﻿KISBISSIPPI. 



MISSISSIPPL 



SM 



up tha waters of ths tribatari«i, which lura loaded with mod, to oon- 

 ridenbla distanoas up tbeia riran, and in thia stagnant stata of the 

 watrn the mud at their mouth is depositad. It is onl; in spring- 

 time and before the time of flood in the principal river that these 

 tributaries hare anv considerable depth of water at their mouths. 



Below the mouth of the Missouri the Mississippi is joined by no 

 ooDiiderable rirer tmm the west for about 400 mii«a, until south of 

 S5* N. lat it reoeives the St Francis Rirrr. The White River follows 

 next, but after a considerable interral. Both of these rivers are 

 notirad undrr Arkaxsas State. The Arkansas River joins the Missis- 

 sippi a little farther south : the vale traversed bj it, and its great 

 tributary tha Canadian River, are noticed urnier Arka!ISAS RivEa 

 Thr last eonsiderabla river which falls into the Mississippi from the 

 wnt is the Red River, which is noticed under Locisiana. 



The Mississippi is at its lowest level in autumn and winter, from 

 October to January. It begins to swell in February, when the freahets 

 come down the Red River. These freshets last for two or three 

 months ; but in March and April they are increased by the floods of 

 tha Arkansas, and nearly at the same time by those of the Ohio. 

 Before they subside, in May, the great floods of the Missouri and 

 Upper Mississippi commence, and continue to maintain the high level 

 of the water to the middle of July, or even to the end of that month. 

 From the middle of August to October the river is low. In the 

 month of October its level is somewhat increased by the autumnal 

 freahet of the Ohio, but it soon subsides again. 



The inundations extend only over the wide bottoms adjacent to the 

 banks of the Mississippi, and differ in all of them, both as to time 

 and duration. The American Bottom, and the somewhat elevated 

 country between the mouth of St. Francis River and SS° N. lat. are 

 inundat«d only for a few weeks in April and May, and the water rises 

 only a few feet. These tracts are accordingly cultivable. But a large 

 proportion of the other bottoms is inundated for several weeks, and 

 the low oonntiy of the delta even for six months, and exactly at the 

 season which alone is favonmble to cultivation, from March to August. 

 These extensive tracts are therefore swampy. The water rises on 

 them from 8 to 20 feet. As noticed above, the central and state 

 legisUtures hold out great inducements to private individuals to 

 attempt their reclamation. The bank', or levies, which arc con- 

 structed along the Missiuippi for the purpose of re-straining the 

 overflow of the river, are said by Mr. Ellet to extend at the present 

 time along both sides of the river from below New Orleans to the 

 month of the Arkansas, a distance of nearly 700 miles. 



We have already spoken of the depth of water over the bars at the 

 mouths of the Misdissippi, and along the delta. As far as the town of 

 Natehes, in Mi ssi s sippi, few obstructions to navigation occur, the river 

 being so deep that sunken trees and sand-bars are too far below its 

 level to cause any danger to the vessels. From Natchez upwards the 

 depth of water lessens considerably to the confluence of the Missouri, 

 and the impediments become more numerous and difficult. Still the 

 main channel, though intricate in many places, has always a sufficient 

 depth of water for boats of 5 or 6 feet draught to ascend to the 

 month of the Ohio. Between the mouth of the Ohio and that of the 

 Missouri, during the low state of the water, the navigation is obstructed 

 by shoals and the two ledges of rocks called the Big and Little Chain, 

 and cnly vessels drawing about three feet of water can be used. 

 Between Kew Orleans and the mouth of the Missouri the average 

 velocity of tha current is only 4 miles per hour, in a moderate state 

 of the water; but when the river is high its velocity is considerably 

 increased. Above the mouth of the Missouri the Missisvippi is 

 generally mnch less rapid, and does not exoedd 2 or 2) miles per hour; 

 but its navigation is more intricate and difficult on account of the 

 numerous islands and shoals. This upper part of the river is also 

 generally blocked up with ice durini; the winter season. The navi- 

 gation of the Missouri is much more difficult and intricate, on account 

 of its nnmarous sand-ban and islands, and more dangerous on account 

 of the frequency of lanken trees and nlu, loatlly known as ' snags 

 and aawyers.' During the high floods (from Miirch to July) there is a 

 ■affieient depth to admit boats of almost any burden ; but during the 

 fvmainder of the year it can hardly be called navigable, except for 

 boats drawing no more than two or three feet The avenge velocity 

 of its current, in a middling state of water, may be estimated at 

 4) miles per hour, which in time of frenhets is acceleratid to 5 or 5 4 miles 

 per boor. The river is unually blocked up with ice during the winter. 



The Ohio has a much more gentle current Its average velocity, in 

 a moderate state of the water, may be estimated at 24 miles per hour, 

 ■od in a high state at 3 miles per hour. The olwtruotions to its 

 navigalion are sand-bara, some few sunken trees, and rapids, to which 

 we mutt add the intricacy of its channel in several places. During a 

 middle and high state of water these obstructions entirely disappear, 

 ■Dd aa acoekisted current is the only difficulty to bo encountered. 

 Than are laifa masses of floating ice during part of the winter. The 

 saaaon in which the navigation of this river can be depended upon 

 oonmwDote between the middle of February and the 1st of March, 

 and eontiones to tha latter end of June. An autumnal freshet usually 

 tokaa plaee in October or November, and the river is again navigable 

 Xor a few weeka. During the remainder of the year only boats from 

 CO to 76 tons burden can be used, and they meet with numerous 

 obstnctiaas in their pr ug ia es from the lowness of the water. 



