12G 



and thus sank into the soft mire, reaching above the hub of the 

 wheels. I was glad when I landed in safety with my carriage unin- 

 jured at General Graham's, where I was received with the utmost 

 kindness, and to whom I owe my acknowledgment for his attention, 

 and for the pleasant and agreeable entertainment he afforded me 

 during my stay at his house. 



After having tarried for a few days at General Graham's, I visited 

 the grounds around the old Seminary and made some additional col- 

 lections. Mrs. and Mr. Seay are entitled to my thanks for the kind 

 treatment I received at their hands while enjoying their hospitalities. 



I shipped on the Hodge at Alexandria and returned to Baton 

 Rouge, where I arrived on the eleventh of May. 



The result of the spring excursion was highly satisfactory. I 

 found seveal species of considerable rarity, which though they are 

 not new, yet they have never been described in Southern botanical 

 works. 



Northwest Louisiana. 



My summer excursion during this year was principally confined 

 to the parishes of north Louisiana. Starting from Baton Rouge in 

 a Ouachita boat we passed the mouth of Red River and proceeded 

 from there a distance of forty miles to Black river, which, at Trinity, 

 receives the tributary waters of the Ouachita and Tensas rivers, on 

 the first of which Columbia is situated, where I stopped to com- 

 mence my journey by land. Columbia is a neat little village and 

 seems to be improving. It is a place of considerable inland trade, 

 and the parish site of Caldwell. I crossed the river in a ferry boat, 

 and found the road on the banks of the river, as far as Monroe, in 

 fine traveling order, being perfectly level — it is, during the summer 

 months, one of the best country roads in the State. The plantations 

 in Caldwell, as well as Ouachita, are very fine, the land being en- 

 tirely alluvial, and they seemed to be well cultivated, although the 

 planters suffered much from the spring rains, the overflow, and par- 

 tially also from the summer drought. The residences are generally 

 well constructed, neat cottage houses, in good order, and bear evi- 

 dence, not only of the cultivated taste, but also of the former wealth 

 of the Ouachita planters. The plantations which front the river are 

 all too large, however, under the present labor system, and should 



