Bringier on the Region of the Mississippi, fyc. 17 



via] region, may be considered as a river running on the 

 top of a hill of 24 feet in its highest position — whose base 

 of three miles, in its average diameter, reposes on the 

 swamps, which are about nine feet above the marshes of 

 the sea shore, which swamps descend gradually towards 

 the marshes until they are confounded together. It must 

 be remarked, that I am alluding to a distance up the Mis- 

 sissippi equal to 215 miles from its mouth, (Baton Rouge,) 

 where, as we ascend, the first high land begins on the right 

 hand; on the left, the first high lands are at the mouth of 

 the St. Francis, or 7 miles below, although the grand val- 

 ley is intersected several times below the St. Francis, by 

 the high lands of Sicily Island, between the VVachitta and 

 the Mississippi, which are not visible from the banks of this 

 viver. 



Drift Wood. 



Before I speak of that immense valley, which covers an 

 area of upwards of thirty-five thousand miles,* of which 

 one-third belongs to the territory of Missouri, I must re- 

 mark that, by what has been exposed of the Mississippi 

 river, it is evident that whatever once escaped from its 

 banks, never returns to them again ; hence, we could form 

 an idea of the enormous beds of timber, leaves, and other 

 substances, which are assembled below the surface of the 

 valley mentioned above, provided we could know how long 

 the Mississippi has been floating them into the lower coun- 

 try. This inference we might found upon the quantity that 

 we see going, without interruption, into the Achafaiaya, 

 where several hundred miles are converted into solid rafts 



* The bed of the Mississippi occiniied formerly, the actual bed of St. 

 Francis, and the hills at (he month of Uiis river, then were at the mouth of 

 tiie Ohio. The old bed of the Mississippi is at Cape la Cruz, sis miles be- 

 low Cape Girardeau ; and no>.v, since the Ohio and Mississippi have united ; 

 in time of hia;h water, the Mississippi, following the high lands of Black 

 river, asid those of Aikansas, covers all that bottom, and, after crossing 

 White river, overflows a great part of VVachitta, tlitn all (lie low lands be- 

 tween itself and Apelousas, and Atacafias and all it^ swamps, and that of 

 Achafaiaya. It thus covers an area of Ihirly-Gve thousand miles, ctFeritig a 

 great surface (o the action of the atmosphere, which evaporates nearly as 

 much water, as what empties itself out of the mouth of (be river. This 

 causes the mouth of this river to be so narrow in prnpnrtiori to (he eit^nt 

 of its dimensions. 



Vol. tit No. 1. 3 



