TIIK CHKROKEE COUNTRY. 63 



cotton country and the merchandise of the East. In hij^h water, flat-bottomed 

 boats go down this river^io Mobile. From the mouth of Wills Creek to G\inter's 

 Landing in Tennessee, i/5 miles are reported practicable for a railroad, and the 

 people of Alabama propose to construct one on that line. Tiie Iliawassee Rail- 

 road, from the interior of East Tennessee, is almost wholly graded to its junction 

 with the Western and Atlantic Railroad at Red Hill, 10 miles above Cross Plains. 

 From Chattanooga to Nashville, the people of Tennessee propose to construct a 

 railroad, the route having been reported practicable by Prof. Troost. 



You will perceive that the Western and Atlanlic Railroad passes through the 

 heart of the riciiest country in Georgia. Running through the county of Cobb, it 

 enters the limestone region where it crosses the Hightown River, and continues 

 its course through the counties of Cass, Murray, and Walker, to Chattanooga, 

 contiguous to the counties of Cherokee and Gilmer on the east, and the more fer- 

 tile counties of Paulding, Floyd, Chattooga, and Dade, on the west. The gold 

 mines alone furnish a market for their own particular districts.— This sums up 

 the advantages of markets and modes of conveyance. 



Your inquiries covered an area of country embracing four millions, three hun- 

 dred and sixty-six thousand, five hundred and lifty-four acres of land — more dis- 

 tinguished for the variety and value of its mineral and agricultural resources and 

 capacities than any other country of the same exient probably in the world. My 

 reply is necessarily succinct — sometimes it may have been too general — but, to 

 have enumerated our valleys alone by name, and to have mentioned the leading 

 distinctive character and ([uality of eacli, would have filled a letter of many pages. 

 The resources of this country — its advantages of commercial intercourse — its cli- 

 mate — its beauty — its healtiifulness — the security its interior position guaranties 

 alike against the inroads of invasion, the horrors of insurrection, and the no less 

 terrible calamities of cholera and plague — and its fitness to make the home of in- 

 dustry and virtue the temple of domestic happiness — I dare venture the opinion, 

 make it among the most desirable countries on the globe. Certainly I have seen 

 none that equal it in the happy combination of its advantages. 



Very respectfully, your ob't sorvmit, A. D. SHACKELFORD. 



We took the liberty- of submitting the above letter to Dr. .T. S. Whittk.v, of Hancock 

 county, Georgia, who was himself makhig a tour of agricultural observation in the Norths 

 and, in passing, favored us with a visit. 



The letter from Newcastle county, Delaware, which comes next after the Doctor's, goes 

 to show, in a satisfactory manner, how active is the spirit of agiicultural inquiiy, and how 

 e;iniestly public attention is getting awakened to the opening wliich sheep husbandry offers 

 to agi'icultural indiisti-y, and to the advantages which the whole range of the Alleghanies 

 offers for the grazing business generally, and for that division of it in particular. 



The map referred to in Col. Shackelford's letter w\\\ be sent to any one who may desire 

 to see it. 



Americnn Hotel. New-York. June 15, 1846. 



Dear Sir : I perused with some care the communication of Col. Shackelford 

 on the subject of the new Cherokee section of Georgia ; and, at your suggestion, 

 make the following comments : 



I only traveled through that region once, two years since ; and my attention was 

 principally directed to the Agriculture and agricultural resources of the country, 

 and really I think he is moderate in his estimate of them. What he styles the 

 carboniferous formation appeared to be a peculiar formation for the South — an 

 alpine secondary formation : below, a marble and crystalized limestone ; above, 

 and frequently minglin<; with the soil, a now uncryslalized carbonate of lime, va- 

 riously combined with clay, sand, and ferruginous deposits, and very happily com- 

 bined for agricultural purposes ; and the alluvium he speaks of on the water- 

 courses is equal in fertilitv to any soil I have ever seen. It is at the southern 

 termination of the great Blue Ridge, where the mountains are not so high above 

 the plains as to create great and sudden changes of temperature — about the prac- 

 tical line separating the production of cotton from that of grain and the grasses ; 

 and the climate, temperature and location give it a peculiar adaption to the 

 growth of stock and the economical division and distribution of labor, as the mar- 

 ket or predilections of the producer might suggest. I think wheat, clover, and 



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