of the Country along the Red-River. 45 



Nachitoches is 47 miles above the mouth of Little- 

 River, and 220 miles above the mouth of Red-River. 

 It is situated on the left side of the river, 18 feet above 

 the present level, and almost surrounded by high hills 

 composed entirely of lime, clay, and sand, intermixed. 

 The lime predominates, and is found to extend 30 feet 

 below the surface. I have seen masses of the carbonate, 

 which were dug out of the earth, eight feet below the 

 surface, with pieces of shells inhering. 



The soil of this country is mostly clayey, intermixed 

 with the marl before mentioned, and appears not worth 

 cultivating, but is actually the best cotton-land in the 

 world. The land here is far more productive than the 

 best Missisippi-lands, and the cotton always commands 

 a higher price. 



The trees of this country are nearly the same that are 

 found on the Missisippi. The Liriodendron Tulipifera, 

 Magnolia grandiflora, and Tilia americana, which are 

 abundant on the other side of the Missisippi, in the 

 Missisippi-Territory, and West-Florida, I have never 

 seen on this side. The Pecan (Juglans petiolata*, as I 

 have called it) is every where abundant on this river. 

 The Cotton-tree is plentiful. Different species of Oaks 

 (Quercus rubra, Q. Phellos, Q. nigra. Sec), Iron wood 

 (Syderoxylon mite), Hagberry (Prunus Padus), Diospy- 

 ros virginiana, Gleditsia triacanthos, Platanus occiden- 

 talis, Juglans alba and J. nigra, Pinus sylvestris are on 



• I have called it J. petiolata, because of the leaves having an 

 odd leaflet petiolatc. It is by^ this, we distinguish it from the 

 Juglans alba. 



