Prairies of Alabama. 93 



Art. XII. — On the Prairies of Alabama; by W. W. McGuire, 



(in a letter to the Editor.*) 



From the period of the first settlement of this State to the present 

 time, the prairies have been objects of great curiosity and have at- 

 tracted much attention ; still, although the field for scientific investi- 

 gation is so rich and interesting, no one has, to my knowledge, at- 

 tempted a minute examination of it. The striking peculiarities of soil, 

 of geological conformation and organic productions, especially in shells 

 and other marine substances, which are found scattered indiscrimin- 

 ately over the prairies, are well adapted to attract attention and to ex- 

 cite investigation respecting the period and causes of the formation 

 of the prairies and their fossils. Many who have never conceived 

 of the possibility of any great change in the surface of the earth, except 

 that produced by the deluge recorded in the pentateuch, attribute to 

 that event, the present position .of these shells. Others, taking a still 

 narrower view, believe them to have been removed by the agency of 

 man, from their native beds to the place where they are now found. 



My own observations, although limited, have satisfied me, that the 

 prairies once constituted the boundary of the Atlantic Ocean. In 

 support of this opinion there are still existing many satisfactory proofs, 

 although ages must have elapsed since these changes took place ; 

 strong evidence also exists that this great change has been effected 

 by the elevating power of earthquakes, volcanoes and subterranean 

 heat. The face of the country, from the mountains to the prairies, is 

 rough and uneven, presenting an outline differing from all other hilly 

 or broken countries which I have yet seen. It abounds in iron pyri- 

 tes, and pebbles. Beds of good iron ore, of anthracite and bitumin- 

 ous coal, and of limestone and sandstone, are found in several places. 

 The country lying between the prairies and the sea coast is 

 generally, if not altogether, of the same character as that on the 

 coast from the Potomac to St. Mary's, viz. ; level sandy plains, 

 some fertile, some sterile, either dry or swampy and covered with 

 pine, oak, cypress, cane, &c. ; but it generally, perhaps uniform- 

 ly, shows the distinctive peculiarities of the above named coast. 

 The changes, in all places, are sudden and abrupt, changing from 

 the peculiar soil and character of the prairies, to that of the coast, 

 which is sterile, in some places almost pure silica; or of alluvial 

 formations along the rivers, swamps and marshes, differing in fertili- 

 ty, according to the portions in which silica and vegetable matter are 



i 



* Dated a ~ *ar since. 



