52 Topography of the Valley of' the Monongahela. 



chian range. The lofty peaks of the Cheat mountains rise to not 

 less than twenty eight hundred feet above the level of the ocean, 

 and more than two thousand above the waters of the Ohio, at the 

 mouth of the Muskingum river. The head branches of the Monon- 

 gahela, rise directly opposite to the outlet of the latter river, in a 

 S. E. direction, at the distance of only about eighty geographical 

 miles, and run a distance of not less than four hundred miles 

 before reaching this spot ; and although the descent in the beds 

 of the streams, is very great, yet it occupies about three days for the 

 rains which fall on the head branches, and occasion rapid rises in its 

 waters, to arrive in the Ohio, at Marietta ; whereas, could they 

 pursue a direct course like many of the streams below, they would 

 reach this point in one third of that time. The sides of the valley 

 are formed on the east by the Laurel and Cheat mountain ranges, 

 and on the west by the high grounds, which lie between it and the 

 Ohio river. Proceeding from the outlet of the valley southerly, the 

 face of the country is composed of broad hills, of an elevation of four 

 or five hundred feet, not placed in regular ranges, but scattered in 

 disorder and apparently taking their direction from the water cour- 

 ses, as they fall into the main stream in the centre of the valley. 

 The same formation of hills continues on the westerly side of the 

 valley to the Ohio river, while on the easterly it soon reaches the 

 spurs of the Laurel and Cheat mountains, and rises into lofty emi- 

 nences with more regularity in their arrangement. The whole face 

 of the country becomes elevated, and between the ranges of moun- 

 tains we meet with long but narrow strips of level land, here called 

 " Glades." They, in some respects, resemble the prairies of the 

 west, .being clothed with a scanty growth of forest trees, and shrubs, 

 but are composed of a-rich vegetable soil, well suited to the growth of 

 grain, potatoes and grass, but are too much elevated and subject to 

 late frosts for the successful cultivation of Indian corn. They were, 

 without doubt, once the beds of lakes, and have uniformly a stream 

 of water passing through their most depending portions. The ta- 

 ble lands of Mexico, are here represented in miniature. The glades, 

 were once portions of the original bed of the ocean, before the 

 mountain ranges were lifted up, or "brought forth;" but at that 

 period were elevated with the ranges, to their present height. Be- 

 ing surrounded by ridges, they, for a long time, remained covered 

 with water, until by accumulations from the adjacent high lands, the 

 water forced a passage through some less elevated spot, and drain- 



