846 



MISSISSIPPI. 



west, which is both longer and broader than the 

 Mississippi above their junction, and imparts its own 

 character to the stream below. In 38, the Kaskas- 

 kia> filters from the east, which traverses a most de- 

 lightful country, and is navigable more than 100 

 miles. Between 37 and 36, the magnilicent Ohio 

 also comes in from the east. This is much the larg- 

 est eastern branch. On the west side, between 35 

 and 34, is the St Francis, which is 200 yards wide, 

 and is supposed to be navigable 300 miles. White 

 river enters on the same side, in about 34, and is 

 supposed to be 1200 miles long. Between 34 and 

 33, the Arkansas comes also from the west. It is 

 500 yards wide, and supposed to be 2500 miles long. 

 Between 33 and 32 is the Yazoo, on the eastern 

 side, between 200 and 300 yards wide. A little 

 above 31, the Red river comes in from the west. 

 It is nearly as long, and brings as much water 

 as the Arkansas. Here the Mississippi carries its 

 greatest volume of water. Even above the Red 

 river, in high floods, water escapes from the Mis- 

 sissippi on the west side, in many places, which 

 never returns ; and below Red river, there are many 

 and large outlets, but no considerable streams 

 flowing into it. Only four or five miles below Red 

 river, the Atchafalaya carries off, at some seasons, as 

 much water as the Red river brings in. A little 

 below the town of Baton Rouge, on the eastern side, 

 flows out bayou Manshac, or Ibberville river, and 

 passes through lakes Maurepas, Ponchartrain, and 

 Borgne, to the gulf of Mexico. Bayou Plaquemine 

 and bayou La Fourche flow out from the western side 

 before we come to New Orleans ; but there is no 

 outlet below the city till we arrive at the divisions 

 which form the four mouths of the Mississippi. From 

 the falls of St Anthony to a few miles below the river 

 Des Moines, the Mississippi is about half a mile 

 broad. Below the rapids which occur at this place, 

 its average breadth before it receives the Missouri, is 

 a full mile ; and its transparent waters, its gentle cur- 

 rent, the number and beauty of its islands, the variety 

 and magnificence of the natural scenery upon its 

 borders, render it admirable beyond description. Its 

 current here is about two miles an hour, and its aver- 

 age depth is about four feet. Where the Mississippi 

 receives the Missouri, it is a mile and a half wide. 

 The mouth of the Missouri is about half a mile wide. 

 When these are united, they constitute a stream that 

 is about three quarters of a mile in breadth, very 

 deep, with muddy waters, and a furious, boiling cur- 

 rent. Its average width, during the remainder of its 

 course, does not exceed a mile. The influx of the 

 other mighty rivers only increases its depth and the 

 boiling and whirling motion of its waters. Its medial 

 current is about four miles an hour, but it is often 

 much greater. We know not that it has been sound- 

 ed in such a manner as to justify any estimate of its 

 average depth. At Natchez, about 400 miles from its 

 mouth, we have frequently heard it stated that its 

 depth is found to be from 100 to 150 feet. Between 

 New Orleans and its mouths, we have seen a large 

 anchor dropped three times by a vessel descending 

 with the current, at places far distant from each 

 other, and it did not reach the bottom in either case, 

 with less than sixty fathoms of cable. In estimating 

 the width of the river, we refer to the space between 

 the banks of its regular channel. At every flood, it 

 overspreads a vast country, principally on its western 

 side, whicli is from ten to fifty miles in breadth 

 through the last 500 miles of its course ; and most 

 of the water which overflows below Red river goes 

 to the gulf of Mexico, without returning to the river. 

 The country thus overflowed is generally without 

 any habitable spots, but is covered with cypress, cot- 

 ton-wood, or coarse grass ; and its waters abound 



with alligators. After the Mississippi receives Uu 

 Missouri, its course is so serpentine, as to present 

 very few " reaches," or places where it is so straight 

 that an extent of three or four miles can be seen at 

 one time. In many places, the low alluvial tract on 

 its borders is thirty or forty miles in breadth. The 

 boundaries of this river-valley are called bluff's ; ai.d 

 these are often very steep, and sometimes 200 or 

 300 feet in height. In several places, the river 

 ranges, for a considerable distance near these bluffs, 

 alternately on one side and the other ; and, in a 

 few places, it leaves the whole alluvial tract on one 

 side. From the sources of the river to the mouth of 

 the Missouri, the annual flood ordinarily commences 

 in March, and does not subside till the last of May ; 

 and its medial height is fifteen feet. Between the 

 Missouri and the mouth of the Ohio, the annual flood 

 is twenty-five feet. For a great distance below this 

 point, it is fifty feet ; but it subsides above Natchez, 

 and thence gradually to the mouth of the river. At 

 Baton Rouge it is about thirty feet, and about twelve 

 at New Orleans. Between the Missouri and Ohio, 

 the most shallow parts of the channel have six feet 

 of water when it is lowest. Thence to the St Francis, 

 there are several shoal places, where, at low water, 

 pilots are perplexed to find a sufficient depth. Below 

 that point, there is no difficulty for vessels of any 

 draught, except to find and preserve the right chan- 

 nel. There are no tides in the Mississippi. A variation 

 of a few inches in the height .of the water is general- 

 ly observed during the night, and sometimes during 

 the day ; but even at the very mouths of the river, 

 the water is at all times fresh, and no ebb and flood are 

 seen corresponding with those of the sea. The muddy 

 waters of the river are perceived by those who ap- 

 proach it, when the mariner is still out of sight of 

 land. It will be seen from the description here 

 given, that the Mississippi is not to be estimated by 

 its apparent magnitude, but by the prodigious num- 

 ber and size of the rivers whose waters it receives. 

 The immense valley of which it receives the waters, 

 extends from the Alleghany to the rocky mountains, 

 and from latitude 49 to the gulf of Mexico, in 29. 

 Its navigation is at all times attended with some dan- 

 ger, on account of the raging power of its current, and 

 the numerous trees which it dislodges on its banks, 

 and bears away in its tide. Steam-boats are admir- 

 ably fitted to avoid these dangers ; and the naviga- 

 tion above New Orleans is every year becoming more 

 confined to them. Flat boats still bring down much 

 produce, but no other vessels than steam-boats are 

 often seen ascending.. For a more full description of 

 this mighty river, and of the Mississippi valley, see 

 Flint's Geography of that country. A considerable 

 part of this description has been selected from that 

 excellent work. 



MISSISSIPPI ; one of the United States of Ame- 

 rica, between 30 and 35 N. lat., and 88 and 91 

 W. Ion. Its average length is about 300 miles, and 

 its average breadth 160 ; square miles, 45,760. It 

 is bounded on the north by Tennessee, east by Ala- 

 bama, south by the gulf of Mexico and Louisiana, 

 and west by Louisiana and the Mississippi river. 

 Mississippi and Alabama constituted one state till 

 1817. Population of both in 1800, 8,850 ; in 1810, 

 40,352. Population of Mississippi alone in 1816, 

 45,929 ; in 1820, 75,448 ; white males, 23,286 ; 

 white females, 18,390; slaves, 32,814; persons en- 

 gaged in agriculture, 22,033 , in manufactures, 650 ; 

 in commerce, 291; militia, 5,292. In 1830, there were 

 38,497 white males ; 32,121 white females ; 33,072 

 male slaves ; 32,587 female slaves ; 292 free coloured 

 males ; 237 free coloured females ; total, 136,806. 

 There are several distinct ranges of hills, of moderate 

 elevation, besides a singular succession of eminences 



