﻿ALLm] 
  SOUTHERN 
  LIMIT 
  EAST 
  OF 
  THE 
  MISSISSIPPI. 
  497 
  

  

  nothing 
  respectiug 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  save 
  the 
  report 
  brought 
  him 
  by 
  the 
  sol- 
  

   diers 
  whom 
  he 
  sent 
  northward 
  from 
  Northern 
  Georgia 
  into 
  the 
  present 
  

   State 
  of 
  Tennessee, 
  till 
  after 
  he 
  crossed 
  the 
  Mississippi. 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  Du 
  Pratz, 
  the 
  buffalo 
  later 
  visited 
  the 
  northern 
  and 
  

   western 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  State 
  of 
  Mississippi, 
  where, 
  according 
  

   to 
  this 
  author, 
  the 
  buffalo 
  was 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  eigh- 
  

   teenth 
  century. 
  Du 
  Pratz's 
  statement 
  in 
  full 
  on 
  this 
  point 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

   "This 
  buffalo 
  is 
  the 
  chief 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  natives, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  French 
  also 
  for 
  

   a 
  long 
  time 
  past. 
  .... 
  They 
  hunt 
  this 
  animal 
  in 
  winter; 
  for 
  which 
  

   purpose 
  they 
  leave 
  Lower 
  Louisiana 
  and 
  the 
  river 
  Missisipi, 
  as 
  he 
  cannot 
  

   penetrate 
  thither 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  woods 
  ; 
  and 
  besides 
  

   loves 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  long 
  grass, 
  which 
  is 
  only 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  meadows 
  of 
  

   the 
  high 
  lands."* 
  

  

  In 
  his 
  detailed 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  "Lands 
  of 
  Louisiana" 
  Du 
  Pratz 
  says: 
  

  

  " 
  From 
  the 
  sources 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  of 
  the 
  Faslca 
  Ogoulas, 
  quite 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  

  

  the 
  river 
  of 
  Quesoncte, 
  which 
  falls 
  into 
  the 
  Lake 
  St. 
  Louis, 
  the 
  lands 
  are 
  

  

  light 
  and 
  sterile, 
  but 
  something 
  gravelly, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  mountains, 
  that 
  lye 
  to 
  the 
  North. 
  This 
  country 
  is 
  intermixt 
  with 
  

  

  extensive 
  hills, 
  fine 
  meadows, 
  numbers 
  of 
  thickets, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  woods, 
  

  

  thick 
  set 
  with 
  cane, 
  particularly 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  rivers 
  and 
  brooks; 
  and 
  

  

  is 
  extremely 
  proper 
  for 
  agriculture. 
  The 
  mountains 
  which 
  I 
  said 
  these 
  

  

  countries 
  have 
  to 
  the 
  North, 
  form 
  nearly 
  the 
  figure 
  of 
  a 
  chaplet, 
  with 
  

  

  one 
  end 
  i)retty 
  near 
  the 
  Missisipi, 
  the 
  other 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Mobile. 
  

  

  !j 
  The 
  inner 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  chaplet 
  or 
  chain 
  is 
  filled 
  with 
  hills; 
  which 
  are 
  

  

  j! 
  pretty 
  fertile 
  in 
  grass, 
  simples, 
  fruits 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  horse-chestnuts, 
  and 
  

  

  l! 
  wild-chestnuts, 
  as 
  large 
  and 
  at 
  least 
  as 
  good 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  Lyons. 
  To 
  the 
  

  

  j 
  North 
  of 
  this 
  chain 
  of 
  mountains 
  lies 
  the 
  country 
  of 
  the 
  Chicasaws, 
  very 
  

  

  ! 
  fine 
  and 
  free 
  of 
  mountains 
  : 
  it 
  has 
  only 
  very 
  extensive 
  and 
  gentle 
  emi- 
  

  

  j 
  nences, 
  or 
  rising 
  grounds, 
  fertile 
  groves, 
  and 
  meadows 
  All 
  

  

  I 
  the 
  countries 
  I 
  have 
  just 
  mentioned 
  are 
  stored 
  with 
  game 
  of 
  every 
  kind. 
  

