relating to the Vale of the Mississippi, 57 



years ago, and the creek must of course discharge, in a given time, 

 an infinitely greater quantity of water. 



What more need we say, in support of our position of subterra- 

 neous water courses, by the infiltration of water through the earth. 

 A new or uncultivated country, whether clothed with grass alone, or 

 with trees and cane, will imbibe all the water that falls upon it, unless 

 where the country is based upon strata of rock, or the soil is very 

 sterile ; and indeed many of the rocky districts, particularly those 

 of limestone, are apt to contain more subterranean than superficial 

 streams. It is worthy of remark, that in settling all the country 

 west of the Alleghany mountains, there was a very general want of 

 water; whether it was ia the limestone regions of Tennessee, Ken- 

 tucky and Ohio, or in the extensive prairies of Indiana, Illinois and 

 Missouri, or in the great cane-brakes of our district; the scarcity of 

 water was every where observed, and water was truly a desideratum. 

 But as the settlements extended, with the introduction of cattle, the 

 earth became more compact, and spontaneous vegetation less flour- 

 ishing, which, by the increased firmness of the ground, caused the 

 water to remain upon or rise to the surface ; — hence it was found, 

 that streams of water multiplied with the increase and extension of 

 cultivation. 



The water of our district is strongly impregnated with lime, which 

 it receives from the snail shells, in passing through the upper and 

 lower strata of clay and vegetable earth. Deposition of lime from 

 the water takes place in all the cavities, whether occasioned by the 

 decay of former deposits of wood, or of the roots of trees : this 

 deposition of lime crystallizes, and is found, also, amorphous in 

 the earth. 



THE MISSISSIPPI. 



We are again brought to the spot where the magnificent Missis- 

 sippi now rolls. When did this river appear, and what is its age ? 

 Owing to causes unknown to us, this singular river was not confined, 

 but driven out from the land, by the operation of the numerous lakes 

 and grand reservoirs of water, and by the extensive regions of cane, 

 which alternated with prairies, and began to show themselves and 

 spread very generally over the continent. When the Indians arrived, 

 (an unknown period,) they must have found no small difficulty in 

 penetrating the cane-brakes. To make their journeys the more 

 jeadily, they doubtless adopted the plan of burning the cane every 



Vol. XXIIL— No. 1. 8 



