LOUISIANA. 



«'i(lrifls; lu^. Eaftcrn, Lower, and Upper Louifinna. The 

 Eajlern divifion comprehends all that part of this territory 

 which lies E. of the MifTifippi, boundcrl S. by the gulf of 

 Mexico, E . hv Perdido river, N. by the Miffifiopi territory, and 

 W. by the MilTifippi river. This divifion inchulcs the idand of 

 New Orleans, and is watered by the Mobile, Pafcagoula, 

 Pearl, Boguechito, Tanfipaho, and Amit rivers, with 

 Thompfon's creek, and Bayou Sara. The whole coaft, em- 

 bracing the old Biloxi dillrift, confifts of a fine white faiid, 

 injurious to the eyes, and fo dry as not to be lit to produce 

 any thii)g but pine, cedar, and fome ever-green oaks. Tlie 

 Mobile river has few li(h, and its banks and vicinity are not 

 very fertile. Between Pafcagoula and MilTilippi rivers, the 

 country is intermixed with extcnfive hills, fine meadows, nu- 

 merous thickets, and in fome places woods thicktet with cane, 

 particularly on the banks of rivers and brooks, and proper 

 for agriculture. Its coaft, though flat, dry, and fandy, 

 abounds with delicious ftiell and other li(h, and affords fecu- 

 rity again ft the irivalion of an enemy. 



Loivcr Louiliana comprehends that part of this territory 

 hounded E. by the MifTifippi rivi-r, S. by the gulf of Mexico, 

 S.W. and W. by New Mexico, N. by a line drawn from the 

 Miflllippi W., dividing the country in which ftonc is found 

 from that in.Vhich there is none. This part of Louifiana is 

 watered by Red river, and many others which fall into the gulf 

 of Mexico. On both fides of the mouths of the MilTifippi are 

 quagmires, afFording a fafe retreat for water-fowl, gnats, 

 and mofquitocs, and extending for more than twenty miles. 

 The wliole coaft from the Miflifippi, W. as far as St. Ber- 

 nard's bay and beyond it, refcmbles that already defcribed 

 of the eaftern divifion : and the foil is barren. In afcend- 

 ing the Miffifippi, beyond the mardies, are fome narrow 

 flrips of firm land, partly bare of trees and partly thickly 

 covered with them ; which are fit for cultivation. This part 

 fcems to have been cither recovered from the fea, or formed 

 by various materials that have defcended to it ; and it is not 

 unreafonable to imagine, that in procefs of time the river 

 and fea may form another traft of country like Lower Loui- 

 fiana. The principal river is the Miffilippi ; which fee. 

 The Red river has its foiirce not far from that of Rio Bravo, 

 or Rio del Norte, on which the city of Santa Fe is built, 

 and in the mountain which has the Springs of the Miffouri. 

 On each fide of this river are fome fcattered fettlements, for 

 about fifty miles to Bayan Rapide, in which ce about loo 

 families. The land here is not inferior to any in the world 

 with regard to fertility ; and for a i'pace of about 40 miles 

 from hence to the commencement of the Appalufa pra- 

 iries, the country is equally rich and well-timbered. It is 

 perfeclly level, and the foil 20 feet deep, and like a bed of 

 manure. Higher up, the banks and low lands are of fimi- 

 Jar quality witli the lands on Bayan Rapide, the texture 

 of the foil being fomewhat loofer ; but there are few fettle- 

 ments, till you come to the river Cane fettlements, 60 or 

 70 miles higher up Red river. Hence to the village or 

 port of Natchitoches, about 50 miles, and 25 miles above it, 

 the banks of one branch of Red river are fettled like thofe 

 of the MifTifippi, and the country abounds with beautiful 

 fields and plantations, and luxuriarrt; crops of corn, cotton, 

 and tobacco. (See Natchitociie.s. ) The low grounds 

 of Red river, generally five or fix miles wide, have an un- 

 commonly rich foil, which is overflowed annually in the 

 month of April. The crops of corn and tobacco are plen- 

 tiful, and never fail. The foil is particularly favourable for 

 tobacco ; an acre yields from 80 to 100 bufttels of corn ; and 

 it is no lefs produftive of cotton. Two men, with ten or 

 twelve old pots and kettles, fupply the fett'ement on Red 

 river with fait, the fprings of which are almoft inexhauftiblc. 



