1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



725 



the works for draining that lake by the government 

 of North Carolina are now in the course of exe- 

 cution. I should be very glad to visit that work ; 

 but though so near to this place, it is totally inac- 

 cessible nt this season ; and could not be reached 

 directly, even in the dryer time ol summer, with- 

 out cutting a path through much of the impervious 

 tl)i<-ket. 



In ihe language of the residents, the lands of 

 this great region are distinguished by diH'erent 

 names, representing different qualities orcnnditions 

 of swamp. The first is swamp land, which term 

 is not commonly used, as by me, lor the whole 

 morass, but is confined to the kind covered by 

 larire forest growth, of which cypress and black 

 ^um trees are the most nut!>erous. This is the 

 dryer part of the general swamp, and it is some- 

 times so clear of under-growth that there would 

 bo no great difficulty in walking over such land, but 

 for its wet and miry soil. Juniper swamp, is al- 

 together different from what is usually meant when 

 " swamp " simply is spoken of^ But though 

 abundant in oiher parts, I have met with no juni- 

 per lands in my limited view of the great swamp. 

 This kind is merely rotted vegetable matter, and 

 having no chanae or difference of subsoil, to any 

 known depth. This is the most usual kind in the 

 Dismal Swamp in Virgmia, and was described 

 fully m my observations thereon, published in a 

 former volume. (Far. K'ig. vol. iv, p. 513.) 



Savanna land is the name given to another very 

 large proportion, and which perhaps is the larger 

 part of the interior or highest part of the whole 

 region. Still, relatively '.o the nearest swamp, or 

 Ibrest-covered land, the savanna has the lower 

 level, as it is more generally and deeply covered 

 in water. The savanna has no trees, except a 

 few scattering and stinted and ragued pines. The 

 under-growth is of evergreen bushes, as laurels, 

 bays, &c., vines of various kinds, and in some 

 places is exclusively of reeds. None of these 

 usually rise higher than about 10 or 12 feet. But 

 the growth is so dense that it is almost impossible 

 to penetrate it, without the previous slow and la- 

 borious process of cutting a passage through. 

 The savanna which lies across the lake from So- 

 merset Place extends to Mattamuskeet, and per- 

 haps farther in other directions. The lower part 

 of Mr. Collins' land, which has long been under 

 forest growth, is remembered by Mr. Pettigrew lo 

 have been savanna many years ago. The 

 change has probably been induced by the partial 

 exclusion ol the water, ader the canal began to 

 operate. I therefore inler that savanna differs 

 from the other swamp merely in being more sub- 

 ject to water, therefore the soil, for the time, is still 

 more of vegetable material, and therefore, as well 

 as on account of its kind of growth, more often 

 and thoroughly burnt over, when long droughts 

 have permitted fires to spread, and sometimes to 

 burn away the soil itself, as well as its growth. 



For the purpose of having a closer view of the 

 great savanna, as well as for the pleasure of the 

 excursion, I sailed across the lake in Mr. Collins' 

 nice little pleasure boat. We approached the edge 

 within about 60 yards, which was as near as the 

 boat could keep afloat over the shoal bottom. 

 But no better view could have been gained even 

 by landing on the miry soil, which is now scarcely 

 as high as the present surface of the lake, and of 

 course is full of water, and often overspread with 



it. But the wet and boggy state of the soil would 

 have been the least of the obstacles to further 

 progress. The covering thicket seemed so dense 

 as to be impenetrable any where, and the sight 

 could not have extended through more than a few 

 feet of distance. If, however, the observer could 

 be elevated above the low tops of the reeds and 

 shrubs, lh(!re appeared nothing to obstruct the 

 view for many miles. The lew dwarfish pine 

 trees, whether yet alive, or killed by fire, served 

 but to deform the otherwise uniformly beautiful, 

 thoucjh varied growth. 



When this water excursion was made, the sun 

 was unclouded, and tlie weather, though cold, 

 bright and beautiful. The color of the lake, as 

 seen from the shore under this sun-light, was a 

 deep dark blue. But when sailing over it, and 

 looking down upon the water, the color appeared 

 to be dark brown, though perfectly clear of muddi- 

 ness. When seen however, in a drinking glass, it is 

 but very slightly tinted with the vegetable extract 

 which gives the much darker color to all the wa- 

 ters of the adjacent swamp, as well as to other 

 swamp lakes. This is therefore considered a 

 " while water" lake, as distinguished from other 

 swamp lakes. Contrary to what would be sup- 

 posed, it is said to be the least colored when the 

 water is lowest in the lake. It is free from all 

 taste of vegetable or other imptegnation, and is a 

 delightful drinking water. 



I also visited the savanna on the eastern side, 

 beyond Mr. Pettigrew's farm, by walking on the 

 margin of the lake as far as possible. The water 

 would have then flovv^ed a few inches deep over 

 all the savanna, but for low dikes built along the 

 margin to prevent the water spreading across the 

 savanna to the cultivated back lands of the farm. 

 And it was evident that in ihe |)resent state of the 

 lake, (which is not the highest usual in winter,) 

 that Its water, ifunobsl rucled, would spread over all 

 this part of the unreclaimed savanna. 



Several persons though residents, and well ac- 

 quainted with the ground, have lost their way and 

 their lives in the swamp, and not far from the then 

 boundary of cultivation. Of two who are known 

 thus to have perished, the skeleton of one was 

 found many years alter, and identified by the re- 

 mains of the iron tools which he had carried wit.h 

 him. Of the other no trace has ever been found. 

 These facts, better perhaps than any general de- 

 scription of mine, will serve to convey some idea 

 of the difficulties of getting through the thickly 

 overgrown and treacherous bog, and of the lost 

 wanderer's keeping any one course without the 

 guidance of the sun, or some other sure indication 

 of direction. 



The irregular margin of the swamp land, shows 

 that in storms the lake has made inroads and wi- 

 dened its surface on every side, but mostly in the 

 directions to which the violent winds most gene- 

 rally blow. Cypress trees, still living, though for 

 ages perhaps surrounded by water, in many 

 places stand far from the shore. And in others, 

 where the trees have preserved the soil, little nar- 

 promontories of high and forest-covered swamp 

 jut out between the indentations washed out of 

 more yielding earth. It is probably owing to this 

 cause that the bottom of Ihe lake next the shore 

 is so shallow as to be left naked several hundred 

 yards in width in the lowest state of the water. 

 Beyond this, the depth increases suddenly, and 



