PART I. 



GEOLOGICAL REPORT. 



1. Configuration of the Surface. — There are, probably, few States 

 in the Union, concerning the aspect of whose surface erroneous 

 impressions are more generally prevalent, than is the case with 

 Mississippi. The reputed character of a comparatively small 

 portion of its territory — the Mississippi Bottom — is very commonly 

 referred to the greater portion, or to the whole of the State, among 

 whose features, swamps, marshes and mosquitoes are thought to 

 hold a prominent place. It may not be superfluous, therefore, to 

 premise, that outside of the Mississippi Bottom, sand hills, with 

 Pine, Black Jack and Post Oak, are a very conspicuous feature in 

 the landscape ; the surface being generally hilly, though nowhere 

 mountainous. Few of the ridges probably rise as high as 400 feet 

 above the drainage of the country, the usual elevations of the 

 hills above the minor watercourses being from 30 to 120 feet ; and 

 none probably are above 800 feet in absolute elevation. 

 All the inequalities of surface at present existing in Mississippi, arc 

 due to denudation — formed by the action of water. There are no 

 hills or chains of upheaval properly speaking ; for, although many 

 are composed chiefly of strata possessing a sensible dip, they 

 are elevated above the rest of the country only because these 

 have to a great extent been washed away, without being, at the 

 present time, replaced by other deposits. 



2. The dips are mostly very slight, so as to be rarely perceptible 



in one and the same locality, and often difficult to demonstrate 

 R — 1 