Here is likewife plenty of iron and copper ore, pit-coal, 

 ftiell and ftone lime. The diflcrent branches of the river 

 the lakes, creeks, and bayans furnifti abundance of .very fina 

 fi(h, cockles, foft-flielled turtle and ftirimps, and in winter 

 great varieties of wild fowl. The country is fsr from being 

 fickly. The mofchetto is rarely feen. The high lands are 

 covered with oak, hickory, afti, gum, faffafras, dogwood, 

 grape-vines, &c. intermixed with (hort-leaved pine, and 

 interfperfed with prairies, creeks, lakes, and fountains. Its 

 hills and vallies are gently varied, and the foil i.s generally a 

 ftony clay. The country on Red river ismoft valuable, be- 

 ginning about 50 or 60 miles above the upper fettlements, 

 and extending 4 or j'oo miles. The low lands, about 40 

 miles on each fide, are remarkably rich, interfperlcd witii 

 prairies, and beautiful ftreanis and fountains ; alfo quarries 

 of free-ftone, lime, flint, flate, grit, and almoft every kind 

 of ftone. About jo miles from the mouth ot Red river, 

 Black river falls into it on the N. fide, which is a clear and 

 navigable ftreum for 5 or 600 miles : about loo miles up- 

 wards, it branches in three different directions : the eallern 

 branch, called the Tenfaw, is navigable for many miles, 

 awd affords rich land : the middle or main branch, called 

 Wallieta, is navigable 500 miles, and affords excellent lands, 

 falt-fprings, lead-ore, and plenty of very good mill and grind- 

 ftones : the wefterii branch, called Catahola, runs through 

 a beautiful, rich, prairie country, in which is a large lake, 

 called Catahola lake. On this lake are falt-fprincrs, and it 

 abounds with fidi and fowl. On the river called O/.ark are 

 many valuable trafls of land, which is likewife the cafe 

 with refpecl to White river and St. Francois. 



Upper Louifiana comprehends all the remainder of this 

 territory, and is the largeft and moft valuable part. It is 

 bound ,S. by Lower Louifiana, on the E.by MilTifippi, N. 

 and W by the highlands and mountains whu'* divide the 

 waters of St. Laurence, Hudfon's bay, and the Pacific 

 ocean, from thofe of the Miflifippi. It is watered by the 

 Red river, the Arkanfas, St. Francis, and the MifFoiiri, 

 with a vaft number of fmaller llreams which fall into thefe 

 or the Miffifippi. From the lower fcttleinent at Sans la 

 Grace, to the upper fettlement on the Miffouri, abovt the 

 diftanceof 250 miles, is a country equal to any part of the 

 weftern territory, containing a population of joor6o,ooo, 

 and furniftiing lead and iron mines. The foil is at the bottom 

 a folid red clay, and this is covered by a light earth almoft 

 black and very fertile. The grafs grows here ,to a great 

 height, and towards the end of September is fet on fire ; and 

 in eight or ten days after, the young grafs fhoots up half a 

 foot high. In advancing northwards towards the Arkanfas 

 a:;d St. Francis, the country becomes more beautiful and fer- 

 tile, abounding in various kinds of game, as beavers, &c. and 

 herds of deer, elks, and biiflaloes, from 6 to 100 in a drove. 

 Here have been alfo found Ipecimens of rock cryftal, plaller 

 of Paris, lead, and iron ore, lime-ftone, and pit-coal. It 

 has all the trees known in Europe, befides others that are 

 there unknown. The cedars are remarkably fine ; the cotton 

 trees grow to fuch a fize, that the Indians make canoes out 

 of their trunks : hemp grows naturally ; tar is made from 

 the pines on the fea coalt ; and the country affords every 

 material for fhip-building. Beans grow to a large fize 

 without culture ; peach trees are heavily laden with fruit ; 

 and the forefts are full of mulberry and plum trees. Pom- 

 granate and chefnut trees are covred with vines, whofe 

 grapes are very large and fweet. They have three or four 

 crops of Indian corn in the year : as they have no other 

 winter befides fome rains. Here are alfo mines of pit- 

 coal, lead and copper, quarries of free-ftone, and of black, 

 white, and jafper-like marble, of which they make their 

 6 calumets. 



