AND ITS DELTA. 119 



which resembles very much the entrance into many of the 

 creeks, which to the westward of the Mississippi serve to dis- 

 embogue the waters of the inundation. 



'1 lie Mississippi has its Delta as well as the Nile, but that of the 

 former is much more extensive than that of the latter; if we sup- 

 pose the apex of the Delta of Eg\ pt to be at Grand Cairo, near 

 which the high land diverges considerably to the east, its lati- 

 tude from south to north will be nearly a degree and a half; 

 and its base, along the sea coast, about two degrees : if we admit 

 the Delta of the Mississippi to commence only at Natchez 

 (although there is an immense body of alluvial land above) op- 

 posite to which the high lands on the west of the valley open 

 to the right with a rapid divergence, its latitude will be not 

 les-, than two degrees and a half, and its longitude, on the coast, 

 aouut three degrees; hence it results that the superficial con- 

 tent of the Mississippi Delta is to that of the Nile as 5 to 1, 

 which may be adopted as the proportional magnitude of the 

 two rivers, though there is reason to believe that our Nile pours 

 into the ocean a much greater proportion of water than what 

 we have stated, and that the Delta of the Mississippi would have 

 been much more extensive, were it not placed m the tract of a 

 perpetual vortex formed by an immense current in the sea, oc- 

 casioned by the tropical east winds forcing the ocean against 

 the oblique coast of America, which produces a continual flux 

 between the main land and island of Cuba, giving birth to the 

 well known gulph stream; but a great body of this current, 

 rushing on with impetuosity in a direct line northerly, impin- 

 ges against the west coast of East Florida, and is there deflected 

 and dashed along the coasts of East and West Florida, Louisiana 

 and Mexico; and by the promontory of Yucatan is thrown 

 again into the main current, thus constituting a permanent 

 vortex, which sweeps along a great proportion of the spoils of 

 the Mississippi, as last as they are projected into the ocean: in 

 confirmation of this position it may be remarked that the bay 

 of Camp chy, so favourably situated for the reception and reten- 

 tion o! alluvial m itters, ib exceedingly embarrassed with shoals of 

 sand and mud ; so th it vessels of moderate burthen can scarce- 

 ly get within 2 nines oi any pari of the coast; tins evil is upon 



