THE SUlt FACE OF THE EARTH. 



to the entire valley, extending from the Gulf of Mexico, into 

 which its waters fall, to the great northern lakes. 



138. Red River Arkansas Ohio. New Orleans, which is 

 the port of the Mississippi, is built at the confluence of the arms of 

 its Delta, about one l^undred miles above its mouth. Ascending the 

 river from this point, we encounter successively its vast tributaries, 

 the first of which is called the Red River, which flows into it from 

 the slope of the Rocky Mountains upon its right bank. Proceeding 

 upwards, the next is the Arkansas, on the same side, which itself 

 receives at various points of its course subordinate affluents, among 

 which the principal are the Canadian, the Red Fork, the Salt 

 Fork, &c. A little higher, we come to the Ohio, flowing from 

 the east, after having traversed a vast extent of the great valley, 

 and receiving several large tributaries, such as the Cumberland, 

 the Tennessee, the Wabash, &c. The Ohio carries the chief part of 

 the commerce of the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, 

 Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and the western part of Pennsylvania. It 

 washes Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Louisville, while its tribu- 

 taries reach the principal towns of the interior of the adjacent 

 states. It is navigated by steam-boats of the largest class as 

 high as Pittsburgh. 



139. St. Louis. Returning to the confluence of the Ohio and 

 the Mississippi, and continuing to ascend the latter river, we 

 arrive at St. Louis, a city of the first importance, and likely one 

 day to become the great capital of the valley of the Mississippi 

 and the western division of the States, with New Orleans for its 

 port. Already we see ranged along its quays hundreds of steam- 

 boats of immense tonnage, which ply incessantly between it and 

 New Orleans, carrying down the stream the produce of the 

 interior, and up, innumerable articles of importation. 



140. Illinois. Immediately above St. Louis we arrive at a 

 point marked by the confluence of three streams, one flowing from 

 the north-east, one from the north, and the other from the 

 north-west, the last being the most considerable. The first is the 

 Illinois river; the second, though less considerable than the third, 

 is taken by geographers as the continuance of the main stream of 

 the Mississippi ; and the third and greatest is the Missouri, regarded 

 as a tributary of Mississippi. 



The Illinois river ascends the state of that name in a north- 

 easterly direction, and is navigable for a considerable distance to 

 a point where it is connected by a canal with Lake Michigan 

 at Chicago. By this means a continuous water-communication is 

 established between New Orleans and the northern lakes, and by 

 those lakes with the St. Lawrence. 



160 



