UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 279 



from which it receives numerous tributary streams. Its course is 

 nearly west, till it enters Illinois territory, and for eighty miles beyond 

 the boundary line. Thence its direction is about one and a half degrees 

 west of south. It enters the Mississippi 20 miles above the mouth 

 of the Missouri. It is navigable for boats 450 miles. The banks are 

 high and the water clear. It contains a number of islands, some of 

 which are 10 miles in length. 



The Tennessee, called also the Cherokee, is the largest branch of 

 the Ohio, and after the Mississippi and Ohio, it is the longest river of 

 the United States. It rises among the mountains in the north-west 

 corner of South Carolina, and immediately enters North Carolina, 

 through which it flows in a north-west direction 50 miles, into Ten- 

 nessee. Thence its course is a little north of west 150 miles, when it 

 is joined by the Holston. At Kingston, 40 miles further, it unites with 

 the Clinch. It now turns to the south-west, and flowing 150 miles, in 

 that direction, enters the Mississippi territory, touching for a short 

 distance on Georgia. Just above the boundary line is the suck or 

 whirl, where the river passes through the Cumberland mountain. 

 Here the stream is suddenly contracted from the width of 800 to that 

 of 70 yards. A rock, projecting from the northern shore, propels the 

 water to the opposite side with considerable force, whence it is again 

 thrown back upon the rock, and driven round with great velocity. 

 From the suck the direction of the river is south-west 50 miles, to 

 its most southwardly point. It now wheels about to the north-west, 

 and flows 70 miles to the Muscle shoals. The stream is here expand- 

 ed to the width of from three to five miles, and is full of rocks and 

 small islands. When the water is low, the navigation is difficult. 

 From the Muscle shoals, which are 40 miles in length, the river runs 

 a little south of west 30 miles, then turning to the north-west at the 

 distance of 35 miles, it again enters Tennessee. Its general course 

 through Tennessee is north 180 miles. It enters Kentucky in lat. 

 36° 30' and mingles with the Ohio in lat. 37°, 57 miles from its mouth. 

 The whole length of this river is supposed to exceed 1000 miles. 

 Vessels of considerable burden can ascend to the Muscle shoals, 

 and it is navigable for boats of 40 tons to the mouth of the Holston. 



The Cumberland rises among the Cumberland mountains, near the 

 south-west borders of Kentucky. It flows in a south-west direc- 

 tion, parallel to the mountains, into Tennessee, where it runs, nearly 

 west, about 30 miles. Then turning to the north, it re-enters Ken- 

 tucky, and forming a semicircle of about 70 miles, it again passes 

 into Tennessee. It row flows south-west 75 miles. Thence its direc- 

 tion is nearly west to Nashville. From Nashville, its general course 

 is a little west of north to its mouth. It enters the Ohio 12 miles 

 above the Tennessee. The navigation is clear 200 miles above Nash- 

 ville, whence, vessels of 400 tons have descended in times of floods. 

 For boats, it is navigable above Nashville to the Kentucky line. Its 

 whole length is about 600 miles. 



Canals and inland navigation... .There are few countries which 

 have so fine a natural inland navigation as the United States. The 

 rivers emptying into the Atlantic, on the east, the Mississippi on the 

 west, the gulf of Mexico on the south, and the St. Lawrence and 

 lakes on the north, are many of them navigable to within a short dis- 

 tance of their sources. - Rising near each other, in the centre of thr 

 country, their union would, in many places, by means of turnpikes anc 

 improvements in their navigation, be extremely easy. The inhabitants 

 of the United States, have as yet, paid but little ?ttention to the con 



