Bringier on the Region of the Mississippi, &. 21 
ing with all its weight upon the water that had filled the low- 
er Cavities, occasioned a displacement of this fluid, which 
forced its passage through, blowing up the earth with loud 
explosions. It rushed out in all quarters, bringing with it 
an enormous quantity of carbonized wood, reduced mostly 
into dust, which was ejected to the height of from ten to 
fifteen feet, and fell in a black shower, mixed with the sand 
which its rapid motion had forced along; at the same time, 
the roaring and whistling produced by the i iImpetuosity of the 
air escaping from its confinement, seemed to increase the 
horrible disorder of the trees which every where encount- 
ered each other, being blown up, cracking and splitting, and 
falling by thousands at a time. In the mean time, the sur- 
face was sinking, and a block Hania sp was gine: up to ae bel- 
ly of my horse, who stood m otionless, eek with a 
of terror. cable ah 
These occurrences occupied bl two minutes; ; ig 
trees, shaken in their foundation, kept falling here and there, 
and the whole surface of the country remained covered with 
holes, which, to compare small things with great, penis 
so many craters of volcanoes, surrounded with a ring of 
carbonized wood and sand, which rose to the height of about 
seven feet. 
T had occasion, a few months after, to bali the depth of 
several of these holes, and found them not to exceed twenty 
feet; but I must remark the quicksand had was shed: ‘into 
them. The country here was formerly perfectly level, and 
covered with numerous small s of various sizes, dis- 
persed through the woods. Now i it is covered with slaches 
(ponds) and sand hills or mounticules, which are found prin- 
cipally where the earth was formerly the lowest; et aie 
pe al in such places, the water broke through with more 
tacilty 
A circumstance work noticing, was a tendency to fi 3 
bonization, that I perceived in all the vegetable gebetanecs 
Paes ‘the pee ae s lake muc 
Big lake on Red riv oh, inasamed as standing 
upright in all of thie ‘and sunk sbout ey Ey feat whee the 