  

  The 
  buffalo 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  rising 
  grounds 
  ; 
  the 
  partridge 
  in 
  thick 
  open 
  

  

  [ 
  woods, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  groves 
  in 
  meadows 
  ; 
  the 
  elks 
  delight 
  in 
  large 
  forests, 
  

  

  as 
  also 
  the 
  pheasant 
  ; 
  the 
  deer, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  roving 
  animal, 
  is 
  every 
  where 
  

  

  - 
  to 
  be 
  met 
  with, 
  because 
  in 
  whatever 
  place 
  it 
  may 
  happen 
  to 
  be, 
  it 
  always 
  

  

  has 
  something 
  to 
  browse 
  on."t 
  

  

  Later 
  he 
  says 
  in 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  further 
  north 
  : 
  " 
  But 
  to 
  the 
  

   east 
  [of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Eiver], 
  the 
  lands 
  are 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  higher 
  [than 
  

   on 
  the 
  present 
  Louisiana 
  side], 
  seeing 
  from 
  Manchac 
  [near 
  the 
  present 
  

   site 
  of 
  Baton 
  Eouge] 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  Wabache 
  [Ohio] 
  they 
  are 
  between 
  an 
  

   hundred 
  and 
  two 
  hundred 
  feet 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  Missisipi 
  in 
  its 
  greatest 
  

   floods. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  All 
  these 
  high 
  lands 
  are, 
  besides, 
  surmounted, 
  in 
  a 
  

   good 
  many 
  places, 
  by 
  little 
  eminences, 
  or 
  small 
  hills, 
  and 
  rising 
  grounds 
  

   running 
  off 
  lengthwise, 
  with 
  gentle 
  slopes. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  All 
  these 
  high 
  

   lands 
  are 
  generally 
  meadows 
  and 
  forests 
  of 
  tall 
  trees, 
  with 
  grass 
  up 
  to 
  

   the 
  knees. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  Almost 
  all 
  these 
  lands 
  are 
  such 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  ; 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  meadows 
  are 
  on 
  those 
  high 
  grounds, 
  whose 
  slope 
  

  

  Monthly 
  Magazine 
  and 
  Eeview, 
  1839) 
  ; 
  Monette's 
  History 
  of 
  the 
  Discovery 
  and 
  Settle- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  the 
  Valley 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  ; 
  Bancroft's 
  History 
  U. 
  S. 
  ; 
  Irving's 
  Conquest 
  of 
  

   Florida; 
  Schoolcraft's 
  History, 
  Condition, 
  and 
  Prospects 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  Tribes 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States, 
  Part 
  III, 
  pp. 
  37-50, 
  pi. 
  xliv 
  ; 
  etc., 
  etc. 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  History 
  of 
  Louisiana, 
  etc., 
  English 
  Ed., 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  49. 
  The 
  original 
  reads 
  as 
  

   follows 
  : 
  " 
  Ce 
  Bceuf 
  est 
  la 
  viande 
  principale 
  des 
  Naturels, 
  & 
  a 
  fait 
  long-tems 
  aussi 
  celle 
  

  

  des 
  Francois 
  On 
  va 
  ^ 
  la 
  chasse 
  decet 
  Animal 
  dans 
  I'hyver, 
  & 
  on 
  8'6carte 
  de 
  

  

  la 
  Basse 
  Louisiane 
  & 
  dn 
  Flenve 
  S. 
  Louis, 
  parce 
  qu'il 
  ne 
  pent 
  y 
  p^n^trer, 
  h 
  cause 
  de 
  

   l'6paisseur 
  des 
  Bois, 
  & 
  que 
  d'ailleurs 
  il 
  aime 
  la 
  grande 
  herbe 
  qui 
  ne 
  se 
  trouve 
  que 
  dans 
  

   les 
  Prairies 
  des 
  terres 
  hautes." 
  — 
  Histoire 
  de 
  la 
  Louisiane, 
  etc., 
  Tom. 
  II, 
  p. 
  67. 
  

  

  t 
  The 
  History 
  of 
  Louisiana, 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  pp. 
  251-253. 
  

  

  32 
  G 
  S 
  

  

  