MISSOURI. 



and the next is forty-seven. Within a space of 

 eighteen miles, the river descends 357 feet. These 

 fulls are almost the only obstruction to the naviga- 

 tion of the river, even to its head branches, 251 

 miles above the falls. These distances are given 

 from Lewis and Clarke; and, according to their 

 estimates, the whole length of the Missouri, above 

 its junction with the Mississippi, is more than 3100 

 miles. Add to this the distance from the mouth of 

 the Missouri to the gulf of Mexico, and the sum will 

 be nearly 4400 miles. We have no means, at present, 

 of giving a more probable estimate. The number of 

 large rivers which flow into the Missouri is so great, 

 that we can enumerate only a small part of them. 

 Yellow Stone, Platte, Osage, and Kansas, are noticed 

 separately. The Chienne is considered navigable by 

 boats 800 miles ; White river, 600 ; and several 

 others are broad, deep streams, navigable for more 

 than a hundred miles. Through most of its course, 

 the Missouri is very rapid and turbid. The alluvial 

 tract on its banks is narrower than that of the Missis- 

 sippi. There are many settlements on the banks for 

 400 miles from its mouth, and a few are found more 

 than twice that distance. Beyond the state of Mis- 

 souri, the river and its branches have generally but. 

 narrow margins of fertile land. In many places, the 

 prairies come even to their banks ; and emigrants 

 pass onward, and leave such unpromising lands for 

 future generations. The Missouri is much longer 

 than the Mississippi before their junction, and has a 

 much greater volume of water. It is about half a 

 mile wide at its mouth, but is wider for a great part 

 of its course. 



MISSOURI, one of the United States of America, 

 is situated between 36 and 40 30' N. latitude, and 

 between 88 17' and 94 30' W. longitude. Its 

 length is 270 miles, and its breadth 220, and it con- 

 tains 38 million acres ; bounded north and west by 

 Missouri Territory ; east and north-east by the Mis- 

 sissippi, which separates it from Illinois ; south-east 

 by the Mississippi, which separates it from Kentucky 

 and Tennessee ; south by Arkansas Territory. 

 Population in 1820, 66,586, of whom 10,222 were 

 slaves. Persons engaged in agriculture, 13,559; 

 in manufactures, 1887 ; in commerce, 480. Popula- 

 tion in 1830, 140,074, of whom 24,990 were slaves. 

 The south-east part of the state has a very extensive 

 tract of low marshy country, abounding in lakes, and 

 liable to inundation. Back of this there is a region 

 of hilly and mountainous country, extending to the 

 Osage. The best land in the state is north of the 

 Missouri. This part contains large tracts of alluvial 

 and hilly prairies, and is nowhere mountainous. 

 The soil here is excellent. It is less clayey and stiff 

 than that of Ohio and Kentucky. There is also an 

 immense prairie commencing in the western part of 

 the state, and extending far into the Missouri Terri- 

 tory. The soil of the upland prairies is far inferior 

 to that of the alluvial prairies. The staple produc- 

 tions have been wheat and Indian corn, during the 

 short period that any part of Missouri has been culti- 

 vated. Its soil will also produce the other kinds of 

 grain in perfection, and also the various fruits which 

 grow in the states having the same latitude. Tobacco 

 thrives well, and cotton yields a tolerable crop. Flax 

 and hemp are likely to become largely cultivated. 

 Indeed, many parts of this extensive state are likely 

 to rival the best tracts east of the Mississippi in the 

 abundance of their productions. The praries, being 

 entirely destitute of trees and shrubs, are ready for 

 the plough ; and there are such extensive tracts of 

 this land in this state, which are admirably suited to 

 the growth of wheat, that many nations might here 

 be supplied. In the spring, every prairie is a per- 

 fect flower garden, exceeding other gardens in extent 



scarcely more than in the variety and beauty of it* 

 flowers. Many of the species are seen through 

 summer and autumn. The climate is extremely 

 fickle and variable, and the changes of temperature 

 are very great. The prevailing winds follow the 

 direction of the Mississippi Valley ; those from the 

 northward are cold, and the southern are warm. 

 Winter commences in its severity about Christmas, 

 and is frequently so severe, that the Missouri is pas- 

 sable on the ice with loaded teams, for many weeks. 

 The summers are very warm. Less rain falls here 

 than in New- England or the Southern States ; ami 

 the atmosphere is much drier. Of the minerals and 

 fossils already discovered, the principal are lead, coal, 

 plaster, iron, manganese, zinc, antimony, cobalt, 

 various kinds of ochre, common salt, nitre, plum- 

 bago, porphyry, jasper, chalcedony, and marble. 

 Lead ore is dug in various parts of the state, but 

 there is a district extending nearly a hundred miles 

 in length, and forty in width, which is particularly 

 distinguished for its lead mines. The centre of the 

 part which has been most explored, is about seventy 

 miles south-west from St Louis, and about half as far 

 from Herculaneum on the Mississippi. The French 

 dug lead from these mines 100 years ago. Some- 

 what more than 3,000,000 pounds are annually 

 smelted, giving employment to about 1200 work- 

 men. Shot-towers are erected at Herculaneum and 

 other places, and great quantities of shot are ex- 

 ported. The mine country is remarkable for its 

 salubrity, the fertility of its soil, and its beautiful 

 streams. There is doubtless ore enough, of excel- 

 lent quality, to supply the whole world with lead. 

 The great river Missouri traverses this state. The 

 Osage is its principal southern branch, and will be 

 described separately. Several considerable rivers 

 unite their waters with the Missouri on the northern 

 side, and others with the Mississippi. The Maramec 

 runs through the mineral district, and enters the 

 Mississippi eighteen miles below St Louis. It is 

 between 200 and 300 yards wide, and navigable by 

 boats at some seasons 200 miles. Many of the smail 

 rivers are dry a part of the summer. St Louis is 

 the commercial capital, and is the largest town of 

 the United States west of the Mississippi. St Gene- 

 vieve, about one hundred miles west of the Missis- 

 sippi, and sixty-four below St Louis, is settled princi- 

 pally by French. It has about 1500 inhabitants, 

 and considerable trade in lead. Jackson, the county 

 town of Cape Girardeau county, is a thriving village. 

 Potosi, in the mining district, is a considerable town. 

 Herculaneum is the principal place of deposit for 

 the lead from the mines. New Madrid is, next to 

 Natchez, the most noted landing place for boats on 

 the Mississippi. It suffered greatly from an earth- 

 quake in 1811. St Charles, about twenty miles 

 above St Louis, contains about 1200 inhabitants. 

 Jefferson, a new town at the mouth of the Osage, 

 is the present seat of government. Franklin, 150 

 miles by land above St Louis, is a considerable vil- 

 lage. The most numerous denominations of Chris 

 tians in Missouri, are Methodists, Presbyterians, and 

 Catholics. Religious instruction and good schools 

 are less esteemed and less common in this new state 

 than in most others in the Union. St Louis college, 

 a Catholic institution, was founded in 1829. The col- 

 lege building is a brick edifice, fifty feet by forty ; but 

 this is not sufficiently commodious, and preparations 

 have been made for enlarging it. It is situated very 

 pleasantly in the neighbourhood of the city. It has a 

 president, six professors, and 125 students. Two 

 other professors are about to be added. The library 

 contains 1200 volumes. This institution is likely 

 to become very useful to the state. Corporations 

 have been formed for nine academies. St Louis was 



