194 A BEAUTIFUL REGION, 
Concerning that portion of the Prairies 
which lies south of Red River, in Northern 
Texas, I learn from some interesting memo- 
randa, politely furnished me by Dr. Henry 
Connelly, one of the principals of the pioneer 
expedition from Chihuahua to Arkansas, of 
which I have already spoken, that, besides 
some beautiful lands among the Cross Tim- 
bers, there is a great deal of delightfui coun- 
try still further west, of a part of which that 
gentleman holds the following language :— 
“ Between the Brazos and Red River, there is 
surely the most beautiful and picturesque re- 
gion I have ever beheld. I saw some of the 
finest timber, generally oak—not that scrubby 
oak which characterizes so much of the Tex- 
an territory—but large black and bur-oak ; 
such as would answer all the purposes for 
which the largest timber is useful. Between 
those two rivers, no doubt there is destined to 
be one of the most dense and prosperous settle- 
ments. The fertility of the soil is not exceed- 
ed by any I have seen; and, from the high 
and undulating character of the country, there 
can be no doubt of its being very healthy.” 
To the westward of Rio Brazos, and south 
of some sandy and saline regions which bor- 
der the upper portions of this stream, the same 
enterprising traveller represents many of the 
valleys as rich and beautiful, and the uplands 
as being in many places sparsely timbered 
with mezquite trees. This is particularly the 
case on the sources of the Colorado, where 
the country is delightfully watered. But im- 
