86 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



larly No. 8, published in the Gazette of May 20th/ as I 

 have travelled over the same ground, and tried to study 

 into the cause from the effect there visible. I first saw the 

 sand-blows, in Scott Co., Missouri, in the fore part of the 

 year 1845. Observing that they appeared recent, I made 

 inquiry, and was well assured that they had continued 

 every year, generally in February, ever since the earth- 

 quake of 1811, which destroyed New Madrid, some 30 

 miles south of the point I then was. People in that region 

 have become so accustomed to these miniature earth- 

 quakes, that they are no longer regarded as phenomena. 

 I am sorry that your correspondent could not have trav- 

 elled upon that side of the Mississippi river, and observed 

 these more recent operations of the hidden power below 

 that still continues its uneasy workings. 



I take the same view of the formation of Reelf oot Lake 

 that D. C. does; but it is easy to account for the pre- 

 vailing opinion that the bottom sunk down, because such 

 was the fact on the New Madrid side. Small pools of 

 water were found where it was before dry, even in cul- 

 tivated fields 



D C. supposes that the sand-blows were accompanied 

 with water. I was informed that the recent ones were 

 entirely dry sand. 



In my journey south from Troy, I passed through 

 Holly Springs, Oxford, Coffeeville, Grenada, Lexington, 

 Benton, Raymond, Port Gibson, &c., to Natchez. I can- 

 not describe the country over which I travelled geologi- 

 cally, but perhaps some extracts from my notes, descrip- 

 tive of the of the country may be interesting. "Below 

 Holly Springs the same continuation of hills of fine sand, 

 that commenced near the north line of Mississippi, with 

 side bottom lands upon all the streams, which are gener- 

 ally a fine and very adhesive clay. The timber on the hills 

 mostly black oak; in the bottoms beach, &c, No under- 

 brush on the hills, and trees stood wide apart and scrub- 

 by. New Oxford: noticed red sandstone, with traces of 



' D.C.'s series of articles was entitled "Geology of the West and 

 South West." 



