. Only twice in those 20 days was the daily maximum 

 as low as 75°. The averuge temperature of the 20 days was 73°, which is 

 18° higher than the average for October. 



It is not probable that the next ten days will lower the temperature to 

 anything like the average temperature of October, which is 55°. 7. 



Prior to the present year, eleven October months in 45 years haves hown 

 a temperature above 58°, and three have been above 60°. In 1854 the Octo- 

 ber temperature was 61°. 4, in 1S52 it was 62°. 3, and in 1839 '* was 62°. 8. 



In the three warmest Octobers mentioned we had no excessively high 

 temperature; in fact, no three days in succession with a temperature of 