The city of Kew Orleans carries on an extremely active trade with 

 the countries which skirt the lower course of the Mississippi, and 

 particularly with those on both sides of its great tributary, the Ohio, 

 and its numerous affluents, aa well as a very extensive foreign com- 

 merce. As the goods are exclusively conveyed by water, the number 

 of steam and other vessels which navigate the Lower Mississippi and 

 Ohio is very considerable. For ascending the river steam-boats have 

 nearly superseded all other Teasels : but for descending it large flat- 

 bottomed boats termed ' arks,' which are not intended to return, are 

 extensively used. There are said to be at the present time considerably 

 over 300 steam-vessels, many of them of heavy burden. The Missis- 

 sippi is navigable by steam-boats for 2000 miles from its mouth ; the 

 Missouri 1500 miles; the Ohio 1000 miles; the Arkansas 600 miles ; 

 the White River 600 miles; and the other larger tributaries for 

 distances varying from 60 to 300 miles from their confluence with tha 

 Mississippi. 



(Lewis and Clarke, Trarelt to the Source of Ikt Miaouri; Pike, 

 Exploratory Trarelt through the Weatei-n Territoriei of North A merita ; 

 James, Account of Major Lon^i Expedition from PiUthytirg to the 

 Rocky Mountaint ; Keating, Ifarrative of Major l/>n<ft Expeditum 

 to the Sourcet of St. Peter' t River ; Schoolcraft, Narratire of an Sjcpt- 

 dition through the Upper Mitsienppi to Itatca LeUx; Statistical GaadUir 

 of the United Stale* ; Ellet, The Mittinippi and Ohio Rivers.) 



MISSISSIPPI, one of the United States of North America, lies 

 between 80" 13' and 85° N. lat, 88° 10' and 91' 86' W. long. It is 

 bounded E. by the state of Alabama, N. by that of Tenneasee, N.W. 

 by Arkansas, from which it is divided by the Mississippi River, S.W. 

 by Louisiana, and S. by Louisiana and the Qnlf of Mexico. The area 

 is 47,151 square miles. The population in 1850 was 606,626, of whom 

 930 were free-coloured persons, and 809,878 slaves: being 12-86 

 inhabitants to the square mile. The federal representative population 

 according to the Census of 1850 was 482,574, in which number three- 

 fifths of the slaves are included. This, according to the present ratio 

 of representation, entitles the state to send five representatives to 

 Congress. To the Senate, like each of the other United States, 

 Mississippi sends two members. 



Surface, <tc. — The surface of this state is for the most part low, 

 with a general slope towards the south and south-west 'The coast, 

 which extends for 60 miles along the Gulf of Mexico, has no harboure 

 which admit vessels of large size : the only harbours of any conse- 

 quence are those of Mississippi City and Shieldsborough. About 6 or 

 8 miles from the shore is a chain of low sandy islands, which form tha 

 Bay of St Louis on the west and Pascagoula Sound on the east These 

 islands produce nothing but pines and coarse grass, and ore of little 

 value : one or two of them are however said to be eligible stations for 

 ocean steamers. 



The shores near the mouths of the Pascagoula and Pearl riven are 

 low and sandy, and in many places interrupted by swamps; these 

 tracts are therefore unhealthy. In the space between the two riven 

 there is a higher and more healthy tract of land, extending for a 

 distance of neatly 24 miles, which is resorted to by the inhabitants of 

 New Orleans and lx>wer Louisiana generally during the sickly season. 

 The country which stretches northward from this coast to 31° N. lat 

 is low, but undulating, and the soil is uniformly sandy and covered 

 with extensive pine-forests, which on the Pearl River contain many 

 large trees. The country between 31° and 82° N. lat includes by far 

 the best portion of the state. The tract contiguous to the Mississippi 

 River consists of numerous hills, very irregularly scattered over the 

 surface, and rising from 50 to 150 feet above the narrow low tract 

 which in some places lines the course of the river. The hillx, the 

 base of which is washed by the Mississippi, are called Bluffs, and this 

 region is generally called by that name. It extends from 10 to 

 25 miles inland, and is of great fertility, being covered with forests of 

 oak, sweet gum, poplar, tulip-tree, a^h, maple, and hickory, with a few 

 pine-trees. Farther east the country rises imperceptibly higher, and 

 extends in wide plains. The numerous watercourses which occur on 

 these plains have furrowed their outer edges along the Mississippi, 

 and imparted to them a hilly aspect, together with a great degree of 

 fertility. The surface of the plains themselves generally consists of 

 an unproductive sand, and is covered with the long-leafed pine; but 

 the continuity of the level ground is interrupted by the bottoms, 

 which extend along the numerous afiluents of the Mississippi, Pearl, 

 and Pa!>cagoula rivers, are several feet lower than the surface of the 

 plains, and from half a mile to three miles wide. These bottoms have 

 a rich and productive soil, covered with a fine growth of trees, such 

 as gum, laurel, oak, and cotton-tree, intermixed in the more elevated 

 parts with lofty canes ; the lower parti are mostly cypress swamps. 

 The Bluff region continues northward to the mouth of the Yazoo 

 River. The plains which are covered with pine-forests and furrowed 

 by streams, extend somewhat farther north, where they begin to be 

 intersected by rolling prairies, which increase in number and extent 

 as we proceed farther north, and occupy the greatest portion of the 

 country lying north of 33° N. lat These prairies are covered with 

 gross during the greatest part of the year, though the country is dry, 

 and suflen from want of water. East of this prairie region extends 

 a level but very fertile tract on the upper course of the Tombigbee, 

 which resembles the bottoms in fertility, but is more extensive. In 

 the Dortbem district* is a range of hiUi of moderate elevation, well 



