SOLON ROBINSON, 1845 463 



tation I passed was one that once had been a very fine 

 one, of comparative level and rich soil, now in utter 

 ruins: cause — debt, law and taxes. Fences, buildings 

 and land all in ruins ; the former rotted and fallen down, 

 and the latter gullied away. In the midst of all this desola- 

 tion, an ancient mound reared its lofty head, looking still 

 more the lonely monument of an extinguished race than 

 it would when met upon the wild waste where civilization 

 had not yet set its more enduring mark. Even here upon 

 this monument the hand of the white man had been, and 

 exposed to view the interior, "full of dead men's bones." 



After passing Lexington, the county seat of Holmes, 

 which is rather a pleasant-looking town, we begin to leave 

 the hilly country, and find one, though of the same 

 kind of soil, much more level, and showing more good 

 farms, upon several of which I saw large forces busy 

 planting corn. Cotton seed is much used for manuring 

 corn, sometimes spread broadcast and sometimes put in 

 the drill with the seed, which is generally planted in drills 

 and covered with the plow. 



From a Mr. Adams, whose hospitality I partook of this 

 night, I learned that hot ashes are a very effectual remedy 

 for what is generally called "the damps" in wells. They 

 appear to absorb and neutralize the gas — so he says. It 

 is easily tried. Mr. A. is a great economist of manure, 

 and plows his land upon the level system, but without 

 ditches, which Captain Eggleston says, upon side hills 

 is worse than straight up and down. Mr. Adams' land 

 is, however, comparatively level. 



February 19th, I passed through the town of Benton, 

 the county seat of Yazoo, and which is so superior to its 

 namesake in Missouri, both in appearance and character 

 of its inhabitants, that one or the other ought to change 

 its name, and principally though for the reason that 

 papers directed to one often get astray to the other. I 

 regret that the anxiety that I began to feel to reach Log 

 Hall, prevented me from making a stop at this town and 

 forming more close acquaintance with some of the many 



